What better day than the birthday of Percy Jackson to post my review (finally) of The Last Olympian (2009, Disney Hyperion). This is one of my favorite kid's series, it ranks right up there with HP, Fablehaven and The Hunger Games as the best in terms of fantasy in my opinion.
They have something else in common, too -- they're all ended (with Mockingjay's release next week at least). I don't know why I put off reading The Last Olympian so long, except to say that maybe I just didn't want to see it end.
Rick Riordan visited my kids' elementary school right around the time Sea of Monsters (book 2) was coming out. He fit right into the "one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet" category and I remember thinking, I hope this guy finds success. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
It wasn't long after that the series took off and shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. (See? It pays to be nice to me!)
But I digress. The Last Olympian wraps up Percy's story and all the tension over the prophesy well. We revisit many of the colorful characters from the series as they all band together (with some surprising additions) to defend Olympus from a takeover by Kronos (now in full possession of Luke's physical form).
To say any more would be to give too much away, but it's an exciting, satisfying end to a fantastic series. (In fact, my youngest says this particular book is his favorite of all of them, but I'd lean more towards Titan's Curse.) I'm hoping the film series continues (because now I can't picture anyone but Logan Lerman as Percy and every time Riordan points out Annabeth's blonde hair I think, no, that's not right...)
So despite this review being a long time coming, I'd like to end it by thanking Rick Riordan for a wonderful trip through mythology and for teaching us all something -- not just about the Greek gods but about the importance of standing up for what's right. Oh, and to keep in mind that prophesies aren't always what they seem.
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