I realize that my previous post was also about Percy Jackson, and that it was unbearably long. Well, sorry 'bout that, but here's another. I promise that it won't be near as long, as there's not a movie to accompany this one. I'm going to assume that you've either read The Lightning Thief, seen the movie, read my previous post, or just don't care about a few plot spoilers. M'kay?
Anyway, the timeline of these books so far is a bit of a reverse-Harry Potter, in that the action takes place over the summer, while the school year tends to be quiet. Sea of Monsters (hereafter known as SoM, for my sake) kicks off on the last day of school, after a school year in which Percy has pretty much had no monster problems. Half-Bloods, you understand, give off a scent (a plot point to which I can relate), and monsters are drawn to it like crazy, but for some reason no one's bothered him... until now. Long story short, some monsters attack during a dodgeball game, in which they use explosive bronze balls to try to kill Percy.
See, this is precisely why I love this series. A group of cyclopes try to kill Percy by playing dodgeball. Even better? Part of Percy's ultimate plan of escape involves luring the monsters into lobbing one of the cannonballs at the doorway that leads to the boys' locker room, where the cannonball mixes with the "build-up of gas" in there (another plot point to which I can heartily relate) to cause a particularly large explosion. It's childish, it's hilarious, and it works. I can't imagine how obsessed I would have been with this series had it come out when I was half my current age. Heck, I love it now, and I'm in my mid-twenties.
There are some definite changes from The Lightning Thief to this book. One of Percy's best friends is roaming the world on a quest, but never fear, for there is a replacement. I had been curious about something during the first book, and I had wondered if Riordan would actually tackle the fact that Poseidon often sired monsters, such as the cyclopes, and boy did Riordan answer that with this book. Here you meet Tyson, Percy's new bunkmate in the Poseidon cabin. Tyson is a cyclops, but he's the "gentle giant" type, so it's alright. However, he is technically a monster, so this doesn't go over so well with the other campers. Ever had a friend who got picked on all the time, or didn't quite "fit in"? The Tyson storyline nails this home and gave Percy the opportunity to be a jerk or a hero in a whole new way. The centaur-teacher Chiron, meanwhile, has been fired because the camp has come under attack so many times recently (the gods blame him for poisoning the tree/demi-god who protects the borders), and for some inexplicable reason, he has been replaced with Tantalus. This is the guy who got so pissed off at the gods, he killed his own children, invited the gods over for dinner, and served them up some Junior Pie. For that, he has to spend eternity ever out of reach of food and water, and Riordan plays that up perfectly here. Tantalus is nasty, he hates the good guys and loves the badguys, and he generally makes life as hard as possible for Percy. Now that I look back on it, I have a firm believe that Matt Stone and Trey Parker had this guy in mind when they wrote the "Scott Tenorman Must Die!" episode of South Park.
Otherwise, the book follows a fairly similar pattern to its predecessor. Percy and friends leave for a quest to find some way to restore their camp before it dies and seriously lessens the gods' chances at combating the looming threat from the Titans. Kronos' minions, meanwhile, actively seek out support as they prepare a way for Kronos to escape Tartarus. Each chapter is dedicated to a different mini-adventure that usually involves monsters/people from the old Greek myths coming back in modern form. I was impressed at how well Riordan places his myth references while maintaining a perfectly coherent plotline throughout the whole book. You never once feel as though things have strayed off-course, or that any references are forced. To make things even better, this book is funnier than the first. This is the first series since Inheritance where I can remember laughing out loud (though in Inheritance it was always at points that weren't supposed to be funny). Maybe I'm just immature - in fact, I know I'm immature - but gosh darnit this series just makes me happy.
I'm pretty sure that Riordan kept Homer's The Odessey near him at all times while writing this one. SoM particularly focuses on the creatures and events from Odysseus' 10-year journey home, and to excellent effect. If Odysseus faced it, it's probably in here. "But!" you may say, "Didn't Odysseus sail through the Mediterranean?" Yes, you are quite right, but this series keeps up a lovely little plot device that I guess you could call the "Flame of the West", which started in Greece, moved to Rome, and eventually ended up in America. The Sea of Monsters used to sit smack in the middle of the Mediterranean, this is true, but now - you guessed it! - it's the Bermuda Triangle. All of the myths shift location to match the soul of the West, and right now, at least in Percy's world, that's America. What kinds of dangers await our hero in the Sea of Monsters, you may ask? Let's just say that one of the main monsters in store for Percy bears a fiery hatred for Nobody. If you know what the hell I'm talking about, then we should be friends.
What surprised me the most, though, is how well the main characters are fleshed out. I mean, I rather expected everyone but Percy to be a bit static and unchanging while Percy grows around them, but SoM proved me soundly wrong, and I'm the happier for it. Annabeth in particular reveals so much more of her soul than she did in The Lightning Thief, so that by the end of SoM you feel as though you know her as well as you do Percy, even though you spend the entire time in Percy's head. That's a pretty impressive feat, if you ask me. Even Tyson, the simple-but-loyal cyclops half-brother to Percy, shows some charming, if slightly predictable, moments of intelligence, bravery, and growth.
From what I understand, The Lightning Thief was Rick Riordan's first published book. Pretty darn good, if you ask me, though I would mostly just recommend that one to kids closer to Percy's age (12, not 11, as I erroneously reported in my last post). Mr. Riordan grew tremendously as a writer between books. Percy remains the same narrator, but he's funnier, the plot is better, and the characters are more well-rounded. SoM is all-out better than TLT, to the point where I would actually recommend this to anyone, not just kids. Riordan's already gotten to the point where you don't have to be of the same age and maturity level of the main character to appreciate what he's going through. That takes skill beyond that of many writers, particularly the author of the next series that I shall be reviewing, but I'll get to him later. Don't miss out on this series. I've already gone out and bought the third, The Titan's Curse. Percy Jackson & The Olympians has everything you could ask for: good writing, plot twists you didn't see coming, great characters, familiar setting, hilarious and clever narration, bravery, loyalty, courage, heart, cunning, swordplay, monsters, and, most importantly, love. I know that sounds cliche, and it most certainly is, but it's true. I'm hooked to these characters and must know what happens to them next. I can't wait to plough through The Titan's Curse.
Oh, and Hermes is totally my favorite god to show up so far. When you see the modern version of his caduceus, you'll know what I mean.
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