New Leaf July 2020 Discussion • The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by jj2me

Unfortunately, I think I'm too old, in that I tend to value only reality for my remaining years--no time for silly nonsense. At least that's the only theory I have for why I can't fathom why any adult would find any part of this enjoyable.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I do feel for you in that you won't allow yourself to enjoy good fiction. It's not silly nonsense to read fiction. There are a ot of good stories out there. It's unfortunate that the writing for Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief happened to be not all that well written.

Where did jj2me object to fiction?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Where did jj2me object to fiction?

Originally Posted by jj2me

I tend to value only reality for my remaining years--no time for silly nonsense

There.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

There.

Not how I read the comment. "Silly nonsense" referred to the current fantasy selection; I think it's an overreach to make it refer to fiction in general.

[CRussel]

Not how I read it either. Especially given the follow-on.

[Victoria]

Well, I gave book 2 a try. I couldn’t see any difference in the writing itself, or other aspects for that matter. Overall, I think if you enjoyed the first book, you’ll probably like this one too. And if the above noted shortcomings spoiled the book for you, I don’t think you’d like this one either.

[John F]

An interview with the author about the book:

https://rickriordan.com/2005/09/the-...disabled-hero/

[gmw]

Originally Posted by John F

An interview with the author about the book:

https://rickriordan.com/2005/09/the-...disabled-hero/

Thanks very much for that. It was good to get some context.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Victoria

Well, I gave book 2 a try. I couldn’t see any difference in the writing itself, or other aspects for that matter. Overall, I think if you enjoyed the first book, you’ll probably like this one too. And if the above noted shortcomings spoiled the book for you, I don’t think you’d like this one either.

I just finished book 2, and I concur ... mostly. It seemed to me that the book picked up somewhat in the latter half. I remember thinking early on: I'll finish this one and then stop. But now I've actually finished I am inclined to read on to the third.

It may have been helped by the fact that I knew what sort of thing to expect, but also by the fact that this book-starved man was having his first meal in over two weeks, so finished this one in day.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by John F

An interview with the author about the book:

https://rickriordan.com/2005/09/the-...disabled-hero/

That’s a great link John. It offers a completely different slant on why Roirdan has chosen such simple, straightforward language. Thank you - it increases my appreciation of the book.

Originally Posted by gmw

I just finished book 2, and I concur ... mostly. It seemed to me that the book picked up somewhat in the latter half. I remember thinking early on: I'll finish this one and then stop. But now I've actually finished I am inclined to read on to the third.

It may have been helped by the fact that I knew what sort of thing to expect, but also by the fact that this book-starved man was having his first meal in over two weeks, so finished this one in day.

I agree with you. I thought the book picked up in the latter half too. It ended with a cliffhanger, which I often don’t appreciate. But in this case, I think it’s hooked me into giving the third a try too.

[gmw]

Originally Posted by Victoria

[...] I agree with you. I thought the book picked up in the latter half too. It ended with a cliffhanger, which I often don’t appreciate. But in this case, I think it’s hooked me into giving the third a try too.

It turns out that the third ends with much the same sort of cliffhanger. To me these feel like very mild sorts of cliffhanger: the current quest is obviously over, the last little twist is just a reminder that the series isn't done yet.

In the first chapter of the third I felt a bit thrown in at the deep end, but that settled pretty quickly and from it felt like a much stronger book than the first two. The humour hit home much more often for me and the whole story felt more smoothly revealed. Still obviously for younger readers, but definitely the best so far.

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Not how I read the comment. "Silly nonsense" referred to the current fantasy selection; I think it's an overreach to make it refer to fiction in general.

Originally Posted by CRussel

Not how I read it either. Especially given the follow-on.

Not how I meant it either. I should have phrased it better; less absolute. As I said in the follow-on, I was struggling on mobile (mobileread ironically is not so easy to read on mobile) as a swipe typist in landscape mode on a laggy small phone that wasn't taking much of my swiping, and just caved and tapped Submit too early.

[CRussel]

FWIW, I've found Tapatalk a useable solution to MobileRead when I'm on a small device. Better than the web interface, certainly.

[fantasyfan]

Originally Posted by John F

An interview with the author about the book:

https://rickriordan.com/2005/09/the-...disabled-hero/

I'll just add my thanks to you for sharing that link. It does add a dimension to the book.

I haven't started the subsequent books yet but judging by the general comments of others I'm going to enjoy them.

[Victoria]

Originally Posted by gmw

It turns out that the third ends with much the same sort of cliffhanger. To me these feel like very mild sorts of cliffhanger: the current quest is obviously over, the last little twist is just a reminder that the series isn't done yet.

In the first chapter of the third I felt a bit thrown in at the deep end, but that settled pretty quickly and from it felt like a much stronger book than the first two. The humour hit home much more often for me and the whole story felt more smoothly revealed. Still obviously for younger readers, but definitely the best so far.

Yes, you’re right. They’re hooks, not cliffhangers; they’re very effective but not at all unfair.

[gmw]

Well, I finished the series. Book 4 & 5 are a bit more serious - to be expected I guess.

Book 4 wasn't as smooth as book 3 ... say somewhere between 2 and 3. Our heroes are starting to show signs of growing up and the writing, I think, has improved over the last couple of books. I was entertained and by the end firmly convinced I would finish the series (the ending here is a bigger hook).

I thought book 5 was very well done. It skips over a lot of stuff between the end of 4 and the start of 5, and so our heroes gain a year and it shows as quite a marked step. Action-packed and a satisfying conclusion to the series.


I know the first book wasn't everything I was hoping for, but overall I enjoyed myself and I am glad to have read them.