The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan; Grade: B
Among the first books I read this year was The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan. The easy humor of Riordan’s Norse-mythology-themed series had worked well enough for me last year that I decided to give this series a try, too.
There are three main characters, all demigods: the mysterious Jason, who has amnesia; Piper, daughter of a kidnapped movie star; and Leo, who has a natural talent for building and using machines. They go on a quest, the ultimate purpose of which is to fight against forces that threaten to destroy the world, meeting along the way such characters as King Midas (of the Golden Touch), Medea (an evil sorceress), and Aeolus (god of the winds).
It’s an easy, breezy read, but there’s little character development. Jason, in particular, still seems like a blank page. He’s the central character, the one around which the others gather, which makes the story weakest at its heart. There was less humor in this book than some of Riordan’s other stories (or the humor didn’t work as well for me). The premise, which is concealed for most of the story though hinted at fairly broadly, doesn’t really appeal much to me.
Though I hate to leave a series unfinished once I start it, that’s what I’m going to do in this case. I offered the book to Livia. She liked it enough to continue with the series.