Percy Jackson and the Olympians Paperback Boxed Set (Books 1-3)

I am a 24 year old married woman, and like many Harry Potter fans I have been reading unfufilling series after unfufilling series for the last few years trying to find something to fill that void. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is fantastic. I have to say I did like the second and third books a little more than the first. They were more colorful and funny than the Lightning Thief. Everything that you loved about Harry Potter is in this book, but not in the haphazard, copycat, money-maker way that some other series have tried (*cough cough Charlie Bone and Septimus Heap to name a couple). This is totally original and you will find yourself with the same love of Camp Half-blood that you had for Hogwarts. While this book is for children it is meaty. It has substance, thoughtful characters, interesting plots, and an intricate world I cant get enough of. I had a hard time putting the books down. I cant wait for the next book to come in so I can start right back up again. My cousin recommended this to me and I just cannot thank her enough. Thanks again Debbie!

My 4th grade son who does not love to read absolutely loves this series. I can't get him to stop reading; he is reading instead of TV, video games, outside, etc. I read a few chapters of each of the 4 and they are well written, funny, and full of action/adventure. Great books!

I bought this set for my daughter, who's a fan of Greek mythology, and ended up enjoying them myself as well. Like the "Harry Potter" and "Narnia" series, these books appeal to readers of all ages. I also appreciated the prominent featuring of strong female characters.

Some of the plot twists I did find a bit on the predictable side but I still thought the books were highly entertaining.

This was an exciting read, the characters were great (I ADORED Grover, the klutzy but earnest satyr) and my seven-year-old loved it to pieces. BUT I found myself rolling my eyes a lot as I was caught up short by the holes in the fabric of the story and Riordan's manipulation of his characters.

Specifically, Mr. Riordan makes it clear that these kids are smart. They're smart enough to figure out that there's a spy in the demigod summer camp, for example, and Our Hero, Percy Jackson, spends the length of the book wondering who that spy is. But though he's fed increasingly clear clues as to the identity of that spy, he never stops to figure it out--he just continues to wonder. Moreover, when he and his companions have completed their mission and returned to camp, the question of the spy's identity and role in Grover almost meeting an untimely end are completely forgotten. Time drags by and no one so much as mentions the spy or is the least concerned that they might still be a threat--which, of course, they are. Since I'd figured it out long, long before (because of the numerous unsubtle hints), this was more than a little frustrating. Most frustrating of all was the way Riordan literarily forces the reader to look away by simply not addressing the subject.

The nature and powers of gods and other supernaturals are also vague and inconsistent. Sometimes characters knew things in detail that they had no reason to know and other times things took place right out in front of mortals and gods alike that the gods seemed to take no notice of despite the fact that Percy's movements were supposedly of dire import. I was continually wondering, "Well, if they know THIS how can they possibly NOT know THAT?" The characters seemed to know what the writer needed them to know, and not know what he needed them NOT to know regardless of the situation. It made me doubt that Riordan had a clear picture of the powers and nature of his supernatural characters.

I also found the end of the book disappointing emotionally. Percy's mom, who is married to this nasty piece of work for reasons that become clear, finally has every reason to leave the buffoon. Riordan makes a big point of the idea that though Percy could take care of this for his mom through supernatural means, she shows courage by electing to do it herself. But in the end, she offs the guy (off-stage at that), employing the same supernatural device that Percy was going to use, thus sidestepping the issue of personal courage entirely. And I have to ask if the punishment fit the crime.

Without divulging too much, there's also a logistical problem in Riordan's solution with regard to Percy's step-father. The mom does him in using a device that would have had the same deadly effect on everyone in the room. We know he was playing poker when he, er, folded, and poker is not a solitary pursuit. But there's no mention of the other guys at the poker table.

I will buy the rest of the books for my daughter, 'cause like I said, they're fun to read with lots of cliff-hangers, and I love the kid characters. I've also heard from several readers that the series improves with regard to Puppet Master Syndrome. I hope those readers are right and Mr. Riordan has come up with plots that don't require so much manipulation of the characters AND the reader.

I actually posted this on a discussion thread on books for fifth graders. But I decided it fit well in a review, so here it is. I feel (as a mom and as a teacher) that this series is great for everyone from strong fourth grade readers through eighth grade and beyond.

My now 14-year-old son introduced me to this series: relatively new, from Rick Riordan. The Olympians have apparently moved Olympus over the years, following the westward march of civilization - in fact, Olympus is now floating above the Empire State Building in New York City! The main character is Percy (Perseus) Jackson, who is a half-god (Demigod), introduced in the first book, "The Lightning Thief". This first book is not as engaging as the following ones, but this is mainly because it first introduces all of the characters and has to give a lot of background quickly.

Each subsequent book covers roughly one year (well, usually one summer) of Percy's adventures. They generally start out from Camp Half-Blood, the magically protected space on Long Island Sound set aside for Greek/Roman gods' half-human children. They need this special summer camp for protection from all the monsters and evils that we mere mortals can never see because of "the mist" that makes us interpret what we see only in ways that make sense to us. So, that evil substitute teacher might actually be a harpy, sent to weed out another half-blood. :-)

This creative and engaging series introduces or reinforces ancient myths from Greek and Roman mythology, and does a wonderful job of painlessly increasing cultural literacy for the "history of Western Civilization". In fact, it covers many legends beyond that as well, because the premise is that the Olympians have always existed, and they just keep moving their base every few hundred years, through major civilizations on several continents. Really an awesome series, especially for fairly competent, but possibly reluctant, readers in 8th grade and up.

These books were OK, but not the best books I've ever read. You have to like mythology to enjoy these books. The characters are not well developed
and seem to do do silly things that don't make sense. Therefore, it's hard to empathize with the characters. The concept is hard to believe because it is about
children fighting gods of greek mythology.

I have been looiking for a Harry Potter replacement and tried many of the series, and I liked this one best. Likeable characters, interesting situtations, and you learn a little mythology along the way. The set is almost as inexpensive as one book.

Almost as well crafted as the Potter series, "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" is full of adventure and suspense, heroic deeds and triumphs. Imagine being a 10-year-old in modern US who suddenly discovers that his life depends on understanding Greek mythology--because all those gods are relatives, and one is your dad. Percy has to fight off monsters and discover some truths about himself along the way.
The books bring a delightful turn to learning the Greek myths, and the premise works. Placing Mount Olympus in Modern New York City (600th floor of the Empire State Building) --and Hades in Los Angeles--sets up a whole new look at American culture from the point of view of a young person just trying to figure life out.
My daughter and I gulped the first three books down in less than 2 weeks. She's discovered the whole new richness of Greek mythology for the first time and I am having great fun remembering it all.
You need to read the first book before the movie comes out! You'll be glad you did.

I read this series on the recommendation that it was Harry Potter-like and it almost ruined it for me. It is a GREAT series for kids who are into reading fantasy! but some adults (like myself at age 34) who are looking for the intricacy, descriptive scenes, drawn out battles and fleshed out characters of Rowling might be disappointed. Unlike most of the HP books, I would give this book to a 9 year old and be confident that he/she would be able to grasp the concepts easily. Book 1 started out as an HP knock-off and I ALMOST stopped reading. It is also a little slow and tough to get through but 2, 3 & 4 are excellent. You need to read book 1 because it sets the stage for the series and gives you lots of important information you need in later books. There are clearly some HP influences that I found a bit annoying but had I not been referred as a Potter fan then I think it would have gone unnoticed.

So aside from the unfair comparisons that should never be...its a great series! If you go in with no expectations other than reading a great fantasy series then that's what you'll get! There is humor, youthful romance, danger, mild violence that is not inappropriate for young readers (which I appreciate as a parent). Percy and his friends go on wild adventures that make for fast reading and a real page turner. The series gets progressively better and each book more detailed. Overall, it is a well written series and I can't wait to get book 5.

I picked this set up mainly because it was a great deal for the first three books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I figured it would be an economic way to check out a series that's gotten a lot of popularity.

This set is, simply, an amazing buy, and can't be beat at $11. The books in the set are:

-Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1: The Lightning Thief
-Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2: The Sea of Monsters
-Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3: The Titan's Curse

Each book in the series is a contained adventure, but also part of a larger plot line that continues through the five books. I've reviewed each book separately; the reviews can be found on my profile/website if you're curious.

The basic idea is that Percy Jackson is a young demigod, half human and half Greek god. He is the son of Poseidon, the god of the sea. He grows up over the course of the books, starting at age 12 and finishing at 16. Percy's life is full of adventures and dangers, as he often heads off on quests to save his friends or Camp Half-Blood, sanctuary of the demigods. In "The Lightning Thief," Percy and his friends must find Zeus's stolen lightning bolt. In "The Sea of Monsters," they hunt for the Golden Fleece. And in "The Titan's Curse," the young demigods search for a missing friend as well as the Greek god Artemis.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an outstanding series, one that I will be rereading often. Riordan's writing is witty, humorous, educational, fun, etc.; these are great books for kids and parents to read together.

5/5.