Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian - Rick Riordan

Published by Puffin Books/Penguin Random House: Great Britain, 2013 (2009).
Book 5 in the 'Percy Jackson' series. Preceded by 'Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth.'

This final book in the Percy Jackson series does all the things final books should: it turns into an epic battle, it has some (mostly minor or villainous) characters die, and it wraps up the major story-arcs while allowing some characters to have room for development in the future. Knowing that there is a number of other stories featuring Percy Jackson following this series, it makes sense that another 'Great Prophecy' is also featured near the end of the book.

In being all of these things, the story of The Last Olympian is in some ways the most predictable of the series: we know that Percy will face off against Kronos. We know that Grover and Annabeth (and in these later books, Rachel) will also have a part to play. We know that some people will die. We know (well, assume, but come on, its a kid's series) that the villain will be defeated at the end. And yet, there are still some twists and turns. Percy, for example, manages to prepare for the battle ahead by making himself almost invulnerable to attack - authentic to the Greek myths but still somewhat surprising. This also means that he can be a lot more active in the final battle than one might expect - its almost like he puts on 'God Mode.'

I suppose that's fitting for a series involving Greek gods!

Speaking of which...

On the whole I have enjoyed these books. They are not meant to be taken seriously. They are light-hearted and fun, with a bit of magic and action thrown in. As a Christian, the fact that 'gods' are mentioned throughout isn't a massive deal, because I don't see the stories as all that realistic. Yet, in this book there is ONE scene involving the destiny of one of the characters that did make me slightly uncomfortable spiritually. Not because it is portrayed any more realistically than the other scenes, but because in some ways the character opens themselves up to be possessed, with long term consequences.

Is this enough to make me throw the series down in disgust? 

No, but it is worth noting.

Anyhow, this moment aside, The Last Olympian is another fun entry in the series, and a good wrap-up to this five-book series. Who knows, at some point more of Rick Riordan's books... not a high priority, but a nice easy series to get into.

Completed 7 December 2024.



(Percy Jackson Series)

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