The Lightning Thief (2006)

by Rick Riordan

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1), Camp Half-Blood (1)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Conversations / Mentions
18,695	1021	119	(4.08)	1 / 640

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231
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NPRs Ultimate Backseat Bookshelf: 100 Must-Reads for kids 9-14 (81)

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Hogwarts Express : [The Lightning Thief] (with spoilers)	31 unread / 31	KRomana, January 2017

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Showing 1-5 of 1009 (next | show all)

This book is about a twelve year old boy named Percy Jackson, and he goes on a quest to find Zeus's master bolt. Along the way he faces many challenges and adventures. This would be a great book to teach Greek mythology and over coming challenges. I would use this book for older students that are in middle or high school. (

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Megannau1 | Nov 6, 2018 |

This is a fun adventure story, but a bit simplistic for an adult. I loved Harry Potter, but this book lacks its depth of the world and the character development. Dialogs are often childish. The story weaves lassic Greek myths and characters into modern times. This is cute but also seems somewhat random. Overall, entertaining storyline but flat. (

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Gezemice | Oct 29, 2018 |

Percy Jackson is a normal kid...until now. Percy gets into a situation and now he has found out that the greek gods are real… and his dad is Poseidon. Then his mom gets kidnapped by Hades and he must stop his new enemies the titans from rising. He discovers he can control water, and he makes powerful new friends. He has many great adventures with him and his demigod friends to stop the titans.
This book was great. I recommend this book to you other readers. It was such a good fictional story it gave a good story how the fictional world of Greek mythology is real and in modern times today. Hey people you should really read this book, it’s a very good book, and everyone else who read it really liked it, and I’m trying to share it with everybody. You should read this book along with all the other books Rick Riordan wrote, they’re all good books. You should read them. (

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BenC.G3 | Oct 24, 2018 |

In my opinion, this book was very entertaining I couldn't put it down. The way the characters are depicted makes them believable. There has great character development and backstories to connect to. The Greek myths are also modernized, so the setting of the story when it takes place is easy for people to understand. This book displays gender equality, so it appeals to both younger girls and boys. Goddesses and gods, are neat characters to children it makes the plot even more suspenseful. The overarching theme is discovering ones true identity. A lot of teens can relate to this not knowing who they are and trying to find out. We all go through that awkward stage in our lives. Percy Jackson is a coming of age tale. Percy was uncertain of his true identity and as the story progressed he was able to discover himself. (

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nervin1 | Oct 9, 2018 |

Really great in the beginning, but I kinda got bored a bit in the middle. Ended well though, so it all worked out. I will read the rest of the series because I really like the characters! (

)

thebookdisciple | Oct 9, 2018 |

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Showing 1-5 of 1009 (next | show all)

▾Published reviews

2 reviews

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thingScore 88

"The Lightning Thief" is perfectly paced, with electrifying moments chasing each other like heartbeats, and mysteries opening out in sequence. The action never feels gratuitous; it draws its depth from the myths at its source.

added by Shortride | editThe New York Times Book Review, Polly Shulman (Nov 13, 2005)

Riordan's fast-paced adventure is fresh, dangerous, and funny.

added by khuggard | editBooklist, Chris Sherman

▾Other authors

» Add other authors (13 possible)

Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Rick Riordan	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Bernstein, Jesse	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Rekiaro, Ilkka	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Work-to-work relationships

Is contained in

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Books 1-3) by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Books 1-5) by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Books 1-4) by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson e gli dei dell'Olimpo: le origini del mito by Rick Riordan

Has the adaptation

The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief [2010 film] by Chris Columbus

Has as a student's study guide

The Lightning Thief - Student Packet by Novel Units, Inc. by Novel Units

Has as a teacher's guide

The Lightning Thief- Teacher Guide by Novel Units, Inc by Novel Units

view history

▾Common Knowledge

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Series (with order)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1)

Camp Half-Blood (1)

Canonical title

The Lightning Thief

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2005-03-21

People/Characters

Important places

Camp Half-Blood

Mount Olympus

New York, New York, USA (Empire State Building)

Los Angeles, California, USA

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (Lotus Eater Hotel)

(show all 10 items)

Important events

Summer Solstice

Awards and honors

ALA Notable Children's Book (2006)

Red House Children's Book Award (Overall, 2007; Older Readers, 2007)

Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2009)

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (2009)

New York Times bestseller (Fiction, 2005)

(show all 51 items)

Epigraph

Dedication

To Haley,
who heard the story first

First words

Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.

Quotations

"Remarkable, really, the lengths to which humans will go to fit things into their version of reality." Chiron p. 155

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

This LT work is the first volume (of five) in Rick Riordan's series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Please do not combine it with any other individual title or collection of titles from the series. Thank you.

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Publisher series

Original language

English

Canonical DDC/MDS

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (4)

Anemoi

List of characters in mythology novels by Rick Riordan

Talaria

The Lightning Thief

▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

Haiku summary

▾Book descriptions

Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0786838655, Paperback)

Book Description

In this stunning collectors' edition of The Lightning Thief, Percy Jackson's world is brought to life with eight full-color plates by the series jacket artist John Rocco. The edition comes in an elegant slipcase with a ribbon bookmark, rough edges, and cloth cover--a perfect keepsake for fans of this truly epic series.

After getting expelled from yet another school for yet another clash with mythological monsters only he can see, twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is taken to Camp Half-Blood, where he finally learns the truth about his unique abilities: He is a demigod, half human, half immortal. Even more stunning: His father is the Greek god Poseidon, ruler of the sea, making Percy one of the most powerful demigods alive. There's little time to process this news. All too soon, a cryptic prophecy from the Oracle sends Percy on his first quest, a mission to the Underworld to prevent a war among the gods of Olympus.

This first installment of Rick Riordan's best-selling series is a non-stop thrill-ride and a classic of mythic proportions.

A Note for Amazon Customers from Illustrator John Rocco

Dear Readers,

When I was about eight years old I had the great luck of stumbling upon my father’s collection of Classics Illustrated comic books. I instantly fell in love with the stories of Robert Louis Stevenson, Mark Twain, H.G. Wells, and James Fenimore Cooper. Many years later, when I became interested in illustration, I discovered the beautiful hardbound editions of these stories featuring the arresting artwork of incredible artists like N.C. Wyeth, Howard Pyle, and Maxfield Parrish. What I love about their paintings is not just the beautiful draftsmanship, color and composition, but their ability to capture a moment that held the promise of swashbuckling adventure. That promise let me know that if I read the words surrounding that picture, I could unlock the adventure.

That promise is what I tried to achieve when creating the pictures for this incredible series. My approach has never been just to describe a scene from the book, but to create an illustration that offers tension and mystery--an image that provides just enough information to leave the viewer wanting to know more.

When I was asked to create images for the Deluxe Edition of Rick Riordan’s The Lightning Thief it was a dream come true. It was my chance to illustrate what I consider to be a new classic. The Lightning Thief has so many wonderful moments it was difficult to choose what to paint, but I knew I wanted to create a balance of dramatic scenes and quiet moments and to capture the spirit of Rick’s unforgettable characters. It has been my own great adventure to help bring this book to life in a new way, in color, on the page.

I hope you enjoy this Deluxe Edition of The Lightning Thief.

Yours,

John

Illustrations from Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Deluxe Edition
(Click to Enlarge)

Percy and a Nereid Percy and Annabelle on their way to Las Vegas Percy at the Entrance to Mount Olympus

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:13:16 -0400)

(see all 7 descriptions)

▾Library descriptions

After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

» see all 21 descriptions