Title: Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Companion
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Easy reading, Mythology, Urban Fantasy
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Penguin
Year: 2014
5th sentence, 74th page: The Titan Prometheus, who had made those little dudes out of clay, really felt sorry for them.

IF YOU LIKE HORROR SHOWS, BLOODBATHS, LYING, STEALING, BACKSTABBING AND CANNIBALISM, THEN READ ON…

Who could tell the stories of the gods of Olympus better than a modern-day demigod?

In this action-packed tour of Greek mythology, Percy gives his hilarious personal views on the feuds, fights and love affairs of the Olympians.

Want to know how Zeus came to be top god? How many times Kronos ate one of his kids? How Athena literally burst out of another god’s head? It’s all here in black and white…

As with the rest of the books in the Percy Jackson Verse, Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods is a great adaptation of the Greek myths. Using a modern voice that makes them approachable to the today’s generation is not only a great way to retell ancient myths, but it also is a truly unique retelling that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Having said that, this is also the cleanest and most PG retelling of the Greek myths that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The versions of the myths that I read involved a lot of rape, pillaging and incest. And although Riordan does mention that many of the Olympians are brother and sister, husband and wife, this eeew factor is glossed over and better explained. Which is probably a good thing considering that this is a book aimed at a young adult / teenage audience.

Reading this book was really pleasurable and easy. It had a quick, fast pace that gave you a brief overview of each of the twelve major Olympians and moved on. It provided a great glimpse into some of the really fascinating mythos of the Greek persuasion without getting bogged down in the details. Each chapter is a whole new story and this structure worked beautifully well – I finished the book in no time, not even realising that I had spent hours reading.

Image source: Joys of Bookworm