Book Review: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan (Heroes of Olympus #1)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Real and fun new character; entertaining story

Cons: Could have been shorter.  Maybe.

The Bottom Line: 

Epic story starts

With some big revelations

And a great new cast

Will He Who is Lost be Found?

When I finished the Percy Jackson series, I really wasn't ready to say goodbye to the characters or world I'd been visiting.  Obviously, author Rick Riordan felt the same way because he started a new series set a few months after the first series ended.  The Lost Hero is the first in the new Heroes of Olympus series, and it's a winner.

While this is the first in a new series, I don't recommend you jump in here.  It is set a few months after the last Percy Jackson book, and it talks about some of those events.  It's general enough you would still enjoy that book, but I think it's best to read the other series first.  It's so much fun, you really won't mind.

 Jason is on a bus in the middle of the desert.  He is with Piper, his girlfriend, and Leo, his best friend.  The only problem is, he has no recollection of anything that happened to him before waking up on the bus.  Then the trio are attacked by a monster and rushed off to Camp Half-Blood, where they learn they are demigods.

But all three of them have secrets, potentially deadly secrets.  They must ban together on a quest to free the goddess Hera before the winter solstice.  But will their secrets tear them apart?

While some of the characters from the first series show up here, the focus is on the new trio.  The point of view shifts to all three of them equally, so we really get to know them.  And I love them.  They are great characters, and you can't help but root for them.

The plot is always moving, either with a mystery or action or a bit of both.  I always had a hard time putting the book down, which is saying something for a 550 page novel.  I do think it could have been shorter, but I'm not completely sure what I would have cut out.  The climax is exciting, and the revelations at the end are logical enough that I did figure a few of them out.

The narration is third person, unlike the first person in the earlier series.  I missed Percy's bits of humor in the narration, but the writing was still excellent.  The target middle school age should have no problem reading the book, although the size will make it take them a while.

I'm very excited by The Lost Hero and what it sets up for books to come.  We are in for another epic adventure, and I will be along for every step along the way.

Here is a listing of both series in the complete Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus sagas in order.