Making around 1 million dollars each year, Rick Riordan New York Times #1 Best Seller, The Lightning Thief, has been a major hit since its first release on June 28, 2005. The book won the Best Book for Young Adults Award in 2006, as well as the hearts of young fiction-action readers. Percy Jackson, a newly found demi-god, is falsely accused of stealing the king of the gods’ lightning bolt and embarks on a journey to retrieve it before the summer solstice. Rick Riordian weaves a wondrous story of magic and adventure to interest readers of all ages.
     The humorous characteristics of Percy Jackson draws the reader in. “‘Percy,’ Annabeth said. ‘I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle.’ The poodle growled. I said hello to the poodle” (Riordan, 195). Hints of funny phrases, such as “greeting poodles”, help make the story light hearted, but compelling. These entertaining lines are what make readers so engrossed that once they pick up the book, they would never be able to put it down. An element that makes the story truly special is its ability to attract the attention of all readers with simple lines of dialogue.
     In addition, Riordan engages the reader with realistic and theatrical action scenes. He describes Percy as one who is not afraid to jump into action, nor to risk his life to save his friends. The vivid and engaging action scenes provide the reader with a clear description of how the spectacle plays out. “As the boar rushed me, I uncapped my pen and side-stepped. Riptide appeared in my hands. I slashed upward. The boar’s severed right tusk fell at my feet, while the disoriented animal charged into the sea” (Riordan, 325). The clear portrayal of action scenes such as this is what makes Rick Riordan's story fascinating to millions of readers worldwide.
    Despite these characteristics, the main plot is cliché, as the book is about a hero saving the world from destruction. “‘Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war’” (Riordan, 138). As theorized, Percy is chosen to accomplish the feat described. The story also includes that fact that Percy is a “problem child” and would be the last person one would think of to be the hero that would go on a treacherous expedition to save the world from chaos.
     However, this does not mean that the story has a completely expected plot line. What makes the Percy Jackson series unique from all the other save-the-world adventure novels is the fact that the setting includes the descriptions of Greek mythology. “‘You’ve been to Olympus?’... ‘Empire State Building, special elevator to the six hundredth floor’” (Riordan, 99). Olympus, a sacred place known for housing gods, is supposedly above the Empire State Building in New York! Greek mythology is an important part of the story as it is the baseline for the events that take place in the book. Overall, the plot-twisted story leads the reader through an alluring story consisting of compelling facts about Greek culture.
     To someone who lives in New York, having a story with a setting close to home seemed exhilarating to read seeing the recognizable places it describes. Percy “...Took a field trip to Manhattan… heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff” (Riordan, 2). It is pleasing to visualize the scenes that happened there while exploring the museum. However, the book is not limited to the people who live in New York. Most places in which the book takes place are famous places most people would recognize, such as Las Vegas, Nevada and The Gateway Arch in California. The setting of the book strengthens the familiarity for the reader and produces a clearer visual in their minds while reading the book.
     Ultimately, The Lightning Thief  is an extraordinary story describing Percy Jackson’s potential mission to retrieve the master bolt, a potent weapon that may be the cause of a war between the gods, during which “Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight” (Riordan,138). I highly recommend this book because once I started reading it, the world of Greek mythology stole my heart, just as the mysterious person stole Zeus’ lightning bolt. Millions of readers all over the world fell deeply in love with Percy Jackson and his comical ways. If you can read this ፀεóς, you may be a demi-god, just like Percy.