Percy Jackson and the Olympians

The Greek Gods are alive! And Mount Olympus is just an elevator ride inside New York’s Empire State Building.

This is the premise of the fantasy series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which was written by Rick Riordan and published by Hyperion Books.

The fantasy novel became popular that Disney created a movie adaptation of the series’ first book, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Other books in the series are “The Sea of Monsters,” “The Titan’s Curse” and the “The Battle of the Labyrinth.”

It fantasy novels are popular that some reviewer’s said, “Harry Potter step aside for the new fantasy series.”

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, follows the story of Percy Jackson, the demigod son of Poseidon. Just like the Greek heroes of old, Percy Jackson was involved in various quests, specifically, the quests to avoid the rise to power of Kronos and the Titans.
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In the first book, Percy Jackson thwarted the plan of Cronos to get the master bolt of Zeus. In the next books of the series, Percy and other demigods are fighting against the plans of Cronos and prevent the return of the deposed Titans to power.

I liked the first book because of its many allusions of the elements of the Greek myths. I specifically liked the part where Percy and his quest mates went down to Hades. I like how Charon was characterized and the continued swelling of Hades’ population, especially the increase of the underworld god Hades’ problem of managing the overpopulated realm.

However, I disagree with the hailing of this series as the next to Harry Potter series. My main reason for this is that Rick Riordan’s work is stale as compared to J.K. Rowling’s masterpieces.

There is also a problem of the reliance on “deus ex machina” on the next books of the series.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a popular book, however, it fall short that’s why I can’t consider the series as a masterpiece.

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A Song of Ice and Fire

…is the greatest fantasy novel I ever read.

American author George R. R. Martin really caught my interest with the first novel of the Song of Ice and Fire series, which is entitled as “A Game of Thrones.” Reading the novel’s epilogue is enough for me to say that “A Game of Thrones” is a novel that will not waste my time.

“A Game of Thrones” flared up my interest and made me crave for the next two novels of the Song of Ice and Fire series, which are “A Clash of Kings” and “A Storm of Swords.”

The Song of Ice and Fire series centers about the power struggle in the fictional continent of Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms that composes it. The series opens with the novel “A Game of Thrones” that are focused on my favorite clan in the series, who are the Starks who rules the northern part of Westeros in the city of Winterfell.

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After beheading a deserter, Eddard Stark and his sons discovered a dead direwolf with six pups. Each pups were given to each of Eddard’s children: Robb, Sansa, Arya, Bran, Tommen and the bastard Jon. The direwolves have important role in the whole series.

“A Game of Thrones” ended at the death of Westeros’ king Robert Baratheon and the capture of the King’s Hand, Eddard Stark.

The “Clash of Kings” concentrates on the war between the different claimants of the throne of Westeros and the King in the North Robb Stark. Battle ensued between Tywin Lannister (head of the House of Lannister) and the troops of the Riverlands (House of Tully and its banner men) and the north men. Robert Baratheon’s brothers Stannis and Renly also declared themselves kings. In the end of this novel, Robb Stark and Renly were killed and Stannis was defeated in the battle in King’s Landing, Westerosi capital. King Joff, supported by the Lannisters is in a precarious position.

The third novel, “Storm of Swords,” focused on the characters Cersei, Jaime, Sansa, the Greyjoys, Sam Tarly and Arya. I don’t like much the third novel because I think the characters and their stories are lightweight compared to the stories of Bran, Daenerys, Jon Snow, and Tyrion Lannister. My only favorite in the third novel is Arya and her travel to Braavos. My favorite part of the novel is the exciting last chapters when Cersei was caught in her own webs of lies and deceit and captured by the High Septon (priest) and made to stand up of adultery.

The Song of Ice and Fire is a great series. I am looking forward to read the next book, “Dance of the Dragons.”

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Eldest

Eldest is the second book of the author Christopher Paolini for the Inheritance Cycle. The first book is titled as “Eragon” and the book that followed Eldest is Brisingr.

The novel follows the adventure of the Dragon Rider Eragon and his dragon, Saphira. After the battle in the dwarves citadel of Farthen Dur, Eragon realized that he have much to learn so as to be able to defeat Galbatorix and assure the victory of the allied forces of the Varden, Kingdom of Surda, and the Dwarves.

The book opened and ended in tragedy. The first is the death of the Varden’s chief, Ajihad, and the lost of Murtagh to the enemy. The last tragedy is the death of Hrothgar, the king of the dwarves in the hands of the traitor Murtagh and his new dragon.

In the second book, Eragon discovered many things in the land of the elves and he also learned many things aside from magic that may become useful in his future battle with Galbatorix. The book also focused on Eragon’s cousin Roran and their odyssey from Carvahal to the battleground of the Burning Plains.

The second book of the Inheritance Cycle is as riveting and as interesting as the first book of Paolini. The focus on Roran is also refreshing since it adds new perspective to the story. So to Eragon fans there, this book is not a disappointment. Also, readers of the fantasy genre will also love the Inheritance Cycle of Christopher Paolini.

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The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, J. K. Rowling, Scholastic

“The Tales of Beedle the Bard” is one of J.K. Rowling’s latest addition to the Harry Potter saga. The book was purportedly translated by Hermione Granger from the ancient runes, as written by a certain wizard named as Beedle. The stories within the book is accompanied by notes written by Hogwart’s headmaster Albus Dumbledore and was completed around eighteen months before we was murdered in the Astronomy Tower of Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling also added her own notes for the benefit of muggle (non-magical) readers.

The book is a collection of five short stories, which according to Rowling is the equivalent of our fairy tales. The story has various themes that aims to teach young wizards and witches a piece of life’s lessons.

The short stories within the book are:

The Wizard and the Hopping Pot, which is about a young wizard who inherited a magical pot from his kind father. The pot never leaves the young wizard’s side, all the while emulating the townsfolk hardships and illness, until the young wizard was forced to help the needy townspeople.

The Fountain of Fortune which is about the adventure of three witches and a luckless knight to the magical fountain that gives eternal fortune to a single adventurer once every year. In the end, each of them received what they wished in an unexpected way.

The Warlock’s Hairy Heart is about a certain wizard who chose to hide his heart and avoid suffering the weakness which is love. It is a tragedy which tells us the futility of human desire to making himself invincible.

Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump is about a foolish king who desired to gain immense magical power, but in the end was revealed as a fool by witch named as Babbitty.

The Tale of the Three Brothers is the story about three brothers who received gifts from Death after successfully escaping him. The story was already told in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the seventh  and last installment in the Harry Potter series.

I like this book the way I like fairy tales, especially the original versions collected by the Grimm brothers. Reading a story in this book makes me think of the stories of King Arthur and the adventures of the Knights of the Round Table. It is magical, as if it was really written by some bard ages ago.

What I also like about this book is the way it supplements the Harry Potter series. Here, Albus Dumbledore speaks directly to the reader. Some mysteries are explained like the reason why Rowling’s wizards and witches chose to hide themselves from the world.
The only problem that I have is its price. I believe that the book was steeply priced at around 800 Philippine pesos (or roughly around $ 16), since it only contain around five short story. The pricing is too much. Maybe they pegged the book’s price at this amount so as to adequately help the Children’s High Level Group.

However, sans the steep price, the book is quite excellent. The Tales of Beedle the Bard is truly a J.K. Rowling masterpiece.