The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

OK, hands up. Who hasn't read the Heroes of Olympus series yet? Yeah, I didn't think there would be many.

The series following the Percy Jackson books began with a bang. Three new demigods: Jason, Piper and Leo got right into the action right from the get go. And we learnt one thing (well, actually, we learnt a lot of things, but it was the only thing I cared to remember) - Percy Jackson was missing. And then the trouble began. Trouble worse than before - and that says something. Oh, and did I mention that one of the heroes has no idea who he is? Yip! Complete amnesia. But he is definitely a guy you would want in a fight.

This is a tough one to judge because I am getting to the point where I feel I am a little old for this. Having said that though, I think this book reaches it demographic market perfectly. It is action packed and humorous. I also feel that these books (including the Percy Jackson series) provide a fun way to learn some general knowledge of mythology. Sure beats reading an encyclopedia when you are in your early teens.

But there was something that didn't feel right about this book. It took me a while to realise that I missed the first person narration of Percy (yes, I like Percy - although the new lot don't seem too bad either - but I am all about the Percy). He had a fun, quirky set of expressions and a delightful way of describing things. Also, each chapter focused on a different character, and I realised that I was missing the corny (yet highly appealing) chapter headings. Can something as small as that really be something worth complaining about? I am not sure. But I am putting it out there. I missed that.

I enjoyed the intrigue created around the new characters. Jason, especially, seems to be an interesting chap, and I would love to know more about his past. Leo is lovable. My jury is still out on Piper. There were parts of her that I really enjoyed but the whole super beauty thing ... meh. I get it. Girls would like to be beautiful because we are judged on looks (sucks but it is true) but ... meh. I will see how her character develops in the later books. Until then, I will withhold my judgement as Riordan has given us one super brainy girl (Annabeth) and one kickass gal (Thalia).

The Lost Hero is a good start to what is clearly going to be a rather epic adventure for the demigods. Although I am not as into this series as I would have been twenty years ago, I will definitely be continuing it. As if that ending was not to going to accomplish that! Now I just need to wait for my bookshop to get a copy of The Son of Neptune.

Rating: 4 stars (because I think it hits it market well - even if I am not a part of that market)