"Seaweed Brain" to the Rescue!

When Percy Jackson gets an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he will need his powerful demigod allies, Annabeth and Thalia, at his side, his trusty bronze sword, Riptide, and . . . a ride from his mom.

The demigods rush to the rescue, to find that Grover has made an important discovery: two powerful half-bloods whose parentage is unknown. But that’s not all that awaits them. The Titan lord Kronos has devised his most treacherous plot yet, and the young heroes have just fallen prey.

They’re not the only ones in danger. An ancient monster has arisen—one rumored to be so powerful it could destroy Olympus—and Artemis, the only goddess who might know how to track it, is missing. Now Percy and his friends, along with the Hunters of Artemis, have only a week to find the kidnapped goddess and solve the mystery of the monster she was hunting. Along the way, they must face their most dangerous challenge yet: the chilling prophecy of The Titan’s Curse.

Title: The Titan’s Curse
Author: Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, Book 3
Start & Finished: 3/7/09
Published: May 1, 2007
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Pages: 312 (hardcover)
Genre: YA- Adventure

Official Site

When he was a teacher, Rick Riordan "felt like [his] goal was to make reading fun"... "and as a writer [he] has the same mission," a mission that he has accomplished with his young adult series Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Each book, Percy is a on a different quest with one common goal: he needs to save somebody. In the third book The Titan’s Curse, it’s his friend Annabeth and the goddess Artemis (also known as Diana).

Riordan’s series has become so popular because of three very important reasons: it's funny, there is tons of action, and it has a genuinely interesting premise. I do know quite a bit about Greek (and Roman) mythology but some of the things he presents in the stories are creatures I’ve never even heard of before, the Ophiotaurus for instance. I vaguely remembered the myth surrounding the creature but not the creature itself. Another thing I really love about these books is that whenever the heroes have to face a “Big Bad,” the author slowly builds up their introduction so his readers can guess what mythological being it is. More often than not I’m able recognize whom it is they’re up against but you’re never 100% certain.

Have I mentioned that these books are hilarious? It is getting a bit more dangerous and people are starting to die in the series but even when the journey starts to look bleak, Riordan will throw in something like “It seemed weird calling a teenager “sir,” but I’d learned to be careful with immortals. They tended to get offended easily. Then they blew stuff up.” If that doesn’t at least make you smile, then some of the chapter headings will. Things like “Everybody Hates Me but the Horse,” “I Go Snowboarding with a Pig,” “I Wrestle Santa’s Evil Twin,” etc. I still don’t like the “wine dude” (Dionysus), and I have a problem with some of the other Gods too but I still can’t wait to see how this series turns out.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians
1. The Lightning Thief (2005)
2. The Sea of Monsters (2006)
3. The Titan's Curse (2007)
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008)
5. The Last Olympian (2009)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (omnibus) (2008)
The Sword of Hades (2009)

Related Posts: The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan and One False Note by Gordan Korman
Links: Author Wikipedia, Series Wikipedia, Book Wikipedia, Author Blog
Interview: With Amanda Craig



Picture Explanations
Black Pegasus: Percy saved him in a previous novel; his name is Blackjack (that’s him on the cover)
Maserati Spyder: Apollo’s updated sun chariot
Talos: A defective creation of Hephaestus