Look! He did not want to be a half-blood. Or a high school senior. With a nostalgia-wrapped plot and more than well-known characters, we are reunited with our favorite demigods on a different kind of quest. The most relatable college recommendations.
The beloved son of Poseidon is someone readers know well. He leads his own series, the uber popular “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” where he and his ragtag group of demigod peers traveled around the country fighting monsters at the request of Greek gods, some of whom were their parents. But after saving the world from an angry titan, Percy was not yet retired. He reappeared as one of the seven main characters in “the Heroes of Olympus.” They fought an angry and never sleep-deprived Mother Earth. Afterwards it was finally time for Percy to enjoy high school. He appears here and there in other half-blood strong books and series, like “the Trials of Apollo” and “the Sun and the Star.” In other words, Rick Riordan is doing well.
Since the fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson series, released in 2009, we have our first Percy-led and narrated demigod novel. And the cherry on top – the original trio is back.
Annabeth and Percy’s plan is to get into New Rome University in California (remember Camp Jupiter, guys?). The plan is rudely interrupted by some gods. It always is. Now the trio is back on a quest to find and collect the chalice of the gods, a most reusable goblet used at the average Greek god family dinner.
Getting back into the perspective of Percy is incredibly nostalgic, especially as someone who read the series as a 12- and 13-year-old and now gets to be a high school senior along with one of my favorite literary characters. Revisiting the friendship of the original trio brings back all the good feelings of reading about them years ago. Looking back on all the stories I loved when I was younger and still love now, Percy Jackson has always stood out. It is so fun diving back into a story that is so important to me. That is what is so wonderful about books, especially a series as popular as “Percy Jackson,” though so many people read it and have that connection with each other, we all view the series differently in our minds. I picture the strawberry fields differently than Ava Soleibe pictures the strawberry fields (forever).
Though I would say “Chalice” lacked the depth of the other novels, it matched it in wit and love. It can be used as a reflection of past books.
“The Chalice of the Gods” had dual purposes – besides delight readers, it also prepares audiences for the most-highly anticipated show coming out on Disney +. Remember that very not good adaptation of “Percy Jackson” from years ago? No. We do not think about that. Luckily, Rick Riordan took the reins of this one as a producer, and we finally have a faithful adaptation. I am very excited about this show. From what we can tell from the few teasers (and Rick’s blog), the cast of the trio is exquisite, the location is perfect, and the story is all the more faithful of an adaptation.
Seeing that it has been years since many of us read “Percy Jackson,” it is sort of bittersweet to realize how old Percy is now and see how we are all growing up. But with the show and this book, we can revisit and celebrate that. Rick highlights it in his dedication of “the Chalice of the Gods,” dedicating it to the three actors who play our golden trio, along with an excited and heartfelt “Here’s to New Beginnings!”
You said it best, Rick. With a novel soaked in nostalgia and “Percy” seen in a new light on Disney +, fans of the prophecy-filling, minotaur-slaying, and golden-fleece grabbing half-bloods have a lot to get excited about.
