I have a few go-to recommendations for kids who think they don't like to read. The Percy Jackson books are among those go-tos: funny, smart, packed full of references that will reward kids who read the source material (Greek mythology)... these are just terrific books for kids. They're also fun for adults who enjoy mythology and like Riordan's wink-and-smirk attitude about how a lot of it would translate in the modern world.
House of Hades is the fourth book in the second series, Heroes of Olympus. It follows the five of the seven demigod heroes (and their protector, satyr gym teacher Coach Hedge) on their voyage from Rome to Greece aboard the Argo II. The other plot involves the main heroes of the first series, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, as they try to escape from Tartarus.
How is it? Eh. Three thumbs up and an eyeroll. I generally liked it, but there were a lot of problematic parts.
Fair warning, I review with spoilers.
Character
With seven points of view, the characters are starting to get a little short-shrifted here. There's a lot going on, some of which didn't have to do with the seven prophesied POV heroes, so along with those seven (Jason, Piper, Leo, Percy, Annabeth, Frank, Hazel), you're getting a little sidelong glance at Hedge, a much fuller exploration of Nico, and even the return of Calypso (last seen in Battle of the Labyrinth, five books ago). None of this is bad, but ten character arcs and seven points of view contained in two action-packed and separate plot-lines, you often feel kind of jerked around from one place to another.
Not that there's not some good stuff. I think I was happiest when Leo was interacting with Calypso. It felt like a breathing space, and I felt like we actually got the right length there. Leo, in general, seems to be the new character with the most natural, lifelike work about him. Almost everything in the Tartarus plot (Annabeth and Percy) worked like a charm, as they're both dealing with things that, even as very powerful demigods, they aren't remotely prepared for. I like that Riordan doesn't tinker with their relationship a lot. Exploring them as devoted to each other is much more interesting (and DIFFERENT) than wondering what big nasty thing is going to come around the corner and smack them apart.
The more problematic character stuff happens with the Argo II. Nico di Angelo is keeping his promise to Percy to get everyone to the doors of death, and that's interesting (he's a fan favorite for a reason), but, much as I like seeing him again, he's not one of the main characters in this series. His half-sister Hazel is, and that would have been a good way to deal with him, but instead, we get Jason spending a lot of time watching him and dealing with Nico's "big secret" (he has a crush on Percy) rather than Jason dealing with a fairly big point of his plot, which is the fact that he's feeling more Greek than Roman, and has to make a choice at a pivotal point. When it came time for Jason to make this choice, it came off as strange, because instead of dealing with that conflict in himself through the story up to that point, he'd been commenting on Nico's plot. Nico's sister Hazel, who had less internal conflict and a real plot of her own, might have been a better choice for viewing Nico. She could have found out in the process of him helping her. And Piper... fandom didn't take to her, and there's a very clear sense that she's being pushed off the bus here to make room for elements the fans do like. You really shouldn't be able to see those wheels turning. Frank Zhang gets some good moments, but I'm still kind of indifferent to him.
Setting
Tartarus is amazing, full stop. As Percy and Annabeth deal with the extremely unpleasant side of the underworld (they realize that they are actually walking on the body of the primordial god Tartarus), Riordan gives a hellaciously detailed experience of it for the reader. The smell, the burning lungs, having to drink fire. There are creatures beyond anything Percy and Annabeth have needed to deal with, including creatures who revisit them with the pain of the foes they've defeated across the rest of the series. Possibly the strangest was Annabeth having to deal with Calypso's anger and loneliness, which was maybe a bit too close to her re-introduction to be as effective as it might have been, but was still a scary moment. There are black pits and armies of monsters and... elevator music. The last stage of hell involves riding up an elevator playing that pina colada song. (Pure Riordan.)
Calypso's island of Ogygia is a re-visit, so there's not as much description this time around (Riordan assumes at this point that you've read the others). Still, it's given enough of a sense of place that Leo's sojourn there has a lot of dimension to it. I hope he does come back.
We're in and out of Bologna too quickly to have much of an impression. Venice gets more, but I'd have liked a more visceral explanation. Somehow, everything that's not Tartarus or Ogygia feels a little generic.
Theme
With as many threads going on as there are, the theme is a little disjointed, but I'll say a lot of the threads end up with the idea that choices have consequences, but you need to make them. It doesn't fit *every* line, but it's prominent enough to call it a theme.
Style
Riordan's style is always great. The elevator music from Tartarus, random lines that mention "explosives and high velocity pineapples," the mix of modern and ancient, all with the humor that's been part of the series from the top... there's nothing to complain about with the style. It's strong, it's consistent, and it's just great.
Plot
The plot, on the other hand, kind of dropped the ball. Not the Tartarus plot, which was great, but the Argo II plot... it was, literally and figuratively, all over the map. Is it about Hazel learning magic? Why is Jason so prominent when he's not doing much? Is Piper doing anything? Is all-powerful Frank going to be... all-powerful? (Spoiler: Yes.) Why is Hedge sending so many iris messages? What's going on with Leo? Is there another army of the dead to raise? Will Nico have to spill his secret to Cupid in order to raise an army? None of these things is bad, but since this plot is only half the book, it's less than three hundred pages for more plots than you can shake a stick at.
A lot of it had the unfortunate sense of Trying to Give the Fans What They Want. Perco shippers? Hey! Nico's got a crush on Percy! Will that keep you happy? Leo finally gets the girl, and she's awesome-sauce and he deserves her way more than another hero who had a shot. (This came off well, but it's definitely a fan-wish.) Here's Bob the Titan from the out-series book Demigod Files! Weren't you just wondering what happened to him? And Piper, um... okay, she was going to be big, but isn't she a big silly with her magic cornucopia and no plot at all? Feel free to ignore her, since you're going to, anyway. And Frank can't be pudgy and short! No... he gets the magic blessing of Mars which turns him all studly. And Hazel does lots of magic!
I don't want to act like this is a bad book. It isn't. It's an interesting enough story, and I adore the series enough that I don't mind the occasional disjointed entry. But it is disjointed. I hope the next book -- presumably the last one in Heroes of Olympus -- comes together a little more strongly. I think it will. I still hold up the last book of the first series, The Last Olympian, as the best I've ever seen an epic YA series resolved (I skeptically raise my eyebrow in your direction, Jo Rowling and Stephen King), so I trust Riordan on that count.
No comments:
Post a Comment