the lost hero

In May 2009, author Rick Riordan released The Last Olympian, the final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. The series introduced young readers to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp to train half-bloods—human children of the Greek gods. In the final chapter of The Last Olympian, the oracle, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, delivers a new prophecy, leaving Camp Half-Blood readers spell-bound and expectant for a sequel series.

And Riordan delivered.

On October 12, 2010, Rick Riordan debuted his latest young fiction masterpiece, Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero.

Readers acclaim Riordan’s authorship by placing The Lost Hero number one on the New York Times best-seller list for the sixth week in a row. Impressed? What if I told you that book one in The Heroes of Olympus series isn’t the first time Riordan’s name has hung on the Times best-seller list? The current number two (with a twenty-nine week reign on the Times best-seller list) is The Red Pyramid, book one of Riordan’s Kane Chronicles.

Why is The Lost Hero ranked #1? Because Riordan grabs his readers from page one: “Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day.” From that point on, there was no putting the book down. The Lost Hero introduces the fans of Camp Half-Blood to three new heroes (well, two heroes and a heroine), while keeping us connected with old friends. Questions buzzed in my head as I searched for answers from page to page. Who was Jason and what was his connection to Camp Half-Blood? Why can’t he remember who he is? Who are Piper and Leo? And, where is Percy?

“Jason has a problem.”

Riordan first introduces Jason, a fifteen—or is it sixteen—year-old boy who suffering from a major case of amnesia. He can’t remember who the girl holding his hand is (she claims to be his girlfriend, Piper), how he got on the school bus in the middle of the desert, who he is, or where he came from. Amidst all the confusion, Jason finds himself in the midst of a mythological world that seems strangely familiar.

“Piper has a secret.”

Starved for attention from her movie-star dad, Piper uses her soothing voice to manipulate others to give her things—for free. Her smooth tongue landed her in the wilderness school—a private school for troubled teens, but Piper is troubled by more than her honey-tipped tongue. Since being separated from her father, she constantly dreams of his capture and torture. A voice as smooth as her own offers her father’s freedom, but only at a high price. Will Piper betray her friends to free her father?

“Leo has a way with tools.”

Leo constantly tinkers with metal objects—mechanical marvels are quickly created (and destroyed) as he thinks. His quick wit and sarcastic humor help Jason and Piper relax as the trio faces the unknown. A startling discovery at Camp Half-Blood shows Jason, Piper, and the others that Leo is more than a clown.

The Lost Hero takes fans back to Camp Half-Blood and continues to train “campers” in Greek mythology. The book introduces more gods (Hera, Aphrodite, and Hephestus take center stage). But Riordan doesn’t stop with Greek mythology. With a slight twist of his pen, Riordan introduces the gods Roman connections through Jason. While Annabeth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Piper, and Leo continually reference the Greek attributes of the gods, Jason instructs on their militaristic, Roman characteristics.

Whether you’re an old fan of Camp Half-Blood or a new recruit, The Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero will keep you on your toes. In just 550 pages, Jason, Piper, and Leo lead you on a chase against time from coast to coast with stops in New Mexico, Quebec, California, and New York. Once you start reading, you won’t want to put the book down until it’s finished.

The wait for book two, The Son of Neptune, due to release fall 2011, seems as painful as fighting off mythical creatures between summers. Nevertheless, a wait lies before Camp Half-Blood fans. Maybe now we’ll be able to focus on our school work (which isn’t likely)—or maybe we’ll pick up Riordan’s Kane Chronicles and dive into Egyptian mythology while we wait. After all, book two of the Kane Chronicles (still to be titled) is due to release in the spring of 2011.