It was London during the 1690s. On his quest for his own fortune, William Tobias Merrick travels from his family's country home to live with his uncle in London, where various financial opportunities lay. He then meets his connections -- Ted Witherspoon, a cunning stock broker, Jack Petroni, an assistant to Ted Witherspoon, his two uncles, and several other people along the way. At the same time, William Merrick is also in New York. For some reason, the book happens in two parallel worlds, probably showing the differences or similarities between those times [300 years apart], where there is a tech stock boom, but still the same old story.

Did my synopsis sound confused? Well, I was confused with the story. The parallel setting for me as I was reading the book felt like I hit a wall and I had to retrace my steps again. The characters well dull, one-dimensional and undeveloped. The setting was confusing [I mean, having New York for one and then London for another?]. I mean, it would've been better if there were two parallel time periods shown [1690s and 1990s] but the author concentrated on just one city. But then again, that's just me. What's the saving grace of the book? Hmm... probably the financial part of it. I initially picked up this book because I was interested in the premise where there's two parallel places and time periods and the author is trying to make his mark in the financial world. I never expected it to be presented this way! I was thinking it more of a comparison of sorts. *sigh* I can't complain much now, could I, as I've already read the book and wasted my time on it?

Anyhow, let's just get on with the details and I do apologise - I believe this is the first book I've ever read which has gotten the lowest marks of all. It's currently at the top in the running for worst reads of 2010 and it's just March!

Published: 2003
Publisher: Broadway
Available from: Amazon's Affiliates. I dunno if Amazon really does offer this book too!
Read it if: Uhm.. I would say don't read it at all but if you want to try it then feel free to do so!
Book was acquired by: myself. Bought it in a used bookstore for $0.50. And it's a good thing I bought it for dirt cheap too, otherwise I would've wasted both my time and my money for it!
fickle fan rating: [read more about my rating at my new blog fickle fan.

Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school. Again. Seems like this kid has been going through boarding school after boarding school year after year, causing trouble that he did not mean to do to other students. Every year, strange things have been happening to Percy, not that he takes special attention to it, though. Until one year, he realizes that his best friend is a satyr, his mother was taken hostage in the underworld, his father is one of the Olympians, and he finds out he's a demigod with a quest to fulfill. Everything changes for Percy: from a normal pre-teen boy with dyslexia, he has to step up and try to save the Western civilization from utter chaos by finding the thief who stole Zeus' master bolt.

Thoughts - I loooove to read and plus plus points await those books that will make me want to learn new stuff: to make me spend hours on end on Wikipedia or Google, trying to find out more about a specific topic. This book was definitely a good start: it made me interested in Greek mythology again! Let's see.. the last time I read something about Greek mythology, I was in seventh grade and we need it for school. Now, I want to dive for Bufinch's mythology and re-read it! Good thing my parents bought me a hardcover book -- it literally lasts so much longer!

Anyway, the way Rick Riordan writes about the gods makes me feel as if they are alive, walking around earth and not just names from myths, legends, and lore. He also writes about these characters in such an unconventional way -- I love the fact that he doesn't portray Hades as a bad guy. In fact, Rick Riordan never really portrays any of the gods as bad people, just moody little beings. After all, these gods have every right to. They rule the earth, right? The characters are also smart, witty, funny and three-dimensional [well, except for Smelly Gabe for me. Gosh, I hate him!]

The book is written in a humorous way to make the subject light while keeping the readers interested in the facts that the author is churning on about. Dang, now I wish these books had been written when I was a young adult. It'll make me remember more about these Olympians, quite useful if you have an exam or something! He even provides codes for you to remember the gods names alone - ie the formation of the gods in Olympus and in Camp Half-Blood, as well as numbers for each of the gods. Ingenius.

This novel is very, very excellent. Good start for the rest of the series. It kept me hooked! And yes, I want to read the next novel, but will probably get a copy when I find one on sale. The cheapskate in me strikes again [then again, I have a bazillion interests to fund too].

So, is this the next Harry Potter series? Maybe. Maybe not, but Riordan certainly provided a breath of fresh air to an otherwise aging lore!  This is very much worth your time and effort so do read it. The book isn't like the movie, don't be fooled!

And so, on to the rating & information:
Published: 2005  
Publisher:  Disney Hyperion
Available from: your local bookstore everywhere, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, maybe even your local used bookstore!
Read it if: You want a light YA read and something that tackles the greek gods.
Book was acquired by: myself. Bought it in a bookstore while my friend and I were browsing around and she said I had to read it before the movie comes out. And I did!
fickle fan rating:  [read more about my rating at my new blog fickle fan.