Percy Jackson and the Bronze Dragon
Ratings107
Average rating3.8
WHY: Revisiting Riordan's Greek mythological world with my girlfriend before attempting to read the Heroes of Olympus series together.
STORY: This Percy Jackson companion novella includes three short stories, with camper interviews, world-building details and book puzzle games throughout.
The Stolen Chariot adds to the rivalry turned begrudging friendship between Clarisse and Percy as they track the title's namesake from sons of Ares Deimos and Phobos throughout Staten Island Zoo. The Bronze Dragon includes two romantic pairings and is of particular importance to the Heroes of Olympus series, introducing Festus as Beckendorf is trapped in a Myrmekes nest during a Capture the Flag game at camp. The Sword of Hades is definitely the best one, combining every fan's dream of the big three children Thalia, Percy and Nico with a trip into the Underworld featuring angry spirits and the River Lethe.
All three stories are also effective in increasing suspense for the final book in the PJ series, as this is set after the penultimate fourth entry but before The Last Olympian.
WRITING: Classic Rick Riordan humour integrated with just enough detail for a short story format. Whilst there are a few funny bits in the interviews, I found them very skippable (with the exception of Annabeth).
WHO: If you enjoyed the Percy Jackson series you will enjoy this. I'd say it is almost necessary reading if you plan on starting the Heroes of Olympus.
4.5
this was adorable to read and it was really refreshing to delve back into that world
My reactions to this book are...mixed (hence the average rating). First, the short stories. All three of them were excellent, expanding the story universe and giving more insight into the characters and their motivations. They laid the groundwork for some things that come up later in the series (and in the follow-up series) without bogging down the main narrative. The short stories were the reason I picked up this book in the first place.
Second, the interviews with the various campers and the other Camp Half Blood related stuff. I found these mildly entertaining, but not much beyond that. They do give some insight/information into the characters and how the camp works, but in general they feel pretty light.
Third, the puzzles and games. Again, mildly interesting, but also rather simplistic. This is completely understandable, given the target audience for the book, but I wouldn't have been fussed had they been left out entirely. I'm not a huge fan of puzzles in books anyway, since they can create issues if you lend/borrow the book.
Finally, the character depictions...no. Just no. They don't match up with my mental pictures at all. Too cartoony for my tastes, with exaggerated proportions and garish colours. And there's just something off about the eyes in nearly every picture.
I liked that it was many shorthistories and interwies with the ‘stars' from the books. There were adventures from the time we don't know about and I really liked the gods. The only thing is that I wish there were more insiders about the camp. Not just Percy
I love this series so these 3 short stories of life and adventures as a demigod was enjoyable. I loves the illustrations as well and the crossword puzzles at the end. Sometimes these little novellas are a lot of fun.
Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot
I liked this. It was nice getting to see a couple of the more minor gods and it was really great having Clarisse around.
Percy Jackson and the Bronze Dragon
I like the idea behind this story, but not thrilled with the story itself. Part of that was the characters chosen (or, really, just Annabeth and focusing on her and Percy's relationship more than I like). Maybe also because I got interrupted and it took me a lot longer to read this short story than it should have.
After these two stories, you get interviews with the Stoll brothers , Clarisse, Annabeth, Grover and Percy.
They were all pretty entertaining, but forgettable.
Then there's a map of Camp Half-Blood - which I found pretty helpful. I had a fairly clear picture in my mind of the layout and I wasn't completely off base.
Next is a picture of Annabeth's Camp Trunk telling all the prospective camper's what they need to pack. (Not really sure why, but whatever.)
Then there's a whole series of character ‘portraits' that show an image as well as a few brief (very brief) stats on some of the major characters in the series. Which was neat but I would have liked more information on each of the characters and/or more characters.
Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades
I liked this one quite a bit. Thalia and Nico are two of my favorites and I tend to love underworld stories.
Next we get a crossword puzzle - which is a good idea, but too much work for an ebook or any book you don't want to deface.
Ditto for the following world jumble. (Though I've never been a fan of word searches.)
Then there's a little quick sheet on the Olympians, which was kind of interesting as I don't know much about this pantheon. (Never studied it, just what I've learnt here and there.)
The rest of the book is comprised of, basically, ads. There's two book previews (first in the Kane Chronicles and the Heroes of Olympus) and a bunch of single page ads for other Riordan books.
Ultimately, I mostly enjoyed the three short stories (though the Bronze Dragon was my least favorite) and was at least curious about the deity information - but except for the couple of them that got special artwork, it was the kind of information you could find with a half decent Google search. I don't really see what the rest adds to the series, though.