A Plea for Percy Jackson

Listen, I know the movie came out more than a year ago--which, if we're honest, is like two decades in pop-culture these days--but I have something to say about Percy Jackson.

Read the books. DON'T watch the movie.Hollywood representations of books are bad as a rule. But this one was actually abysmal. I did both and felt like the movie was unrecognizable as a representation of the book. Like, more than Hollywood usually messes books up. Which is saying something.

Anyways...as for the books:

The pacing is relentless, the characters are dynamic, and the mythology is everywhere. Really, I think I learned more about Greek mythology while reading these books than in my "History of Ancient Greece" class that I took in college. (Dad, not really, thanks for picking up the tab on that class, by the way. I learned a ton!)

Here are some useful interesting things I learned while reading the Percy Jackson series:

• Artemis, though completely kick-ass is a little full of herself--as she should be.
• Conversely, I think her brother got a bad rap and is the one god I would befriend without hesitation. And not just for his awesome sports car. Okay, partly for the car. But he's also snarky and funny.
• Hellhounds are actually rather cuddly and endearing.
• There is an entrance to Daedalaus' labyrinth so freakishly near my house that I'm tempted to go poke around on private property to find it.
• I'm even less into Titans than I was before. Especially Kronos.
• I want a Pegasus and not in the 6-year-old girl kind of way--they're WAY more convenient than driving like normal mortals do.
• I'm pretty sure I know an Empusa. She's my husband's ex-girlfriend.

See! There are all sorts of useful interesting things to be learned by this series. I read each of them in no more than three sittings, so you can't tell me that they're too much of a time commitment.

Besides, if you have any Empusa in your life, you should at least be able to recognize them for what they are...

And if that's not enough for you, Percy is one of the most adorable heros...well, ever. See? Maybe the movie wasn't a complete waste...at least we have Logan Lerman in all his resplendent cuteness.