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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: A Harry Potter Knock-Off Worth a Second Glance

Let me start by stating the obvious: on the surface, the Percy Jackson series appears to be just another pathetic Harry Potter knock-off. The characters and settings are similar in several instances throughout the series, and perhaps most evident in the first book, The Lightning Thief. The writing is definitely juvenile, which I suppose is to be expected with a series written for the late elementary, early middle school crowd; however, I really anticipated a growth and maturity of the writing style as the series went on. Riordan has nothing on Rowling here. The series is also rife with references to current culture, dating it in a way the almost assures the series will have a hard time lasting through the ages or becoming any sort of classic. Each book assumes a bit that you may or may not have read its predecessor and repeats plot elements from previous books. I could really spit at the number of times I had to read that Percy, “like most heroes [demi-gods],” was ADD and dyslexic. Ok, you’ve said this in book one, and explained (falsely) how dyslexia works, I don’t need to hear the same explanation EVERY time Percy has to read a sign. Back to the comparison with Rowling, the reader may hear Harry’s destiny repeated from time to time, but not verbatim, and usually with new information, or a different twist. As for character development, Percy and his cohorts age chronologically about four years over the course of the five book series, but their maturity levels stay about the same. Even though their lives are in danger from challenge to challenge, book to book, the self-evaluation and personal growth is limited. A 16 year old Percy has almost nothing in common internally with a 16 year old Harry. If the characters could address each other, Harry would probably tell Percy to “Grow up.” Perhaps we’d do better to compare Percy Jackson with Percy Weasley at the same book numbers. There just doesn’t seem to be as much at stake for the demi-gods and I don’t have nearly the same pathos for them as I did for Harry and his pals. A good writer would make me feel and sympathize with his or her character’s stuggles on a much deeper level than Riordan does.

So what about the second glance I mentioned in my title? As a literature teacher who appreciates the period of antiquity and the early Greek and Roman mythology, I see value in a series that introduces young readers to these myths. I teach Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid in tenth grade, and I would love for my students to come in with prior knowledge that goes beyond The Children’s Homer. Riordan refreshed my own memory about some of the stories I allude to in my classes. While as a huge fan of Harry Potter, I think my son may have some issues with Percy Jackson, I will encourage him to read the series just to get a handle on the mythology. I’m not suggesting we adopt polytheism here, but these myths permeate much of literature throughout the ages and they are important to out understanding of some of the greatest novels and epics of our time. For this reason I say read Percy and enjoy a little “mind candy.” Don’t expect it to be more than it is, but take the good and let your children (or yourself) run with it.