Book Review 1

Book Read: Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Lesson I Learnt from the Story

This book has taught me several things. I learnt that we should always be wary of the people around us. Even the least unsuspecting of things could be the problem. When it was found out that there was a spy at the camp, everyone started suspecting each other. They all thought the spy would be one of those more ‘bad’ people. In the end, however, Silena was found out to be the spy after she revealed the secret to the rest when she was dying. No one had suspected that Silena was the spy. She had not acted like one and even helped out her fellow campers by bringing the Ares cabin into the fight when their leader would not help them because of a minor dispute.

Difference Between Percy and Kronos

Percy and Kronos are two different characters in the story. Kronos is the evil villain who wants to take over Mount Olympus while Percy is the good guy trying to save Mount Olympus from the clutches of Kronos. Mount Olympus is the place where the Greek gods (also good) who are trying to resist Kronos reside. However, they have been tricked by one of Kronos’ schemes so that they will not be able to guard Mount Olympus. Kronos is a power-hungry character who wants to overthrow the Greek gods. This is evident when he rose from the place where he was being imprisoned in, Tartarus, just so that he could reclaim power from the Gods who managed to overthrow him and send him to Tartarus. Percy, on the other hand, is trying to prevent him from taking over Mount Olmpus and overthrowing the gods. He just wants to help save Mount Olympus, unlike Kronos, and this shows when he still wanted to try to warn the gods about Kronos’ second scheme even though Hades told him that there was no way Olympus could be saved from Kronos.

Luke’s Death from his Point of View

I felt I had regained control of myself.

“Please, Percy…” I groaned with difficulty, clutching my burnt hands as I collapsed. Out of my flickering vision, I saw Percy move towards me, Annabeth’s knife in his hand.

“You can’t… can’t do it yourself. He’ll defend himself. I can suppress him; keep him under control while I do it.” I managed to say. Percy looked as if he did not hear me, raising his knife. I felt like I was glowing, like power was radiating from me. Then Percy stopped, turned and looked at Annabeth and Grover. He seemed to be thinking about something important.

“Please, hurry. Time is running out,” I groaned again. Percy brought the knife down, but he did not attack me. Instead he handed the knife over to me. I grasped the hilt, blade pointed backward. I unlatched the side straps of my armour, exposing a small patch of skin under my left arm. I forced all the thoughts out of my head and did it.

The pain was unbearable. I felt I had lost myself. Pain seeped out of me and I screamed like I had never done before. The sound was foreign to me but yet it felt so familiar. Light burst forth from me and I couldn’t even bear to open my eyes and look at myself. I knew something was leaving me; yet I felt like I was leaving my body too. Then everything turned black.

When I awoke, Percy, Annabeth and Grover were standing over me. I felt something I had not felt in a long time.

“Good blade,” I croaked. When I heard myself, I couldn’t recognise the voice. It sounded so different. I felt like I was not going to be able to breathe much longer. I heard Annabeth’s voice. I tried to tell her how sorry I was but she silenced me. With much difficulty, I told Percy what I wanted him to do, and I think he nodded, but I wasn’t sure because all I could make out were a few blurred images. I struggled to breathe; it felt like the same thing as just now was happening once more, but there was definitely something different. I felt so cold. So very cold. Then warmth. Everything went black again.

Why I liked the Ending

The ending is good because it finally explains the prophecy. All through the book, everyone has been thinking that the hero mentioned in the prophecy is Percy, but in the end it was actually the most unsuspecting of people, the ‘bad guy’, Luke. ‘The hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap’. This line in the prophecy was talking about Luke. He had chosen to save Olympus but had killed himself to do it. He was the hero, not Percy. The cursed blade was Annabeth’s knife; cursed because it was the knife he had given her along time ago and he betrayed her by helping Kronos. ‘A single choice shall end his days’. Percy had chosen to give the knife to Luke, and that was the choice that allowed him to get rid of Kronos, but unfortunately at the same time, sacrifice his life. ‘Olympus to preserve or raze’. By sacrificing himself, Luke had saved Olympus. Rachel had been right when she said that Percy was not the hero. It was Luke.