As we continue on in our Percy Jackson and the Olympians blog series, we are looking at the second book, The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan. Once again, we find Percy Jackson facing the odds in a race to save Camp Half-Blood from destruction. Reading it as an adult, I have noticed interesting lessons the book teaches, which I never picked up as a teenager. This book touches on important themes for every teen to learn about, such as perseverance and negative prejudices. Throughout the series, Riordan shows Percy to persevere through difficult times, but in this book stereotypes and prejudices are new topics.
Summary
After the events of the last book, Percy decides to attend a private school and live with his mother. While attending, Percy cannot make any friends except for one, Tyson. Tyson and Percy are bullied by the popular kids at school. During one of the last weeks of school the PE coach lets the class play dodgeball. A tribe of Laestrygonians, man-eating giants, join the bullies team. They end up destroying the school and Percy is on the run again, this time as a fugitive.
Annabeth takes Percy, and his new friend Tyson, back to Camp Half-Blood where Percy discovers Tyson is a cyclops. Everyone at the camp mistrusts Tyson due to his race, including Annabeth. Annabeth once experienced an evil cyclops who tried to eat them so she mistrusts every cyclops. When Percy arrives at camp he learns someone poisoned the tree that guards the camp’s border from monsters. That night, Percy dreams of his friend Grover trapped in a cave guarded by Polyphemus, another cyclops. On Polyphemus’s island lies the golden fleece, which is the one item that can save the tree. Percy realizes he must embark on a quest to save Grover and all of Camp Half-Blood.
Percy, Tyson, and Annabeth set off to find the golden fleece in the sea of monsters. During their trip they encounter many of the same challenges that Odysseus faced in the Odyssey, such as the sirens and Circe. If you are interested in looking at the similarities check out our post about it. Finally, the group arrives on the island to face the cyclops to rescue the fleece and Grover. This leads to a great battle and a wonderful conclusion. Like the previous book, this one includes a nice little twist to make you instantly pick up the next book.
The Good
This book once again is a hard book to put down. With constant action and adventure on every page, it makes you want to keep reading. Percy and Annabeth are enjoyable characters to read about. They both have their strengths and weaknesses which allow them to face all sorts of problems. In The Sea of Monsters you even learn about Annabeth’s fatal flaw. The duo persevere through any storm and work their way past any monster. I think it shows if Annabeth and Percy can survive monsters and storms, you can survive and get through anything you put your mind to.
The second theme about stereotypes is a great thing to teach the youth about. Riordan touches on the subject in a unique subtle way about Tyson. Annabeth feels weary about Tyson because of what happened to her in the past. The camp does not like Tyson because of how cyclops are perceived in their culture. They eat and fight demigods. Riordan shows not all cyclops are bad because a lot of them work in Poesidons’s forge. Tyson saves Annabeth’s life multiple times showing her, and Camp Half-Blood, stereotypes are often not true.
Like the previous book, this one teaches more about Greek mythology in a fun and entertaining way. This book specifically talks about myths on Odysseus’s journey mentioned above. The reader learns new things, while thinking they are just reading an entertaining story.
The Bad
I only have a few small complaints about the second book. First, Grover is barely in it and is replaced by Tyson. While the lesson Riordan teaches with Tyson is important, Grover seems to have more chemistry with Annabeth and Percy. Riordan makes Tyson a bit of a crybaby and fearful of many things. This helps go against the stereotype of big mean cyclops but it gets a little annoying to keep reading about.
Secondly, the book is slightly predictable. Percy and Annabeth get out of their problems in ways you see coming. You understand they are going to win and the issues will be resolved. Riordan leaves many clues to foreshadow the big twist at the end of this book making it predictable, yet still enjoyable.
The Rating
Overall, I would recommend this book to those who enjoyed the first book. The adventure is exciting and the characters are somehow still relatable, even as an adult. While not as great as the first book, this one keeps you involved in the world building and the story Riordan is setting up. While there are minor flaws, it does not subtract from the overall arc of the story. The themes introduced are important for the youth to learn and read about. Onto the next book and the adventures that await Percy, Annabeth, and Grover.
8/10. Another great read
As always, happy reading!