Recently, I’ve come across a series that I haven’t read in a while, Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Theif, but this time, the graphic novel edition. Fifth-grade me was exhilarated to see the return of this series. Honestly, it was the only series that ever got me to actively read. I was (and still am a bit of) a really slow reader, like seven pages an hour kind of slow. But, I’ve read every book within the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, as well as the sequel series, Heroes of Olympus, as well as the two spin-off series, Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase, all within fifth grade. Percy Jackson and the Olympians was the kickstart of my Rick Riordan obsession. I’d read his books every time I could. At the dinner table, I’d read and my dad would tell me that reading would make my food taste worse just to get me to stop reading. I’d sacrifice so much time just to get that internal excited screaming feeling every time I read, and then I would want to read more.
Reading the graphic novel edition of the book years later did not evoke those moving emotions, but it was a nice little recap of the story after such a long time and it made me reminisce. Despite that, because Percy Jackson is such a popular series, I’d recommend the graphic novel to anyone who had or has not read the book yet. For those who haven’t read the book series yet and are reluctant to fully commit to reading, the graphic novel is a lighter, shorter, and easier-to-read version of the first book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series. And those that have already read the book series, like me, could get a decent refresher from reading the graphic novel. It’d be good to familiarize yourself with such a popular book series, just to be culturally aware and especially because a new and promise-looking Percy Jackson live-action Disney series is in the process of creation.
A good Percy Jackson live-action adaptation is well-deserved considering how successful the series is. The series has sold more than 190 million copies worldwide (Dimitrje Curcic). The book has also received #1 titles from the New York Times Best Selling Series, A USA Today Best Selling Series, and A Wall Street Journal Best Selling Series. New York Times describes the book as, “Perfectly, paced with electrifying moments changing each other like heartbeats.” Whether you’ve formally read Percy Jackson or not, such praise should encourage you to become acquainted with the story, and you should read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians graphic novel edition now.
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