The Trials of Apollo
Book One: The Hidden Oracle
by Rick Riordan, Disney Hyperion, 2016.
In preparation for the workshop I’m co-teaching this summer (Sci-fi/fantasy writing for 12-14 year-old kids with the Hudson Valley Writing Project*), I’ve been reading books in that genre.
Rick Riordan is the brilliant writer who conceived of Percy Jackson, the main character in his first series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Percy is a demi-god, whose father is Poseidon and mother is human.
In Riordan’s books, readers get a lot of mythology, plus a clever sense of humor. Riordan makes references to popular culture throughout The Hidden Oracle. It’s fun to imagine with him the ancient gods like Apollo, and the mythical beings like centaurs and nymphs living in the 21st century.
Apollo takes credit for being the creator behind present-day artists and composers.
Here’s the opening paragraph:
My name is Apollo. I used to be a god.
In my four thousand six hundred and twelve years, I have done many things. I inflicted a plague on the Greeks who besieged Troy. I blessed Babe Ruth with three home runs in game four of the 1926 World Series. I visited my wrath upon Britney Spears at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.
Riordan’s book is a wonderful mix of mythology, history, and popular culture. The plot moves fast, from one dire situation to another, as Apollo, in the form of a 16-year-old human, tries to save Camp Half-Blood from the Triumvirate.
I may have to read Book 2!
Tangled Magic 