If you’re anything like me or any of the people who I told about the release of this book, then you’ll be surprised to find out that Rick Riordan is still writing Percy Jackson. Nonetheless, it seems our good friend is back on the shelves and ready to take us all on another adventure, so join me in my confusion as we break it all down.
Wrath of the Triple Goddess, the seventh book of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, is the first piece of new content in the literary world of Rick Riordan since the release of the Disney+ show last year. Along with most of the people I know, I was so disappointed in the show’s portrayal of the story that shaped my love for reading that I began to close the door on that part of my childhood — in my mind, I held a little funeral for my first ever fictional crush.
To be frank, I didn’t even know this book was coming until last Tuesday when it hit the market. Wrath of the Triple Goddess follows high school senior Percy in his quest to obtain a recommendation letter from Hecate, the goddess of magic and witchcraft. The goddess has not-so-generously offered Percy a shining recommendation if he successfully watches her magical pets and haunted mansion for the week. Those are some high stakes if I’ve ever seen them, right? Yeah … not really. Compared to the world-saving shenanigans of their past, this seems like a nice weekend stroll in the park for Percy, Annabeth and Grover; yet somehow they still manage to make a gods-worthy mess of it. Now listen, I’ve loved Percy Jackson since I was ten years old, but the premise of this latest title paired with my less than stellar opinion about the show didn’t really stir my excitement to read this book. I thought it would be a bit goofy and even an unnecessary addition to the series. But if life has taught me anything, it’s to trust Rick Riordan.
All of us twenty-somethings that grew up with Percy and his friends will feel the pull of childhood right from the get go in The Wrath of the Triple Goddess. From the quippy chapter titles to Percy’s hilarious narration, it’s refreshing to be plunged back into a familiar world. The original trio is back in all its glory and several friendly faces return to help them along the way. I will admit, the somewhat juvenile premise had me trudging through the first few chapters, but soon enough, I found myself laughing at Percy’s sarcastic remarks and the ridiculous situations he never fails to get himself into.
Even if the plot might be childish, the writing is anything but. Riordan touches on deep and relatable themes just enough to keep older readers engaged but not too much that younger ones might be dissuaded. He doesn’t underestimate the reader, yet he keeps the language accessible and easy to read. While the book is technically considered middle grade (for eight- to 12-year-old readers), the one thing that definitely makes this book feel like it was made for us, is the sheer amount of pop culture references. Sure, Percy is still in highschool while most of us who read the original books definitely are not anymore, but Riordan writes him so that he’s one of us. As he fights monsters and runs from one or two sticky situations Percy drops casual references to Star Wars, The Beatles, Hot Wheels, Barbie and White Chicks, just to name a few. Each one felt like a fun inside joke between me and Percy, keeping me engaged and excited to turn the page.
I did run into one problem while reading, and it has to do with the portrayal of Percy himself. Throughout all the books he appears in (and there are a lot), we watch him learn how to navigate his crazy world confidently, how to strategize and how to problem solve. He goes from being a scared boy to the greatest hero of his age, yet this book insists on belittling his intelligence. We get it several times from his own narration, in the form of quips about his doubtful plans or in his tendency to rely on Annabeth, but what sealed my dislike for this trend was a scene during which Annabeth seems to suddenly come to the realization that Percy is “a pretty smart guy.” For someone who turned the island of Manhattan into his battle ground, used its architecture, geography and the individual abilities of each demigod around him in extremely strategic ways during The Last Olympian, this seems like an extreme understatement. As someone who has devoured all these books, it seems like a given that Percy is extremely intelligent, even if it’s not in the same ways that Annabeth is. Annabeth has always been cast as the smart one, but Percy’s emotional, creative and spatial intelligence have always seemed like one of the main driving forces of the books.
Overall, I think The Wrath of the Triple Goddess is a fun read teeming with nostalgia and warmth. I thought I had closed the door on Percy, but as it turns out he managed to slip through and revive my love for him and his world once again. The book doesn’t necessarily add invaluable material to the series or reveal any groundbreaking alterations to our beloved demigods and monsters, but in a world where growing up is an inevitable reality and every day brings new responsibilities, it never hurts to shrug on the orange t-shirt and visit Camp Half-Blood one more time. And if you’re new to Percy’s adventures I encourage you to join us. As he says, “Welcome to the chaos!” You’ll have fun, I promise.
Rafaella Gonzalez is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].