The House of Hades

xxpish - In The House of Hades, by Rick Riordan, Percy and Annabeth have fallen into Tartarus, and they are struggling to stay alive, minute by minute. They need to find the Doors of Death, and quickly. There seems to be no hope for them—Tartarus is the home of thousands of monsters that would kill them in seconds. As they travel through Tartarus, they never know what could be hiding in the shadows. Meanwhile, Percy and Annabeth’s friends are sailing on the Argo II to rescue them from Tartarus. As Gaea starts to wake, the monsters are becoming more powerful and numerous. If Percy and Annnabeth aren’t rescued, the Argo II and its travellers will be in big trouble. In Rick Riordan’s latest book in the Heroes of Olympus series, The House of Hades has more action and adventure then ever before as Percy and Annabeth journey through Tartarus. Unsurprisingly, I really liked this book. Rick Riordan is one of my favorite authors, and I have been reading his books since I was in second grade. I love how he continues to mix mythology with the modern world. It is so cool to imagine the classic myths surrounding us in everyday life. This is a great series, with as much excitement, or more, than the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. I love Riordan’s writing—each book in this series has been incredible. The only thing that I wasn’t very fond of was the book’s length. Sure, it’s full of action and battles and monster-killing, but after a few hundred pages there are just too many monster battles, and it can drag on. Riordan could’ve made it a little shorter than 583 pages. Other than that, I loved it. The setting and battles were very well described, and the characters’ physical conditions and emotions were cleverly portrayed. This book was a great fourth installment in the Heroes of Olympus series. I am so excited for the fifth and final book in the series to come out, but I am sad for the end of Percy Jackson’s story.

November 1, 2013
Having plunged into Tartarus at the end of the last book, The Mark of Athena (2013), Percy and Annabeth struggle toward the Doors of Death, while their friends hurry to meet them on the other side at the titular House of Hades. Riordan is most successful in his evocation of Tartarus and its hellish, monster-infested landscape. Without lightening his heroes' miseries in any way, the author provides a helper and necessary mood-lifter in the person of Iapetus/Bob, the Titan whose memory Percy had obliterated with the waters of Lethe in a previous adventure. Now Hades' janitor, Bob, along with a skeletal saber-tooth kitten he names Small Bob, joins Percy and Annabeth on their trek, causing them both to plumb unexpected moral depths. Meanwhile, on board (and off) the Argo II, Jason, Piper, Leo, Hazel and Frank similarly must come to understand themselves better in order to accomplish the tasks set before them (though not to equal extents). Though Riordan doesn't stint on action or laughs (fart jokes abound, and a tart-tongued Calypso is a special treat), readers may find themselves appreciating these moments of contemplation all the more for the depth of characterization they reveal. The denouement finds the demigods poised for the final battle with Gaea and her minions; they have exactly 14 days to save the world. In this adventure, victories are hard-won and the essence of bravery nuanced, making the journey as satisfying as it is entertaining. (Fantasy. 10-14)

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February 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-Fans won't be disappointed as the cliff-hanger ending from the previous book, The Mark of Athena (Hyperion, 2012), leads to further exciting adventures by the intrepid demigods in this penultimate book in the "Heroes of Olympus" series. Annabeth and Percy have fallen down into Tantarus, and they must fight off the attacks from the monsters stuck there long enough to find the Doors of Death. The other five demigods must get to Eprius in Greece, find the House of Hades to open the Doors of Death on the mortal side, save Annabeth and Percy, and seal the entrance to stop Gaea's forces from escaping into the mortal world and destroying it. The Gods are incapacitated by their Greek and Roman personalities warring with one another, and the demigods from Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter are on the verge of an all-out war. As Annabeth and Percy struggle to survive Tantarus's poisonous atmosphere and creatures, the other demigods must undergo harsh trials-particularly Hazel, Frank, and Leo, but they learn and grow mentally and physically from their experiences. The heroes realize that they cannot change their parentage but they can control their legacy. While more serious than the previous titles, there are lighthearted moments here, many involving a farting polecat. The horrifying monsters are nicely balanced by peace-loving Titan Bob, a skeleton calico cat called Small Bob, and gentle giant Damasen. Fans will be thrilled to know the series continues with The Blood of Olympus in 2014.-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton

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