Percy Jackson is back! Following his absence in The Lost Hero (2010), book 1 of the Heroes of Olympus series, Percy returns to fight another day, and another, and another, and yes, several others. As the story begins, he clashes with two Gorgons and finds Camp Jupiter, the modern West Coast refuge for demigods. There, he befriends Frank and Hazel, who join his quest to free Thanatos (aka Death) from Gaea's evil minions in Alaska. Personal challenges, fierce battles, and self-discovery await the three teen demigods, even as Percy struggles with amnesia. Though diverse in ethnicity, physical characteristics, and magical gifts, Percy's friends in both series seem relatively interchangeable. Still, Riordan creates an original minor character in Ella, the lovable harpy. While the narrative includes lengthy explanations, flashbacks, and dreams, there is plenty of fast-paced action, including combat scenes with formidable enemies, as well as occasional comic relief. Along the way, readers will learn more about both the ancient Roman gods and the Roman legions. Fans will find plenty to cheer about as Percy and his allies move slowly toward fulfilling the mysterious Prophecy of Seven.

In this action-packed Lost Hero sequel, Percy Jackson arrives at Camp Jupiter, the camp for half-blood children of the Roman gods, unable to remember his past and pursued by two gorgons who won't stay dead when he kills them. As always, Riordan gives his heroes the last word, supplying them with sardonic quips in the face of unassailable odds.

After spinning his wheels in series opener The Lost Hero (2010), Riordan regains his traction with book two of The Heroes of Olympus. Gaea is raising an army of giants to defeat the gods, and Juno has switched heroes Percy Jackson (son of Poseidon) and Jason Grace (son of Jupiter) in order to unite Greek and Roman gods and demigods in battle against her. His memory wiped, Percy knows only that he has another life and a girlfriend, Annabeth; he needs to focus now on winning the trust of the Roman demigods. As per usual, he has two appealing companions with intriguing back stories, Hazel Levesque (daughter of Pluto) and Frank Zhang (son of…?). The three undertake a quest to Alaska to defeat the giant Alcyoneus and free Thanatos, "the border patrol" of the Underworld, assisted and opposed along the way by a pleasing variety of magical beings. Riordan achieves freshness within his formula by giving characters and readers a new environment—Camp Jupiter, similar only in broad concept to Camp Half-Blood—to discover, and his pell-mell pacing has returned. As with all of Riordan's mythological tales, the details that bring the legends into the 21st century delight: The camp's augur reads the entrails of Beanie Babies; tiny, malignant grain spirits dissolve into Chex Mix; the Amazons' headquarters are in Seattle at, well, you guessed it. Should pacing and wit continue unabated into the third volume, whose foretold European setting promises further freshness, fans will eagerly await numbers four and five. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Gr 5-9 No one does cliff-hangers quite like Riordan. In this installment in this series, he jumps off the one he left at the end of The Lost Hero (Hyperion, 2010) and hits the ground running. Percy Jackson makes a long-awaited reappearance on page one, with almost no memory of his identity, except for hazy recollections of a girl named Annabeth. He's in San Francisco, home of Camp Jupiter. It's the other camp for demigods, only here, the gods appear in their Roman forms. Most of the campers are suspicious and scared of Percy, but misfits Hazel and Frank welcome him. The demigod world is in an uproar. Monsters keep reappearing after they're killed, and the campers discover that it's because Thanatos, better known as Death, has been chained by Gaea, goddess of the earth. They must go on a quest to free him, and the heart-pounding adventure amps up even more. Riordan's ability to create characters that readers care about is extraordinary. Hazel, daughter of Pluto who leaves precious gems jumping from the ground in her path, and Frank, son of Mars who just might be the key to everything, are two of the most endearing demigods introduced so far. The vernacular of today's teens is captured masterfully, making the writing fresh and funny. The ending will make readers smile, even though they'll need to wait for the rest of the story. It can't come soon enough. Mandy Lawrence, Fowler Middle School, Frisco, TX