The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus Series #5)

by Rick Riordan

Overview

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen-all of them-and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood-the blood of Olympus-in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it might be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781423146735
Publisher:	Disney Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/07/2014
Series:	Heroes of Olympus Series
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	11,618
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.80(d)
Lexile:	690L (what's this?)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Rick Riordan (www.rickriordan.com) is the author of the # 1 New York Times best-selling The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero; The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two: The Son of Neptune; The Heroes of Olympus, Book Three: The Mark of Athena; The Heroes of Olympus, Book Four: The House of Hades; the #1 New York Times best-selling Kane Chronicles; and the five books in the #1 New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. His previous novels for adults include the hugely popular Tres Navarre series, winner of the top three awards in the mystery genre. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons.

Hometown:

San Antonio, TX

Date of Birth:

June 5, 1964

Place of Birth:

San Antonio, TX

Education:

B.A. in English and History, University of Texas

Editorial Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE LOST HERO



"Readers longing for a return to Camp Half-Blood will get their wish.... ...the action scenes come frequently as the three heroic teens fight monstrous enemies in North American locales..... Flashes of humor lighten the mood at times, but a tone of urgency and imminent danger seems as integral to this series as the last. With appealing new characters within a familiar framework, this spin-off will satisfy the demand for more."—Booklist

PRAISE FOR THE MARK OF ATHENA


"With a true storyteller’s sense of pacing, Riordan creates another compelling adventure, right down to the cliff-hanger at the end. Stay tuned for volume four."—Booklist

PRAISE FOR THE SON OF NEPTUNE


"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."—Kirkus

PRAISE FOR THE SON OF NEPTUNE



"Fans will find plenty to cheer about as Percy and his allies move slowly toward fulfilling the mysterious Prophecy of Seven."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2014-10-19
With just 12 days to go until Gaea awakens fully on Aug. 1 and brings an end to the world as we know it, two groups of demigods struggle to stop her.Aboard the Argo II, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel and Leo race to Athens for the final showdown. Meanwhile, three formerly supporting characters struggle to haul the ancient and massive Athena Parthenos statue from Europe to Camp Half-Blood: son of Hades Nico di Angelo, daughter of Bellona Reyna Ramírez-Arellano (and former praetor at New Rome) and satyr Coach Hedge. Coach Hedge is there mostly for comic relief, but his anxiety for the welfare of his very pregnant wood-nymph wife at Camp Half-Blood, where rogue New Rome augur Octavian has massed his armies to attack on Aug. 1, is touchingly genuine. The story of the demigods headed to Athens focuses on Jason, Piper and Leo and offers what Riordan does best: comedic, action-packed encounters with deities most readers—and sometimes characters—have never heard of. Goddess of victory Nike is particularly funny as she rails against "namby-pamby ideas of friendship and everybody wins participation awards." The story's emotional heft mostly comes from Nico's and Reyna's arduous and heartfelt journeys to self-acceptance. Readers who haven't made a point of revisiting The House of Hades (2013) before starting this may find themselves wondering just why each group's mission is so important, but there's no questioning that the characters think they're vital. And ultimately, any prophecy-driven adventure is at bottom arbitrary anyway. The story's occasional ventures into romance are stilted and awkward, but fortunately they are brief. The satisfyingly cataclysmic showdowns yield to peaceful resolution at last; here's hoping it holds this time. (Fantasy. 10-16)

Kirkus Reviews

Nick Chamian creates a subtly distinct voice for the character of Nico di Angelo in this last installment of the Heroes of Olympus series. Chamian’s pace is steady as two groups of Greek and Roman demigods traverse continents in an attempt to fight Gaea, the earth goddess bent on destroying the gods. Chamian shines in the voices he creates for the gods and mythical creatures, but the demigods are less distinct, so it occasionally becomes unclear who’s speaking. While the action-packed plot includes puzzles and twists, this is primarily a story about Nico and his friends coming to terms with themselves and figuring out where they belong. Fans of the series will be satisfied. A.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

JANUARY 2015 - AudioFile