The Lightning Thief

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1

By: Rick Riordan

Narrated by: Jesse Bernstein

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of boarding school...again. No matter how hard he tries, he can't seem to stay out of trouble. But can he really be expected to stand by and watch while a bully picks on his scrawny best friend? Or not defend himself against his pre-algebra teacher when she turns into a monster and tries to kill him? Of course, no one believes Percy about the monster incident; he's not even sure he believes himself.

Until the Minotaur chases him to summer camp.

Suddenly, mythical creatures seem to be walking straight out of the pages of Percy's Greek mythology textbook and into his life. The gods of Mount Olympus, he's coming to realize, are very much alive in the 21st-century. And worse, he's angered a few of them: Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the prime suspect.

Now Percy has just 10 days to find and return Zeus's stolen property, and bring peace to a warring Mount Olympus. On a daring road trip from their summer camp in New York to the gates of the Underworld in Los Angeles, Percy and his friends, one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena, will face a host of enemies determined to stop them. To succeed in his quest, Percy will have to do more than catch the true thief: he must come to terms with the father who abandoned him; solve the riddle of the Oracle, which warns him of failure and betrayal by a friend; and unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves.

Don't miss the other titles in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

©2005 Rick Riordan (P)2005 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group

Love the book, hate the reader

The book is great. I've read it myself twice. This reader, though, not only sounds like a teenager, he sounds like a teenager who doesn't read aloud very well. Actually, it sounds almost like a cold read - as if he doesn't actually get some of the phrases Percy, his mother, or the gods use. He never stumbles, but sometimes it sounds like he read to the end of the line and was surprised that the sentence continued. As if Percy had written "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" and had to get up and read it in front of the class. Most kids read just like this, totally, but this reader isn't actually 12 years old. Mind you, I've just bought the next book anyway because my husband and I love these books and listen on the way home from work. Riordan tells a great story! It's just too bad he didn't get a great reader.

Best dearies ever

I loved the imagination required and how fun it is to read listen to. I listen to this book all the time and it’s really fun. I love how you can read it over and over again and never be bored.

Slow start, but AMAZING

Starts a bit slow, but starts up well after a few chapters. ends great. foreshadowing is well written.

Missing background noises

It needs background noise following the story (thunder,wind,running water,kids cheering,fire crackling,etc.)

Nostalgia hits me like a train

Oh man, oh man, oh man, I hadn’t realized how much I missed these books. I love Percy’s inner voice and his snark. The whole time I was listening to the audiobook, I was imagining a 2D animated show of the book, with each chapter being an episode, accurate to the last detail. I was originally planning on just rereading the first book and continuing with my TBR, but now I think I’m going to listen to the rest of the series first!

Love this book

A new take on the myth of Persius. Great book for kids. Funny, interesting, and awesome.

Great book!

The narrator for this book sounds like what I imagined what Percy would sound like. Also this story is amazing, because it tied in greek mythology and other fantastical beings into the story. All in all, fantastic read. 10/10

A+ listen

The narrator has the perfect voice and is able.to change tones for other characters without sounding forced or fake. Very soothing. I have read this book before and loved it!

Great story

This was my favorite movie so I thought I would listen to the actual book. I really enjoy it listen to it all in one day. Can’t wait to the summer and enjoy it with my kids

Great read

Narrator is does some entertaining voices and the story is great. I think its s good read for the whole family.