The Last Olympian: Percy Jackson, Book 5

By: Rick Riordan

Narrated by: Jesse Bernstein

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos's army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan's power only grows.

While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy's 16th birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

©2009 Rick Riordan (P)2009 Listening Library

10 y.o. boy became a READER with this book!

Any additional comments?

10 y.o. boy (ADD and dyslexic) started audio books as companions to hardcopy books (teacher recommendation) and it was a huge success. The Percy Jackson series absolutely turned him from "I hate reading" to a boy who is now told to "please put the book DOWN and EAT!!".

Mom: Loaded this book onto the iPad and played it on longer drives. VERY well presented, fascinating story, and has spawned a whole family interest in the series, and a small research project (for the kids) into greek myths.


Of the 5 Percy books, this is the one that turned a corner for our son. Family demanded we only listen to it TOGETHER, so Alex began reading the hardcopy on his own - sneaking it into bed with a flashlight. Happy, happy Mom!! Prior to this book, it was actually easier to pull teeth than get him to read (ask our dentist).

8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Good conclusion to pretty good series.

I've listened to every book in this series, and it really grew on me. Both the writer and the narrator improved as the series developed, and the characters and story became more interesting.

As with Harry Potter, Percy Jackson develops through the series from an awkward outcast to a respected hero who must save the world. Based on Greek mythology set in modern day America, Percy and a team of half-blood children of Greek gods (think Hercules) battle Greek monsters and outwit gods and try to understand the motives of gods and titans as the danger escalates with each book. Some of the monsters are simplistic with complicated names, but they get better as it goes along.

"The Last Olympian" is a good end to the series. There are moments to satisfy, moments to sadden, and moments to surprise. All in all a great end to an increasingly great series, and I can't wait for the movies.

Just a couple of comparisons, because they are so obvious. The series is not as well written as Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl, but it gets better with each book (though the fourth book--"The Battle of the Labyrinth"--was my favorite), and it kept both my kids--the oldest of whom was sixteen when hearing this book--engaged. It probably won't catch on with adults the way Harry or Artemis do, but parents probably won't be bored, either.

So that's my review, from the perspective of a parent, in case any are trying to decide on these books for their kids.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Great series to share with kids

My 8 year old grandson and I listened to the entire series - twice! I like the values of friendship, diversity, leadership shared among the male and female characters, My grandson loves the action, and I enjoy the fun of the use of contemporary cultural icons in a whimsical way.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Jesse Berstein IS Percy Jackson

What made the experience of listening to The Last Olympian: Percy Jackson, Book 5 the most enjoyable?

In an audiobook, more than the story, the narrator has to tell it well.
In the old days, story tellers used to wander between villages with stories of Heroes and Gods.
They were legend. Their narration was SO good that it has followed us down the ages.
To me, Jesse Bernstein represents the very few of those dying breed. The other being Ray Porter.
He truly likes Percy Jackson and you could see the characters leaping off the book into your car.
Guido, Blackjack, Tyson, Annabeth and Hades: To me they are as real as the NY Subway or the traffic in Chennai.

What did you like best about this story?

The Narration. Duh !

Have you listened to any of Jesse Bernstein’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

ALL of his Percy Jackon books. Each one is extremely good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Hades arrives to the Battle.

Any additional comments?

Audible: Please, Please use this narrator well. He's one of the very few Gifted ones. Listen to your customers.

5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Good Book

Good story that held the attention of the listener. The narrator could have been a bit more versitile but did a passable job.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Awesome

I literally listened to all almost 12 hours of this book in one day. The reader is really understandable and does the voices great. A good listen for anyone!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Alright Ending to a Great Series

Would you listen to The Last Olympian: Percy Jackson, Book 5 again? Why?

Yes I would listen to it again and maybe I would like it better this time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Last Olympian: Percy Jackson, Book 5?

The fight sequences were really good and I liked how Percy thought through and came to the decisions that he made.

Have you listened to any of Jesse Bernstein’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listned to all all Jesse Bernstein's narations of the Percy Jackson books and I have enjoyed his performances each time wether or not I have liked the writing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No I did not.

Any additional comments?

Though I liked the fight sequences of the book I have to say in someways I felt let down by the end of series. I just didn't really like the romance angle of the book despite realising early on that Percy and Annabeth would end up together. Other than that I would encourage anyone to listen to the Percy Jackson and the Olymipians series.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Wonderful Book

I would recommend this book to children, teenagers, and adults a like. I am 25 years old and really enjoyed this entire series. I suggest reading the books before the first movie comes out in 2010.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A bit of a letdown, but still fun

Let me start by saying I really like the Percy Jackson series overall. It's a fun romp through Greek mythology, and the characters are wonderfully entertaining. I went through the whole series in a relatively short period of time (I was listening to the audiobooks) because I couldn't wait to find out how it all tied together in the end.

Well, plot-wise, everything came together nicely, but I was a bit disappointed in the execution. First of all, I found myself far more interested in the side characters and the antagonist than in Percy himself. At this point in the series, Percy is little more than a lens for the story. He's just too perfect, and everything works out too easily for him. I would have been far more interested in seeing Grover's POV, or Annabeth's, or Nico's, or especially Luke's, since he takes on a Darth Vader type of role (hero turned evil with someone trying to redeem him). I've never really cared much for Rachel Elizabeth Dare (why must Percy always say her whole name?), and most of the other campers seem like throwaway characters there to pad the ranks.

About 90% of the book consists of either battle scenes or dreams/visions, in which Percy gets glimpses into the lives and pasts of the people around him. Luke's backstory was probably the most interesting, since he's the series antagonist. I also liked learning more about Nico, who is a bit of a wildcard. The battle scenes, however, bored me. That's probably just because of my personal tastes--I tend to get bored when one particular fight drags on too long. In this case, a great bulk of the book is spent defending Olympus from the titans, which bored me because, let's face it, Percy was never going to lose, and the twists weren't all that interesting (it was always like "okay, did he kill the monster yet" and never like, "oh no, how is he going to get out of this one?")

Maybe it's just because by the time I reach the end of a series, I've built up major expectations that the author can't live up to, but this conclusion felt a bit flat. I had plenty of fun with Percy, but I won't be returning to Camp Half Blood for the Heroes of Olympus series.

Mr. Riordan, so long, and thanks for all the fish!

P.S. Even Jesse Bernstein seemed a bit worn out by this book. In his desperation to give all million and one characters different voices, he gave them all weird random accents and reduced Persephone's voice to a choked whisper.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Why wasn’t this a movie?

Great finale! So happy with how the series finished. Nice job Rick Riordan! It gave closure to all main characters and was well read.