• The Lightning Thief

  • Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1
  • By: Rick Riordan
  • Narrated by: Jesse Bernstein
  • Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (31,644 ratings)

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The Lightning Thief  By  cover art

The Lightning Thief

By: Rick Riordan
Narrated by: Jesse Bernstein
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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

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What listeners say about The Lightning Thief

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing!

I loved it and couldn't stop listening! I can't wait to start the second book!

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4 people found this helpful

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It’s pretty awesome.

So, it’s an amazing book. I love the tie between mythology and reality. It’s for a younger audience but that’s probably why I love it so much.

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2 people found this helpful

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An amazing start to an amazing series!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from the narrator to the story. It was great! I am a huge fan of this series! I have also learned so much about greek mythology!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the greatest series of all time!

I happened upon Percy Jackson and the Olympians by chance and I'm glad I did! This novel has it all; great well thought out charachters, mythology, action/adventure, a little romance, and all around great fun. The narrotor did an amazing job of bringing the charcaters and their world to life in a way no movie could ever come close (if your only knowldge of Percy Jackson is that horrable movie adaptation I strongly recomend you buy this audiobook) all in all Mr. Riordan had done an amazing job and has inspiered me to be a writer as well, I only hope this book can change your life the way it changed mine.

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1 person found this helpful

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Better than the movie!

I saw the movie first and as usual, the book is so much better! The book was entertaining and educational if you love Greek mythology. I like the modern day mix! The performance was okay as Percy's voice but I didn't think his character voices were that good. Great read! Book 2 here I come!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Kids loved it.

They were about going in the car! Made the long trips we did so easy, no more are we nearly theres...

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Accents is everything

For the most part it was very well read. The only thing is that when he tried to do the accents it was horrendous. His "British" accent sounded like a deep South, American redneck and his middle eastern accent was just a bunch of rolling r's. lay off the accents and you'll be good to go.

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Good book

I liked the story, I think it is very suitable for young children, not so much for teens. I loved the narration, for an audio book it was very good.

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I really enjoyed this book

this book was very engaging. I never felt like there was a dull moment. there was always action and store keep on moving.

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amazing book I recommend to all ages not just teen

Would you listen to The Lightning Thief again? Why?

yes if I ever forget the book because it was amazing

What did you like best about this story?

it was amazing adventures

Which character – as performed by Jesse Bernstein – was your favorite?

percy jackson

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