The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

For those of us who mourned the ending of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the first book in the spin-off series was released this week, The Lost Hero.  The Heroes of Olympus is the name of this follow-up series, and, if the first book is any indication, readers will be just as pleased with these.  I don't care that the target audience is 9 to 11.  I bought my copy for my Kindle because I wanted it on Tuesday. 

The opening sentence of The Lost Hero would capture anyone's attention.  "Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day."  Jason doesn't know who he is, or how he ended up at Wilderness School with a group of troubled teens who were fifteen and sixteen.  But, when a monster attacks Jason and two other teens on the walkway at the Grand Canyon, he quickly figures out the three of them are a little different.  When a rescue team, led by Annabeth, swoops in to rescue them and take them to Camp Half-Blood, he knows how different they are.  But, Jason still doesn't know who he is.

Piper and Leo are only a little better off.  They're all a little old to arrive at Camp Half-Blood, but they quickly learn they're essential members of a new team sent on a quest.  Hera is imprisoned, and, if she's not rescued by the solstice, in four days, a king will arise who opposes the gods on Olympus.  All three, Jason, Piper, and Leo, have secrets, but the oracle's messages indicate they must move quickly.  And, each one has strange dreams, and messages from Hera.

Riordan's first series always left the reader breathless with anticipation and anxiety.  Percy Jackson's adventures were riveting, involving the Greek gods.  Now,  Percy Jackson's disappearance is an essential plot element, while Jason's involvement introduces the elements of the Roman gods.  The three new demi-gods have fascinating backgrounds, different from characters in the earlier books.  To tell anymore would be to ruin the excitement of this series.  My only disappointment?  It will be a year before the next book in the series.  But, The Lost Hero successfully launches an exciting follow-up series combining fantasy and mythology.  It's a must-read for those of us who loved Percy Jackson.

Rick Riordan's website is http://www.rickriordan.com/

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan.  Hyperion, ©2010. ISBN 9781423113393 (hardcover), 576p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - I bought the ebook for my Kindle.

Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn

Carrie Vaughn won me over with her new fantasy, Discord's Apple. This novel, combining the Trojan War, myth and legend, and the possible end of the world, was wonderful. When I finish a book, and five minutes later I'm emailing family members telling them to read it, it's a success.

Evie Walker loves the comic book she writes, Eagle Eye Commandos. It's a smash, and she and the graphic artist have a great deal of material to work with. Their world consists of ration books, Citizens' Watch groups, checkpoints, and Homeland Security. There's war all around the world, and they capitalize on that. But, right now, Evie has a more important mission. She returns home to Hopes Fort, Colorado because her father is dying of cancer. And, the Walker family has an inheritance that they only learn about as they are about to inherit.

In Frank Walker's basement is a secret storeroom. And, no family member except the rightful heir, learns about it. It's filled with the artifacts of legend, swords and magic apples, and boxes. And, those artifacts can only be given to the rightful owners, so the Walkers protect them until they're claimed. And, the time is coming when beings who are not the rightful owners are willing to use their powers to reach the storeroom.

Frank and Evie have unexpected allies, though. Can they trust Alex, the stranger who appears in Hopes Fort? And, who else will stand with them against powerful forces with their own allies? The struggle over the storeroom could mean life and death, for the entire world.

There's so much I would love to say about Carrie Vaughn's Discord's Apple, but the discovery of each legend is important to the development of the story. If you're interested in the connections between the past and the present, history and legend, myth and belief, you'll want to immerse yourself in the story of the Walker family. Carrie Vaughn's Discord's Apple is magic in itself.

Carrie Vaughn will be appearing at the Velma Teague Library on Wed., July 28 at 2 p.m. as part of the ongoing Authors @ The Teague series.

Carrie Vaughn's website is www.carrievaughn.com

Discord's Apple by Carrie Vaughn. Tor, ©2010. ISBN 9780765325549 (hardcover), 304p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure - The publisher sent me a copy of this book, in hopes I would review it.