PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Miramax Books
Age Range: 11+
Summary:
Deadalus’ Labyrinth, the place where the Minotaur was held in Greek stories, is where Percy is heading along with Annabeth, Grover and Tyson. In all of Percy’s adventures so far, he at least had an idea where to go but this time, things were different. There is an entrance to the labyrinth in the camp. Meaning Luke and all other enemies can get into camp via the labyrinth. But nobody can navigate the labyrinth without Ariadne’s string. Daedalus has the string and the quartet must get the string from Daedalus because if it falls in Luke’s hands, then its GAME OVER.
Review:
Daedalus’ labyrinth is designed to drive you crazy. If you thought the LA highway system is bad then the labyrinth is a hundred times worse. Sure, you can go from New York to Alaska in a matter of hours but that is if you don't get lost, or eaten by monsters or don't get driven crazy. Personally, I would rather take a plane.
Now imagine you are a demigod and that you are mostly safe while in camp because of the magical barriers. But you find an entrance to the labyrinth in your camp, meaning that the pit between the boulders, or the doorway to the staff kitchen or anything with the delta ( ∆ ) symbol can lead to a possibly never ending maze. A little bit like an underground sewage system but much worse. So if someone manages to not-go-crazy in that maze, they can get into your camp. What would you do in this case? Get some dynamite and try to blow up the entrance. Well, nice thinking but the labyrinth is magical and sealing the entrance is almost impossible.
This is exactly what happens in Camp-Half Blood. They needed to stop Luke from getting Ariadne’s string, the only thing that can navigate the labyrinth. Getting in the labyrinth is like playing chess with a computer; it's like it knows what's your next move. Aside from that, it is also a home to deadly monsters, some minor gods that could cause major trouble and of course, booby traps. Did I mention that you can't track time in the labyrinth?
Anyway, despite all this the quartet has to get to Daedalus to stop him from giving the string to Luke. They encounter a lot of strange things (like a skeleton of a milkman), people (Geryon, the dude with three chests and Braries, the hundred handed one with…well, hundred hands) and gods (Hera, Hephaestus, Janus). Their plan is to stick together, however, halfway through they end up splitting. Percy and Annabeth continue looking for Daedalus’ workshop while Tyson and Grover go to look for the god, Pan. Tyson and Grover’s journey is not given in detail but Percy and Annabeth encounter a lot.
Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, is also in the Labyrinth. That eleven year old kid has a lot going on. Trying to bring back his sister from the dead, talking with literal ghosts (he also feeds them McDonalds) and some really bad anger issues. The character from The Titan’s Curse, Rachel Dare, also plays quite an important role in the quest. Percy ends up at Ogygia, an island which no man can find twice. Camp Half-Blood’s new sword master, Quintus’ identity is revealed. And the child of Athena makes the final stand.
“You shall delve in the darkness of an endless maze,
The dead, the traitor, the lost one raise
You shall rise or fall by the ghost king’s hand
The child of Athena’s final stand
Destroy with a hero’s final breath
And lose a love to worse than death”
~Avani Endait
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