Brief Synopsis
“Chalice of the Gods” is the unexpected sixth entry into the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. It follows the titular hero as he attempts the greatest challenge of his life: getting college recommendation letters from the gods.
Content Warnings: Intense Action (PG-13)
What Do I Think?
The Percy Jackson series pretty much defined my middle and high school life, as it did for many kids who were my age when the series first came out. Even today, the series remains incredibly beloved – the author, Rick Riordan, has only become more of an awesome figure among the community (as opposed to certain children’s authors we shall not name here), and the promise of a potentially-good television series based on the books has kept the community alive.
Color me surprised when I heard that this latest book, “Chalice of the Gods”, would be a continuation of the Percy Jackson series, well-over a decade since the previous installment. It isn’t that Rick Riordan hasn’t been continuing to write in that world – there are two more five-book series set after the events of the first series – but that Riordan would be returning the first-person perspective of Percy Jackson was intriguing.
Still, I was worried. Would this latest book live up to the hype the series has generated? Would Riordan be capable of writing a slightly older, more mature protagonist without making them jaded or too YA-y?
Reader, I tell you here and now that I am delighted with “Chalice of the Gods.” Everything about it is near-perfect. Riordan’s writing remains as snarky as ever for a modern audience. The characters have developed in ways that make sense from their previous adventures, and yet they still have arcs of their own within the story. Sure, Percy has faced down Titans and won, but the monsters and gods he faces here are as terrifying as ever.
One of my biggest surprises was how compelling the story was. Most books in the previous installments of the Percy Jackson-verse have been thrilling adventures where the end of the world is at stake. Instead, here, the stakes are more personal: if Percy fails in his quest to get his college recommendation letters, he won’t be going off to college with his girlfriend Annabeth. That doesn’t seem like something that would necessarily be as interesting to read about, and yet…it just works.
Truthfully, I think that “Chalice of the Gods” showcases how much Riordan’s writing has matured over the years. The Percy Jackson series has always balanced a fine line between middle-grade and young-adult fiction (in fact, depending on what library you go to, you might find it in either or both sections!). Here, with the titular protagonist now nearing college-age, the story’s more personal stakes feel more appropriate for an older book, and the way that Percy reacts to the events taking place reflects his own maturity, with less guns-blazing and more thoughtfulness. It’s a toned-down sort of zaniness when compared with the earlier books in the series, and yet it feels absolutely appropriate and never becomes disengaging.
One of the things I love the most about this book, however, is the mature relationship between Percy and Annabeth. They’ve been through a lot, and it would have been easy for Riordan to manufacture tension by making it seem like their relationship was in jeopardy, or that they were made at each other for some petty reason. Instead, even whilst they very much act like teenagers, they also react kind and lovingly to each other. There are moments of peril where, in another story, the two teens absolutely would have gotten into an argument or broken up, but Riordan chooses not to go down that route, and it is very much appreciated.
Honestly, I don’t know how I could possibly hype this book up more. Even if you aren’t necessarily a fan of middle-grade or young adult books, I guarantee you that if you read Percy Jackson books in the past, you will love this one.
Jacob Ryckman 