Mazes, String, and Volcanoes REVIEWING The Battle of the Labyrinth

Welcome back to The Real World According to Sam for MAGIC MONDAY!

We're back with another Percy Jackson review as we continue the countdown to the release of The Tower of Nero. 

We are now 11 weeks and 1 day away from the release date (October 6, 2020)! 

This is a Titan's Curse SPOILER LAND, clearly, because this is a sequel. 

 

This review of The Battle of the Labyrinth is completely spoiler free for this fourth installment. 

Let's jump in!

The Battle of the Labyrinth

Author: Rick Riordan

Genre: Adventure Fantasy

Year: 2008

Synopsis

Percy Jackson isn't expecting freshman orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears at his potential new school, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse. 

In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half-Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Krono's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop the invasion, Percy and his demigod friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth -- a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. 

Review

Alright so that's a lot to unpack. Let me sum it up a bit better for you: a group of teenagers have to face certain death in order to stop an ancient Greek bad guy from destroying their home. Sound good? It is. It is VERY good. Last time, Percy and his friends faced death and three of his companions did not make it out. Like I said...things have taken dark turns now, and there is no looking back. Bianca di Angelo is dead, Zoe Nightshade is dead, and Nico...well, he isn't physically dead, he's just dead inside now and on the run. 

So what do we have to look forward to here? A trip into the famous labyrinth: a maze that was made by the inventor Daedalus, father of Icarus, that one kid who flew too close to the sun with wax wings and died. Isn't that a cheerful image? Also, a meeting with Calypso, famous for living on the island of Ogygia where she met Odysseus in The Odyssey. We also get to have a meeting with the Sphinx, so that's pretty cool, and a continued search for Pan, because he is surprisingly good at playing hide-and-seek. There are many more adventures within the book, but I can't give away EVERYTHING you know. 

Where do we go? Underground. Literally. For most of the book. That's what the labyrinth is. A big, death-filled underground maze. Sounds like the perfect vacation destination for Percy and his demigod gang plus half-brother who is a cyclops---honestly, who doesn't love Tyson? He's hilarious and great to have along for adventures. 

There are a couple new characters. We get to know more about Nico, since we didn't spend much time with him in the last book. We meet Quintus, who is a guy that works at Camp Half-Blood now, with his Hellhound companion, Mrs. O'Leary. This book also features Rachel Elizabeth Dare, that weird mortal girl who can see through the Mist that Percy met at the Hoover Dam. Dam girl is back! And so are my dam jokes.  

Back to proper business: this book is fantastic. If you're familiar with Greek mythology, either by having read some of the classic stories, watched a few movies that involve mythology, or seen art with mythology within it (Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel the Elder anybody?), then this series is really just a major treat. If you aren't, then you're sure going to be familiar with several by the time you get done reading it. I really love getting to see myths that are new to me, blend with myths I'm familiar with, and in the end, just know a lot more about mythology. I'm a literature geek, so I'm happiest when I'm reading, learning, and discussing stories. This book, and its predecessors, are a smorgasbord of awesome. 

I promised you a maze, and that's the labyrinth. I promised you string, so if you go into your mythology or know anything about the labyrinth, you'll know what I'm referring to. And as for volcanoes? We aren't talking about that just yet, but read it and you will find it. It is a super fun setting to read about and it plays an explosive role in the story. 

Overall, you already know this one is going to be decently high on my scale, as all the other books are. I give The Battle of the Labyrinth a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯. It's fun, it's fast-paced, and it's a labyrinthine mix of danger. Pick it up and get lost if you haven't already. This is one of the most fun series I have read and it is one that I could reread several more times without getting bored. 

Thanks for tuning in to this installment from The Real World According to Sam, where I bring the books straight to your screen and even put in my own two cents on them.