The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson & the Olympians, #2)

by Rick Riordan

After a year spent trying to prevent a catastropic war among the Greek gods, Percy Jackson finds his seventh-grade school year unnervingly quiet. His biggest problem is dealing with his new friend, Tyson--a six-foot-three, mentally challenged homeless kid who follows Percy everywhere, making it hard for Percy to have any "normal" friends.

But things don't stay quiet for long. Percy soon discovers there is trouble at Camp Half-Blood: The magical borders which protect Half-Blood Hill have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and the only safe haven for demigods is on the verge of being overrun by mythological monsters. To save the camp, Percy needs the help of his best friend, Grover, who has been taken prisoner by the Cyclops Polyphemus on an island somewhere in the Sea of Monsters--the dangerous waters Greek heroes have sailed for millenia--only today, the Sea of Monsters goes by a new name...the Bermuda Triangle.

Now Percy and his friends--Grover, Annabeth, and Tyson--must retrieve the Golden Fleece from the Island of the Cyclopes by the end of the summer or Camp Half-Blood will be destroyed. But first, Percy will learn a stunning new secret about his family--one that makes him question whether being claimed as Poseidon's son is an honor or simply a cruel joke.

• ISBN10: 1410467740
• ISBN13: 9781410467744
• Publish Date: 6 December 2006 (first published 1 April 2006)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thorndike Press Large Print
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jamie]

The book was definitely better than the movie, but there were still a couple of things that didn't seem to make sense in the grand scheme. Still recommend reading though.

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars

So happy i'm FINALLLYYYYYYYY reading this series! Its kinda hard to rate, because, well these books are a bitttttt young for me but um MYTHOLOGY! YUM! Thanks Rick Riordan for quite literally NEVER letting me down when it comes to all world mythologies! Woo!

This was action packed & just a fun, witty, adventure filled ride overflowing with all the best parts of greek mythology! I love Percy & Annabelle & Tyson & Grover & Chiron & I COULD GO ON FOREVER! Gahhhhh!

[CrowNoYami]

I don't want to give too much away but I do have one thing to say.

I Love Tyson.

As with the first book, Rick once again brings you into this fantasy world that has just enough reality to keep you not only interested but believe the story before you.

I can't wait to see what happens next!

[kalventure]

"But sometimes you just see the bad stuff."

I stand by the fact that had these books existed when I was in middle school, Young Kal would have loved them. Heck, 36 year-old Kal loves them! If you are a mythology fan, chances are you'll be a fan of this beloved series regardless of your age.

I absolutely adore the narrative voice of the PJO series, and the audiobook narrator does an amazing job bringing the text to life. There's an air of snark and sarcasm that really resonates with me deep in my soul.

"We only came close to dying six or seven times, which I thought was pretty good."

Riordan does a fantastic job recapping critical information from The Lightning Thief without being repetitive or bogging down the story. Which is really hard to do! The book has a fast pace and is full of action, while also being descriptive of its surroundings so you cane visualize yourself alongside Percy and Annabeth.

Content warnings: bullying and use of the r-word

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[Nessa Luna]

Percy sure makes an adorable guinea pig, doesn't he?

[Djilan]

I love the way Rick is capable to mix the humor into the story. And the way he describes everything so you can perfectly imagine it in your head.
I really like Percy's story and how he learns and develops through his experiences.
On to book three ❤

[Steph L]

As the second book in this series, I was expecting it to be the same as the first one. It was so much better than the first book, in terms of both plot and characterization. I loved it!!!!

[thepunktheory]

Book vs. Movie:
As you can probably tell by now, I'm a huge fan of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. What I love so much about it is how cleverly Rick Riordan mixed those bits of Greek mythology with a new story and turned them into something modern without seeming ridiculous. I absolutely love Greek mythology and am always excited to find out what Riordan comes up with next.
Apart from that Riordan manages to create relatable characters. Especially Tyson is such a lovely guy. In the novel he was kind of like a puppy. Not too smart, a little clumsy, yet adorable and you just have to like him. Great job Mr. Riordan.
Before I continue with my thoughts about the film, let me just say I devoured the book. So exciting, clever and funny, it was simply impossible to put down.
Unfortunately I can't find such kind words for the adaptation. To be honest, "awful" and "horrible" came to mind first. After the novel I was super excited to watch the movie but I just hate it. While the book was so smart the movie was nothing but a cheap teen flick with a bunch of special effects. Many parts of the story were left out, leaving so much unexplained. I was especially annoyed that they cut out almost all of the references to Greek mythology as those were my favourites. The overstretched many of the fighting scenes and made it all seem completely unrealistic.
For some reason they also made the character of Tyson appear completely different. In the movie he wasn't amiable at all, just annoying. Besides that some of the special effects seemed rather cheap. While the fight scenes were drowned in CGI effects things like the Golden Fleece which actually should look impressive, seemed like something you can buy at Wal-Mart for 5 bucks.

Summing up, I have to say that the movie is beyond awful. By now I'm really glad they decided not to do any adaptations of the remaining novel. Just stick to the books they are super awesome!

[KitsuneBae]

Reread

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/12/the-sea-of-monsters-by-rick-riordan.html
The Sea of Monsters picks up twelve months after The Lightning Thief, with our hero Percy back in New York with his now single mother and attending Meriwether College Prep. Grover is away on his quest, attempting to find what no other Satyr has found before. The past year has been uneventful, even with new friend Tyson by his side. Until the final day of school when all hell seems to break loose, and of course Percy and his friends are in the line of fire, quite literally.

They must not only rescue their friend from the Cyclops that is determined to make Grover his bride, steal back The Golden Fleece, rescue the camp from being overrun by monsters and heal Thalia's tree. All in a days work for young Percy.

I actually enjoyed The Sea of Monsters more than it's predecessor, it was humourous, sassy and highly entertaining. But most of all it featured new character and Cyclops Tyson. His character was an absolute delight, his fascination with ponies and childlike innocence was incredibly lovely.

Tyson was staring at Chiron in amazement. He whimpered like he wanted to pet Chiron's flank but was afraid to come closer. 'Pony?'

Ending with a surprising revelation, I can't wait to jump into book three. The Percy Jackson series is not only fun and entertaining, but wonderfully written. A must have for middle grade enthusiasts, lovers of young adult and adults alike. I'm utterly in love.