I had this great idea about how to stay involved in my son’s life. I would read the books he reads.
OK, great idea, yet so much easier thought than done. Why? Because my 9-year-old son reads more than a hundred mostly YA fantasy books a year, and I have never (never!) been interested in fantasy lit. Even back in the last century when I was a YA, I had no interest in fantasy lit. Yet I am a good mother and true to my word, so I feigned enthusiasm and read The Colossus Rises. I shall now report because I checked out the book from the library 90 days ago, and I have to return the book today.
For starters, I don’t like action, any type of action, and this book is full of action. Non-stop action. Rick Riordan describes it as “high-octane,” which is an understatement. There is non-stop running and falling and transforming and flying and exploding. And then more running and falling and transforming and flying and exploding. I was dreading each next chapter because I really wanted the characters to sleep, to rest, to stop.
That said, on the plus side, the non-stop action was often creative. This book is the first I have read involving a giant blob of exploding bat guano.
Getting beyond the incessant action, the series has this cool historical/mythological premise plot involving the seven wonders of the ancient world and the lost race of Atlantis. Unfortunately, the cool premise plot often seems like an artificial device to connect a bunch of random action scenes. The interweaving of myths/history/action is similar to the Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan, yet less tight. Have I said there was too much action?
I think I’m going to return this book to the library now and work on my reviewing skills later. The Colossus Rises drove me crazy, yet my son loved it. For readers who enjoy a mix of history, mythology, and high-octane action, it makes for a fun running, falling, transforming, flying, exploding adventure. It has forever changed my feelings about bat guano, exploding or otherwise.
Insahmity 