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| The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 4) | 
 enlarge | Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Category: Book
List Price: $17.99
Buy New: $4.47
You Save: $13.52 (75%)
New (58) Used (39) Collectible (4) from $4.47
Avg. Customer Rating:  86 reviews
Sales Rank: 1233
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.3
ISBN: 1423101464
EAN: 9781423101468
ASIN: 1423101464
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW COPY, NO UGLY REMAINDER MARKS.
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| Customer Reviews:
Best Installment So Far!! May 8, 2008
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
This is the fourth installment of the Percy Jackson series, and the most engrossing since the first one. Percy Jackson and his friends try to explore the Labyrinth in order to find the inventor Daedalus and prevent Kronos from controlling the Labyrinth. This book has a lot of the humor of the first three installments, but it does take itself serious at times. A lot of the plot threads like Pan finally come to end. I am glad that the series has not run out of steam, and I wait steadily for the final installment.
Love The Old Myths Mixing With The New World June 13, 2008
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
THE BATTLE OF THE LABYRINTH is the fourth book of Rick Riordan's projected five-book opus, PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS. The series began with THE LIGHTNING THIEF and has constantly picked up steam as it's progressed. I've been reading the series to my son, and we're looking at the fifth and final book coming out next year with a mixture of anticipation and dread.
We want the next book. We want to know how everything turns out for Percy, Grover, Annabeth, and the rest, but we don't want the adventure to end. Riordan's imagination and zest for action is matched only by his wit and humor. We've become fans and end up talking about the books and Greek mythology quite often.
If you haven't read the series yet, you've missed out on a lot. And you'll probably want to stop reading this review now. Otherwise you're going to trip across some spoilers for the earlier three books. Riordan's books, Percy's adventures, are an organic tale, growing and adding to canon with each new volume. Things just don't stay the same in Percy's ever-changing world.
Well, nothing stays the same except Percy's continuing bad luck with schools. At the beginning of this one, Percy's mom has a new boyfriend that gets Percy into a well-respected school that Percy normally wouldn't have a shot at with his past record of suspicious destruction. Sure enough, almost as soon as Percy sets foot on school grounds, he's attacked by demonic cheerleaders (the empousai, from Greek myth) and the school BURNS.
I couldn't help laughing throughout the section as I read it. Friends of Percy are going to be blown away by the sequence even though they're expecting it. My son and I kept cracking each other up for days afterward. These books just keep on giving!
The book turns more serious, to a degree, when Luke's plans to invade Camp Half-Blood are revealed. Luke, Percy's arch-enemy, is still trying to bring the Titan Kronos back to life so he can wreak vengeance against the Greek gods. Camp Half-Blood, because it houses and trains so many of the demi-gods - the children of the gods with mortal parents, is a prime target.
As always, Riordan establishes the roots of his story in traditional Greek myth. This one deals with Daedalus, the famed inventor that created the Labyrinth that housed the Minotaur. According to Riordan's story, the Labyrinth has become - to a degree - a living thing that continues growing throughout the world and time. I loved the concept and my son was totally engrossed in the idea that the world was honeycombed with magical tunnels. This is the kind of thinking I've come to rely on the author for.
There are other adventures that take place before Percy, Annabeth, and Grover find an opening to the Labyrinth and climb down inside it, but once they're in place the adventure kicks into high gear. They're chasing after Nico, the son of Hades, that no one else at the camp knows about. Percy feels guilty about the death of Nico's sister and doesn't want everyone weirding out about the younger boy. Percy still believes he has a chance to set things straight between him and Nico.
Grover's situation has gotten more dire regarding his hunt for the god, Pan. With all the failures Grover has racked up, the satyr community is thinking about pulling Grover's searcher's license, which means he can't continue hunting for Pan. A lot of things are at stake in this one.
Tyson, Percy's Cyclopean half-brother, stars in this one as well. I have to admit, Tyson is one of my favorite characters in the books. Tyson, with all his childish innocence, has won a special place in the hearts of my son and I. Every time Tyson's on stage we're just waiting to see what he's going to say or do. In this one, Tyson gets to meet Briares, one of the Hundred-Handed Ones, an ancient from Greek myth. Briares's reaction to his jailer is hilarious and I don't want to spoil it, but my son and I went around doing it for days, to the point my wife believed we'd taken leave of our senses. She hasn't quite gotten into the Olympian view yet.
In addition to all the great imagery and dialogue, Riordan continues piling on the Greek mythology in this one. I love how he twists it and brings it into our world. And he dangles each cliffhanger and reveal of the plot with evident glee and precise precision. This next year of waiting is going to be a long one.
Astounding May 8, 2008
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is by far one of the best series I have ever read! It ranks right up there with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. It's writing is so original! Somehow it manages to be sarcastic and funny and sound like a teenager without getting tiring. I finished it in two days and wandered around for about an hour wishing I was still reading it!
My son can't wait until book 5 September 18, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Four books down and one to go :-( (Mr. Riordan, PLEASE consider writing more books in the series!!!)
This series has captured my son's interest and imagination unlike any other fiction series with the exception of the Magic Treehouse books. He is an 11-year old and despite being considered AG in reading skills, he would rather eat liver than read novels. My son's fifth grade teacher got him interested in the first book. After that, he had to have the whole set. He read all four books in about 1.5 weeks time -- usually reading over 100 pages a day -- even on school nights.
He thought this book was the best though the ending definitely leaves you hanging -- and waiting for Book 5.
The things that he likes best about the series:
1. Percy is a regular kid just like him who has his struggles in school.
2. He loves the Greek Mythology tie-ins
3. He loves the writing style and humor of the author
4. The stories don't take place in ancient times -- rather uses ancient stories in modern times.
Now my problem is what to get him reading next. He isn't interested in Harry Potter or most of the other popular fantasy collections. If any one has a suggestion on other series with the above characteristics, please let me know -- I would be eternally grateful!
This is a wonderful series - May 19, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
Percy Jackson always knew he was different...turns out that he's a demi-god...that means the child of a god and a mortal - at a certain age, he gets the word to go to a camp for these kids - it's called appropriately Camp Half-Blood...
You know the Greek Gods - they were powerful and er, prolific...needless to say there are a lot of kids at the camp!
Each summer these kids go on a quest - things are happening - the Titans are trying to come back and defeat the Greek Gods - Yikes!
The kids of the camp have to enter the Labyrinth to stop the Titan revolt. They meet another child of Athena - Daedalus - remember Daedalus and his son Icarus? That's the guy -
This book continues to amaze the adventure and Rick Riordan is amazingly accurate in his knowledge in Greek Mythology - I take my Hamilton book on mythology out and learn more and more every time I read one of Riordan's books.
Love Percy Jackson - OK the series is for kids...but us big kids really love the series too.
Long live Camp Half-Blood!
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