| The Sea of Monsters | |
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Percy, Grover, and Annabeth escaping Polyphemus |
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| Author(s) | Rick Riordan |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Percy Jackson & the Olympians (Book 2) |
| Genre(s) | Children's Fantasy novel[1] |
| Publisher | Miramax Books/Hyperion Books for Children |
| Publication date | May 3, 2006 |
| Media type | Print (hardback and paperback) |
| Pages | 279 |
| ISBN | 0786856866 |
| OCLC Number | 64664383 |
| LC Classification | MLCS 2006 |
| Preceded by | The Lightning Thief |
| Followed by | The Titan's Curse |
The Sea of Monsters is a fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology written by Rick Riordan published in 2006. It is the second novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and the sequel to The Lightning Thief. This book chronicles the adventures of thirteen-year-old demigod Percy Jackson as he and his friends rescue his satyr friend Grover from the Cyclops Polyphemus and save the camp from a Titan's attack by bringing the Golden Fleece to cure Thalia's poisoned pine tree.
The Sea of Monsters was generally well received and was nominated for numerous awards, including the 2006 Book Sense Top Ten Summer Pick[2] and the 2009 Mark Twain Award.[3] It sold over 100,000 copies in paperback[4] and was released in audiobook format on September 6, 2006. The Sea of Monsters is followed by The Titan's Curse, the third book of the five in the series.
A film adaptation of the book is scheduled for a March 27, 2013 release.[5]
Contents |
Like the previous book, The Lightning Thief, this novel is of the fantasy genre.[6] Reviewers consider it to be fast paced,[7] humorous, full of action,[7] and a blend of the themes of acceptance and family love.[8]
The story begins with Percy having a nightmare about Grover being chased by some monster. The nightmare ends with a big voice booming, "MINE!!!"
It is the last day of school at Meriweather Prep, and Percy's only friend, Tyson, is being teased by bullies, though there are more of them that day than usual. In gym class, the extra bullies reveal themselves as Laistrygonians—cannibals—and attack Percy. Annabeth appears to have been following Percy to talk to him about her own nightmares. She helps Percy and Tyson defeat the Laistrygonians, and the three of them return to camp in the Gray Sisters Taxi. In the taxi, the Gray Sisters tell Percy that the location he seeks is 30, 31, 75, 12. Though Percy is confused and asks them what they mean, he is not informed, because they find the camp is under attack by the Colchis Bulls, and Clarisse and some of her cabinmates are trying to defend. With help from Tyson, Percy and Annabeth manage to defeat the monsters, but Percy finds out that Tyson is a Cyclops. Clarisse tells them that Thalia's tree, which protects the camp, has been poisoned by an unknown intruder and is dying. The magical borders that protect the camp are also failing. She also informs them that Chiron, the activities director, has been fired because he is suspected of poisoning the tree, and is replaced by Tantalus, a prisoner who has been brought from the Fields of Punishment. Poseidon claims Tyson as his son at dinner.
Percy has another dream of Grover, and this time Grover and Percy talk to each other (Grover had earlier had made an empathy link, allowing them to communicate sometimes while Percy is sleeping) and Grover reveals that he is trapped in The Sea of Monsters by a Cyclops named Polyphemus. Grover says that 'it' is here, but Percy wakes up before he can ask what Grover means.
The next day, Percy asks Annabeth if she understands what the dream about Grover means. Annabeth tells him that Grover may have found the Golden Fleece, and they both realize that they need the Golden Fleece to cure Thalia's poisoned tree. That night at the campfire, Annabeth and Percy ask Tantalus to send somebody on a quest to find the Golden Fleece, which he does, sending Clarisse. Percy gets angry with Tantalus, but doesn't know what to do. Later that night, when everyone else is asleep, Percy sneaks out to the beach and is met by Hermes, who gives him three duffel bags full of money and clothes, a magical thermos that holds the four winds, and a box of Minotaur-shaped multivitamins. He tells him that he must choose to board a passing cruise ship. Annabeth and Tyson arrive, and they decide to go to the cruise ship.
Percy receives help from Poseidon, who gives them three hippocampi, and together with Annabeth and Tyson, end up on the cruise ship, the Princess Andromeda, which is revealed to be owned by Luke. They are captured and learn that Luke is trying to reform Kronos, a Titan who is the father of Zeus. They manage to escape on a lifeboat and go to the Chesapeake Bay, where Annabeth leads them to a hideout that she had created a few years earlier when running away with Luke and Thalia. Tyson gets a box of donuts which he got from a nearby donut shop (Monster Donuts). They are attacked by a Hydra, which is killed by Clarisse who has a boat of her own that was given to her by her father Ares. The boat is an ironclad from the Civil War. They sail for the Sea of Monsters (which has now moved to the Bermuda Triangle) and Clarisse plans to destroy Charybdis, but her boat is destroyed because the engine overheated and exploded. Percy and Annabeth make it out (Tyson is presumed dead), but lose their duffel bags; plus, the thermos has been emptied because Percy opened it a little too wide, which let out the four winds. They eventually find an island where Circe lives, and dock at her island, which turns out to be a spa. However, Percy is turned into a guinea pig and is put in a cage with six others. Annabeth frees him by using the multivitamins to become resistant to magic, and gives some to Percy and the others, who become human again. It turns out that the other six guinea pigs were Blackbeard (son of Ares) and his crew, and Percy and Annabeth use Blackbeard's ship to get away. As they are sailing, they pass the land of the Sirens. Annabeth, who knows that the Sirens tell one of their innermost desires, decides that she wants Percy to tie her to the mast and have her listen to the Sirens' songs. However, Percy forgets to remove her knife, and she manages to free herself, almost reaching the island, but Percy manages to save her; in doing so, he learns that the Sirens' song made Annabeth see what she wanted most: her parents reunited and Luke converted back to the side of the gods, all having a picnic, in front of a brand new Manhattan, rebuilt by Annabeth. He grabs her before she can get out of the water and gets her back under, creating a giant air bubble so that she can breathe, and they make it back to their ship. On board, Annabeth tells Percy that she knows now that her fatal flaw is hubris (deadly pride). They reach the island of Polyphemus-where they find Tyson safe and alive-and save Grover with the help of Tyson and Clarisse, recovering the Fleece in the process. (The cyclops's blindness is actually a reference to The Odyssey, where Odysseus blinds the cyclops). They make their way to Florida, and Percy sends Clarisse, with the fleece, back to camp. Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Tyson are captured by Luke. Percy manages to contact camp with an Iris-message, tricking Luke into admitting he poisoned Thalia's tree. In a duel with Luke, Percy is nearly killed. He is saved by Chiron and his relatives, the Party Ponies. Chiron is rehired after being proven not guilty, and the Fleece cures Thalia's tree of its poison; however, Thalia herself is spewed out of the tree. Chiron realizes that everything that had happened had been to bring back Thalia, just to "put another piece into play" (Thalia is a daughter of Zeus).[9]
The Sea of Monsters received generally positive reviews with reviewers praising the storyline, the themes and the author's style of writing.[1][10][11] "In a feat worthy of his heroic subjects, Riordan crafts a sequel stronger than his compelling debut," said a Publishers Weekly review.[12] School Library Journal singled out the novel's plot and main character, stating, "Percy is an appealing kid, and the subject of a chilling prophecy may resonate with readers."[10] Child magazine wrote, "Featuring the cliff-hangers and sassy attitude kids loved in The Lightning Thief – plus a surprising new family secret – this outstanding sequel should win over a fresh legion of fans."[13] Children's Literature called the writing extraordinary[13] and added, "This book, sequel to The Lightning Thief, is an amazing mixture of mythology and young adult fiction."[13] Matt Berman, of Common Sense Media, praised the book, saying "The Percy Jackson series continues to be pure fun, with the author doing nearly everything right to produce a book that few kids will be able to resist."[11] Norah Piehl of Kidsreads.com lauded the style of the book, and noted similarities with its prequel.[1] It sold over 100,000 copies in hardcover by the time paperback copies were released in April 2007.[4]
However, Kirkus was critical of the book, writing, "it's doubtful Percy wouldn't guess Tyson's otherworldly connection immediately after the dodgeball game ... some of the humor will zip over the heads of the target audience" although they added, "Percy's sardonic narration and derring-do would keep the pages turning."[14]
On September 6, 2006, a seven hour and 54 minute audiobook version of The Sea of Monsters, read by actor Jesse Bernstein, who also narrated The Lightning Thief's audiobook,[19] was published worldwide by Listening Library.[20][21]
AudioFile magazine praised the audio book, raving, "This action-packed book (second in a series) will delight fans of Percy Jackson, the half-blood son of Poseidon, as Percy once again battles mythical monsters in modern-day settings while on his mission to save the tree that guards Camp Half-Blood."[21] They praised Bernstein, saying "Narrator Jesse Berns helps listeners slip right into the oddly engaging world that Riordan creates, in which contemporary teen characters and those from classical mythology intermingle"[21] and that he could successfully portray teenagers, while keeping the pace fast allowing listeners time to revel in the book's humor. Auditions have already been cast for this yet to be blockbuster. There may still be a few spaces for extras, though.[21] The magazine Publishers Weekly raved about Bernstein's "snappy delivery and all the right funny touches" that made the "action-packed fantasy such fun."[19]
Following the moderate success of the movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, a film adaptation of The Sea of Monsters was first reported in early 2011.[22] In fall 2011, it was confirmed that 20th Century Fox will release the film on March 27, 2013.[5][23]
Rick Riordan confirmed that the epic fantasy sequel, The Sea Of Monsters is one of the two graphic novels to be published in 2012 (the other being the first of The Kane Chronicles).[24] Like its predecessors, this book was well received and reviewers praised its humorous style and the plot of the story.[25][26]
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