Trials of Apollo, Book One: The Hidden Oracle
By: Rick Riordan
I had gotten to the point where I didn’t want to read any more formulaic book series. Then I read Rick’s new one and I was pleased as punch. In this series opener, Apollo (an actual god—not a demigod) has been cast down to earth by his father, Zeus, as a mortal teenage boy with the name Lester Papadopoulos.
Apollo lands in a dumpster in New York City. The former god of archery, prophecy, and healing has pretty much lost his powers, and has a righteous case of acne, to boot. He is defenseless against thugs who beat him up until a young girl with incredible strength, Meg McCaffrey, saves the day. Meg just happens to be a demigod (stepdaughter of Nero!), and Apollo must redeem himself by serving a demigod on earth…and…off we go.
Rick’s sarcasm, humor and snarkiness are completely on point. His character development is brilliant and shows Apollo as a quintessential, “me first” kind of guy/god. Old and new characters abound (especially my favorite, Chiron).
Read the book and laugh!
Review By: Ellen Dworkin