Percy Jackson...

...Why I should never read the book before watching the movie EVER again.

If you're like me and like reading books that are under the "Fiction 12+" section of a book store and are not ashamed of it I say heck-yes! I mean we're counted in that "12+" aren't we? And to be honest I never really liked "Teen Fiction" anyway - and I absolutely loath it now with all this Vampire books everywhere! Arrrgh!!!! No wonder I like junior fiction much better that any other fiction - because they appeal to the child that is in me.

Anyway...I'm talking about:

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Rick Riordan) today, because I saw the movie yesterday. And let me tell you I loved this book. It follows the story of a ADHD 12-year-old who also suffers from dyslexia. The only thing is he's not actually suffering from them, it's just that he's, well half-god (demigod to be exact). Which means his ADHD is actually his battle reflexes and his dyslexia is actually the inability to read anything but ancient Greek - not NORMAL Greek, ANCIENT Greek.

So anyway...the story goes he's been neglected by his father (who is never mentioned until he has a near-death experience) and is forced to go from school to school because of his condition. On the occasion of being kicked out of his sixth school, Percy's destiny begins to take shape.

Finding out that he is the son of a god, Percy is taken to Camp half-blood to determine which god impregnated his mother and left her to rot with a lazy low-life named Gabe. But on the account that Percy is attacked by something called a "hell-hound" Poseidon marks his son with a triden on his forehead.

Given the quest to retrieve the Zeus' mighty thunderbolt from the hands of Hades to stop a war against The Big Three, Percy goes to the underworld to not only find the thunderbolt, but also save his mother's life. Supported by Daughter of Athena, Annabeth, and a satyr, Grover, the journey to hell was going to be a bumpy road mixed with deluded camera crews and cops and mythical monsters who aren't mythical at all!

This book was actually a good read. I finished it in two days (could've been one if I wasn't too lazy) and I found that the reason I liked it so much was because I was my kind of humour - blunt, sarcastic and down-right cocky. My favourite character in the book was definitely Grover. Just the little descriptions that Riordan has for him were great!

The other aspect of the twist in the ancient myths that I really liked was the concept that Olympus moves (not the actual mountain, but the dwelling of the gods). I like the whole concept that it moves to where the most influence on human social and political is most dominant. The other thing I liked was the reality of the concept of detached and estranged filial bonds between mortal parents and immortal parents. The fact that some mortal parents knew the danger of having demigods for children and "behaviorally" divorcing them in contrast to other mortal parents who would do everything they could to save their demigod children at all times.

It was a great book and packed with a lot of good mythical monsters and stories.


Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (Christopher Columbus)

Alright, here we go. This movie stares Logan Lerman (Riding in Cars with Boys), Bradon T. Jackson (Tropic Thunder), Alexandra Daddario (White Collar) and Pierce Brosnan (007). Following the same lines as the book, Percy Jackson (Lerman) is on a quest to save his mother and to stop the war before the 21 of June.

I can't really say much because the only real difference between the book and film are the monsters and the situations (along with my imagination). So here's a list of which were the same and which were different:

1. The Quest: Well in truth, Chiron (Brosnan) gives Percy, Annabeth and Grover the quest to retrieve the Thunder bolt from Hades. In the film, the three heroes go on their own terms.
2. Reason for going to Hades: In the book it was to stop the war and retrieve the bolt, but in the film it was to bargain with Hades and tell him that he actually doesn't have the bolt, exchanging his innocence for his mother's life.
3. The Quest 2: the film has this thing about following a map that leads to special pearls that will get you out of the Underworld, but in the book it was easy because they were given to Percy.

That's mainly it in terms of story line but here's in terms of characters and situations (add-ons and changes):

1. Meeting Medusa: In the book they stumble across her "Gnome Emporium" because the were hungry, but in the film, it's where the first pearl is found.
2. The Pit stops: since the second pearl is in Nashville that's where they head and meet with the ancient monster, the Hydra (the lizard thing that grows back two after you cut one off). In the book the pit stop is actually a diner...but I'll get to that later.
3. Grover stays in the Underworld: As noble as it is, that's not how it's suppose to be. To me the whole underworld scene was a bit off...
4. "Where is it?": Actually refers to TWO things - 1. Being the bolt and 2. being Hades' special helmet.
   

In-and-out: the characters who just didn't make the cut in the auditions and who did:

• Ares (God of War): meets them at their second pit-stop at a diner where he sends Percy off on his own little quest to retrieve his shield.
• Procrustes (aka "Crusty"): the ancient monster who liked to stretch his preys, in the book, he's depicted as a water-bed store owner.
• Persephone (daughter of Demeter - aka Wife of Hades): I don't know why they added her in the movie, the book stayed through to the ancient legend that she was in Olympus with her mother (it's the only time she was actually happy).
• The Fates (the Old Grannies): they're not in the film, but I don't think they were merely necessary anyway.
• Ceberus (the Three-Headed Dog): I can't believe they left this pooch out of the Underworld!!! Ceberus is a vital part of Hades' lair!
• Kronos and the pit of Tartarus: This was the pinnacle of the book and what lead to the thief. I really could not believe they left them out.
  

Off portrayals...alright, maybe it's just my imagination (and the fact that the only other depiction of The Underworld and Olympus were the images drawn by cartoonists at Disney, but still!), but I really though that the underworld was too tamed for the place of the dead. the Entrance was accurate, but after that, it was just to mystical for me. As for Olympus, it looked way too much like the Underworld rather than Riordan's depiction of "the complete opposite of the Underworld".

Nevertheless I enjoyed it. Wow...listing all these differences, there was a lot changed in the film not only the ages (from 12-year-old to 16/17-year-olds) but the reason behind why the bolt was stolen in the first place. No wonder the film felt empty...hmmmm...

But then again...that's why I said I shouldn't have watched the movie after reading the book. I got out of the theatre thinking, "I think the book was better." Oh well!

stricklyLeisure rating: 3 and 1/2 Stars

Next on stricklyLeisure: "The Wolfman" and why you should never take Cheapo-Tueasdays for granted.