Having recently read the Rick Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series, I decided to tackle his Trials of Apollo series (which includes The Hidden Oracle, The Dark Prophecy, The Burning Maze, The Tyrant’s Tomb, andThe Tower of Nero) and found it just as enjoyable.
Zeus blames Apollo for the happenings that occurred previously in the Heroes of Olympus series and, to punish his son, drops him literally into a garbage dumpster in New York City—sans his immortality and godly powers—with a junior driver’s license proclaiming him to be Lester Papadopoulos. He’s got to survive as a flabby, sixteen-year-old boy with pimples until he has suffered enough his father will allow Apollo to return to Olympus. A mortal Apollo has plenty of enemies who’d like to see him dead, including former friends, enemies, and lovers such as Caligula, Nero, and Commodus as well as his ancient enemy, Python. He teams up with Meg, a street urchin who claims Apollo as her slave, and is a demigod daughter of Demeter and step-daughter of Nero. Percy Jackson plays only a minor role here.
As always, Riordan is witty, often laugh-out-loud funny, as he blends pop culture (this fictional Apollo apparently knew and influenced everyone from jazz musicians to rock-and-rollers) with twists on Greek and Roman mythology. He also does a bang-up job giving Apollo, who starts out as a typical arrogant, egotistical god with a superiority complex, a delightful character arc as he becomes more human, more tolerant, and more caring. The book is a rousing, rollicking adventure with a great message for youngsters. I have previously credited Riordan’s writing for triggering my son’s love of reading, and that certainly would apply to this series—except that he’s now an adult reading Star Wars books ad nauseum.
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The Trials of Apollo series (The Hidden Oracle, The Dark Prophecy, The Burning Maze, The Tyrant’s Tomb, andThe Tower of Nero) (Disney Hyperion, April 5, 2022) is available through:
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You can read my review of Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus series here.
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