I got this book as a prize for winning a short story contest. The book was really good! I enjoyed reading about all these strange and spooky yokai, frI got this book as a prize for winning a short story contest. The book was really good! I enjoyed reading about all these strange and spooky yokai, from the well-known ones like kappa to yokai that were just invented to sell newspapers. A lot of them were more modern than I thought, and all of them have very good stories and beautiful watercolor illustrations.
However, the translation seemed shoddy at times, with several spelling mistakes and lots of odd word choices. Especially towards the end of the book, the formatting got screwed up. Most of the imperfections in this book are nitpicks, and this book is great! I learned a lot about weird and spooky Japanese monsters....more
When I was a kid, this book captured my imagination even more than its sister book, Egyptology. I liked all of the cool mythology stuff in it, which sWhen I was a kid, this book captured my imagination even more than its sister book, Egyptology. I liked all of the cool mythology stuff in it, which seemed more accurate than other books like Percy Jackson. There were some interesting fake artifacts to play with in this book, and when it started turning to gold at the end with the Midas Touch, it scared me to pieces....more
A slightly freaky and delightful book about this female archeologist traveling in modern Egypt, researching Ancient Egypt, picking up artifacts, and tA slightly freaky and delightful book about this female archeologist traveling in modern Egypt, researching Ancient Egypt, picking up artifacts, and tangling with some dark forces beyond her control. The book was more accurate about Ancient Egypt than a lot of books I read as a kid, and there was enough tension in the plot, especially towards the end, to scare me seriously as a kid and keep me interested. While this isn’t my favorite of the Ology books, it is probably the best crafted....more
This book of myth is entertaining, treating the myths as stories rather than vehicles for learning about the people who told them. There is some conteThis book of myth is entertaining, treating the myths as stories rather than vehicles for learning about the people who told them. There is some context provided for the myths, such as in the chapter titles that classify myths into genres like “Beginnings” and “Gods and People”, but otherwise, this is a book of stories. Or at least, that’s how I as a kid read this book.
There is an incredibly diverse collection of myths in this book, ranging from the standard Greco-Roman to obscure Native American myths. Although there is a bit more Greco-Roman, Norse mythology, and other classical European myth than mythology from elsewhere in the world, I still enjoyed how different all the myths were. There were also some stories from extant religions, like Hinduism, Buddhism, and Zoroastrianism, presented as myths. That reads as a little offensive and orientalist to me, especially since Bible stories are not included.
Despite some of the flaws in this book, including how some of the stories are written dryly or how long ones like the Epic of Gilgamesh are rushed, this mythology book is a great one. It contains beautiful illustrations alongside the fascinating retold myths. When myths follow a chronology, there are little running feet pointing the way to the last or next story in the cycle. This myth book is satisfactory, and it sparked my lifelong interest in mythology....more
A great introduction to mythology. It gives equal weight to many different cultures, and contains interesting pictures that are related to the myths. A great introduction to mythology. It gives equal weight to many different cultures, and contains interesting pictures that are related to the myths. Like many other DK Eyewitness books, this one is great for learning about the topic in question. I liked reading it a lot....more
This is a great continuation of the Magnus Chase series, a nice little revisit of the world and characters. I enjoyed reading the narration of each chThis is a great continuation of the Magnus Chase series, a nice little revisit of the world and characters. I enjoyed reading the narration of each character telling their story, because Riordan’s gift is his characters, and in this book their personalities shine through distinctly, especially Alex’s. Each story in here is madcap and zany, with the common thread of Thor walking through the Nine Worlds while listening to “rock”. This one was really funny, more crazy than snarky like the main Magnus Chase series....more
Annabeth and Sadie meet in this excellent short story, which nails the crossover gimmick very well. The best part of this story is how the characters Annabeth and Sadie meet in this excellent short story, which nails the crossover gimmick very well. The best part of this story is how the characters interact. Annabeth and Sadie have a great dynamic, and even though Annabeth says that Sadie is like Percy, you can see how Uncle Rick does not recycle character personalities. I also like Serapis himself. Since he’s a bastardization of both Egyptian and Greek myth, he is the perfect villain for a crossover like this....more
Although this wasn’t the first thing I read that crossed over two Rick Riordan series, it was the first short story published that did that. And this Although this wasn’t the first thing I read that crossed over two Rick Riordan series, it was the first short story published that did that. And this was hype. Riordan blended the different tones of Percy Jackson and the Kane Chronicles excellently, producing a hybrid that proved Rick’s versatility. I enjoyed the interactions between Carter and Percy, two completely different characters, and each character’s voice stood out. The action was also really good....more
I’ve always liked the Magnus Chase series and thought it was an underrated Riordan series. However, this book is a bit meh. Despite offering some inteI’ve always liked the Magnus Chase series and thought it was an underrated Riordan series. However, this book is a bit meh. Despite offering some interesting stories, adventures, and facts about Norse myth as it relates to the Magnus Chase books, there wasn’t enough Magnus Chase or the rest of the cast in it. The myths are always cool and there are some great parts in this book. But I wasn’t interested in the Helgi guy and thought there was too much Snorri Sturluson bashing. Bards are cool....more
This tie-in book was pretty neat and shows Rick Riordan’s gift with multiple perspectives. As you can tell from the previous sentence, my favorite parThis tie-in book was pretty neat and shows Rick Riordan’s gift with multiple perspectives. As you can tell from the previous sentence, my favorite part of this book was all of the little stories written from the perspectives of various Camp Half-Blood demigods. I also enjoyed the presence of Apollo and Nico. I liked learning a lot about Camp Half-Blood, even if some of the information presented here is lame or contradicts earlier canon. In general, this is just a pretty good, interesting tie-in....more
All the stories in this volume are good, although some are better than others. The best one was the story about Luke and Thalia, which was an interestAll the stories in this volume are good, although some are better than others. The best one was the story about Luke and Thalia, which was an interesting journey into the backstory of these characters. The next two were entertaining but forgettable, but the most interesting one was Son of Magic, the story written by Rick Riordan’s son. It has a very different tone from the other stories, but it was interesting to see what Haley Riordan had done with his father’s universe....more
**spoiler alert** A pretty good tie-in to the Percy Jackson series, consisting of some interesting activities and short stories. The short stories are**spoiler alert** A pretty good tie-in to the Percy Jackson series, consisting of some interesting activities and short stories. The short stories are the best part of this book, and even though they seem inconsequential at first read, they are pretty important to the sequel series. After all, they introduce Festus and Bob. There’s some excellent material in this slim volume....more
**spoiler alert** Iapetus was an evil Titan villain, but it was a bit harsh for Percy to wipe his memories with the River Lethe. Forced amnesia is a t**spoiler alert** Iapetus was an evil Titan villain, but it was a bit harsh for Percy to wipe his memories with the River Lethe. Forced amnesia is a terrible punishment, even for the worst villains. However, without this little adventure, we wouldn’t have gotten Bob, which would have been a travesty. Bob is a treasure....more
**spoiler alert** I read this book and didn’t like it. I felt that even if I read the first book before this one, I wouldn’t like it. I appreciate the**spoiler alert** I read this book and didn’t like it. I felt that even if I read the first book before this one, I wouldn’t like it. I appreciate the effort put into the worldbuilding, and all the cool Greek mythology stuff. The protagonist is even named Corydon, which is a stock protagonist name in classical works. Sadly, I don’t think Corydon was a good character. He is a bit of a cowardly wuss, uninteresting, and felt more like the sidekick.
Gorgos, a side character, is more interesting but he is also annoying. He probably should be the main character, if only because he fits so many hero cliches. He is reckless, foolhardy, and a jerk. He is the son of Perseus and Medusa, and looks twelve even though he’s actually a toddler. He’s an utter cliche. Another cliche is the monsters being good and the gods being bad. This sort of morality swap is overdone and I would actual prefer traditional morality in stories sometimes.
This book had a lot of missed potential, and I probably should have read the first book before this one. But there’s a lot of bad about this book that I wouldn’t like anyway. The writing was melodramatic and distracting, and the characters are cliches. This book was utterly mediocre and not even the mythology theme saved it....more
My least favorite Percy Jackson book, but that’s like saying the worst of the best. It’s still very good like the rest of them, despite Ethan NakamuraMy least favorite Percy Jackson book, but that’s like saying the worst of the best. It’s still very good like the rest of them, despite Ethan Nakamura being like a bad anime character. The labyrinth is a very good setting, and unsettling, too. So even though it’s the fourth in the series, four in this case isn’t death for this book....more
This is a good Goddess Girl book, even if there was getting to be too many by this point. I like Amphitrite as a main character. She is nice, and thisThis is a good Goddess Girl book, even if there was getting to be too many by this point. I like Amphitrite as a main character. She is nice, and this book was how I learned to pronounce her name properly. The best thing about this book, however, is Poseidon. This book manages to give him character development and make him seem less of a drip. Now he is a proper romantic match for Amphitrite, as per the myths. This is a fun book....more
Iris is trying to become the official goddess of the rainbow, while also dealing with crush problems. Her crush is Zephyrus, which is weird because I Iris is trying to become the official goddess of the rainbow, while also dealing with crush problems. Her crush is Zephyrus, which is weird because I don’t think Iris had anything to do with Zephyrus in the original myths. To become the official goddess of the rainbow, Iris goes on a quest to the river Styx. This book actually manages to introduce something new into the mythology world the authors created, and provide a surprisingly intense challenge for our heroine. So, I liked this Goddess Girl book, surprisingly....more
This book is a retelling of the myth of Theseus and the labyrinth. Heracles and Theseus are both jerks in this one, and sometimes it feels like an excThis book is a retelling of the myth of Theseus and the labyrinth. Heracles and Theseus are both jerks in this one, and sometimes it feels like an excuse for Athena to be stressed about crush drama. Right now, the Goddess Girl books featuring the main characters are becoming stale, even though they’re still entertaining. All the maze puns in this book are tiresome, however....more
This Goddess Girl book was great! I enjoyed Cassandra’s viewpoint and character. She is just a mortal girl, one who has been harmed by the consequenceThis Goddess Girl book was great! I enjoyed Cassandra’s viewpoint and character. She is just a mortal girl, one who has been harmed by the consequences of young children having godly powers. Like in the original myths, Apollo has cursed her to have her predictions be unbelieved. However, Apollo was just a kid in this one, and now he is a godboy who’s less of a jerk than in both the original myths and in earlier books in the series. Character development, baby! This is one of the best Goddess Girl books, in my opinion, definitely due to Cassandra’s viewpoint....more
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