The Mark of Athena (The Heroes of Olympus, Book Three) (50 page)

The Serpent’s Shadow

“[The] epic battle and the quiet concluding chapters glow, alternating heroism and humanity, with any trace of bombast erased by the wry wit of the alternating narrators, Sadie and Carter . . . powered by Riordan’s talent for creating vividly written action scenes and his ability to keep a complicated story moving, this volume brings the Kane Chronicles series to a rousing conclusion.”

—
Booklist

“Beyond the explosive action and fireworks, Riordan deftly develops the theme of the duality of the universe—order versus chaos, living a normal life versus risking the extraordinary, being protected by parents versus growing up and stepping out of their shadows. A rousing adventure with plenty of magic and food for thought.”

—
Kirkus
Reviews

Praise for The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan:

Book One:
The Lost Hero

“Percy Jackson fans can rest easy: this first book in Riordan’s Heroes of Olympus spin-off series is a fast-paced adventure with enough familiar elements to immediately hook those eager to revisit his modern world of mythological mayhem. Rotating among his three protagonists, Riordan’s storytelling is as polished as ever, brimming with wit, action, and heart—his devotees won’t be disappointed.”

—
Publishers
Weekly

“Riordan [maximizes] the elements that made the first series so popular: irreverent heroes, plenty of tension-filled moments fighting monsters, and authentic classical mythology mixed in with modern life. Completely in control of pacing and tone, he balances a faultless comic banter against deeper notes that reveal the characters’ vulnerabilities. With Percy Jackson slated to make an appearance in later volumes, fans nostalgic for the old books should find in this new series everything they’ve been pining for.”

—
Horn
Book

Book Two:
The Son of Neptune

“Riordan’s seamless weaving of various cultural mythologies into a modern landscape continues to shine in [
The
]
Son of Neptune
. As in previous books, the plot is engrossing, the characters robust and compelling. Percy, Frank, and Hazel alternate as narrators without missing a beat of pace, suspense, or humor. Readers will find themselves automatically consumed by the story without having read the first book, though some knowledge of Percy’s previous adventures will help fill in minor gaps of background information. [
The
]
Son of Neptune
is yet another absorbing and exciting addition to Riordan’s chronicles.”

—VOYA
(starred review)

“Should pacing and wit continue unabated into the third volume, whose foretold European setting promises further freshness, fans will eagerly await numbers four and five.”

—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Rick Riordan
is the author of the
New York Times
#1 best-selling
The Lost Hero
and
The Son of Neptune
, the first two books in his Heroes of Olympus series. He also penned the
New York Times
#1 best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: Book One:
The Lightning
Thief
; Book Two:
The Sea of Monster
s
; Book Three:
The
Titan’s
Curse
; Book Four:
The Battle of the Labyrinth
; and Book Five:
The Last Olympian
. His three books in the Kane Chronicles, based on Egyptian mythology,
The Red Pyramid
,
The
Throne of Fire
, and
The
Serpent’s
Shadow
, were
New York Times
best sellers as well. Rick lives in San Antonio, Texas, with his wife and two sons. To learn more about him, visit his Web site at
www.rickriordan.com.