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With Rick Riordan’s series The Heroes of Olympus, starring Percy Jackson and friends, young readers have discovered Greek and Roman mythology anew. That makes the time right for a new exploration of who the gods and monsters of legend were and some of the legends surrounding them.
High school students Natalie Buczynsky and Jonathan Shelnut, along with author Richard Marcus, take on that task in The Unofficial Heroes of Olympus Companion and succeed in providing a useful and entertaining guide. The three present the origins, attributes, and legends concerning all 12 Olympic gods and many demigods and fantastic monsters which were faced by heroes like Heracles and Jason, and which are now being faced by modern half-human children of the gods like Percy Jackson and his companions, as well as heroes of the new series, Jason, Piper, and Leo.
With its simple yet charming drawings and photographs of temples and other sacred places, clear and well-organized format, and fascinating information, this book can be enjoyed by any reader with an interest in mythology, whether they have read The Heroes of Olympus or not — although if they haven’t they probably will want to get acquainted with Percy and friends by the end of the book.
