When the preview for "The Lightning Thief" appeared, I thought it might be a pleasant family movie. Thus, when I happened upon a copy of the book recently at the used bookstore, I snatched it up for a little pre-movie reading.
The book is not "Pride and Prejudice" and no large words were harmed during Rick Riordan's wordsmithing, but "The Lightning Thief" is an exciting tale for those who like Greek Mythology. I read the whole book in one afternoon...and one evening...because I refused to put it down without knowing the ending.
The movie, however, shares little in common with its book. The title and character names, that's about it. The movie should really be called "A Movie Very, Very Loosely Based on 'The Lightning Thief'".
Now, this is not to say that the movie is bad. One family member has not read the book and he enjoyed the movie. The movie even takes a trip to The Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee - a location special to our family. Brownie points for that. I do wish, though, that the suggestive material had been left out. One main character seemed to be continuously on the prowl.
In essence, the book is a Grade B and the movie is a Grade B, but the two aren't really connected at all.
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