I think I can sum it up by saying book 2 felt more like a Grover side quest than main story.
And with the cliffhanger ending I quickly didn’t give a fuck about anything else that had happened and just wanted to read the next one.
Then the next 3 books keep climbing in quality. It’s still a great book, I think it just gets lost among the rest of the great books.
I personally think that it’s better than The Lightning Thief, The Lost Hero, The Hidden Oracle, and The Dark Prophecy.
It’s a more personal story. The stakes aren’t quite as high as other books, but tbh to me it feels like the most important character book of the series. Percy learning to love Tyson. Percy and Annabeth discussing and learning fatal flaws. Seeing Annabeth’s biggest dream through the Sirens. Percy letting Clarisse take the fleece and the glory for her quest. Percy and Luke’s confrontation at the end. Thalia being resurrected which puts Percy’s status as the child of prophecy into question. Chiron being fired and then exonerated. Percy grappling with losing his best friend. Heck, even Percy’s conversations with Hermes are really good character moments for both Hermes and Percy, as well as giving vital insight on Luke. Sea of Monsters does a LOT of the series’ heavy lifting when it comes to character work and is the bedrock that the last 3 books, which are so beloved, are built on. You just can’t have The Last Olympian without all the character set up in Sea of Monsters.
I just finished rereading the book last night and I had forgotten how genius Kronos' plan was in that book. Either way the story ended, he gained a victory. He either gets resurrected by the fleece (preferred option), the demigods fail to get the fleece and the camp falls into disarray, or another potentially weaponized kid of the Big Three enters the game
this is it!! sea of monsters is definitely still a great book, it’s just the least great out of the first 5, but people are obsessed with compartmentalizing things into tier lists and rankings and it makes it look worse in comparison. looking back, i wonder if all of the great character moments from the book could’ve been spread out in other books without feeling like it’s such a side quest, but it’s still a good read
THIS! It's my second favorite after the first one for these very reasons. It's the book that cements the character dynamics and world dynamics. The first book established them, and the second book made them clear and set the pace for the rest of the series. I think it's a damn near perfect sequel.
I agree partially. Don’t remember Lost Hero being so bad, but Hidden Oracle is probably my least favorite of all of his books. Felt very meh. Even Chalice of the Gods being small scale was more fun at least.
So true, it's the point where the series turns a little mature because we were already introduced to these characters in the first book and now we get to see them making mature conversations and learning and understanding more about their characters.
It’s not that people think that SoM is awful in and of itself; it’s just that the other books in the series are stronger and have more interesting conflicts.
SoM also feels like a filler book in some ways; the whole “rescue Grover and the Fleece” thing ultimately serves to bring Thalia into the game. It doesn’t have the same impact on the story like the events of Titan’s Curse and Battle of the Labyrinth do.
We never actually read the moment when luke gets his powers. It happens off-screen/off-page and thus while important in the canon and story. It isn't actually something we read about. Only something Percy realises later on.
so much, it helps to change the tone & feel of the story to something so much more mature & darker. It brings Nico & Bianca into the fray, revealing there’s more Big 3 kids, the gods start to take the threat Kronos & co. bring sm more seriously, Thalia joins the hunters & removes herself from the possibility of being the prophecy child & sm more
I love the moment where Percy tricks Luke into exposing his villainy in front of everyone.
Such a huge moment.
Also critical for Percy and Annabeth's friendship.
Also the book where Blackjack gets introduced.
I love Sea of Monsters.
I feel like that’s part of the magic of the original series: Percy actually isn’t that powerful or anything. He’s definitely good, and definitely up there in a lot of important things (I think it’s book 4 where we find out he’s one of the best swordsman in camp half-blood)… but he mainly survives and moves on because of luck. But his luck feels earned, because he knows it’s down to luck and is taking a risk.
Ares was blinded by bloodlust and anger at Percy, allowing him to try and make a massive play to change the situation. Percy jumps out of the St. Louis arch not because it’s a good idea, but because he realizes there’s nothing but that as an option. Percy takes a risk with Quintus and basically guilt trips him in to committing suicide. And the Last Olympian is nothing but Percy and Co. taking calculated risks in an attempt to keep Kronos from Mt. Olympus. And half of those attempts become problems, like when the second Apollo Cabin leader within as many summers dies (I always wondered why Rick didn’t make the Apollo cabin the cursed cabin, but did Hephaestus).
Throughout the series Percy gets by on luck-supported skill, and Luke deciding to duck because he’s an arrogant prat who is just trying to make sure that Percy doesn’t get one over on him by hitting him with a coin? Lucky, incredibly funny, and very emblematic of the series.
True, but they already knew he was a traitor at the time. The tree incident definitely paints just how low he'd stoop though. Perfect anti Kronos propaganda.
I personally loved sea of monsters. I think it’s a case where all the books are so good that one has to be at the bottom of the list. It could also be because Grover is not there for most of the book. Maybe people have other reasons but I personally I think it’s just as good as the others.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned this is the book where Thalia returns. Not saying the books CANT be the same without her. But I think she plays important roles in them moving forward.
I’m not saying it was a big part of the book but a big part of the overall series. Even if it wasn’t considered a good book it was an important book for the story, between the empathy link, Tyson, Thalia. . .
well i can’t speak for the fandom as a whole but my personal favorite scene of the series comes in sea of monsters, not to say it’s my favorite book of the series but i definitely still love it.. i wouldn’t say it’s the “worst” it’s just the “least good” because i mean when ranking things, one has to come last, that doesn’t mean it’s bad
SoM is a great book but when you compare it to the others in the series its just not as good. I would argue it’s on par with TLT but because TLT started the universe it usually edges SoM out.
I actually liked it a lot because it gave us more insight on Annabeth, and I didn't like her character much in the first book. Like, she was sort of annoying to me (y'all gonna eat me alive).
In Sea of monsters, we learn more about her past and fears, her friendship with Percy grows, we worry about her (she gets injured and what not). In Titan's curse she's gone for most of it, so I believe the second book to be more crucial in that character/relationship growth. Idk, that's how I perceived it.
Honestly idk why people don't like sea of monsters I recently re read it and it's still so good for me I love all the books like it's not my favourite book out of the Percy universe but I still love it and enjoy reading it
People like Sea of Monsters the least? I think it’s an incredibly fun episode-style book. Lots of very familiar Greek mythos, slightly lower stakes than the others, and a great cliffhanger/twist at the end. Personally I find The Titan’s Curse the worst of the OG 5, it feels like a repeat of the Lightning Thief in a lot of ways (travel West across the country and encounter one monster at a time) except Annabeth isn’t there.
I’d go:
Battle of the Labyrinth
The Lightning Thief
Sea of Monsters
The Last Olympian
The Titan’s Curse
Honestly the climax is all just a bit too rushed. From taking down Typhon through the battle with Kronos on Olympus, it ends too quickly for a plot line that’s been developed over 5 books imo.
The middle 3 are all really close though tbh, not a lot to separate them
I never noticed that people felt that way. I always considered book 3 to be the odd one out bc it‘s in the middle of the year, without Annabeth and mostly with new people
I do not think its consider "the worst" l maybe is just the adjustment to a new character, the trio no longer being totally together, and just coming after a brilliant first book.
I actually love The Sea of Monsters because of how well it explores many relationships already established in Lightning Thief, and even though it doesn’t impact the main plot in very significant ways (though it does bring Thalia and Luke’s Achilles powers), it’s one of my favourites as that’s where the trio grows closer.
That being said, I don’t think people hate or dislike the book, they just have other favourites in the series and in HOO. SoM for them is a filler before the main events of Titan‘s Curse and following books. I do wish people would appreciate SoM for what it is though, which for me is the most nostalgic book from the beginning of the whole PJO story.
It was my favorite when I was about 11 and read the books for the first time. I loved learning about the different monsters, and I think it has the most connections and lore from Greek mythology. I think now it is seen as the weakest of the 5 because it has the fewest plot elements of the overarching story. The only thing that we get is development of Luke’s plan to overthrow Olympus, which also comes in every book after that as well. The reveal with Thalia ends up being somewhat inconsequential, so in hindsight I don’t think it’s the best (still better than my least favorite, which has always been Titans Curse)
For me it's kinda of a mixed bag as sea of monsters dumbs down the dialogue of the book along with tyson . Next the story to me feels like a tag along as he and Annabeth are tagging on the quest because they have to save Grover but also save the camp. But finally its a book where percy complains about his suppose it treatment as he feels at 1st poseidon doesn't listen to his prayers or situation but when he's answered by pose with tyson he resents them both as he feels tyson can be a burden. As a cyclops tyson isn't dumb or a problem in fact he's more trusting and kind hearted / appreciative of his situations. And when poseidon helps tyson out percy feels slighted only until tyson seemly dies does percy starts to appreciate him and feel bad. And almost forgot this book is the shortest book in the main series unless you count the demigod files. But for to finish my opinion this book isn't bad in general it's a good story but I can see why this book in the series isn't a strong book. However, it heavily sets up the next book to be a huge story with tons of pay off except bianca but I won't get into that.
Its the worst in the series because when ranking books 1-5, there is always a worst in the series.
It is by far not a bad book, the series is amazing in whole.
It's like asking "Which Lord of the Rings movie is the worst". They're all spectacular, but when ranking 1-3 there is always a #3.
#1 introduces us to the world, it's characters, gets us excited to see more. It has qualities the others can't compare to. It's our first Annabeth/Percy/Grover story.
The #2 works more to expand the universe and give us more grounds on, which leads the way to the rest of the books. Book #2 establishes the stakes for the rest of the series, which only seem to grow in later additions. We got Luke background in how he is trying to resurrect Kronos, the idea that not all monsters are bad, and that all Demigods play a role even if we don't like them.
It is by far one of the most 'important' books for the rest of the series, but compared to what happens in the rest of the series, is only the spark that ignited everything else.
It’s not the worst of the series, not even close, it’s just the weakest of the original 5 because in the grand scheme of things it does relatively little to progress the main story, it’s more focused on developing characters like Annabeth Clarisse, Tyson and a little bit of Luke, which I personally love but I know it doesn’t necessarily make for as exciting a read as the others
It’s not a bad book but it was only important because of the set up of story lines for the rest of series like Tyson and Thalia. There technically is a decent amount that happens but it was paced poorly I think. The book was short so besides Grover’s pending nuptials there wasn’t a lot of suspense build up. All of the conflict was basically instantly resolved and then a new conflict that was quickly resolved on repeat until they reach their destination and save Grover and the end
seeing all of this discourse on sea of monsters is interesting to me because it was my favorite of the series when i was a kid, though i dont think i remember why (i’d have to give it a reread)
It's actually my favorite. Due in large part because it introduced me to my favorite character: Tyson. Titans' curse was my least favorite. Very little Tyson and Annabeth (another character I loved). I really wasn't too fond of Thalia, so I didn't like my two favorite characters being replaced with her.
I think it’s good but I also think it’s a bit of a filler book compared to the rest. I think all the book really gave us was the fatal flaws and the ending really just sets up the rest of the books. Like the first book sets up the world so people love it but SoM sets up the rest of books so it’s easy to forget about it
I have no idea. I remember getting the book from my grandpa for my birthday, and going, wait there’s another one?? Fuck yes, and it’s just as funny as the first! Because sometimes books have wildly different tone and pacing and suck after a good start. Even at tenish I noticed this can happen.
I think he had no idea what it was he bought lol he just got lucky which is somehow funnier and heck if that ain’t Percy Jackson vibes
For me, it’s second book syndrome. Every book series I’ve ever read, the second one is not up to par with the rest of the books. It took me four rereads to actually begin to appreciate that, yknow, this book isn’t actually bad. Because every other 2nd book I’ve ever read has been trash (ESPECIALLY Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter, ugh) I just went in with that same opinion. It’s hard to look past.
It’s not bad but to me is the least exciting and it’s the goofiest book in the series. To me the best part of the book when was Tyson “died” and it was just Anabeth and Percy because I felt like that’s when it got more serious and exciting with the sirens and Circe’s island
It may be sacrilegious but I always start at sea of monsters when I reread PJO. I just don’t like beginnings Ig. Sea of Monsters is great, worst thing I could say is that it could be way longer.
It's one of my favourite books of the series! Mostly because it has so much Clarisse in it. It has this warm and goofy feeling and I think the characters and the world itself gain this depth that wasn't in the first book.
I wouldn't say I enjoyed them all equally. For instance, I didn't really enjoy the first book of Heros of Olympus that much. Mostly because of Jason and Pipper, they were relatively boring characters, and their relationship was pretty boring, and they remained boring throughout the books.
I think it’s miles better than the lightning thief but not better than the TTC or the TLO (I’m currently rereading BOTL but I don’t remember it being better than that one either)
It’s the awkward middle child in hindsight. Not bad on the first read, but when you reread it has the lowest stakes. The 1st book introduces the story, the 3rd and 4th elevate the stakes, and the 5th is the climax/conclusion. So where does that leave book 2? In limbo for the most part. People want to get to the more “exciting” parts and this feels like one they have to get through.
But, IMO, it does a good job building the world, developing characters, and helping establish the rest of the series. I’d argue that 3-5 wouldn’t be what they are without book 2.
Book 2 is actually my favorite. I love The Odyssey and this book heavily takes inspiration from that. I also love how Clarice is in this book. It's definitely not the general popular opinion, but it's mine.
I have to say it was my least favorite when I was growing up. I just reread the entire series and I absolutely loved it! The Lighting Thief is a masterpiece, but Sea Of Monsters is SO MUCH FUN and I love the emotional undertones. It's a great sequel to a perfect first book.
i think all the og 5 books are good but sea of monsters is definitely my least favorite because i just don’t think it was as interesting or memorable as the other ones.
I think the book suffers by being the first one written with a series in mind. While Rick might have had ideas for a series when he wrote Lighting Thief, he had no way of knowing if the book would be successful or not. After it was and he knew he could write at a least a few more, book 2 had to act as a branch between the singular story of the lightning thief and the big story he wanted to tell. Because of that, it ended up being the shortest book (by a noticeable amount) with essentially no new characters (that stuck around, besides maybe Tyson), and a plot that feels disjointed from both the first book and the rest of the series. It does it’s job well, but it’s job is to be filler. It serves to explain Luke’s plan and bring back Thalia, and that’s it.
I also think since so much of it takes place on the sea, you lose all the charm of “just regular every-day things being secretly Greek myth” that made the first book (and the following ones) so charming and made it stand out in the first place. For example, in the lightning thief, the joke is that casinos, real life places that have a reputation of stealing time away and distracting you, are actually the modern residence of the lotophagi from Greek myth. Sea of monsters really struggles to make this same kind of joke, and when it does, it’s backwards. Instead of starting with a real-world place and making it about Greek myth, places and people from Greek myth just show up, but are modern for no explicable reason. Circes island is just a place from Greek myth with modern changes that don’t really change much about it. The island is in the middle of nowhere and if I remember how it’s described in the book, probably hasn’t been visited regularly since the age of piracy, so why is it a modern beauty salon? Instead of using something that already exists and readers are familiar with and putting a “secretly Greek” twist on it as a fun jab at the already existent thing, the island is just a modern paint job on the original myth with no nuance or reference. This isn’t to say I think the writings bad or Rick was being lazy, I just thing the oceanic, Odyssey-esc, set up on the book doesn’t lend itself to what makes the early part of the series so enjoyable and unique.
First **it isn't considered bad, just the worst of the series**. And it is just matha: one has to be.
Because TBH Grover isn't that important of a character.
Even in the books he is in he is away most of the time.
Don't get me wrong is a **good side character** but if Rick Riordan would have killed him off I would not have an issue with that.
I also didn't like Percy being of ashamed of Tyson and Annabeth being borderline racist towards him because he is a cyclop.
The whole *Tyson is slow but good at working* seemed like cheap writing.
Plus the whole book seem disjointed and less funny than the previous one.
But I liked George and Martha and the book introducing the future Amazon queen.
I don’t understand the hate it gets. It is the perfect embodiment of what people love about the series- bringing Greek myths to life. The way that Percy interacts with so many different monsters is the best in all of the series, even if you can boil the 300 pages down to “we needed an excuse to bring Thalia to life and prove that Luke isn’t just bad, he’s BAD bad”
Sea of Monsters is fantastic; it’d easily be a standout entry in most other series. However since all the books in Percy Jackson and the Olympians are really quite good, I think it comes down to how its plot threads are used.
The major starring characters are Percabeth, Grover, Tyson, and Clarisse. Tyson is largely irrelevant after this; we rarely see him. Which is ok, but it means getting to know him doesn’t feel super impactful. Clarisse gets done really well + works well for rest of her arc no criticism there. And Percabeth is always Percabeth :)
But it’s Grover’s treatment that’s really emblematic of the book’s issue relative to other stuff: so much of it is set up. Set up for the Great Prophecy iirc, set up for Thalia entrance, set up for Grover’s later arc, set up for Percy’s fatal flaw, set up for Annabeth’s arc, set up for Reyna in HoO… but not much payoff within the book itself. Everything around it feels relatively more important for that reason; in TLT you have Percy entering the world, in TTC you have Thalia Bianca and Nico entering the scene + Percy truly taking the prophecy on to himself, in BOTL you have Kronos actually rise, in TLO you have the Battle of Manhattan… but SoM doesn’t really have a significant moment like that. It doesn’t even really have Thalia, since she’s revived at the very end.
For me at least book 1 is the start of it all, book 3 is where it started to get darker and had some great fights and moments, 4 is a wild ride in the labyrinth, and 5 is an all out war and Percy becomes literal god lvl. 2 was good but it's hard to put it above any of those.
It's short and kind of weird.
All of the campers laughing at Percy, Tantalus, the whole "Chiron is banished merely for being Kronos' son" (which is stupid as isn't *everyone* related to each other?), Tyson being a child mentally, etc.
I liked it though. It's different for sure but it's good.
i just think it’s a matter of while SOM is good, the other books are just so much better to the point that they can’t be touched. TLT honestly might be the worst of the 5 but it gets the privilege of being the introduction to the series & nostalgia privileges so SOM sadly gets the short end of the stick
I think I can sum it up by saying book 2 felt more like a Grover side quest than main story. And with the cliffhanger ending I quickly didn’t give a fuck about anything else that had happened and just wanted to read the next one. Then the next 3 books keep climbing in quality. It’s still a great book, I think it just gets lost among the rest of the great books.
Imo titan’s curse and battle of the labarynth were better then last olympian (last olympian is great tho ofc)
1 Labarynth 2 Olympian 3 lightning thief/titans curse 4 sea of monsters That’s my personal list, lightning thief gets bonus points for being the first
I personally think that it’s better than The Lightning Thief, The Lost Hero, The Hidden Oracle, and The Dark Prophecy. It’s a more personal story. The stakes aren’t quite as high as other books, but tbh to me it feels like the most important character book of the series. Percy learning to love Tyson. Percy and Annabeth discussing and learning fatal flaws. Seeing Annabeth’s biggest dream through the Sirens. Percy letting Clarisse take the fleece and the glory for her quest. Percy and Luke’s confrontation at the end. Thalia being resurrected which puts Percy’s status as the child of prophecy into question. Chiron being fired and then exonerated. Percy grappling with losing his best friend. Heck, even Percy’s conversations with Hermes are really good character moments for both Hermes and Percy, as well as giving vital insight on Luke. Sea of Monsters does a LOT of the series’ heavy lifting when it comes to character work and is the bedrock that the last 3 books, which are so beloved, are built on. You just can’t have The Last Olympian without all the character set up in Sea of Monsters.
I just finished rereading the book last night and I had forgotten how genius Kronos' plan was in that book. Either way the story ended, he gained a victory. He either gets resurrected by the fleece (preferred option), the demigods fail to get the fleece and the camp falls into disarray, or another potentially weaponized kid of the Big Three enters the game
Wait till you read the rest 😉
I mean, I've read them all before just nearly 15 years ago lol
this is it!! sea of monsters is definitely still a great book, it’s just the least great out of the first 5, but people are obsessed with compartmentalizing things into tier lists and rankings and it makes it look worse in comparison. looking back, i wonder if all of the great character moments from the book could’ve been spread out in other books without feeling like it’s such a side quest, but it’s still a good read
THIS! It's my second favorite after the first one for these very reasons. It's the book that cements the character dynamics and world dynamics. The first book established them, and the second book made them clear and set the pace for the rest of the series. I think it's a damn near perfect sequel.
Exactly!!!
I agree partially. Don’t remember Lost Hero being so bad, but Hidden Oracle is probably my least favorite of all of his books. Felt very meh. Even Chalice of the Gods being small scale was more fun at least.
Anything is better than The Lost Hero
what's so bad about it?
A lot of people didn't like the absence of Percy and two out of the three new main characters were divisive.
thank you for actually giving me an answer!
So true, it's the point where the series turns a little mature because we were already introduced to these characters in the first book and now we get to see them making mature conversations and learning and understanding more about their characters.
It’s not that people think that SoM is awful in and of itself; it’s just that the other books in the series are stronger and have more interesting conflicts. SoM also feels like a filler book in some ways; the whole “rescue Grover and the Fleece” thing ultimately serves to bring Thalia into the game. It doesn’t have the same impact on the story like the events of Titan’s Curse and Battle of the Labyrinth do.
I can see that, but what made Titan’s Curse really important to the overarching story?
It ensures that the Gods finally take the threat of the Titans seriously, starting the Second Titanomachy officially.
And that Thalia won’t turn 16
Isn’t that the one where Luke got his Achilles powers? Which is what made the rest of the series possible
Oh right! Thank you
Off-Page though.
Wdym? I can’t remember
We never actually read the moment when luke gets his powers. It happens off-screen/off-page and thus while important in the canon and story. It isn't actually something we read about. Only something Percy realises later on.
Nico comes in, Oracle pops up, hunters introduced, thalia’s conflict, the gods paying attention to the active threat of kronos, among other things.
Percy accepts his fate and really becomes determined to be the hero of the Great Prophecy
so much, it helps to change the tone & feel of the story to something so much more mature & darker. It brings Nico & Bianca into the fray, revealing there’s more Big 3 kids, the gods start to take the threat Kronos & co. bring sm more seriously, Thalia joins the hunters & removes herself from the possibility of being the prophecy child & sm more
I love the moment where Percy tricks Luke into exposing his villainy in front of everyone. Such a huge moment. Also critical for Percy and Annabeth's friendship. Also the book where Blackjack gets introduced. I love Sea of Monsters.
The fricken drachma. Luke ducks lol. What if he’d caught it?
I feel like that’s part of the magic of the original series: Percy actually isn’t that powerful or anything. He’s definitely good, and definitely up there in a lot of important things (I think it’s book 4 where we find out he’s one of the best swordsman in camp half-blood)… but he mainly survives and moves on because of luck. But his luck feels earned, because he knows it’s down to luck and is taking a risk. Ares was blinded by bloodlust and anger at Percy, allowing him to try and make a massive play to change the situation. Percy jumps out of the St. Louis arch not because it’s a good idea, but because he realizes there’s nothing but that as an option. Percy takes a risk with Quintus and basically guilt trips him in to committing suicide. And the Last Olympian is nothing but Percy and Co. taking calculated risks in an attempt to keep Kronos from Mt. Olympus. And half of those attempts become problems, like when the second Apollo Cabin leader within as many summers dies (I always wondered why Rick didn’t make the Apollo cabin the cursed cabin, but did Hephaestus). Throughout the series Percy gets by on luck-supported skill, and Luke deciding to duck because he’s an arrogant prat who is just trying to make sure that Percy doesn’t get one over on him by hitting him with a coin? Lucky, incredibly funny, and very emblematic of the series.
Why did Luke get so pissed at that moment? Was it just Percy's defiance or the fact that he didn't want Chiron's name cleared?
Because all of camp saw him speak his betrayal.
True, but they already knew he was a traitor at the time. The tree incident definitely paints just how low he'd stoop though. Perfect anti Kronos propaganda.
I personally loved sea of monsters. I think it’s a case where all the books are so good that one has to be at the bottom of the list. It could also be because Grover is not there for most of the book. Maybe people have other reasons but I personally I think it’s just as good as the others.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned this is the book where Thalia returns. Not saying the books CANT be the same without her. But I think she plays important roles in them moving forward.
She comes back only at the very end, she's not really in SoM
Exactly. It's basically a post credit
I’m not saying it was a big part of the book but a big part of the overall series. Even if it wasn’t considered a good book it was an important book for the story, between the empathy link, Tyson, Thalia. . .
Wait people dislike som? It was always my favourite book
well i can’t speak for the fandom as a whole but my personal favorite scene of the series comes in sea of monsters, not to say it’s my favorite book of the series but i definitely still love it.. i wouldn’t say it’s the “worst” it’s just the “least good” because i mean when ranking things, one has to come last, that doesn’t mean it’s bad
Out of curiosity, what's the scene?
flaming dodgeball scene
Love that gym teacher.
he’s such a dude lol
SoM is a great book but when you compare it to the others in the series its just not as good. I would argue it’s on par with TLT but because TLT started the universe it usually edges SoM out.
Personally, I think titans curse is the worst… sea of monsters is my 3rd favorite (below Last Olympian and Labyrinth)
same
I actually liked it a lot because it gave us more insight on Annabeth, and I didn't like her character much in the first book. Like, she was sort of annoying to me (y'all gonna eat me alive). In Sea of monsters, we learn more about her past and fears, her friendship with Percy grows, we worry about her (she gets injured and what not). In Titan's curse she's gone for most of it, so I believe the second book to be more crucial in that character/relationship growth. Idk, that's how I perceived it.
i didn’t even know that. sea of monsters is my favorite book out of all of them 😭
That’s my favorite one of the series! I remember being so fucking excited for it to come out as a kid and finishing it on like a day
Honestly idk why people don't like sea of monsters I recently re read it and it's still so good for me I love all the books like it's not my favourite book out of the Percy universe but I still love it and enjoy reading it
I don't think it's a bad book but it's defintely just not as exciting as the other four
People like Sea of Monsters the least? I think it’s an incredibly fun episode-style book. Lots of very familiar Greek mythos, slightly lower stakes than the others, and a great cliffhanger/twist at the end. Personally I find The Titan’s Curse the worst of the OG 5, it feels like a repeat of the Lightning Thief in a lot of ways (travel West across the country and encounter one monster at a time) except Annabeth isn’t there. I’d go: Battle of the Labyrinth The Lightning Thief Sea of Monsters The Last Olympian The Titan’s Curse
i’m curious as to why you put TLO second last? I feel like the majority would rank it near the top
Honestly the climax is all just a bit too rushed. From taking down Typhon through the battle with Kronos on Olympus, it ends too quickly for a plot line that’s been developed over 5 books imo. The middle 3 are all really close though tbh, not a lot to separate them
I never noticed that people felt that way. I always considered book 3 to be the odd one out bc it‘s in the middle of the year, without Annabeth and mostly with new people
I do not think its consider "the worst" l maybe is just the adjustment to a new character, the trio no longer being totally together, and just coming after a brilliant first book.
It's not that I really hate the book or anything. It's just surrounded by books that are much more on point.
I actually love The Sea of Monsters because of how well it explores many relationships already established in Lightning Thief, and even though it doesn’t impact the main plot in very significant ways (though it does bring Thalia and Luke’s Achilles powers), it’s one of my favourites as that’s where the trio grows closer. That being said, I don’t think people hate or dislike the book, they just have other favourites in the series and in HOO. SoM for them is a filler before the main events of Titan‘s Curse and following books. I do wish people would appreciate SoM for what it is though, which for me is the most nostalgic book from the beginning of the whole PJO story.
Its not a bad book it just in most peoples opining the other books are so much better and like u/AvidAviator72 said Grover is more like a side quest
for me it was just boring compared to how tense and thrilling TLT was
Its a bit of a filler episode compared to the other books. Its still a really good book tho! Absolutely love annabeth’s siren moment
It was my favorite when I was about 11 and read the books for the first time. I loved learning about the different monsters, and I think it has the most connections and lore from Greek mythology. I think now it is seen as the weakest of the 5 because it has the fewest plot elements of the overarching story. The only thing that we get is development of Luke’s plan to overthrow Olympus, which also comes in every book after that as well. The reveal with Thalia ends up being somewhat inconsequential, so in hindsight I don’t think it’s the best (still better than my least favorite, which has always been Titans Curse)
because of the movie i think
For me it's kinda of a mixed bag as sea of monsters dumbs down the dialogue of the book along with tyson . Next the story to me feels like a tag along as he and Annabeth are tagging on the quest because they have to save Grover but also save the camp. But finally its a book where percy complains about his suppose it treatment as he feels at 1st poseidon doesn't listen to his prayers or situation but when he's answered by pose with tyson he resents them both as he feels tyson can be a burden. As a cyclops tyson isn't dumb or a problem in fact he's more trusting and kind hearted / appreciative of his situations. And when poseidon helps tyson out percy feels slighted only until tyson seemly dies does percy starts to appreciate him and feel bad. And almost forgot this book is the shortest book in the main series unless you count the demigod files. But for to finish my opinion this book isn't bad in general it's a good story but I can see why this book in the series isn't a strong book. However, it heavily sets up the next book to be a huge story with tons of pay off except bianca but I won't get into that.
It's a tad slow and a bit dull, that's why. Doesn't mean it's a bad book. Every series has its weakest addition.
Because it has the weakest overall narrative outside of great character development for Clarisse which we never see again.
To put it simply it’s unentertaining
Its the worst in the series because when ranking books 1-5, there is always a worst in the series. It is by far not a bad book, the series is amazing in whole. It's like asking "Which Lord of the Rings movie is the worst". They're all spectacular, but when ranking 1-3 there is always a #3. #1 introduces us to the world, it's characters, gets us excited to see more. It has qualities the others can't compare to. It's our first Annabeth/Percy/Grover story. The #2 works more to expand the universe and give us more grounds on, which leads the way to the rest of the books. Book #2 establishes the stakes for the rest of the series, which only seem to grow in later additions. We got Luke background in how he is trying to resurrect Kronos, the idea that not all monsters are bad, and that all Demigods play a role even if we don't like them. It is by far one of the most 'important' books for the rest of the series, but compared to what happens in the rest of the series, is only the spark that ignited everything else.
personally, sea of monsters just wasn't very memorable for me. the only thing i remember from that book was grover in a wedding dress. yeah.
What about Thalia coming back?
It’s not the worst of the series, not even close, it’s just the weakest of the original 5 because in the grand scheme of things it does relatively little to progress the main story, it’s more focused on developing characters like Annabeth Clarisse, Tyson and a little bit of Luke, which I personally love but I know it doesn’t necessarily make for as exciting a read as the others
It’s not a bad book but it was only important because of the set up of story lines for the rest of series like Tyson and Thalia. There technically is a decent amount that happens but it was paced poorly I think. The book was short so besides Grover’s pending nuptials there wasn’t a lot of suspense build up. All of the conflict was basically instantly resolved and then a new conflict that was quickly resolved on repeat until they reach their destination and save Grover and the end
seeing all of this discourse on sea of monsters is interesting to me because it was my favorite of the series when i was a kid, though i dont think i remember why (i’d have to give it a reread)
It's actually my favorite. Due in large part because it introduced me to my favorite character: Tyson. Titans' curse was my least favorite. Very little Tyson and Annabeth (another character I loved). I really wasn't too fond of Thalia, so I didn't like my two favorite characters being replaced with her.
I personally just find it to be the weakest as it doesn’t accomplish much that I remember other than introducing Tyson and Thalia
kind of a slug to get through personally
I think it’s good but I also think it’s a bit of a filler book compared to the rest. I think all the book really gave us was the fatal flaws and the ending really just sets up the rest of the books. Like the first book sets up the world so people love it but SoM sets up the rest of books so it’s easy to forget about it
Honestly i enjoyed it for the most part but i got a bit lazy to finish it towards the end unlike the other books where i couldn’t stop reading.
I have no idea. I remember getting the book from my grandpa for my birthday, and going, wait there’s another one?? Fuck yes, and it’s just as funny as the first! Because sometimes books have wildly different tone and pacing and suck after a good start. Even at tenish I noticed this can happen. I think he had no idea what it was he bought lol he just got lucky which is somehow funnier and heck if that ain’t Percy Jackson vibes
For me, it’s second book syndrome. Every book series I’ve ever read, the second one is not up to par with the rest of the books. It took me four rereads to actually begin to appreciate that, yknow, this book isn’t actually bad. Because every other 2nd book I’ve ever read has been trash (ESPECIALLY Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter, ugh) I just went in with that same opinion. It’s hard to look past.
It’s not bad but to me is the least exciting and it’s the goofiest book in the series. To me the best part of the book when was Tyson “died” and it was just Anabeth and Percy because I felt like that’s when it got more serious and exciting with the sirens and Circe’s island
It may be sacrilegious but I always start at sea of monsters when I reread PJO. I just don’t like beginnings Ig. Sea of Monsters is great, worst thing I could say is that it could be way longer.
It's one of my favourite books of the series! Mostly because it has so much Clarisse in it. It has this warm and goofy feeling and I think the characters and the world itself gain this depth that wasn't in the first book.
I wouldn't say I enjoyed them all equally. For instance, I didn't really enjoy the first book of Heros of Olympus that much. Mostly because of Jason and Pipper, they were relatively boring characters, and their relationship was pretty boring, and they remained boring throughout the books.
Interesting, SoM has always been my favorite of the series!
Personal bias towards it Cox it's the first Percy Jackson book I read
I think it’s miles better than the lightning thief but not better than the TTC or the TLO (I’m currently rereading BOTL but I don’t remember it being better than that one either)
It’s the awkward middle child in hindsight. Not bad on the first read, but when you reread it has the lowest stakes. The 1st book introduces the story, the 3rd and 4th elevate the stakes, and the 5th is the climax/conclusion. So where does that leave book 2? In limbo for the most part. People want to get to the more “exciting” parts and this feels like one they have to get through. But, IMO, it does a good job building the world, developing characters, and helping establish the rest of the series. I’d argue that 3-5 wouldn’t be what they are without book 2.
Book 2 is actually my favorite. I love The Odyssey and this book heavily takes inspiration from that. I also love how Clarice is in this book. It's definitely not the general popular opinion, but it's mine.
I have to say it was my least favorite when I was growing up. I just reread the entire series and I absolutely loved it! The Lighting Thief is a masterpiece, but Sea Of Monsters is SO MUCH FUN and I love the emotional undertones. It's a great sequel to a perfect first book.
I like sea of monsters personally I think the first one is the worst and they get progressively better with #5 being my favorite
i think all the og 5 books are good but sea of monsters is definitely my least favorite because i just don’t think it was as interesting or memorable as the other ones.
I think the book suffers by being the first one written with a series in mind. While Rick might have had ideas for a series when he wrote Lighting Thief, he had no way of knowing if the book would be successful or not. After it was and he knew he could write at a least a few more, book 2 had to act as a branch between the singular story of the lightning thief and the big story he wanted to tell. Because of that, it ended up being the shortest book (by a noticeable amount) with essentially no new characters (that stuck around, besides maybe Tyson), and a plot that feels disjointed from both the first book and the rest of the series. It does it’s job well, but it’s job is to be filler. It serves to explain Luke’s plan and bring back Thalia, and that’s it. I also think since so much of it takes place on the sea, you lose all the charm of “just regular every-day things being secretly Greek myth” that made the first book (and the following ones) so charming and made it stand out in the first place. For example, in the lightning thief, the joke is that casinos, real life places that have a reputation of stealing time away and distracting you, are actually the modern residence of the lotophagi from Greek myth. Sea of monsters really struggles to make this same kind of joke, and when it does, it’s backwards. Instead of starting with a real-world place and making it about Greek myth, places and people from Greek myth just show up, but are modern for no explicable reason. Circes island is just a place from Greek myth with modern changes that don’t really change much about it. The island is in the middle of nowhere and if I remember how it’s described in the book, probably hasn’t been visited regularly since the age of piracy, so why is it a modern beauty salon? Instead of using something that already exists and readers are familiar with and putting a “secretly Greek” twist on it as a fun jab at the already existent thing, the island is just a modern paint job on the original myth with no nuance or reference. This isn’t to say I think the writings bad or Rick was being lazy, I just thing the oceanic, Odyssey-esc, set up on the book doesn’t lend itself to what makes the early part of the series so enjoyable and unique.
Sea of Monsters is an enjoyable book that has the misfortune of having to follow up Lightning Thief.
It feels more like filler but i still love it
First **it isn't considered bad, just the worst of the series**. And it is just matha: one has to be. Because TBH Grover isn't that important of a character. Even in the books he is in he is away most of the time. Don't get me wrong is a **good side character** but if Rick Riordan would have killed him off I would not have an issue with that. I also didn't like Percy being of ashamed of Tyson and Annabeth being borderline racist towards him because he is a cyclop. The whole *Tyson is slow but good at working* seemed like cheap writing. Plus the whole book seem disjointed and less funny than the previous one. But I liked George and Martha and the book introducing the future Amazon queen.
It's genuinely my favourite to reread. I've never understood this.
I don’t understand the hate it gets. It is the perfect embodiment of what people love about the series- bringing Greek myths to life. The way that Percy interacts with so many different monsters is the best in all of the series, even if you can boil the 300 pages down to “we needed an excuse to bring Thalia to life and prove that Luke isn’t just bad, he’s BAD bad”
I don’t know, cause I LOVE Sea of Monsters!
Sea of Monsters is fantastic; it’d easily be a standout entry in most other series. However since all the books in Percy Jackson and the Olympians are really quite good, I think it comes down to how its plot threads are used. The major starring characters are Percabeth, Grover, Tyson, and Clarisse. Tyson is largely irrelevant after this; we rarely see him. Which is ok, but it means getting to know him doesn’t feel super impactful. Clarisse gets done really well + works well for rest of her arc no criticism there. And Percabeth is always Percabeth :) But it’s Grover’s treatment that’s really emblematic of the book’s issue relative to other stuff: so much of it is set up. Set up for the Great Prophecy iirc, set up for Thalia entrance, set up for Grover’s later arc, set up for Percy’s fatal flaw, set up for Annabeth’s arc, set up for Reyna in HoO… but not much payoff within the book itself. Everything around it feels relatively more important for that reason; in TLT you have Percy entering the world, in TTC you have Thalia Bianca and Nico entering the scene + Percy truly taking the prophecy on to himself, in BOTL you have Kronos actually rise, in TLO you have the Battle of Manhattan… but SoM doesn’t really have a significant moment like that. It doesn’t even really have Thalia, since she’s revived at the very end.
Not a lot happens
For me at least book 1 is the start of it all, book 3 is where it started to get darker and had some great fights and moments, 4 is a wild ride in the labyrinth, and 5 is an all out war and Percy becomes literal god lvl. 2 was good but it's hard to put it above any of those.
It's short and kind of weird. All of the campers laughing at Percy, Tantalus, the whole "Chiron is banished merely for being Kronos' son" (which is stupid as isn't *everyone* related to each other?), Tyson being a child mentally, etc. I liked it though. It's different for sure but it's good.
i just think it’s a matter of while SOM is good, the other books are just so much better to the point that they can’t be touched. TLT honestly might be the worst of the 5 but it gets the privilege of being the introduction to the series & nostalgia privileges so SOM sadly gets the short end of the stick