i've Been Here Once Before

A new year, some new reviews.
starting off the year with some reviews on books concerning the monomyth in one way or the other.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians, The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
Part one of the series makes a lot more sense than the second book which I read some time ago.
Poor little Percy is underappreciated, bad in school and only good at sports, so it is only natural that he should be special. And in a slow grinding first half of the book, he realises that he is no mere boy, but a hero, destined for greatness, even if his true parents denied him. The second half adds the obligatory sidecast of a loyal, yet less competent best friend, the aloof but caring female and the older and wiser big brother type, as well as the true mentors and antagonists for the series.
The book picks up some speed from there, with a swift reinterpretation of some parts of Greek mythology and the Odysseia, culminating in the first 'big showdown,' which of course turns out to be just a starter course.


Blood Ninja - Nick Lake
Ninjas are awesome, they are so because all ninjas are vampires. So fare, the book seemed promising, with an atypical prologue and Meiji era Japan as its setting, it got off to a good start. And when the hero got turned to save his life, it was only logical that the ninja vampire that saved him should take him to his clan to train.
But the point where everything went to heck was when the protagonist proved to be this Marty Stu whom all the world tries either kill or protect. Not to mention the group of friends he gathers along the way who follow him blindly.


And last but not least
De griezelbus 7 - Paul van Loon
The ultimate part in the series comes full circle, wrapping up all those loose ends that slipped in over the years. Although it has neither the impact of the first couple of books nor the stories within stories that made it famous, some things just needed to be said. The cycle is complete, Onnoval has become who he was always destined to be and the world is a darker place because of it.

Up next: birthdays and bullfrogs