May is a fine month for new releases. One that dawdled on the top of my list is Rick Riordan's latest addition to the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series: The Battle of the Labyrinth.
First of all, huzzah for Mirimax Books-Hyperion publishing for printing the book with a cover worthy of the content. The cover doesn't deceive the reader one ounce for all the action, mythology, teen romance, and building strength in the series it promotes. The red goes well with the blue, light brown, and bluish green preceding it in the series.
Now that we've passed up the cover, I must say that it's a rare thing to find a series improving after the third book. Many series become less focused after about the third book, and so it was pleasant to see how strongly this book claims its role as best book in the series.
Book four picks up right where every Percy Jackson novel starts: Percy's first day at a new school. After all his bad luck with defending himself from monsters on school premises, he ends up hopping from school to school, and this case is no different. Before the first chapter is out, once again some mythological misfits have taken a potshot at Percy. But thank the gods that Rachel Elizabeth Dare happens to attend this school. Even for a mortal, she isn't what she seems to be. Although Annabeth, daughter of Athena, is not too thrilled with another girl staking a claim in her best friend.
Battle of the Labyrinth excels in bringing to life several Greek legends of mystery, including Hephaestus--the garage mechanic of the gods--and Daedalus, the chief architect of the Greco-Roman world.
Riordan brought back his pleasant social satire in this book, re-creating the Sphinx in a new light, with a strict-teacher hair bun. I must quote this simply because it is just too delicious not to include, in light of how many teachers have dealt with the No Child Left Behind Act:
"Welcome, Annabeth Chase!" the monster cried, though Annabeth hadn't said her name. "Are you ready for your test?"
"Yes," she said. "Ask your riddle."
"Twenty riddles, actually!" the Sphinx said gleefully.
"What? But back in the old days--"
"Oh, we've raised our standards! To pass, you must show proficiency in all twenty. Isn't that great?"
Applause switched on and off like somebody turning a faucet.
Annabeth glanced at me nervously. I gave her an encouraging nod.
"Okay," she told the Sphinx. "I'm ready."
A drumroll sounded from above. The Sphinx's eyes glittered with excitement. "What . . . is the capital of Bulgaria?"
Annabeth frowned. For a terrible moment, I thought she stumped.
"Sofia," she said, "but--"
"Correct!" More canned applause. The Sphinx smiled so wide her fangs showed. "Please be sure to mark your answer clearly on your test sheet with a number 2 pencil."
"What?" Annabeth looked mystified. Then a test booklet appeared on the podium in front of her, along with a sharpened pencil.
"Make sure you bubble each answer clearly and stay inside the circle," the Sphinx said. "If you have to erase, erase completely or the machine will not be able to read your answers."
"What machine?" Annabeth asked.
The Sphinx pointed with her paw. Over by the spotlight was a bronze box with a bunch of gears and levers and a big Greek letter Eta on the side, the mark of Hephaestus.
"Now," said the Sphinx, "next question--"
"Wait a second," Annabeth protested. "What about 'What walks on four legs in the morning'?"
"I beg your pardon?" the Sphinx said, clearly annoyed now.
"The riddle about man. He walks on four legs in the morning, like a baby, two legs in the afternoon, like an adult, and three legs in the evening, as an old man with a cane. That's the riddle you used to ask."
"Exactly why we changed the test!" the Sphinx exclaimed. "You already knew the answer. Now second question, what is the square root of sixteen?"
"Four," Annabeth said, "but--"
"Correct! Which U.S. president signed the Emancipation Proclamation?"
"Abraham Lincoln, but--"
"Correct! Riddle number four. How much--"
"Hold up!" Annabeth shouted.
I wanted to tell her to stop complaining. She was doing great! She should just answer the questions so we could leave.
"These aren't riddles," Annabeth said.
"What do you mean?" the Sphinx snapped. "Of course they are. This test material is specially designed--"
"It's just a bunch of dumb, random facts," Annabeth insisted. "Riddles are supposed to make you think."
"Think?" The Sphinx frowned. "How am I supposed to test whether you can think? THat's ridiculous! Now, how much force is required--"
"Stop!" Annabeth insisted. "This is a stupid test."
"Um, Annabeth," Grover cut in nervously. "Maybe you should just, you know, finish first and complain later."
"I'm a child of Athena," she insisted. "And this is an insult to my intelligence. I won't answer these questions."
Part of me was impressed with her for standing up like that. But part of me thought her pride was going to get us all killed.
The spotlights glared. The Sphinx's eyes glittered pure black.
"Why then, my dear," the monster said calmly. "If you won't pass, you fail. And since we can't allow any children to be held back, you'll be EATEN!" (pp. 182-184)
One of the most satisfying components in this novel (as compared with the rest of the series) is the deep character development. Percy, who always seems to do everything right in the end, actually has some difficult decisions in which he hurts people either way he chooses. Annabeth and Luke are also very complex. Hephaestus, Poseidon, and (surprisingly) Mr. D (Dionysus) have very insightful cameos that reflect the demigod heroes' development and act as a measuring stick for the success of the heroes in the face of insurmountable odds.
While wrapping up the immediate story well enough, Riordan leaves the barndoor open for book five, which promises to be one of the better showdowns in the Harry Potter series mold. I highly, highly recommend the novel and the entire series: there's not one disappointing moment in the whole lot o' them.
The Battle of the Labyrinth, by Rick Riordan. May 2008. Published by Hyperion (Mirimax Books). 361 pp. $17.99 (hardcover list).
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