The Heroes of Olympus Book Five: The Blood of Olympus Hardcover – October 7, 2014

With only days left to defeat Gaea's giants before the Earth Goddess unleashes her destructive powers upon the world, teen demigods Jason, Piper, Annabeth, Percy, Frank, Leo, Hazel, Nico, and Reyna must deal with troubles on multiple fronts. Some focus on Athens, where Gaea will rise from her sleep to destroy the world, while others protect the Athena Parthenos statue and head back to Camp Half-Blood. There, the contentious Roman and Greek demigods must unite if they hope to defeat their common enemies. Readers looking forward to the battle scenes will find plenty here, but the young heroes also rely on their wits as they dupe, charm, and negotiate their way through a series of encounters with gods, goddesses, and mythological creatures. On the last page, Riordan announces that The Sword of Summer (scheduled for a fall 2015 release) will be the first book in his upcoming Norse mythology series, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. Meanwhile, fans will revel in the adventures, wit, and memorable characters found in this thundering conclusion to The Heroes of Olympus series. - Carolyn Phelan—Booklist Online

With just 12 days to go until Gaea awakens fully on Aug. 1 and brings an end to the world as we know it, two groups of demigods struggle to stop her. Aboard the Argo II, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Piper, Frank, Hazel and Leo race to Athens for the final showdown. Meanwhile, three formerly supporting characters struggle to haul the ancient and massive Athena Parthenos statue from Europe to Camp Half-Blood: son of Hades Nico di Angelo, daughter of Bellona Reyna Ram rez-Arellano (and former praetor at New Rome) and satyr Coach Hedge. Coach Hedge is there mostly for comic relief, but his anxiety for the welfare of his very pregnant wood-nymph wife at Camp Half-Blood, where rogue New Rome augur Octavian has massed his armies to attack on Aug. 1, is touchingly genuine. The story of the demigods headed to Athens focuses on Jason, Piper and Leo and offers what Riordan does best: comedic, action-packed encounters with deities most readers-and sometimes characters-have never heard of. Goddess of victory Nike is particularly funny as she rails against "namby-pamby ideas of friendship and everybody wins participation awards." The story's emotional heft mostly comes from Nico's and Reyna's arduous and heartfelt journeys to self-acceptance. Readers who haven't made a point of revisiting The House of Hades (2013) before starting this may find themselves wondering just why each group's mission is so important, but there's no questioning that the characters think they're vital. And ultimately, any prophecy-driven adventure is at bottom arbitrary anyway. The story's occasional ventures into romance are stilted and awkward, but fortunately they are brief. The satisfyingly cataclysmic showdowns yield to peaceful resolution at last; here's hoping it holds this time. (Fantasy. 10-16)—Kirkus

PRAISE FOR THE LOST HERO

—Booklist

PRAISE FOR THE SON OF NEPTUNE

—Kirkus

Rick Riordan (www.rickriordan.com) is the author of the # 1 New York Times best-selling The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero; The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two: The Son of Neptune; The Heroes of Olympus, Book Three: The Mark of Athena; The Heroes of Olympus, Book Four: The House of Hades; the #1 New York Times best-selling Kane Chronicles; and the five books in the #1 New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. His previous novels for adults include the hugely popular Tres Navarre series, winner of the top three awards in the mystery genre. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts with his wife and two sons.