Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Those five words inspire a lot of thoughts and feelings for me.

For a number of years I was a children's book specialist and Percy Jackson stories were my go to recommendation for middle grade readers especially the ones who didn't like to read.

I freaking loved them. I mean what's not to love? Action, adventure, fun and heart. At its core Percy Jackson has a lot of heart.

Then they announced the first movie and I was thrilled but hesitant. I am one of those people that, as a general rule, prefers books to tv and film. I get annoyed with the things they leave out, or how they change key points. I know some things don't translate and some things have to be sacrificed due to time constraints but still.

I hated the film. There were so many things that were just wrong with it, right from the age of the actors they cast. Then there was the fight scene with Percy wearing the winged shoes... Hubby told me I had to put the shoe down and I wasn't allowed to throw it at his new tv.

There is adapting for film and then there is fundamentally changing something core from the source material. I understand Henry Cavill's loyalty to source material.

This time though...Rick Riordan was heavily involved so I had hope.

And I wasn't let down.

It had me from the first episode. Yes I am well aware that there are differences from the book. You know what though, some of them were completely irrelevant (the skin colour of the actors) and others were because times have changed since the books were first published.

The casting for me was spot on, those three young actors (Walker Scobell, Aryan Simhadri and Leah Jeffries), embody the spirit and heart of their characters. And that's not to mention the sheer awesomeness of the supporting cast (Megan Mullally, Suzanne Cryer, Toby Stephens, Lin Manuel Miranda, Adam Copeland, Jay Duplass, Timothy Omundson, and Charlie Bushnell) and a special mention of course to the amazing cameo from Lance Reddick.

This was a fabulous watch that sticks with the modern format of 8 episodes per season. It balanced well Percy's back story and the current events.

To be completely honest it has been a long time since I read the books and as much as I'm tempted to go back and do a scene by scene comparison I'm not going to. My reasoning behind this in some ways this series needs to be allowed to stand on it's own two feet.

I think the reason the show works is a combination of things; casting, crew investment, creative excellence and the involvement of the author in the writing room.

Riordan himself said in an interview that even though some things were not as he had envisioned, it was better because it was more vivid than he had imagined.

Key scenes and characters are there, even though they may be a little different from the original. It all works though. I really enjoyed the first episode but I think my first real cheer was the capture the flag scenes. Oh and Annabeth pushing Percy into the water..., though I have got to say the bathroom scene definitely made me laugh.

The journey that is their quest is perfectly paced, new bad guys (played by amazing cameos) pushing the story forward. There is great balance between the seriousness of what the quest is all about, preventing a war and saving Percy's mum, and the sarcasm and courage of our heroes.

The way they handled the betrayal that lay behind the whole quest was so well done. The reasoning behind the betrayal was understandable and in some ways heartbreaking. The world isn't filled with the easy extremes of good and bad alone, there is a whole spectrum of grey and this show demonstrates that well.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 1 was a thoroughly enjoyable watch, no two ways about it and I am absolutely looking forward to season 2.