The Trouble with The House of Hades

I finally read it.  After being asked to, and told to, I finally did.  Aaaaannnnnnnd......

it's just not that good.

Maybe it's because I haven't read Riordan's other books in this newer Heroes of Olympus series,

maybe it's because every other sentence is telling the reader about some event in a previous book,

maybe it's because the cast of The House of Hades has hundreds and hundreds of characters,

maybe it's because it is written like a daytime soap, one short scene, cut to another short scene with totally different characters, repeat,

(maybe this sentence is long enough) but I just couldn't get into The House of Hades.

But plow through it I did, dear reader.

All the controversial homosexual business is in Chapter XXXVI (36), or pages 281-293 of my library's hard-bound edition.

Teenage half-mortal demi-gods, Jason and Nico have set off on a mini-quest to the city of Split in Croatia to retrieve the scepter of Diocletian from the palace of Diocletian.

Prior to this chapter, and referenced at other times throughout the book, the demi-gods are made aware of pagan places (like Diocletian's palace) being turned into Christian places (like a Christian/Catholic cathedral), and Diocletian is not happy about it.

Back to Jason and Nico.  They run into the god of the West Wind, Favonius, who serves Cupid.

While explaining why he serves Cupid, Favonius says, " I fell in love with a mortal named Hyacinthus.  He was quite extraordinary."

"He...?"  Jason's brain was still fuzzy from his wind trip, so it took him a second to process that. "Oh..."
"Yes, Jason Grace."  Favonius arched an eyebrow.  "I fell in love with a dude.  Does that shock you?"
Honestly, Jason wasn't sure.  He tried not to think about the details of godly love lives, no matter who they fell in love with...."I guess not.  So...Cupid struck you with his arrow, and you fell in love."

Favonius goes on to explain that Apollo was also in love with Hyacinthus.  Favonius was jealous, so he killed Hyacinthus.   Apollo turned Hyacinthus into a hyacinth, and spared Favonius in exchange for his servitude.

A strange game of cat and mouse, or god and demi-god ensues as Cupid tries to get Nico to reveal his true desire.  Jason figures it out.  Nico did not have a crush on Annabeth, he was jealous of Annabeth.

"I had a crush on Percy," Nico spat.  "That's the truth.  That's the big secret."
He glared at Cupid.  "Happy now?"
For the first time, Cupid's gaze seemed sympathetic.  "Oh, I wouldn't say Love always makes you happy." His voice sounded smaller, much more human.  "Sometimes it makes you incredibly sad.  But at least you've faced it now.  That's the only way to conquer me."

Obviously, the love Cupid is talking about is eros, not philos or agape.

Nico goes on to say, "I don't feel that way anymore."..."I mean...I gave up on Percy.  I was young and impressionable, and I-I don't..."

Jason lets Nico know that, "If the others found out, you'd have that many more people to back you up, and to unleash the fury of the gods on anybody who gives you trouble."

 Later, Jason says, "I've seen a lot of brave things.  But what you just did?  That was maybe the bravest."  Keep in mind, that all throughout this book, demi-gods are risking their lives to save their friends.  But Jason thinks admitting a crush is braver.

The rest of the book has Nico staying apart from the others, which is normal behavior for this child of the underworld.  His former crush on Percy is not referred to again.

Near the end of the novel, another demi-god, Leo, son of Hephaestus, shares this philosophy,

"I figure the universe is basically like a machine.  I don't know who made it, if it was the Fates, or the gods, or capital-G God, or whatever.  But it chugs along the way it's supposed to most of the time.  Sure, little pieces break and stuff goes haywire once in awhile, but mostly...things happen for a reason."

So, yeah.  That's in there too.  A few anti-Christian slams, a wind-up clock theory of God and His creation, and a coming-out.

There you have it, a brief summary of the controversial pieces of Rick Riordan's The House of Hades.

On the one hand, there's a lot to disseminate here.  On the other hand, it could have been much worse, which isn't saying much.

My kids aren't interested in this series or this book, so they won't be reading it.  Personally, I think there's much better stuff out there, from a literature standpoint.  From a moral standpoint, I could see mature upper middle-school students reading this, with parental discussion.

After all, the Church doesn't teach that it is immoral to be homosexual.  The Church calls homosexuals, and all humans, to live chastely according to her rules.  It would appear that Nico is in fact doing that, at least in this book.

Spare yourselves 583 pages of ADD induced chaos, and go read everything James Herriot ever wrote instead.

If you liked Percy Jackson, you might enjoy...

The Immortal Secrets of Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott
This ongoing series is about the twins of legend, Sophie and Josh, and their adventures trying to save the world from Macchiavelli, Dr. John Dee, and Billy the Kid. To aid them in this quest are St. Joan of Arc, Nicholas Flamel, Sophie Perenelle, and other figures from history and myth. The first title is The Alchemyst, followed by The Magician, The Sorceress, and The Necromancer with more to come! Highly Recommended.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
Yes, it's the same formula as The Lightning Thief series but with twins raised apart, a boy and a girl, whose father is a noted Egyptian archaeologist. When their father becomes trapped in an obelisk, the twins step in to find a way to free him. Of course, they encounter many ancient Egyptian gods, shabtis, and magicians, both helpful and nefarious. I, personally, liked The Red Pyramid better than The Lightning Thief. Highly Recommended.

Century Book #1: Ring of Fire by Perdomenico Baccalario
Four children, from all over the world, find themselves in the same hotel on the same night in Rome, Italy, when they discover they have the same birthday, February 29. As Random House says, "Every hundred years, four kids from four cities must save the world." Highly Recommended.

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
I read this book last summer, and really enjoyed the plot twist. Two children are captured by Viking Berserkers and taken to the home of King Ivar the Boneless and his half-troll queen. This book was a little gruesome for the younger reader. It's more appropriate for 7th grade and up. Highly Recommended for age 12 and up.

The Seven Keys of Balabad by Paul Haven
Set in modern times, Balabad is a country very similar to Afghanistan +or Iraq. Oliver Finch is a New Yorker, whose journalist father and archaeologist mother are working in Balabad for a year. He has made a total of two friends: Mr. Haji, a carpet salesman in the marketplace and the Zee, a very, wealthy and lonely native boy his own age. When Mr. Haji disappears under mysterious circumstances, Oliver and Zee go on a rescue mission. This one is my favorite of this list! Highly Recommended.

The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Scott Pearson
A group of teens are hired to be "hologram" hosts for Walt Disney World. Something goes wrong, when they begin to find their consciousnesses transported into the Magic Kingdom at night. They band together to fight Maleficent and a crew of Disney villains who want to destroy Mickey and take over Walt Disney World. There are two other titles in this series: Disney at Dawn and Disney in Shadow. I enjoyed these, but I am a Disney fanatic. The writing, plots, characters are not the grade A caliber of the rest of this list, but they are fun. Recommended.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Chosen by Mr. Benedict, four extremely gifted children are sent on a secret mission undercover at the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened. Other titles in this series are The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey and The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma. Excellent mental exercises abound in these books. Highly Recommended.

Enjoy!
And don't forget to check out Borders and Barnes & Noble summer reading programs! Get a free book at each.