Gibraltar corpus

The novel was first released in the United States on October 12, 2010, as a hardcover. The audiobook and e-book were released simultaneously with the hardcover. Disney gave the book a 2.5 million first printing. Before release, the website [14] was launched with an excerpt from the novel, information about the series and characters, a book trailer, and an event kit. Riordan has said that he intends to release a new book every year, completing the series in 2014.[15]

Promotion

Before The Lost Hero was released in full, Riordan published the first two chapters and the book's cover on the series website [16].

To celebrate the release of the book, a release party took place at BookPeople in Austin, Texas. The party began at 4 pm with over 800 visitors including Riordan himself. The party featured food, races, and rock climbing. Afterward, over 10,000 joined Riordan on an online webchat where he read the first two chapters and answered questions from the fans. He then signed one copy of the book and announced "that seven 'lucky demigods' will be selected in a sweepstakes to attend an exclusive one-week session at Camp Half-Blood at Bookpeople in July 2011".[6]

Aside from the official release party, Borders Books & Music in Dearborn also held a release party. A national event, it began at 2 pm. The party had arts and crafts, trivia, and a reading of the first two chapters.[17]

Critical reception

Publishers Weekly gave The Lost Hero a favorable review, stating that "Riordan's storytelling is as polished as ever, brimming with wit, action, and heart."[18] The novel received a mixed review from Kirkus Reviews, which stated that the "Greek-vs.-Roman tension tantalizes" and that "incidental details that bring the gods into the story often shine."

However, the reviewer also noted that there are "far too many pages of stretched-out action, telling not showing and awkward dialogue". The reviewer found that only the die-hard fans would enjoy the book, and "unless Riordan tightens things up considerably by number five, they may find themselves hoping that it does not end with a third Great Prophecy."[19] The Seattle Times found the Greek and Roman mix "fascinating" and that the "characters are interesting and well-developed, and the richly complex story has Riordan's trademark wry humor and nearly nonstop action".[20]

Ian McGillis explained that Riordan’s “corny storytelling devices . . . keeps him from transcending his core readership and crossing over to teen and adult readers the way the Harry Potter books have.”[21]

Postmedia News commented that for Riordan “attracting a readership isn’t a problem.” [22] The problem, as Vicky Smith stressed, is that “Riordan has set himself an ambitious schedule of two books per year . . . the compressed timetable shows in an overall flabbiness of construction.” [23] Vicky Smith also criticized the novel as having

“awkward dialogue” and “far too many pages of stretched-out-action, telling not showing.” [24]

Background

“I was no doubt influenced by the Mad comic treatment of Greek mythology,” Riordan explained on his blog, along with showing several pictures from the 1961 issue of Mad Magazine which featured a section devoted to ancient mythology.[25]

Awards

• Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2010[26]

Sequel

According to Riordan, the sequel entitled The Son of Neptune is due to be released in October 2011. [2][27]

References

[1] http://worldcat.org/oclc/526057827

[2] Riordan, Rick (October 12, 2010). The Lost Hero. The Heroes of Olympus. Disney Hyperion. ISBN 9781423113393. OCLC 526057827.

[3] Dave Itzkoff (June 21, 2010). "The World of 'Percy Jackson' Lives On In 'The Lost Hero'" (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/22/books/

22arts-THEWORLDOFPE_BRF.html). The New York Times. .

[4] "Rick Riordan plans new series invoking Greek gods" (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/

ALeqM5gyDO0R0ydSDTcIJJ0t5FcMy1W8_wD9GFMV3G1). The Associated Press. June 21, 2010. .

[5] "Rick Riordan reveals secret password for 'Heroes of Olympus' preview" (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/

rick-riordan-reveals-secret-password-for-heroes-of-olympus-preview-2006906.html). The Independent. June 21, 2010. .

[6] Kirch, Claire (October 14, 2010). "Riordan Debuts New Series in Austin" (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/

childrens-book-news/article/44819-riordan-debuts-new-series-in-austin.html). Publishers Weekly. . Retrieved 28 October 2010.

[7] Banks, Dave (October 18, 2010). "Greek Goddesses and Roman Gods: The GeekDad Interview With Rick Riordan" (http://www.wired.

com/geekdad/2010/10/rick-riordan-interview/). Wired News. Wired News. . Retrieved 28 October 2010.

[8] "New York Times bestseller list" (http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2010-12-12/chapter-books/list.html). The New York Times. . Retrieved 30 November 2010.

[9] "USA Today bestseller list" (http://content.usatoday.com/life/books/booksdatabase/default.aspx). USA Today. . Retrieved 9 November 2010.

[10] "The Lost Hero – Heroes of Olympus: The Online World of Rick Riordan" (http://rickriordan.com/my-books/percy-jackson/

heroes-of-olympus/the-lost-hero.aspx). rickriordan.com. . Retrieved 9 November 2010.

[11] "Indiebound bestseller list" (http://www.indiebound.org/indie-bestsellers). Indiebound. . Retrieved 9 November 2010.

[12] "Publishers Weekly" (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/bestsellers/childrens-fiction.html). Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly.

. Retrieved 2 December 2010.

[13] "Best Sellers: Children's Chapter Books" (http://www.nytimes.com/best-sellers-books/2011-01-30/chapter-books/list.html). The New York Times. January 30, 2011. . Retrieved January 22, 2011.

[14] http://www.heroesofolympus.com

[15] Seller, John A. (September 13, 2010). "Disney Announces Print Run, Plans for 'Percy Jackson' Spinoff 'The Heroes of Olympus' is set to launch on October 12" (http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/

44446-disney-announces-print-run-plans-for-percy-jackson-spinoff.html). Publishers Weekly. . Retrieved 26 October 2010.

[16] http://disney.go.com/disneybooks/heroes-of-olympus/sneakpeek.html

[17] Krug, Kurt (October 12, 2010). "Life Borders hosts 'Lost Hero' book party Saturday" (http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2010/10/

12/life/doc4cb4969ab48fa627470681.txt). Press and Guide. . Retrieved 30 October 2010.

[18] "The Lost Hero" (http://www.booksamillion.com/product/9781423113393#publishers-weekly® reviews). Publishers Weekly. October 25, 2010. . Retrieved 24 October 2010.

[19] Vicky Smith (October 15, 2010). "Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero" (http://www.kirkusreviews.com/blog/young-adult/

rick-riordans-lost-hero/). Kirkus Reviews. . Retrieved 22 Occtober 2010.

[20] Macpherson, Karen. "Riordan's new book 'Lost Hero' mixes in mythology" (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/

2013286769_kidsbooks30.html?prmid=head_more). The Seattle Times (The Seattle Times). . Retrieved 30 October 2010.

[21] McGillis, Ian (19 February 2011). "Book Review:The Heroes of Olympus: Book One:The Lost Hero" (http://www.canada.com/Book+

review+Heroes+Olympus+Book+Lost+Hero/4314592/story.html). Postmedia News. Montreal Gazette. . Retrieved 9 March 2011.

[22] McGillis, Ian (19 February 2011). "Book Review:The Heroes of Olympus: Book One:The Lost Hero" (http://www.canada.com/Book+

review+Heroes+Olympus+Book+Lost+Hero/4314592/story.html). Postmedia News. Montreal Gazette. . Retrieved 9 March 2011.

[23] Smith, Vicky (15 October 2010). "Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero" (http://www.kirkusreviews.com/blog/young-adult/

rick-riordans-lost-hero/). Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Reviews. . Retrieved 9 March 2011.

[24] Smith, Vicky (15 October 2010). "Rick Riordan's The Lost Hero" (http://www.kirkusreviews.com/blog/young-adult/

rick-riordans-lost-hero/). . Retrieved 9 March 2011.

[25] Riordan, Rick (29 January 2011). "A Blast from the Mad Past" (http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/). Blog. . Retrieved 9 March 2011.

[26] "Best of 2010 - Kids' Books" (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/best-books-2010-kids-childrens-books/379002025/).

barnesandnoble.com. barnesandnoble.com. . Retrieved 4 January 2011.

[27] Riordan, Rick. "Frequently Asked Questions". rickriordan.com. rickriordan.com.

External links

• The Heroes of Olympus US website (http://camphalfblood.com/)

• The Heroes of Olympus (http://disney.go.com/disneybooks/heroes-of-olympus/) at Disney Books

• The Lost Hero on Google Books (http://books.google.com/books?id=28fPRwAACAAJ&dq="the+lost+

hero"&hl=en&ei=M4h9TerWI8WEtgfm4pG6BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&

ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA)

Characters