The Hidden Oracle, by Rick Riordan, is a mythological fantasy and adventure story, and is the first in its series of five. As punishment for mistakes made in a previous war, the king of the gods, Zeus, stripped Apollo of his immortality and godly powers, and sent him down to earth as a mere mortal. Once the god of music, archery, poetry, and the sun itself, Apollo finds himself fighting for his life in the streets of New York. His story symbolizes how painfully oblivious the higher class is to the struggle of lower classes. Having been all-powerful for millenia, Apollo is unable to adjust to his new, extremely average, human form. In countless moments, he miserably fails actions that would be laughably easy for a god. Apollo can’t come to terms with the new reality. To earn his powers and immortality back, he must complete a series of dangerous trials to prove his resilience and worth. After being thrown out of Olympus, Apollo’s oracles have stopped working, presumably taken under malicious control. His task is to restore them to their former glory. In his current state, he stands no chance of putting up a fight against the new mysterious enemy. In order to train and find help, he seeks out Camp-Half Blood, a highly protected training camp. However, soon after he arrives, it becomes apparent that something isn’t right. Strange disappearances, communications issues, and security lapses are plaguing the camp. The worst part is that everyone is in the dark, without a single clue as to the source of their problems. As they piece together vague bits and pieces of information, a picture begins to form. Nothing is known for certain, but if their hunches are correct, an evil power, having built power in hiding for centuries, is starting to reveal itself. As the plot unfolds, Apollo begins to realize that the situation is much worse than it seems, and the looming threat draws dangerously close. To find and restore the oracles while fighting back against a superpower, Apollo must discover extraordinary strength in his ordinary form. This book is highly engaging due to its mysterious nature. The reader is left in the dark with the characters, which makes the book memorable. New information is painfully limited and incomplete, leaving the reader with more and more questions. The reader, with the characters, is forced to piece together what little is given to form the start of a large picture involving a plot of larger scale than possibly imaginable. The failure of the oracles further emphasizes the metaphorical darkness as it cuts off any word of the future. It’s similar to some books by Agatha Christie in the sense that information seems to be incomplete or lacking. Despite not being a mystery book, it has many of the common mystery characteristics. An aspect of relatability is added as the characters share many traits, desires, and emotions that countless readers have experienced. At the heart of it all is a once great being, fallen from grace. Apollo’s downfall contributes to the plot as he is forced to experience the life of a human. He is completely unable to understand their struggles. He is shocked at their desire and lack of many things he took for granted. Seemingly small and insignificant matters. He can’t comprehend the compassion humans have for their friends and family, the joy they find in spending time together. He represents the highest classes in the real world who are often completely removed from mainstream society. Those who have no concern and take all for granted, who often lack basic human nature. The contrast between Apollo’s original perspective and the human perspective has opened my eyes to the true scale of the disparity that exists between the classes. Overall, the story has a gripping, fast-paced plotline that keeps the reader constantly thinking. It presents a valuable real-world lesson, while being relatable to a broad audience. However, readers may need to read previous books or have previous background knowledge to see many allusions and references, although most aren’t absolutely necessary to understand.
Miles Z.
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