Being the fourth novel in the 5-part popular young adult series, the Heroes of Olympus, (which was a sequel series to the 5-part Percy Jackson series making it this book the ninth installment featuring the characters), the House of Hades released on October 8 to much anticipation and Rick Riordan did not disappoint.
After the cliffhanger of the previous book, the Mark of Athena, the story takes place in the Greek equivalent of the Devil's realm, Tartarus. It features two of its seven main characters, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, trekking through the perilous land, in an attempt to close the Doors of Death, which is allowing monsters to pour through to our world. As these two tell the tale from the Underworld, the other 5 characters are shown adventuring up here on Earth, trying to close the doors from the other side. The story is told through third person point of view, alternating through all 7 characters. Although the alternating point of views was the standard format for the entire series, Riordan only had three or four characters narrate, to avoid overcrowding. This time, as he unleashes the horrors of Tartarus, he also takes the narration up a notch, and lets all 7 characters share their sides of the story. He manages to pull it off quite nicely, and makes each characters inner story engaging, yet balance with the others, marking his skill as a writer. Also well appreciated is his courage to make controversial decisions. Starting from the dedication, in which he pokes fun at the fans, to the unusual darkness and terrors in the book, Rick Riordan is not afraid of what he puts in his books. He also makes some other bold moves, that show he is not just striving to create a magical world (influence from the Harry Potter books is noticeable), but reflect the real world as well. All is commendable and well done. As for the story itself, he creates an ominous tone, which is put to an epic scale, setting up the pieces for the conclusion, the Blood of Olympus, which releases fall of next year.
The House of Hades may be meant to be a prelude to the conclusion next year, it is jam packed with intriguing story elements, that rather than overcrowd, are balanced with precision of a master, who has created his finest work yet.
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