The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

Title: The Apollo Trials: The Hidden Oracle

Author: Rick Riordan

ISBN: 9781484732748

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Copyright Date: 2016

Genre: Mythological Fiction; Fantasy

About the Author:

Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of over twenty novels for young readers, including the Percy Jackson series, the Kane Chronicles, the Magnus Chase series and the Trials of Apollo. He is also the author of the multi-award-winning Tres Navarre mystery series for adults.

For fifteen years, Rick taught English and history at public and private middle schools in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Texas. While teaching in San Antonio, Saint Mary’s Hall honored him with the school’s first Master Teacher Award.

While teaching full time, Riordan began writing mystery novels for grownups. His Tres Navarre series went on to win the top three national awards in the mystery genre – the Edgar, the Anthony and the Shamus. Riordan turned to children’s fiction when he started The Lightning Thief as a bedtime story for his oldest son.

About Rick Riordan. http://rickriordan.com/about/.

Curriculum Ties:

•  Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
• Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

Plot Summary:

The book begins with the god Apollo falling into a pile of garbage, having been turned mortal by Zeus. He is accosted by some thugs, but saved by a small girl named Meg, with power over fruits. She claims his loyalty, and they leave to go to Camp Half-Blood, stopping to get help from Percy Jackson, a powerful son of Poseidon. When they arrive, they find that Camp Half-Blood is in serious trouble. Campers are disappearing and there is no word from any of the oracles to give an indication of where they are going. Apollo also discovers that his ancient foe, a giant serpent, has returned to claim the original oracle of Delphi, which has stopped the power of prophecy and must be defeated to return it. In this beginning of a book series, Apollo must start his journey to redeem the oracles and to find out about the shadowy organization behind these troubles. 

Critical Evaluation:

 The Apollo Trials story is a continuation of two prior series of Rick Riordan’s books. As such, it requires prior knowledge of events to really understand what is going on. All the characters except one, Meg, were introduced in these previous stories, and even the overall plot, rescuing the oracles, originated in the last book of his last series. This means that many of the characters are not as well introduced in this book, because the author assumes prior knowledge. However, they are still somewhat explained by the use of Apollo’s own memories and explanations of them. The story is told in first person, with Apollo’s memories being imperfect because of his mortality. This allows the story to be unfolded through the gradual remembering of Apollo. This also allows for most of the humor of the story, with Apollo’s reactions to those things around him being the major impetus of these. 

Readers Annotation:

Apollo is turned mortal and cast to the earth on a mission to find what has stopped the power of prophecy. He quickly finds out that he needs help, and finds some patsy demigods to help him in his quest.  

Book Talking Ideas:

•  Discuss what has happened in the previous series to set up this story. Look for elements that are from these previous stories and how the author introduces them.
• Discuss Apollo from myth, including some of his major myths and roles. Look for them being referenced in the book.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12-17

Challenge Issues:

•  There is some sexual material; including a homosexual relationship and references to previous relationships.
• There is regular violent scenes, with many major characters being injured, but few deaths.

Defense Collection:

•  With more Mel Brooks-ian flare than a fourth wall could hope to contain, Riordan presents another expansion to his modern pantheon. Punished by his father, Zeus, sun god Apollo  falls from grace—literally—first landing painfully in a dumpster and then, humiliatingly, into the  service of  a streetwise, 12-year-old, presumably white demigod named Meg McCaffrey. The  now-mortal Apollo  seeks help from Camp Half-Blood and its resident heroes only to find that there's been a plague of  disappearances among the  demigods, the  camp has been cut off from the  Oracle of  Delphi and its quest-granting prophecies, and a sinister conspiracy is working tirelessly to destroy everything the  former sun god holds dear. In his narration, Apollo  alternately waxes poetic about his godly virtues (including his open bisexuality) and gripes about his current awkwardness and servitude to the  enigmatic Meg. Egocentric to the  point of  rollicking self-deprecation as he tries to reconcile millennia of  personal history as an immortal with his sudden fragile finitude, his voice overpowers any sense of  his new 16-year-old white, acned form, and he continuously disrupts the  narrative to remind readers of  his dissatisfying appearance. Nonetheless, the  wearying negotiation of  inner and outer self will ring true for (im)mortals of  any age as Apollo  desperately works to save himself and everyone else. A clash of  mythic intrigues and centuries of  pop culture to thrill die-hard and new fans alike. (glossary) (Fantasy. 12-17)(Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2016)
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Purpose in Collection:

Rick Riordan wrote his first series for his son, as a way to give a fun explanation for dyslexia and ADHD. The continuing stories talk about teenagers with learning problems, and make them heroic, which makes his books a fun addition to the collection. This particular book portrays a couple of gay teenagers, who are in a happy relationship which is approved of those around them, which also makes it a good addition to the collections