The Sun and the Star

Last updated

The Sun and the Star
The Sun and the Star.jpg
Cover art
Authors
Cover artistKhadijah Khatib
Language English
Series Camp Half-Blood Chronicles
Genres
Publisher
Publication date
May 2, 2023
Publication place United States
Pages480
ISBN 9781368081153
Preceded by The Tower of Nero (in
The Trials of Apollo series) 

The Sun and the Star [a] is a 2023 American fantasy-adventure middle-grade fiction novel based on Greek-Roman classical mythology co-written by authors Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro. It is a sequel to the 2020 novel The Tower of Nero in The Trials of Apollo series and was supposed to be the final book of the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles . The story follows the adolescent demigods; boyfriends Nico di Angelo and Will Solace, the sons of Hades and Apollo, respectively, on their quest into Tartarus to rescue their old friend Bob, who is, in fact, the Titan Iapetus.

Contents

The Sun and the Star was published by Disney-Hyperion in the United States and by Puffin Books in the United Kingdom and was released on May 2, 2023. It immediately became the number one bestseller on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Middle Grade Hardcover Books, [1] [b] continued to remain the number one bestseller on the list for an initial period of six weeks, [2] [c] became the number one bestseller on the list again for another period of eight weeks, [3] [d] [4] [e] and continued to remain in the top ten on the list after fifty-one weeks. [5] [f] On September 26, 2024, Mark Oshiro confirmed via X [6] that a sequel was in production and estimated to release in 2025. [7]

Plot

Two months after the defeat of Nero and Python, Rachel Elizabeth Dare provides the prophecy for the adolescent demigods and boyfriends Nico di Angelo and Will Solace, the sons of Hades and Apollo, respectively, on their quest into Tartarus to rescue their old friend Bob who is in fact the Titan Iapetus. Concerned that Bob's situation must be getting direr, Nico convinces a reluctant Chiron and Mr. D to issue them an official quest. Before departing, the two contact Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase for advice based on their own experience in Tartarus.

Making their way into the Underworld through the Door of Orpheus, which Nico and Percy had previously used, the two demigods are immediately set upon by the demon of nightmares, Epiales, who reveals that their mother is after Nico before Will manages to kill the demon using his newly-discovered power to emit light. Nico and Will seek the help of the troglodytes, who agree to lead them to a shortcut to Tartarus. But first, they pass the farm of Menoetes, who only agrees not to tell Hades about their quest in exchange for some stolen fruit from Persephone's garden. Although the heist is successful, Will encounters Persephone herself, who offers advice on his struggles to understand Nico, suggesting that Will embraces his own inner darkness rather than rejecting it, before gifting Will the stolen pomegranates.

Pleased with their success, Menoetes reveals that Bob, while reforming from dying while helping Percy and Annabeth, was captured by the primordial goddess of night, Nyx, who seeks to force Bob to go back to being Iapetus despite Bob's continuous rejection of his past. Nico reveals that he had encountered Nyx while traveling through Tartarus before getting captured by the giants and she took an interest in him, realizing that Nyx is using Bob as bait to get at Nico. The trogs lead the demigods to the River Acheron, where the nymph Gorgyra agrees to help them in exchange for Nico and Will sharing their story with her.

Using Gorgyra's canoe, Nico and Will descend into Tartarus where the power of the river forces them to confront their insecurities and differences of opinion, particularly on the nature of the Underworld. Locating Bob's pet saber-toothed skeleton cat, Small Bob, the demigods discover that Percy and Annabeth's giant friend Damasen is still reforming and can't help them before finally reaching Nyx's home, the Mansion of Night, where Bob is imprisoned in a continuous regeneration cycle. By combining their powers, Nico and Will free Bob before Nyx arrives with Nemesis, Hypnos, a reformed Epiales, and an army of monsters to cut off their escape.

Nyx reveals that she has created cacodemons out of manifestations of Nico's darkness and urges him to accept his darkness and stay in Tartarus, where the goddess believes he belongs. With the encouragement of Will and Bob, Nico fights back against Nyx's manipulations, embracing the fact that he is more than just his darkness, while Will accepts his own darkness to tap into Apollo's plague powers to fight Nyx. Taking control of the cacodemons, Nico decides to release them, symbolically letting go of his demons and fulfilling the part of the prophecy that he would have to leave something of equal value behind. Nemesis, Hypnos, and Epiales turn on Nyx and restrain her long enough for the group to get on the Acheron, which Nyx can't cross. To Nico's surprise, the cacodemons, which he renames Cocoa Puffs, decide to join them of their own free will.

As Bob sails the group back up the Acheron to the Underworld, Nico is visited in a dream by Hades and the spirits of his mother, Maria, and sister, Bianca. Hades reveals that he had sent Nico the prophecy so that he would rescue Bob, and arranged this dream. Maria and Bianca express their love and pride in Nico, as does Hades, who admits that Percy's actions have made him rethink his behavior towards his son, particularly when Hades realizes that the quest has risked Nico losing someone else that he loves. Hades, Maria, and Bianca urge Nico to enjoy his future with Will and find happiness.

Returning to Camp Half-Blood, Bob declines an invitation to stay and decides to head west to figure out his future, looking forward to finally having the freedom to do so. Nico adopts the cacodemons and contacts Piper and her new girlfriend, Shel, to discuss their shared grief over the loss of Jason Grace. With a more hopeful outlook on life, Nico looks forward to what the future holds for him.

Background

The Sun and the Star was announced on October 6, 2021. As a heterosexual man, Rick Riordan decided to co-write the novel with Mark Oshiro, an author of young adult fiction and middle grade fiction centered on young LGBT characters, to make sure that both Nico's point of view as a gay person as well as Nico and Will's romantic relationship would be as authentic as possible. Riordan and Oshiro created the synopsis and manuscript together and received equal credit for the book. Oshiro is also a longtime fan and an avid reader of the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles . [8] [9]

On September 28, 2022, the cover art was announced alongside the final release date for the project. The cover art was done by Khadijah Khatib, and the release date for North America and the United Kingdom was May 2, 2023. Riordan also announced that he would be doing a limited North American tour with co-author Oshiro. [10]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also known as The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure or From the World of Percy Jackson: The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure
  2. ↑ Reflecting sales for the week that ended on May 6, 2023 as listed in The New York Times Book Review for the week that ended on May 21, 2023.
  3. ↑ Reflecting sales for the week that ended on June 10, 2023 as listed in The New York Times Book Review for the week that ended on June 25, 2023
  4. ↑ Reflecting sales for the week that ended on June 24, 2023 as listed in The New York Times Book Review for the week that ended on July 9, 2023
  5. ↑ Reflecting sales for the week that ended on August 12, 2023 as listed in The New York Times Book Review for the week that ended on August 27, 2023
  6. ↑ Reflecting sales for the week that ended on April 20, 2024 as listed in The New York Times Book Review for the week that ended on May 5, 2024.

Related Research Articles

<i>The Lightning Thief</i> 2005 novel by Rick Riordan

The Lightning Thief is a 2005 American fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology, the first children's novel by Rick Riordan. The opening installment in the series Percy Jackson & the Olympians, the book was recognized among the year's best for children. Riordan followed the novel with various books and spin-off series, spawning the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles media franchise.

<i>The Titans Curse</i> 2007 book by Rick Riordan

The Titan's Curse is an American fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology written by Rick Riordan. It was released on May 1, 2007, and is the third novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and the sequel to The Sea of Monsters. It is about the adventures of the 14-year-old demigod Percy Jackson as he and his friends go on a dangerous quest to rescue his 14-year-old demigod friend Annabeth Chase and the Greek goddess Artemis, who have both been kidnapped by the Titan Atlas.

Camp Half-Blood Chronicles is a media franchise created by author Rick Riordan, encompassing three five-part novel series, two short-story collections, two myth anthology books, a stand-alone short story, three crossover short stories, an essay collection, multiple guides, seven graphic novels, two films, a video game, a musical, and other media. Set in the modern world, it focuses on groups of demigod teenagers, and features many characters from Greek and Roman mythology. The first series, Percy Jackson & the Olympians, follows the adventures of a boy named Percy Jackson at a summer camp for Greek demigods. The second series, The Heroes of Olympus, introduces several more lead characters and a second camp for Roman demigods named Camp Jupiter. The third series, The Trials of Apollo, follows the now-mortal god Apollo, with appearances by many characters from the first and second series.

<i>The Battle of the Labyrinth</i> 2008 novel by Rick Riordan

The Battle of the Labyrinth is an American fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology written by Rick Riordan. It is the fourth novel in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The novel was first published in the United States on 6 May 2008 by Hyperion Books for Children, an imprint of Disney Publishing Worldwide. It has been published in hardcover, audiobook, ebook, and large-print editions. The Battle of the Labyrinth has been translated into 29 languages from its original English.

<i>The Last Olympian</i> 2009 fantasy novel by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian is a fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology by Rick Riordan, published on May 5, 2009. It is the fifth novel of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and is the direct sequel to The Battle of the Labyrinth. The Last Olympian revolves around the demigod Percy Jackson as he leads his friends in a last stand to protect Mount Olympus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Percy Jackson</span> Fictional character in books by Rick Riordan

Perseus "Percy" Jackson is a fictional character, the title character and narrator of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. He is also one of seven main protagonists of the sequel series The Heroes of Olympus, appearing in every book except The Lost Hero, and appears in the Trials of Apollo series, making him one of the few characters to appear in all three series of the Camp Half-Blood chronicles. He has also been a narrator and protagonist in Riordan's Greco-Roman/Egyptian crossover stories, part of the Demigods and Magicians collection. The character serves as the narrator in Percy Jackson's Greek Gods and Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, also by Rick Riordan.

<i>The Demigod Files</i> 2009 story collection by Rick Riordan

The Demigod Files is a collection of short stories by Rick Riordan published on February 10, 2009. It is a supplementary book to series Percy Jackson & the Olympians. It mainly contains three short stories, titled "Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot", "Percy Jackson and the Bronze Dragon", and "Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades". It is set between the fourth and fifth novels, The Battle of the Labyrinth and The Last Olympian.

<i>The Heroes of Olympus</i> Fantasy adventure series by Riordan about the Percy Jackson universe

The Heroes of Olympus is a pentalogy of fantasy-adventure novels written by American author Rick Riordan. The novels detail a conflict between Greek demigods, Roman demigods, and Gaea. In the fourth book of the series, there is also a fight against Tartarus, which, in Greek mythology, was the darkest and deepest point of the Underworld.

<i>The Son of Neptune</i> 2011 novel by Rick Riordan

The Son of Neptune is a 2011 fantasy-adventure novel written by American author Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It is the second book in The Heroes of Olympus series, preceded by The Lost Hero and followed by The Mark of Athena. The story follows the adventures of amnesiac Percy Jackson, a demigod son of Neptune, also known as Poseidon, as he meets a camp of Roman demigods and goes to Alaska with his new friends Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang to free the Greek god of death, Thanatos, and help save the world from Gaea, the earth goddess. The novel is narrated in the third-person, switching between the points of view of Percy, Frank, and Hazel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titans in popular culture</span>

The familiar name and large size of the Titans have made them dramatic figures suited to market-oriented popular culture.

<i>The Mark of Athena</i> 2012 novel by Rick Riordan

The Mark of Athena is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It was published on October 2, 2012, and is the third book in The Heroes of Olympus series, a sequel to the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. It is preceded by The Son of Neptune and followed by The House of Hades. The novel is narrated in the third-person.

<i>The House of Hades</i> 2013 book by Rick Riordan

The House of Hades is a fantasy-adventure novel written by American author Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It was published on October 8, 2013, and is the fourth book in The Heroes of Olympus series, preceded by The Mark of Athena and followed by The Blood of Olympus.

<i>The Blood of Olympus</i> 2014 novel by Rick Riordan

The Blood of Olympus is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. Released on October 7, 2014, the fifth and final novel in The Heroes of Olympus series, and it was followed by The Chalice of the Gods (2023), part of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

<i>Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard</i> Novel series by Rick Riordan

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is a trilogy of fantasy novels based on Norse mythology written by American author Rick Riordan and published by Disney-Hyperion. It is set in the same universe as the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles and The Kane Chronicles series. The first book, The Sword of Summer, was released on October 6, 2015. The second book, The Hammer of Thor, was released on October 4, 2016. The Ship of the Dead, the third book, was released on October 3, 2017.

<i>The Crown of Ptolemy</i>

The Crown of Ptolemy is the third and last book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Kane Chronicles crossover series. It was released in the back of the paperback version of The House of Hades on March 31, 2015, and later as an ebook and audiobook. The ebook edition was released May 12, 2015.

<i>The Sword of Summer</i> Young-adult fantasy novel by Rick Riordan

The Sword of Summer is a young-adult fantasy novel based on Norse mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on October 6, 2015, by Disney Hyperion, and is the first novel in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series.

<i>The Trials of Apollo</i> Book series by Rick Riordan

The Trials of Apollo is a pentalogy of fantasy adventure and mythological fiction novels written by American author Rick Riordan that collectively form a sequel to the Heroes of Olympus series. It is set in the same world as Riordan's Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series and references characters and happenings from earlier stories. A supplementary book, Camp Jupiter Classified, has also been released in addition to the main series.

<i>The Tower of Nero</i> 2020 novel by Rick Riordan

The Tower of Nero is an American fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was first published on October 6, 2020, and is the fifth and final book in The Trials of Apollo series, the second spin-off of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.