The Tyrant's Tomb

Last updated
The Tyrant's Tomb
Tyrant's Tomb Book Cover.jpg
U.S. cover of first edition.
Author Rick Riordan
Cover artist John Rocco
Series The Trials of Apollo (book 4)
Genre Fantasy, Greek and Roman mythology, Young adult
Publisher Disney Hyperion
Publication date
September 24, 2019
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book
Pages448 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4847-4644-8
Preceded by The Burning Maze  
Followed by The Tower of Nero  

The Tyrant's Tomb is an American fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was first published on September 24, 2019, and is the fourth book in The Trials of Apollo series, the second spin-off of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.

Contents

The story follows the Greek God Apollo travelling to Camp Jupiter, where he must learn what it is to be a hero or die trying. The book follows Apollo on his path to restoring five ancient oracles and regaining his godly powers

The novel was published in hardcover, audiobook, ebook, and, large-print editions and the cover was illustrated by John Rocco.

Plot summary

The story starts off with Apollo and Meg taking Jason's body to Camp Jupiter in the San Francisco Bay Area. On their way, they are attacked by an eurynomos, but a girl with pink hair arrives with dryads and a faun and kills the eurynomous. She introduces herself as Lavinia and says she will take them to Camp Jupiter. All the dryads and fauns start to leave, but as the last faun, Don, tries to go, Lavinia says that he owes her for helping him. They carry Jason's coffin to the tunnel where Lavinia knows there is a shortcut to Camp Jupiter.

Hazel Levesque suddenly arrives, as well as two more of the euronymous. They enter the tunnel while Hazel tries to kill the euronymous. Apollo tries to sing a song to help Hazel but is scratched in the stomach by a eurynomous before Hazel kills it. Due to the scratch, Apollo starts to turn into a corpse. Hazel sees Jason's coffin and is terrified because she had a dream about Jason being killed by Caligula. The five arrive at Camp Jupiter, where they are greeted by Frank Zhang and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, the praetors. The camp decides they will all carry on with Jason's plan to build temples honoring the gods.

Apollo then faints and has a dream about Caligula and Commodus discussing their plan to either take Camp Jupiter without conflict or destroy it using Greek fire from Caligula's yachts. Apollo wakes up in a bed and Meg explains that he has been asleep for a day and a half. There is a funeral for Jason that night, and Lupa shows up to tell Apollo to get divine help to defeat their enemies. Apollo and Frank go to Ella the harpy and Tyson the cyclops, who are recreating the Sibylline Books. They get a prophecy regarding Tarquin's tomb. They go to the camp senate, where he, Meg, Lavinia, and Hazel are selected to go on a mission to find out more about Tarquin, the final king of Rome, who has returned. They discover that Tarquin has kept a "soundless god" at Sutro Tower. After they return, they realize that to solve the communication issues and get divine help, they need to destroy the soundless god. A quest is issued for Apollo, Meg, and Reyna to go to Sutro Tower.

At the tower, they realize the god is Harpocrates, who has had troubles with Apollo. He also has a jar containing the voice of the Sibyl of Cumae. With some difficulty, they manage to get the last breath of Harpocrates, along with Sibyl's Jar, which is required to get divine help. On their way back, they are ambushed by a euronymous again, and after they kill him, they are helped by Lavinia and her friends, who escaped from the camp earlier. Reyna and Lavinia issue "Plan L" to defeat the yachts that Apollo saw in his dream. When Apollo and Meg return, they see the camp in the midst of a war. Apollo calls for divine help on Temple Hill. He decides to call Diana. Frank sacrifices himself by burning his firewood lifeline in the process of killing Caligula to save the other legionnaires. Commodus gives the order to fire, but due to "Plan L", this fails and the yachts are destroyed. Apollo kills Commodus in the grief of losing Frank. Meanwhile, Tarquin has reached the bookshop where the Sibylline Books are being rewritten, but Ella and Tyson are not there. Meg and Hazel fight Tarquin. Diana finally arrives, kills Tarquin, and heals Apollo. Reyna and Lavinia, along with Peaches the karpos, return. Arion, Hazel's horse, rescues Frank, who has mysteriously survived, and Reyna pledges herself to Diana (Artemis) and joins the Hunters. Dakota, son of Bacchus and the longtime centurion of the Fifth Cohort, passes away overnight due to wounds from the battle. Don the faun also dies and gets reincarnated into a laurel tree, Apollo's tree of victory. Hazel is voted new praetor of Camp Jupiter and Lavinia is voted in as centurion of the Fifth Cohort.

Apollo receives his old godly bow as a gift from Camp Jupiter, Meg receives seeds, and they set off to New York after receiving the final prophecy from Ella and Tyson; they realize it is in terza rima form and they have to find more stanzas in the east. They go in hopes of being reunited with their friends from Camp Half-Blood. [1]

Development

In an interview, Rick Riordan stated that the book will have Camp Jupiter, Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, and Reyna Ramírez-Arellano. [2] Editor Stephanie Lurie has confirmed that the Arrow of Dodona will appear in the book. [3] On May 16, Rick Riordan revealed that he finished writing the book on April 1. However, due to the preparation, printing, promotion, and distribution of the book, it will not be released until September 24. [4]

Read Riordan released a video of Rick Riordan previewing the book. He revealed that Camp Jupiter was having a big "shake up" in the power structure. [5]

Release

The Tyrant's Tomb was first published by Disney-Hyperion as a hardcover in the United States on September 24, 2019, with cover illustration by John Rocco. [6] Ebook and audiobook editions were released the same day. [7] [8] The audiobook is read by actor Robbie Daymond and published by Listening Library. [8]

According to Scholastic Press, Rick Riordan's The Tyrant's Tomb has sold nearly 86 million copies. [9]

According to Publishers Weekly, The Tyrant's Tomb reached its highest rank of 1 on November 18, 2019. It was also listed as a 2019 children's bestseller. [10]

The Barnes & Noble edition of the book was announced to contain exclusive content such as a full poster of one of the scenes in the book as well as diary entries by a female Camp Jupiter "probatio" who investigates an ancient Roman mystery. [11]

Although many non-English editions used John Rocco's cover art, a few have unique covers by other illustrators. [7]

On March 7, 2019, the cover and first two chapters of the book were released. [12]

The book is recommended for ages 9-12. [13]

Sequel

The fifth and the last book in the series, The Tower of Nero was released on October 6, 2020 [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodus</span> Roman emperor from 177 to 192

Commodus was a Roman emperor who ruled from 177 until his assassination in 192. For the first three years of his reign, he was co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius. Commodus's sole rule, starting with the death of Marcus in 180, is commonly thought to mark the end of a golden age of peace and prosperity in the history of the Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Riordan</span> American author (born 1964)

Richard Russell Riordan Jr. is an American author, best known for writing the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million copies in the United States. 20th Century Fox adapted the first two books of his Percy Jackson series as part of a series of films in which Riordan was not involved. Riordan currently serves as a co-creator and executive producer on the television series adaption of the book series that was released on Disney+ in 2023. Riordan's books have also spawned other related media, such as graphic novels and short story collections.

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, nine graphic novels, two films, a live action tv series, 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 in San Francisco. The third series, The Trials of Apollo, follows the now-mortal god Apollo on a quest to free the Oracle's and defeat three Roman emperors to reclaim his godhood, with appearances by many characters from the first and second series.

<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 Lost Hero</i> 2010 novel by Rick Riordan

The Lost Hero is an American fantasy-adventure novel written by Rick Riordan, based on Greek and Roman mythology. It was published on October 12, 2010, and is the first book in The Heroes of Olympus series, a sequel to the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. It is preceded by The Last Olympian of Percy Jackson & the Olympians and followed by The Son of Neptune. The novel has since been translated into many languages and released as a hardcover, e-book, audiobook, and paperback.

<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.

<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>Percy Jacksons Greek Gods</i> Collection of short stories by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods is a collection of short stories about Greek mythology as narrated by Percy Jackson. It was written by Rick Riordan and was released on August 19, 2014. It features Percy Jackson giving his own take on the Greek myths in a humorous way.

<i>The Hidden Oracle</i> 2016 novel by Rick Riordan

The Hidden Oracle is a fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on May 3, 2016, and is the first book in The Trials of Apollo series, the second spin-off of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The book and its cover art by John Rocco were first announced in 2015. It has been published in hardcover, audiobook, ebook, and large-print editions. The Hidden Oracle has been translated into 19 languages from its original English.

<i>The Dark Prophecy</i> 2017 fantasy novel by Rick Riordan

The Dark Prophecy is an American fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on May 2, 2017, and is the second book in The Trials of Apollo series, the second spin-off of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The book and its cover art by John Rocco were first announced in 2016. It has been published in hardcover, paperback, audiobook, ebook, and large-print editions. The Dark Prophecy has been translated into seven languages from its original English.

<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 Burning Maze</i> 2018 novel by Rick Riordan

The Burning Maze is an American fantasy novel based on Greek and Roman mythology written by American author Rick Riordan. It was published on May 1, 2018, and is the third book in The Trials of Apollo series, the second spin-off of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians 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.

<i>The Sun and the Star</i> 2023 novel by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro

The Sun and the Star 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.

References

Attribution

As of this edit, this article uses content from "Riordan Wiki" , which is licensed in a way that permits reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, but not under the GFDL. All relevant terms must be followed.