The House of Hades

Rick Riordan's The House of Hades is a monster-packed quest for 10 year olds that starts with two of its heroes at the very bottom of the world.

What happens

It's the fourth Heroes of Olympus book, and it doesn't hang about. Percy and Annabeth have fallen into Tartarus, a pit so deep it's said to take nine days to reach the bottom. Their friends have one way to save them. Reach the House of Hades in Greece and unlock the Doors of Death from their side.

Easier said than done. Every time the flying ship Argo II tries to cross the mountains of Italy, the mountain gods lob boulders at it (Leo is on his third new mast).

So the chapters swap between the two groups. Up top we're mostly with Hazel, a daughter of Pluto who has already died once, back in 1942. In a storm on a hilltop she meets Hecate, goddess of magic, who shows her a crossroads where every road looks bad. She also warns her about a witch waiting at the House of Hades.

Down below it's Annabeth and Percy, and this is where the book really grabs you. They land in a river made of pure misery. Its voices whisper that everything's pointless. The beach is broken black glass and the air stings their skin.

What gets them through is each other. Annabeth drags Percy back from the gloom by making him talk about their future. College. What he'd study. He suggests surfing, and she laughs, and it might be the first laugh Tartarus has ever heard.

That's very Riordan. There's always a joke, even at the bottom of everything. Leo grumbles about masts, a goddess's pet polecat has terrible wind, and Percy says the place smells like his ex-stepfather. You'll probably hear your reader snort.

Worth knowing before you hand it over

Tartarus is properly bleak. The river's voices tell Annabeth to give up and sink, and for a while she's sure they'll both be dead within the hour. There's some romance between Percy and Annabeth too, kisses and an "I love you". If your reader has come through the first three books, they'll be ready for it. If they're brand new to this world, starting here is a bit like joining a film halfway through.

What to read next

And if they've never met Percy at all, go back to Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. That's where he's twelve, fed up with school, and about to find out his maths teacher isn't human.