This week, we read The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan. Sophie brings in an article to frame our ongoing discussion of what makes a good main character. We talk about the ridiculousness of Chiron and Annabeth’s secrecy, Percy’s lack of character growth, and the strengths of Rick Riordan’s incorporation of Greek myths into the modern world.

CW: Character death, absent parents, abusive and negligent parents, dead parents, kids in danger, kidnapping, discussion of sexual assault, exploitive power dynamics, neocolonialism, the Greek pantheon, discussions of destroying gods, and religion. Sophie continuously criticizes the gods and expresses a desire to “let them fade.” This is only within Rick Riodan’s world and interpretation of Greek mythology.

Here are the two sources Sophie used to pull arguments from:

Ramm, Kathleen. “9 Signs Your Main Character Is Boring,” June 29, 2020. https://kingdompen.org/9-signs-your-main-character-is-boring/.

Autumn. “Percy Jackson Is a Gary Stu.” Percy Jackson Rants, Opinions, and Other Stuff. quotev.com, January 11, 2020. https://www.quotev.com/story/12237056/Percy-Jackson-Rants-Opinions-and-Other-Stuff/30.

Our Links

Website: https://werethekidsalright.wixsite.com/podcast

Twitter: @wtka_podcast

Instagram: wtka_podcast

Music

Intro: I Wear Headphones by Silent Partner

Outro: Good Vibes by MBB