"The Sun and the Star" by Rick Riordan & Mark Oshiro

The Sun and the Star (May 2, 2023) by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro.

*This is a standalone novel.*

There is a grumpy ball of darkness and a demigod Care Bear. Translated, Nico di Angelo, “Italian son of Hades,” and Will Solace, “Texan son of Apollo,” are the grumpy ball and the Care Bear, respectively. They have a quest to rescue an old friend from Tartarus where the weather is “always hellish with an 80 percent chance of noxious clouds and scattered monsters.” A voice has been calling out to Nico, and he’s almost certain it’s Bob, the reformed Titan formerly known as Iapetus. And Rachel Elizabeth Dare has been spewing the same prophecy a dozen times now. It’s clear to Nico that he needs this quest, whether or not Mr. D (Dionysus) and Chiron feel the same. Will, being Nico’s boyfriend, is adamant that he is coming along. How can a child of Apollo, a being made of light, survive in the deepest, darkest part of the (Under)world? Not only that, but how will they enter Tartarus without Hades knowing? After the Doors of Death “incident,” no one is allowed to enter Tartarus. But that is where Bob is. That is where she is. It isn’t only monsters that they must endure, for they will also encounter blood clouds, monster regeneration blisters (“zits” per Nico) and the River Acheron a.k.a. the River of Pain. They are a duo where a quest normally is a trio, but Will and Nico have each other. And Bob would make three. So, save Bob! And don’t become demigod coleslaw!

            A walk in the park this isn’t. A hair-raising, adrenaline-inducing journey through the death pit of eternal gloom it definitely is. Fortunately, it is chock full of Riordan’s signature goofy banter with superb writing from both Riordan and Oshiro. While the collaborators ground the Greek mythology-based standalone in humor, pulse-pounding action, death-defying adventure and imaginative world-building, they also skillfully weave an emotive plot containing tender romance with the complexity of self-identity and mental health. There is a plethora of diversity, and I’m not referring to diversity of monster types, though they are varied and multitudinous.  With a range of skin tones and relationships, there’s a good chance each reader can find herself/himself/themselves in at least one character. I was delighted by the Percabeth cameo and by the story as a whole. Still, I think I’ll bypass a visit to Tartarus and avoid geysers of suffering, acid-rain fields and the like. If you’re planning a trip down, down, down, remember to pack plenty of nourishing lizard jerky and top-rated SPF – that’s “skink protective fat” – used regularly by the innovative and delightful troglodytes.

            P.S. I want Persephone’s garden. It has bushes of diamonds, trees of glittering rubies and a special breed of night-blooming cereus that only opens in the presence of the darkness within others.

            P.P.S. I also want a spartos like Small Bob. A spartos is created from the fang of a saber-toothed tiger. When not in saber-tooth-tiger form, Small Bob looks like a calico cat.