Why the Sun and the Star matter

 The Sun and the Star was actually the first book I read this year. However, I had just blogged about the Heroes of Olympus and the Chalice of Gods so I wanted a break from blogging about Rick Riordan’s books.

That said, The Sun and the Star is one heck of a read.

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Spoilers

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The Sun and the Star was co-written by Mark Oshiro because Riordan wanted to make sure that relationship between Will and Nico’s relationship was done right. And, possibly because of another author, I have to say that this book has the most unique tone of all of Riordan’s young adult books. 

The actual plot is about Nico (son of Hades, goth boy and beloved of fans) and his boyfriend Will (son of Apollo, nature boy and generally cool guy) going to Tartarus to save their friend Bob the Titan. Bob the Titan might sound like a Deadpool joke but he’s a well established character with depth and pathos.

(Oh, and additional spoiler, Little Bob the Sabre tooth kitten ghost comes back as well. I really like Little Bob)

However, the focus of the book is on the boys’ relationship. Their connections, their insecurities, their hopes, their issues, their love. And they are a cute couple. One of my favorite lines was, after Will agreed something with no negotiation, Nico telling himself that he will do all the talking when they buy a car. It’s snarky but sweet because it reinforces how Nico sees them having a future together.

The Sun and the Star is chock full of Riordan’s signature fun but faithful takes on mythology. (Really, I grew up with the cleaned up versions of the myths through the D’Aulaires. Is Riordan's way of cleaning them up any less honest?) But, more than any of Riordan’s previous work, the Sun and the Star feels like a young adult novel. It focuses on growing up, coming to terms with your flaws but also what’s good about you.

There are two Riordan books that I cannot help but compare the Sun and Star to: The Gates of Hades and The Chalice of the Gods.

The Gates of Hades is, honestly, possibly Riordan’s strongest book and the Sun and the Star is very much a sequel. They both deal with journeys through Tartarus and the earlier book is better. It is so very desperate and dire. However, the Sun and the Star doesn’t try and compete with the earlier book on that level. It succeeds on its own merits.

The Chalice of Gods was published after the Sun and the Star and I assume it may have been written at the same time or very close together. And I feel Chalice resembles the Sun and the Star in a very good way. It’s a smaller scale conflict with a much more nuanced emotional arc. And I really wonder how much working with Oshiro influenced Riordan.

While there are some odd touches in the book (part of Nico’s resolution feels much more urban fantasy than mythic, which I don’t want to spoil, but if you’ve read the book you know what I’m talking about), I think the Sun and the Star is both a great book and an important milestone for Riordan.