PERCY JACKSON AND THE LIGHTNING THIEF

I just finished reading Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and I must say, I was really disappointed that the story was so different from the movie. I mean, sure, the characters were there: Percy, his mom, the centaur, the satyr, Annabeth, Poseidon, Zeus and Hades but other than that, the movie seemed like it was inspired from the book rather than based from it, if you know what I mean.

For instance, in the book, Percy never developed his powers until he was in Camp Half-Blood. In the movie, he was underwater holding his breath in the first few minutes of the flick. In the book, Annabeth and Percy did not have an attraction towards each other. She was more interested in Luke (son of Hermes). Also, the god of war, Ares was never ever mentioned in the movie but in the book, he was the one of the gods who conspired against Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Ares gave Percy a magical backpack that had the lightning bolt while in the movie, the bolt was hidden in the shield Luke gave him before leaving camp. Also, Luke was the one who stole the lightning bolt PLUS the Hades helm of darkness when some demi-gods went on a visit to Olympus. Are you confused yet?

It's just so disappointing for me when movie versions stray away too far from the books. I would have thought it to be more of like Harry Potter or The Golden Compass where there were some extra scenes but still stayed true to the story. Oh and that scene with the Hydra, getting of the pearls, Persephone in the Underworld, and Hades visiting the camp? Those were never in the book.

I just didn't like it. I mean, I enjoyed the movie (watched it weeks ago). I thought it was nice. Then, reading the book chanted a whole lot of things for me. Now I wonder, "Do I like the movie version more? OR the book?" And I can't say because they are both SO different! Oh and guess what? In the book, Percy never got to save his mom! Wrap your head around that! And in the movie, that was all he was thinking of, right?

Sigh. Anyway, I'm now on the second book The Sea of Monsters. I just hope that if they do a movie version of this, they would stick to the story.