The Lightning Thief

he Lightning Thief is a 2005 fantasy-adventure novel based on Greek mythology and the first young adult novel written by author Rick Riordan. It is the first book in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series, which charts the adventures of modern twelve-year-old Percy Jackson as he discovers he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and the Greek god Poseidon. Percy and his friends go on a quest to prevent an apocalyptic war between the Greek gods Zeus, Poseidon and Hades.
Riordan finished writing his manuscript in 1994. The Lightning Thief was initially accepted by Bantam Books in 1997 and later sold in an auction to Miramax Books before being released on July 28, 2005. The book has sold over 1.2 million copies in the subsequent four years, appearing on the New York Times children's Best Seller list and being listed as one of the Young Adult Library Services Association's Best Books for Young Adults, among other awards. It is the basis of a film named Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief which is scheduled for release in the United States on February 12, 2010. The sequel to this book is The Sea of Monsters.