The Tyrant’s Tomb is the fourth book in The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan. In this story we learn about the events at Camp Jupiter when Apollo arrives with Jason’s coffin. Apollo has to face even more of his demons throughout this adventure as he must confront another source of prophecy that he had wronged as well as others. Each time Apollo learns something about himself, both who he was and who he is becoming. At the same time he and the Romans must prepare for an attack against Camp Jupiter, an attack that they may not be able to fend off as the attacking forces are the undead raised to fight against them. Amongst them are the former heroes and legionnaires that had died in the previous attack against the camp. Apollo and Meg must work with the leaders of Camp Jupiter, Frank, Hazel, and Reyna, in order to formulate a plan that may work. Each one knowing there is a small chance of them being successful.
This book is similar to the previous books in the series in that it shows the continuing growth of Apollo as he is forced to continue confronting his past. He has to face the people and the consequences of his previous actions. People and consequences that he had often failed to face or even forgot about prior. I find this fascinating in many ways because one of the things that was readily apparent in the previous books in the Percy Jackson universe is that the gods as a whole are resistant to change. Yet, this whole series is about Apollo learning to do just that as he is forced to face the consequences of him having not changed for so long. Apollo is facing his past and learning what he needs to change about himself in order to be a better person, but he is also re-learning what it is that makes him, him. This ties into another thing that I found rather fascinating about this particular series. In each of the books so far, Apollo works with characters that are familiar to those who have read the previous works in this universe. This continues in this book when Apollo works with Frank, Hazel, and Reyna. At the same time it continues to bring in new characters and heroes, such as Lavinia who was introduced in this book. It is like the series as a whole is showcasing how the old and the new must learn to co-exist and find balance in order to be the best they can be. This is shown in Apollo himself as he travels and grows but also in the relationships between the characters as they introduce new ones and re-introduce old ones. And all of this is done with the same characteristic style and humor that is present in all of Rick Riordan’s work. It definitely earns a full five stars.
I may still be working my way through the series as I have one book left, but based off of what I have read so far. Yes, I would recommend this series to other readers. I know this book and this series is mostly aimed at younger readers as it is marketed as young adult. In my opinion, this book is the kind of book that would appeal to readers of almost any age. Many adults look down on reading what they call kid’s books but I think that many of these kid’s books, such as this one, can show important things we need to consider. I talked earlier about how this book and this series shows the importance of balancing the old and the new, or the past and the present, depending on how you look at it. This is something that I think adults might want to think about. We should not throw away the past and what made us who we are, but we should face the past and be honest about what it was and what we might have done in order to be the best version of us we can be to face the future. Much like Apollo is doing, sometimes we have to, figuratively, sit down with our past in order to embrace the future. I think that it is incredible that Apollo is able to do so and that this is something that people should consider. This is probably not even close to any intended message, if there was one, that Rick Riordan wanted to include. It is what I took away from this book and this series. I hope others will consider reading it as well. If you do, consider sharing your thoughts in the comments below.