The Burning Maze facts for kids
U.S. cover of first edition.
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| Author | Rick Riordan |
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| Cover artist | John Rocco |
| Country | United States |
| Series | The Trials of Apollo (book 3) |
| Genre | Fantasy, Greek and Roman mythology, Young adult |
| Publisher | Disney Hyperion |
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Publication date
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May 1, 2018 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book |
| Pages | 448 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-1-4847-4643-1 |
| Preceded by | The Dark Prophecy |
| Followed by | The Tyrant's Tomb |
The Burning Maze is an exciting fantasy novel by American author Rick Riordan. It came out on May 1, 2018. This book is the third part of The Trials of Apollo series. It's also a spin-off from the popular Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. The story uses ideas from Greek and Roman mythology.
The book follows the Greek god Apollo. He was turned into a human teenager named Lester Papadopoulos. His big mission is to free five ancient oracles. These oracles are held by a group of three evil Roman Emperors called Triumvirate Holdings. Apollo needs to free them to get his god powers back.
Apollo is joined by Meg McCaffrey, a demigod, and Grover Underwood, a satyr. Together, they enter the Labyrinth. They are looking for the Oracle of Erythraea. This is the next oracle they need to rescue.
The Burning Maze was released in several formats. You could get it as a hardcover book, an audiobook, or an ebook. John Rocco created the cover art. Critics liked the book, especially Apollo's narration and the humor. It became a bestseller on Amazon.
What Happens in the Story
This part of the story begins a few days after the last book, The Dark Prophecy. Apollo, who is stuck in the body of a 16-year-old named Lester, is exploring the Labyrinth. He is with 12-year-old Meg McCaffrey and the satyr, Grover Underwood. Their goal is to find the third evil emperor of the Triumvirate Holdings.
The trio faces constant attacks from monsters called strigae. Grover uses a special cry, the cry of Pan. This cry leads them to a place called Aeithales. It turns out this is Meg's old home. Mellie, the wife of the satyr Hedge, asks Apollo and Grover to check on Hedge. He is at a nearby army surplus store.
Apollo and Grover go to the store. There, they meet a dangerous person named Naevius Sutorius Macro. They manage to escape. A creature that looks like a centaur helps them and contacts someone. Apollo realizes the "centaur" is actually a horse named Incitatus. He also figures out that the third emperor is Caligula. Caligula was a very feared Roman emperor, known for his cruel rule.
Mellie tells them that Jason Grace and Piper McLean have also gone into the Labyrinth. Apollo and Meg meet up with Piper, who is moving away. They also find Jason, who is at school and fighting monsters. Jason secretly tells Apollo that he met the sibyl Herophile inside the Labyrinth. She told him that when he and Piper return, one of them will die. Jason keeps this a secret to protect Piper.
Apollo, Meg, Jason, and Piper sneak onto Caligula's ship. They want to steal his special shoes, which are important for a prophecy. But they are all captured by Pandai, who work for Caligula. They escape with help from Crest, a friendly Pandai. Apollo finds the shoes. However, they are then captured by Incitatus and taken to Caligula. Jason fights Caligula, but it's not a fair fight. Caligula stabs Jason twice. Jason uses his last bit of power to help the others escape before he dies. When they reach Piper's home, Piper blames Apollo for Jason's death.
Apollo, Meg, Grover, and Crest go back into the Labyrinth. They face riddles that seem to lead to Herophile's prison. But Apollo gives a wrong answer to one riddle. To avoid certain death, Apollo decides to find out why the southern lands have been burning. He discovers the dead body of Helios, the old sun god. Helios's body is still burning and is being used by a witch named Medea. Apollo promises to get revenge for Helios.
The trio finally reaches Herophile and receives another prophecy. They escape with help from Meliai, which are ash-tree spirits that Meg had planted earlier. They defeat Medea and Incitatus, but Crest loses his life. Apollo and Meg leave Aiethales in the care of the Meliai and continue their journey. Piper moves away, and Jason's body is given to Apollo to be buried at Camp Jupiter. Leo takes Hedge, Mellie, and Piper to Oklahoma.
Main Characters in the Adventure
- Apollo / Lester Papadopoulos – He is one of the Twelve Olympians (the main Greek gods). Zeus turned him into a human named Lester after a big war. As Lester, he must free five Oracles that are no longer working. The Sibyl Herophile is one of them. Caligula wants Apollo's power to become a new sun god.
- Meg McCaffrey – A brave 12-year-old girl. She is a daughter of Demeter, the goddess of agriculture.
- Grover Underwood – A satyr, who is a creature with human upper body and goat legs. He is also known as the Lord of the Wild.
- Piper McLean – A daughter of Aphrodite, the goddess of love. She has a special power called charm speak, which lets her convince people to do things.
- Jason Grace – A demigod son of Jupiter, who is the Roman version of Zeus.
- Caligula – The main bad guy in the story. He is a descendant of Apollo and a very cruel Roman Emperor. Along with Nero and Commodus, Caligula has caused many problems throughout history.
- Medea – A powerful sorceress from Roman myths. She helps Caligula try to become the new sun god.
What Comes Next
The next book in the series is called The Tyrant's Tomb. It was released on September 24, 2019.
