The Tyrant's Tomb 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 4) |
| Genre | Fantasy, Greek and Roman mythology, Young adult |
| Publisher | Disney Hyperion |
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Publication date
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September 24, 2019 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback), audiobook, e-book |
| Pages | 448 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-1-4847-4644-8 |
| Preceded by | The Burning Maze |
| Followed by | The Tower of Nero |
The Tyrant's Tomb is an exciting fantasy novel by American author Rick Riordan. It mixes Greek mythology and Roman mythology into a thrilling adventure. This book was first released on September 24, 2019. It is the fourth book in The Trials of Apollo series. This series is also a spin-off from the popular Percy Jackson & the Olympians books.
The story follows the Greek god Apollo. He has been turned into a human and sent to Camp Jupiter. Here, he must learn to be a true hero. His main goal is to find and restore five ancient oracles. This will help him get his amazing godly powers back.
Contents
Apollo's Journey to Camp Jupiter
The story begins with Apollo and his friend Meg McCaffrey. They are taking the body of their friend Jason Grace to Camp Jupiter. This camp is a safe place for Roman demigods. On their way, a monster called a eurynomos attacks them. A girl with pink hair named Lavinia helps them. She brings dryads (tree spirits) and a faun (forest spirit) to fight the monster.
Lavinia offers to guide them to Camp Jupiter. They carry Jason's coffin through a secret tunnel. Suddenly, Hazel Levesque, another demigod, appears. More eurynomous monsters attack. Hazel fights them while Apollo, Meg, and Lavinia escape into the tunnel. Apollo gets hurt by a monster, which makes him very sick.
Arrival and a Difficult Prophecy
They finally reach Camp Jupiter. Frank Zhang and Reyna Ramirez-Arellano, who are leaders called praetors, greet them. Everyone at camp is sad about Jason's death. They decide to continue Jason's plan to build temples for the gods.
Apollo faints and has a dream. He sees two evil Roman emperors, Caligula and Commodus. They are planning to attack Camp Jupiter. They want to use powerful Greek fire from their yachts. Apollo wakes up and learns he has been asleep for a day and a half.
That night, they hold a funeral for Jason. Lupa, a wolf goddess, tells Apollo he needs help from the gods. Apollo and Frank visit Ella the harpy and Tyson the cyclops. Ella and Tyson are busy rewriting the ancient Sibylline Books. They give Apollo a new prophecy about the tomb of Tarquin.
The Quest for Tarquin
Apollo, Meg, Lavinia, and Hazel are chosen for a special mission. They need to learn more about Tarquin. He was the last king of Rome and has somehow returned. They discover that Tarquin is keeping a "soundless god" at Sutro Tower. This god is stopping communication with other gods.
When they return, they realize they must destroy this "soundless god." This will help them get divine help. Apollo, Meg, and Reyna are chosen for this dangerous quest to Sutro Tower.
Facing the Soundless God
At Sutro Tower, they find the "soundless god" is Harpocrates. He is a god of silence and has had problems with Apollo before. Harpocrates also has a jar containing the voice of the Sibyl of Cumae. After a difficult fight, they manage to get Harpocrates's last breath. They also get the Sibyl's Jar. This jar is needed to get help from the gods.
On their way back, they are attacked again by a eurynomous. Lavinia and her friends, who had left the camp earlier, help them. Reyna and Lavinia come up with "Plan L." This plan is to defeat the yachts that Apollo saw in his dream.
The Battle for Camp Jupiter
When Apollo and Meg return, Camp Jupiter is in the middle of a huge battle. Apollo calls for help from the gods on Temple Hill. He decides to call upon Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt.
Frank bravely sacrifices himself to save his friends and defeat Caligula. He burns his special firewood lifeline, which is tied to his life. Commodus orders his ships to fire, but "Plan L" works perfectly. The yachts are destroyed. Apollo, filled with grief for Frank, defeats Commodus.
Meanwhile, Tarquin has reached the bookshop where Ella and Tyson were rewriting the Sibylline Books. Meg and Hazel fight Tarquin. Diana finally arrives. She defeats Tarquin and heals Apollo. Reyna, Lavinia, and Peaches the karpos (grain spirit) return safely.
Aftermath and New Beginnings
Surprisingly, Arion, Hazel's magical horse, rescues Frank. Frank has mysteriously survived! Reyna promises to serve Diana (who is the Roman form of Artemis). She joins the Hunters of Artemis.
Sadly, Dakota, a leader of the Fifth Cohort, passes away from his battle wounds. Don the faun also dies. He is reincarnated into a laurel tree, which is Apollo's tree of victory. Hazel is chosen as the new praetor of Camp Jupiter. Lavinia becomes the new centurion of the Fifth Cohort.
Apollo receives his old godly bow as a gift from Camp Jupiter. Meg receives special seeds. They get the final prophecy from Ella and Tyson. It is written in a special poem style called terza rima. They realize they need to find more parts of the prophecy in the east. Apollo and Meg then set off for New York. They hope to reunite with their friends from Camp Half-Blood.
Creating the Book
Rick Riordan, the author, shared some details about writing The Tyrant's Tomb. He mentioned that the book would feature characters like Hazel Levesque, Frank Zhang, and Reyna Ramírez-Arellano. His editor, Stephanie Lurie, also confirmed that the magical Arrow of Dodona would appear.
Rick Riordan finished writing the book on April 1. However, it took until September 24 for the book to be printed and released. He also hinted that Camp Jupiter would experience big changes in its leadership.
Book Release
The Tyrant's Tomb was first released by Disney-Hyperion in the United States. This happened on September 24, 2019. The cover art was created by John Rocco. You could buy the book as a hardcover, an e-book, or an audiobook. The audiobook was read by actor Robbie Daymond.
The book was very popular. It was listed as a children's bestseller in 2019. Some special editions of the book included extra content. For example, the Barnes & Noble edition had a poster and diary entries. These entries were from a new Roman demigod at Camp Jupiter.
On March 7, 2019, fans got a sneak peek. The cover and the first two chapters of the book were released early. This book is generally recommended for readers aged 9-12.
Next in the Series
The fifth and final book in The Trials of Apollo series is The Tower of Nero. It was released on October 6, 2020.
