Despite a month long break from Rick Riordan, I eagerly downloaded the first of The Trials of Apollo from the library. After all, Riordan ended an entire series with cliffhangers. So, I was rather displeased when the main characters in The Hidden Oracle were terribly unlikable. What on earth would possess an author to write that?
Unlikable Main Characters
First off, the story follows Apollo, a disgraced and eccentric god of Olympus. His flair for the opulent creates a narrative voice that both amuses and annoys me. Plus, like all the gods of Olympus, he thinks he’s the best thing to happen since sliced bread. Arrogant, whiny, ashamed… Apollo may be learning what it means to think of others before himself, but reading the process almost pains me. As excellently as Riordan has “shown” personality before, Riordan winds up “telling” us Apollo’s mental shift far too explicitly.
Then, we have Apollo’s sidekick, Meg. I should have compassion for Meg. Her traumatic background led to her unhygienic appearance, her spastic actions, and her social ineptitude. Much as I hate to say it, though, Meg drives me nuts! Riordan describes Meg in vivid detail, and the smell lingering in my brain disgusts me.
Relying on the Past to Carry the Future
These unlikable main characters force The Hidden Oracle to rely almost entirely on characters from the Heroes of Olympus series. Percy begins the adventure; Leo ends it. In fact, if Leo had not entered the story when he did, I probably wouldn’t even consider reading the next book in the series.
Perhaps the main characters are deplorable because the villain is even more so. The Trials of Apollo carry us further in Rome’s history with the appearance of the emperor Nero. As one of Apollo’s offspring in the book, Nero represents all of Apollo’s failures as a father. His persecution of Christians brings another perspective to the table, but again, Riordan relies on his explanation in the first Percy Jackson book to hold the worldview together. So, we have an unlikable hero for a despicable villain. I suppose that makes sense?
How do you feel about unlikable main characters? Do they prevent you from reading the book, or do you embrace the “antihero” idea and read on?