Percy Jackson vs. Harry Potter: In a New Way

[Katie_2000]

I thought I would bring up an old topic. Percy Jackson vs. Harry Potter. I don't know if this is the "thing" anymore, but a couple years ago this was a major talking point. Who do you like better, Percy Jackson or Harry Potter? Now this has always been a hard question to answer for me. I personally own all the books of both series and love them both with all my heart and more. I think that the books, although they do have some similarities, are quite different. I want to focus not on the actual plot lines of the books but on the messages and themes they portray. Let me start with Percy Jackson, this one puts emphasis on family and the sometimes confusing aspects of it. Harry Potter on the other hand, conveys the theme of hopes, wishes, and aspirations. I don't think the question should be which do you like better, I think the question should be which characters do you connect with. A large part of liking a certain book is when you have a connection with the characters, whether through experience, or emotions. Personally I can connect with both characters, as I have a family and know how life can be sometimes, and have hopes, wishes, and more aspirations then I can count.

[larney41]

I do like both series as well. Harry Potter is a very personal sort of story, and it is very easy to find a character that you can relate to. The Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series hold a special place for me though, because I have been pretty obsessed with greek mythology since I first saw clash of the titans when I was 3. Riordan is so far the only author that has been able to update the stories without watering them down or making them more kid friendly. also interesting is how the old "hero" characters are being used in the Heroes series, like Midas turning his daughter into gold because she annoyed him

[Zred13]

I see the comparisons. But I feel that both characters, while having the same similarities that many young hero's have, are very different in temperament and thought process. Each author develops their hero in completely different ways. Harry is sent off to school where adventures happen to him. Percy is forced into adventures to stay alive.

[symanthagattis13]

I never thought of them as similar or versus each other, it is definitely an interesting prospect. Percy and Harry both have the fight or die aspect, both having been protected for a certain extent and both have trouble follow them and both make 2 friends who will never stray. The biggest difference between the two characters in my personal opinion is personality.

From the get go Harry is very "Why me?" He is riddled with angst and anger lashing out left and right. He holds his friends and family high but won't hesitate to hurt their feelings if he feels displaced he feels like Dumbledore owes him attention because he's been through this tragic pain. When it comes to him and Draco he acts as if Draco could never become a good person.

Percy he kinda embraces the crap around him he has his own anger and angst about the prophecy and has some why me moments but never as much or pronounced as Harry. We rarely see Percy lash out even against his father. When it comes to Luke he waivers between disbelief he can be redeemed and mistrust and jealousy.

They're alike and different because of how Rowling and Rick wrote them and the trials they face. They both have a large fandom and they both came from different places. Like Zred13 said Harry goes off where adventures happen and Percy has to have adventures because that is the life of a demigod when the adventures stop death claims you.

[scarletwriting]

Well I think that they are a like because in the beginning their lives SUCKED they got bullied and parental issues. They are still different but yet somehow a little bit the same. Percy is more you could say timid and has milder emotions then Harry. Harry he is all over the place but part of it is from the cryptic hints from the other characters. I think Harry has it much worse that Percy. Still Harry is much younger than Percy so he doesn't have a lot of control.

-- 14 Nov 2014, 00:49 --

Well I think that they are a like because in the beginning their lives SUCKED they got bullied and parental issues. They are still different but yet somehow a little bit the same. Percy is more you could say timid and has milder emotions then Harry. Harry he is all over the place but part of it is from the cryptic hints from the other characters. I think Harry has it much worse that Percy. Still Harry is much younger than Percy so he doesn't have a lot of control.

[Indhira_Me]

Harry Potter was a journey. Percy Jackson too was. But when you emphasize on connection to characters, it is definitely Harry Potter for me. Even though both the book had characters of almost same age - the Potter series characters were a little bit mature and I personally can make a lot of connections despite all the magic involved. Percy Jackson was a fun read but it was only that. And the characters were clearly fictional because of the book setting and the story.

[Ashley1305]

With regards to the way the books are written, I feel that Rowling managed to keep the style consistant and mature, whereas Riordan initially started out with quite a juvenille introduction in the first book.
I enjoyed both series however and love how Riordan has been able to incorporate the characters from Greek and Roman mythology into the book.
Both Harry and Percy have good development arcs and it is nice to see how their development is influenced by the characters around them as well as their experiences.

[mamaoftwolittleones]

I liked the percy jackson series better then harry potter.

[Intelligent_Cat]

Re: Percy Jackson vs. Harry Potter: In a New Way
I think that the harry potter characters slightly were more relatable. In the harry potter books, you had three different personalities the audience could possibly identify with. you had Harry, a boy who came from a really bad home, but also has a lot of expectations to met, and worries about not meeting them. there's ron, a boy who feels kind of invisible underneath the weight of his brother's accomplishments. and finally, there is Hermione, a girl who at first seems to be annoying, but really smart, and uses that to have some sense of superiority. thus, she wouldn't feel so alone. I think at some point, most of us have been in one of those situations.
percy Jackson and annabeth are retable, but I don't think as much as harry, ron, and hermione. percy also comes from a bad home, but not as bad as harry's. and, at least in the first book, Harry's namesake proceeds him, setting expectations high, where as people seem to see percy's being poseidon's son as a bad thing(if I remember correctly?). although some girls can relate to annabeth, most people aren't incredibly smart and beautiful, and those who are usually have some horrible flaw to balance it out.
with that said, both of these book series had great values in them,are fun to read, and made many people happy. there's no reason why we can't enjoy both!

-- 22 Nov 2014, 13:57 --

[jhollan2]

I really enjoyed both series, but overall, I felt that J.K. Rowling did a better job of creating characters that anyone could relate to. As much as I love the Percy Jackson books and Greek mythology, the abilities of the characters and the situations they find themselves into are just too over the top and crazy for me to relate to. The characters are larger than life heroes who are always saving the day and nothing truly bad happens to them that isn't undone at a later point.

On the other hand, while the character of Harry Potter are witches and wizards, that almost feels incidental. It is very much a story about growing up and dealing with loss and grief and finding your place in the world in a way that everyone has experienced and understands on a fundamental level. It resonated with me in a way that the Percy Jackson books never did. Harry and his friends grow up and evolve and realize that there is no black and white, people are never purely good or purely evil and sometimes you don't win in the end.

[dagbjortxox]

For me I thought Percy Jackson was much better. But I'm not saying that Harry Potter isn't amazing because it is! But Percy Jackson has monsters and Greek mythology. It's just amazing and I enjoyed ever single minute I was reading it.

[Sree Chinta]

The decision in choosing between Percy Jackson and Harry Potter is similar to picking between Katniss and Tris because each pair of characters has so much in common and have redeeming qualities that every humane person aspires to have. However, I prefer Harry Potter over Percy Jackson in that Harry's life is at greater risk since birth due to Voldemort, whereas Percy Jackson is targeted only after joining Camp Half-Blood. Additionally, Harry Potter is not loved by anyone until the Weasleys and Hogwarts discover him, whereas Percy's mom loves him. I admire a character who transcends all stereotypes placed on him to become a legendary icon of strength and determination and thus, I prefer Harry over Percy.

[Skylar41]

Based on my opinion, I prefer Percy Jackson than Harry Potter although they are both really great!

[Castielluvs2]

I can relate more to the Harry Potter series because I feel like it faces more real life issues. Not only the abuse he went through as a child but also the lose he had to go through with Dumbledore who was a major mentor to Harry and he also had to suffer the lose of people he went to school with and got to know on a personal level. It also kind of highlights what happens to a community after a grave tragedy befalls them. Whereas in Percy Jackson, he only sees these people over the summer and then he only sees them for a week because he has to go off on a quest to save his own butt and never seems to lose anyone close to him (though in the last book he faces great struggles). The Percy Jackson series just seems to be something unusual cool to read to get away from life and whatever you may be facing. I love both of these series and am glad that my friends forced them upon me. Both authors have their own personal voices and they definitely use them to their fullest and I would never want anything in these books to change.

[Norma_Rudolph]

I had never really thought about how similar these two characters are before this post. I would have said that comparing them was like comparing apples to oranges, both good but totally different. Now I see that they have a lot in common. I vote for Harry.