The Tower of Nero (The Trials of Apollo Series #5)

by Rick Riordan Narrated by Robbie Daymond

Overview

The fifth and final installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling Trials of Apollo series has Lester and Meg returning to where it all began: Camp Half-Blood.

At last, the breathtaking, action-packed finale of the #1 bestselling Trials of Apollo series is here! Will the Greek god Apollo, cast down to earth in the pathetic moral form of a teenager named Lester Papadopoulos, finally regain his place on Mount Olympus? Lester's demigod friends at Camp Jupiter just helped him survive attacks from bloodthirsty ghouls, an evil Roman king and his army of the undead, and the lethal emperors Caligula and Commodus. Now the former god and his demigod master Meg must follow a prophecy uncovered by Ella the harpy. Lester's final challenge will be at the Tower of Nero, back in New York. Will Meg have a last showdown with her father? Will this helpless form of Apollo have to face his arch nemesis, Python? Who will be on hand at Camp Half-Blood to assist? These questions and more will be answered in this book that all demigods are eagerly awaiting.

Editorial Reviews

NOVEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

Rick Riordan’s epic Trials of Apollo series comes to an end with this fifth and final installment. Narrator Robbie Daymond has been the smug, funny, and entirely convincing voice of Greek god Apollo from the very beginning. As Apollo, Meg, and their friends return to New York after a cross-country road trip and prepare to wage their final battles against baddies Nero and Python, Daymond is in perfect step with all of the action and emotion. He adds squeaks and pops to his repertoire for the language of the underground troglodytes and gives voice to a large cast of characters both familiar and new, but as always, Apollo’s journey is at the heart of the story, and Daymond is that heart. Will they prevail, and will Apollo become his godly self again? Listen and find out. J.M.D. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2020-10-22
In this tumultuous series closer, Apollo, transformed into a mortal teenager, takes on both a deified emperor in a luxurious Manhattan high-rise and an older adversary.

Lester/Apollo’s coast-to-coast quest reaches its climactic stage as, with help from both eager squads of fledgling demigods from Camp Half-Blood and reluctant allies from realms deep below New York, he invades the palatial lair of Emperor Nero—followed by a solo bout with another foe from a past struggle. Riordan lays on the transformation of the heedless, arrogant sun god to a repentant lover of his long-neglected semidivine offspring and of humanity in general, which has served as the series’ binding theme, thickly enough to have his humbled narrator even apologizing (twice!) to his underwear for having to change it periodically. Still, the author delivers a fast, action-driven plot with high stakes, lots of fighting, and occasional splashes of gore brightened by banter and silly bits, so readers aren’t likely to mind all the hand-wringing. He also leaves any real-life parallels to the slick, megalomaniacal, emotionally abusive Nero entirely up to readers to discern and dishes out just deserts all round, neatly tying up loose ends in a set of closing vignettes. The supporting cast is predominantly White, with passing mention of diverse representation.

A brisk, buffed-up finish threaded with inner and outer, not to mention sartorial, changes. (glossary) (Fantasy. 10-14)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172342684
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	10/06/2020
Series:	Trials of Apollo Series
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	680,810
Age Range:	10 - 13 Years

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