A host of stars are set to appear as the Gods of Olympus in the film The Lightning Thief, the adaptation of the novel by Rick Riordan (Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com).

This is the first in five novels that tell the story of Percy Jackson, Poseiden's half human son who starts the series on a quest across America to prevent a war amongst the Gods, the story is set in the modern day.

That in itself is an interesting choice, for now the Gods aren't worshipped and revered as they once were, obviously in Greek times, so one would wonder what real involvement they have in everyday society, and that's perhaps a slant of the novel.

So who's playing the Gods I hear you ask? Well according to The Hollywood Reporter it's Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Sean Bean, Kevin McKidd and Melina Kanakaredes, and what's more Chris Columbus is set to direct the film adaptation which Rick Riordan also adapted for the big screen.

Already there's talk of taking all five novels and adapting them into a series, yes even the benchmark Harry Potter was mentioned, but then it always is when it's a younger novel and part of a series of books. Well actually there are a few things that do bare a passing resemblance to the story, let's have a look at some of the reviews on Amazon and see what the consensus is.

Well the good news is that it's supposed to be better than Harry Potter with a cooler and more modern feel to it. The premise is that there are many children who are half-human and half-God and when they are on Earth they have no idea of their origins and don't fit in. They even struggle with ADHD and dyslexia as they are more suited to the Greek language and hunting.

These children are protected at Camp Half-Blood, however Percy and his two friends, a brainy girl and a slightly geeky boy, have to leave the protection of the camp and brave the monsters who are out to kill all the half-humans to find Zeus' thunderbolt which everyone believes he has stolen.

There are tons of similarities when you read it, but from all accounts the reviewers say that it does stand well as its own story too.

As a film Percy Jackson looks like it's going to be a strong one with this huge cast, especially Sean Bean and Kevin McKidd.