Summary
- Riordan’s diverse works immerse readers in mythology from around the world, sparking unbridled imagination in all ages.
- The adventure imbued in each story reflects Riordan’s conscious effort to represent a wide array of stories and individuals.
- While some series stand out as the best, every book written by Riordan offers something exciting and unique for readers.
After writing Percy Jackson & The Olympians, Rick Riordan’s career took off, and he’s had the opportunity to share a plethora of works from different perspectives for readers of all ages. A recurring theme across Riordan’s book series is that he’s interested in mythology from all around the world and sharing this cultural history with younger audiences. However, the magic and spark that all of his protagonists share is enough to transport anyone back into the golden days of unbridled imagination. Each story is imbued with the kind of adventure that all readers dream of.
As Riordan has grown more established as a writer, his work has only become increasingly conscious of representing a wide array of stories and individuals.
Thanks to his descriptive prose and vivid characters, Riordan’s work is uniquely suited to adaptation for the screen.Percy Jackson season 2 will likely make changes to the book’s story, but this is for the best as the series moves into more contemporary and diverse territory. As Riordan has grown more established as a writer, his work has only become increasingly conscious of representing a wide array of stories and individuals. Though every book he’s written has something exciting to offer, there are a few series in his collection that rise to the top as the best.
Related
The 10 Best Rick Riordan Books Of All Time Ranked
Rick Riordan is the author of the Percy Jackson novels as well as its many spin-offs, and each book has a reason to be considered one of his best.
7 The 39 Clues (2008–2011)
A series that Riordan collaborated on with several authors.
The first and last books in The 39 Clues series feature Riordan as a contributing author, but each book is well worth reading. When Amy and Dan Cahill suddenly discover they’re part of an internationally powerful and influential family, their world turns upside down. However, things grow even more sinister when they get the opportunity to participate in a worldwide treasure hunt. They must compete against relatives willing to go to extreme lengths to find the prize. As a new author takes over for each successive book, new characters and elements are introduced that make the story more rich.
The fantasy and magical elements that draw so many readers to his work are absent from
The 39 Clues
, even if there are more unrealistic aspects of the narrative.
The 39 Clues can’t rank higher in Riordan’s list of book series because he didn’t have a hand in writing all of them, and the series never rose to the heights of popularity that his other work achieved. Additionally, the fantasy and magical elements that draw so many readers to his work are absent from The 39 Clues, even if there are more unrealistic aspects of the narrative. One of the best parts of The 39 Clues is getting to know Dan and Amy, as their sibling dynamic fuels much of the emotional realism in the series.
6 Tres Navarre (1997–2007)
Riordan’s only adult fiction series was started before he wrote Percy Jackson.
Riordan’s only adult fiction series boasts seven books and a strong command of the history and culture of the Southwestern U.S. All of Riordan’s works engage with cross-country travel and adventure. However, Tres Navarre focuses specifically on Texas and the character Tres. Combining facets of mystery, dark academia, and the Western genres, Tres Navarre is a unique blend of stories that was well ahead of its time in the way it transcends only one niche of fiction. Throughout the books, it’s clear that Tres is a child at heart and can’t resist a call to action.
The biggest takeaway from reading the Tres Navarre series is that Riordan is best suited for children’s literature and can’t escape his love of adventure. Riordan began to wrap up the Tres Navarre series after writing seven books from his protagonist’s perspective and as the Percy Jackson series began to grow in popularity. Though he’s a strong writer no matter the genre, Riordan has too much heart and too little darkness to tackle an adult mystery series. There’s value in reading the Tres Navarre books, but they’re all a reminder that Riordan’s children’s books are for everyone.
5 The Kane Chronicles (2010-2012)
Though it features much of the same magic, The Kane Chronicles is Riordan’s least popular mythological series.
While
Percy Jackson
focuses on demigods,
The Kane Chronicles
positions its lead characters as a pair of magicians.
The Kane Chronicles is set in the same universe as Percy Jackson and uses many of the same narrative tricks and story choices. However, the trilogy has faded to the background of Riordan’s work despite it being just as dynamic a tale. Similarly to The 39 Clues, The Kane Chronicles follows a pair of siblings, Carter and Sadie, who encounter the gods of Egypt and a family secret that goes back centuries. While Percy Jackson focuses on demigods, The Kane Chronicles positions its lead characters as a pair of magicians. This presents a new magic system that’s slightly more complex.
Additionally, though the monsters in Percy Jackson and Riordan’s other Greek and Roman mythological books aren’t weak, the forces of evil and chaos in The Kane Chronicles are even scarier. One reason why The Kane Chronicles didn’t have the success of Percy Jackson is because the series splits the perspective between Carter and Sadie from the start. This makes it a little harder to fully get to know the characters. Additionally, Carter and Sadie are on their own against chaos for so much of the series, making the world feel slightly smaller than in Percy Jackson.
4 Magnus Chase And The Gods Of Asgard (2015–2017)
After grappling with Greek, Roman, and Egyptian gods, Riordan moved on to Norse mythology.
Unsurprisingly, Annabeth Chase’s family boasts not one but two all-powerful demigods, as Annabeth is one of the most compelling characters from Percy Jackson and The Heroes of Olympus. Her cousin, Magnus, might be related to her by blood, but his god-like heritage takes the form of Norse mythology, as he’s the son of Frey, the god of fertility. Like Annabeth, Magnus spends most of his childhood on the run and on his own, but he doesn’t have a Camp Half-Blood to run to, making his path to safety and power all the more difficult.
In The Sword of Summer, the audience gets a taste of a whole new batch of gods and legends, but this time, Riordan wisely connects the stories to the Percy Jackson universe. Thanks to Magnus’ relation to Annabeth, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard got the bump in awareness and popularity that The Kane Chronicles lacked. As Mangus’ adventures continue, his friends and allies flesh out the larger world of the story, and it’s easy to get lost in the exciting new developments of Riordan’s well-received series. Though it’s not as strong as Percy Jackson, it’s a lot of fun.
3 The Trials Of Apollo (2016-2020)
After Percy’s story had wrapped up, Riordan opened up his perspective to the world of the gods.
Though the gods feature prominently in Percy Jackson and The Heroes of Olympus, it’s not until The Trials of Apollo that Riordan writes from the perspective of a god. Apollo is introduced early on in the Percy Jackson series, but, like all the deities who help Percy and his friends, Apollo is treated as an otherworldly entity with seemingly limitless power. However, everything changes in The Hidden Oracle when Apollo is punished by Zeus and is transported back to Earth in the form of a human who needs all the help he can get.
Though
The Trials of Apollo
doesn’t feature all the characters from the earlier series,
Percy Jackson
and
The Heroes of Olympus
, it does include some, and it’s a treat to hear from them again.
Many of the best Greek mythology movies deal directly with stories of the gods and their descent to Earth, but few see the gods having to complete trials to regain their mystical powers. Though The Trials of Apollo doesn’t feature all the characters from the earlier series, Percy Jackson and The Heroes of Olympus, it does include some, and it’s a treat to hear from them again. Additionally, Apollo, or Lester in human form, makes a surprisingly empathetic and nuanced protagonist who grows into someone worth rooting for as he traverses across the U.S. in classic Riordan fashion.
2 The Heroes Of Olympus (2010–2014)
Though it’s the follow-up to Percy Jackson, The Heroes of Olympus distinguishes itself as something new.
When picking up the first book in The Heroes of Olympus series, The Lost Hero, it was easy to be disappointed that Percy Jackson was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Roman mythology was being introduced alongside the familiar Greek gods and monsters, along with a new cast of characters who were nowhere to be found in the first series. However, it doesn’t take long for Jason and his friends to win over the audience and prove that there is plenty more to the story, especially once Percy returns in The Son of Neptune.
Additionally, The Heroes of Olympus was a little more serious and mature than Percy Jackson and the Olympians, allowing readers who grew up reading about Percy’s adventures to easily make the transition to the next series. The development of Annabeth and Percy’s relationship in The Heroes of Olympus shows a level of growth and maturity that demonstrates that Riordan understands how to execute proper character development. Riordan also had the opportunity to learn from some of the missteps he made with Percy Jackson and include more diverse storylines and individuals so that all readers could feel represented by the text.
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Percy Jackson’s Story Would Be Unrecognizable If Rick Riordan Had Followed The Real Greek Myth
Percy Jackson’s story would have been wildly different had Rick Riordan stuck to the troubled demigod’s original divine parentage in Greek mythology.
1 Percy Jackson & The Olympians (2005–2009)
Riordan’s breakout series is remembered as some of the best middle-grade writing of all time.
Percy grows and changes throughout the books, but he’s always a character the reader wants to go on an adventure with.
The middle-grade genre of books is sometimes overlooked, but it’s a difficult niche to write for as it’s an important transition between early chapter books and young adult narratives. However, if there was ever a perfect example of a middle-grade book series, it would be Percy Jackson. Though it has some flaws, it’s an enduring story with one of the most likable and relatable protagonists of any series, middle-grade or not. Percy grows and changes throughout the books, but he’s always a character the reader wants to go on an adventure with.
Though the series didn’t start the modern popularity of Greek mythology, it helped its following grow and is part of the reason that so many readers seek out mythological books today. Many exciting new characters will be in Percy Jackson season 2, and they’re only the tip of the iceberg, as the series will continue to grow in scale as the seasons progress. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is the series that put Riordan on the map, and it’s the source of the stories that would come later and establish Riordan as the author he’s known as today.
