All of Rick Riodran’s books are based in the same universe. Each series focuses on a new protagonist, and can easily be read without background information. But for the full experience of Riodran’s world, you should read the novels in order.
There are multiple options for you to choose from – reading in publication order, in world event order, or even in conception order. The order below is based on Riordan’s vision. It’s what Riordan has suggested for the best reading experience.
The most popular series is also the first – Percy Jackson, The Lightning Thief. Its popularity grew from the 2010 Hollywood blockbuster, and we can expect a new wave of interest from the Mythomagic production company.
This company is producing two TV series in the near future – Percy Jacon and the Olympians on Disney+ and The Kane Chronicles on Netflix.
About Rick Riordan’s Books
Riordan writes about urban fantasy, but his main theme is Greek mythology. It all starts with Percy Jackson, a 16-year-old boy from New York who has no idea who his father is. He soon finds out that Poseidon, the God of the Sea, is his father.
This explains why he can stay underwater for an inhuman amount of time. Although he’s a demigod, Percy struggles with dyslexia and ADHD.
These godly powers and human disabilities create a paradox that the story explores – a metaphor for recognizing your struggles and knowing you can still have strengths.
Percy follows a quest to understand what happened to his family, prevent a God-on-God war, and learn how to control his newly found powers.
Rick Riordan Books In Order
Percy Jackson And The Olympians
This series is 5 books long. In an alternating fashion, each story is based in a new location. We start in real locations and then switch to mythical lands. New York, Sea of Monsters, San Francisco, and so on.
The story follows Percy, Grover, and Annabeth, as they explore parental pressure and understand themselves in a world where monsters exist. This series includes:
The Kane Chronicles take on Egyptian Gods instead of Greek. It takes place 2 weeks after The Last Olympian. Sadie and Carter are the children of a brilliant Egyptologist. Their knowledge puts them in danger when they accidentally release a God back into the world.
Their dad gets banished while Set vows to obliviate the children too. With the gods awoken, the children battle with guilt, secrets, and righting wrongs. This series includes:
Lots of bickering from the siblings, which detracts from the story
The Heroes Of Olympus
The Heroes of Olympus takes place in Camp Half-Blood, the same camp where Percy and his friends trained to control their powers. This story starts 16 months after The Last Olympian and follows Jason, Piper, and Leo on their unexpected journey to demi-hero status.
Lost memories, missing family members, and blood-chilling quests fill the series with mystery and action-packed adventures. This series includes:
Magnus Chase is set a few months after the Heroes of Olympus series. The main character is Magnus, an orphan who realizes he is the son of a Norse god after he finally finds his uncle.
Along with the typical quests you can expect from Riordan, this story touches on survival, unpicking memories, and choosing between your own safety and hundreds of innocents. This series includes:
The Trials of Apollo takes a different approach. Instead of confused kids realizing they are demigods, this story takes an immortal and makes him human. Apollo needs to survive as a mortal while modern life and old enemies beat him down.
The themes of loss, starting fresh, and finding your way, are strong in this series. Trials of Apollo include:
Daughter of the Deep was published in 2021. The second book in the series will be released in April 2023.
The story follows Ana Dakkar, a high schooler. Her academy specializes in marine activities from scientists to navigators, warriors to explorers. The school is rivals with the Land Institute fighting for the same developmental practices.
This rivalry has lasted generations, but now it has reached a turning point. Ana has to make her discoveries fast if she wants to live. The story follows themes of school, fights, secrets, and understanding yourself.
Pros
New storytelling dynamic
Fast-paced
Engaging
Cons
Lots of expositional paragraphs due to the new sci-fi genre
Published in 2023, this stand-alone novel is a follow-on from The Tower of Nero. The story follows the son of Hades during his grief. Without giving spoilers, it’s safe to say he hasn’t had a fair chance at life, but with so much going against him, Nico can still find happiness in one thing – his boyfriend.
Solace, the son of Apollo is his strength and together they can take on anything. But just as the sun seems to rise again, Nico hears a call from deep within the Underworld. This story is a battle in every sense of the world.
His family, his friends, his love, and his life pushing and pulling him one way or the other. Can Nico fight his demons or will he become one? The themes of inner conflict, rejecting family, and finding peace are all explored in this story.
Pros
Amazing LGBT representation
Fantastic display of family dismay
Heart-wrenching
Cons
None.
Tres Navarre
The Tres Navarre collection isn’t part of the Percy Jackson world. Rick Riordan takes a whole new approach to this adult mystery series. The main character is Tres, the private detective and tai chi master, with a Ph.D. in medieval studies.
Tres is an unusual man, but his eclectic knowledge comes into use when he is studying his father’s murder. This murder mystery is filled with suspense, action, crime, and as always, history. This series includes:
Cold Springs is part of the Tres Navarre universe, however, the main character is Chadwick. His life was going downhill when the worst thing possible happened. 10 years later, Chadwick turned his life around.
Working to save kids’ lives, he keeps his troubled daughter in his mind, always. However, his new life comes to a halt, when the daughter of an old friend starts making the same bad choices as his own kid.
Chadwick battles with guilt, family struggles, and a lack of empathy as he tries to stop the past from repeating itself. A murder mystery filled with suspense and action. Rick Riordan hasn’t mentioned a sequel to this story, so for now I’ll call it a standalone novel.
Pros
Vivid Scenes
Complex narrative
Beautiful written
Cons
Very dark
The 39 Clues
The 39 Clues is technically written by Scholastic, an American publication. Each story in the series is pre-determined by the company and written by one of the writers under their banner.
Rick Riordan wrote the first and last books in the series, but there are 11 in total. The main characters, Amy and Dan, know that their family is big, but it wasn’t until their Gran’s funeral that they realized just how massive the tree was.
Grace, the grandmother, was extremely rich in life, and instead of giving her wealth away to every family member, she puts them on a quest. The first to unlock the mystery will inherit all of her wealth.
The collection is both a puzzle book and a mystery as distant relatives fight each other to become the wealthiest family in the world. The series includes:
Great interactions for online and card trading storytelling
Exciting Adventures
Refreshing
Cons
As we are constantly told about the end, it makes the reader want to hurry the story along
Final Thoughts
Rick Riordan has a formula for his stories. He uses history and quests to create a group of three people and show how each has a talent of their own. Although the stories can be predictable, they don’t stop them from being fun.
Unlike most authors, Riordan has created multiple main characters in his universe, keeping a fresh perspective on the problems they face. Although his stories are aimed at teenagers, even adults can appreciate the history weaved into each story.
Frequently Asked Questions
In What Book Does Annabeth Get Pregnant?
Annabeth doesn’t become pregnant during the Rick Riordan series. However multiple popular fan fiction creators edit the series to include this storyline.
Is Magnus Chase Connected To Percy Jackson?
Magnus Chase is the cousin of Annabeth Chase. Annabeth is a close friend of Percy Jackson, and they enter into a relationship in the later series. It’s Annabeth who links the two characters together.
Are Percy And Annabeth Technically Cousins?
Yes, technically Percy and Annabeth are cousins. Athena is Zeus’s Daughter, while Poseidon is Zeus’s Brother, making Percy and Annabeth first cousins once removed.
What God Is Annabeth The Daughter Of?
Annabeth is the daughter of Athena, the God of wisdom and victory in battle. Her parents are Zeus and Metis. Annabeth’s father is a mortal man called Fredrick Chase.
Does Annabeth Appear In The Trials Of Apollo?
Yes, Annabeth, Grover, and Percy all appear in the Trials of Apollos series. However, they do not appear together, and they enter the story at different times.
Has The Percy Jackson Series Ended?
Rick Riordan has announced a 6th book in The Olympians series which is due for release in 2023. It will be called The Chalice of the Gods.
Noah Burton works as a Librarian full time, and is a blogger in his spare time. His goal is to write compelling recommendations for all of the most popular books he can find, from science fiction to romance.
With a passion for books, a drive to find new reads to get stuck into, and a love for sharing book recommendations with others, Noah can help you find the next novel for your bucket list.
