Where To Start With Rick Riordan’s Books After Watching Disney+’s ‘Percy Jackson’

For the first time in a decade, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series is getting a new live-action adaptation. With Percy Jackson and the Olympians premiering on Disney+, it is the perfect time to revisit or begin getting into Riordan’s books.

Few authors have enjoyed the success and influence that Rick Riordan has. Since entering the literary world just over two decades ago, Riordan has written and published dozens of books, many of which are inspired by Greek mythology. His works have been translated into 42 different languages, and over 190 million copies of his books are in print worldwide. While at least 20 of his books have landed on The New York Times bestselling list, his most famous series by far is Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

The series garnered him worldwide attention and spurned an entire literary universe within which most of his books are set. It was so beloved that it quickly received two film adaptations. Unfortunately, the films departed too far from Riordan’s works and weren’t well-received. However, his creation has a second chance to flourish on the screen with Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Unlike with the films, Riordan had significant creative control of the series, including the cast choices. Based on early reviews, it appears that the series is finally getting an adaptation that does it just justice and further expands and adds context to the story.

After Percy Jackson and the Olympians‘ premiere, viewers may have a fresh perspective on the franchise, which could make diving into the books even more appealing. Of course, delving into the Riordanverse can be a little daunting. The Percy Jackson universe alone contains five book series, one standalone novel, and a plethora of companion books—and that’s not even counting his non-Percy Jackson works. To make things easier, here’s every Percy Jackson and non-Percy Jackson book by Riordan in order.

The Percy Jackson Universe

Most readers will want to begin their introduction to Riordan with his most famous works, which reside in the Percy Jackson universe. When reading all of Riordan’s books in the Percy Jackson realm, it’s best to read in order by series. Hence, you’ll make your way chronologically through each book in a series before starting the next series. Here are all of Riordian’s Percy Jackson works in order of series:

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series

The books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series are:

1. The Lightning Thief
2. The Sea of Monsters
3. The Titan’s Curse
4. The Battle of the Labyrinth
5. The Last Olympian

This is the series that started it all and is the obvious place to start when entering the Riordanverse. The pentalogy follows Percy and his adventures with Annabeth and Grover after he discovers he’s the son of Poseidon and the center of a Great Prophecy. It introduces readers to the concepts of demigods, Camp Half-Blood, and the Greek gods as they reside in Olympus over modern-day New York. If you want to be an overachiever and get the full Percy Jackson experience, you can read the companion books, too:

1. The Demigod Files
2. The Ultimate Guide
3. Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods
4. Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes
5. Camp Half-Blood Confidential

The Heroes of Olympus Series

The books in The Heroes of Olympus series are:

1. The Lost Hero
2. The Son of Neptune
3. The Mark of Athena
4. The House of Hades
5. The Blood of Olympus

The Heroes of Olympus is a direct sequel to Percy Jackson and the Olympians. This pentalogy introduces a new trio of heroes—Jason, Piper, and Leo—and delves into Roman mythology in addition to Greek mythology. Percy, Annabeth, and Camp Half-Blood will also appear in the series as a clash between Greek and Roman gods ensues. Companion books for The Heroes of Olympus are:

1. The Demigod Diaries
2. Demigods of Olympus

The Kane Chronicles Trilogy

The books in The Kane Chronicles trilogy are:

1. The Red Pyramid
2. The Throne of Fire
3. The Serpent’s Shadow

The Kane Chronicles is set in the same universe as Percy Jackson but separated from Percy’s story. This trilogy follows siblings Sadie and Carter Kane, the descendants of Egyptian pharaohs, who are tasked with saving their family and the world after the Egyptian gods are unleashed on humanity. The series diverts from Greco-Roman mythology and serves as a deep dive into Egyptian mythology. While the events of Percy Jackson and the Olympians are briefly mentioned, The Kane Chronicles is mostly self-contained. The series’ companion books are:

1. Survival Guide
2. Brooklyn House Magician’s Manual 

Demigods and Magicians

Demigods and Magicians is an anthology that includes the stories:

1. The Son of Sobek
2. The Staff of Serapis
3. The Crown of Ptolemy

These stories were initially published separately but combined into Demigods and Magicians in 2016. This anthology should be read after Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Kane Chronicles because it is a Kane and Percy crossover. Demigods and Magicians sees Percy and Annabeth team up with Sadie and Carter to combat combined forces of Greek and Egyptian mythology.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Trilogy

The books in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series are:

1. The Sword of Summer
2. The Hammer of Thor
3. The Ship of the Dead

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is another trilogy set in the Percy Jackson universe. Magnus Chase is the cousin of Annabeth Chase, and both she and Percy cameo in the series. The trilogy delves into Norse mythology and follows Magnus as he learns he is the son of Vanir and sets out on several quests to attain powerful artifacts such as Sumarbrander and Mjolnir. It also comes with one companion book:

1. Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds.

The Trials of Apollo Series

The books in The Trials of Apollo series are:

1. The Hidden Oracle
2. The Dark Prophecy
3. The Burning Maze
4. The Tyrant’s Tomb
5. The Tower of Nero

The Trials of Apollo pentalogy serves as a direct sequel to The Heroes of Olympus series. It sees Apollo, the Sun God, punished by Zeus for his role in the conflict between the Greek and Roman gods during The Heroes of Olympus. He is turned into a mortal named Lester Papadopoulos and sent to Camp Half-Blood on a quest to restore five Oracles around the world that have stopped working. This series also comes with one companion book:

1. Camp Half-Blood Confidential

The Sun and the Star

The Sun and the Star is a standalone novel set in the Percy Jackson universe written by Riordan and Mark Oshiro. The novel follows the son of Hades, Nico di Angelo, and his boyfriend Will Solace, son of Apollo, as they journey to Tartarus to save Bob the Titan. Percy and Annabeth also make a cameo in the book, and readers will get a glimpse of their college lives.

Non-Percy Jackson Books

While the majority of Riordan’s works fall into the Percy Jackson universe, he does have several pre- and post-Percy Jackson works that still boast his signature style. Here are all Riordan’s non-Percy Jackson books in order of publication.

Tres Navarre

The books in the Tres Navarre series are:

1. Big Red Tequila
2. The Widower’s Two-Step
3. The Last King of Texas
4. The Devil Went Down to Austin
5. Southtown
6. Mission Road
7. Rebel Island

Before there was Percy Jackson, Tres Navarre was Riordan’s main muse. Riordan’s Tres Navarre is a mystery series aimed at adult readers. It follows tequila-drinking unofficial private investigator Navarre as he solves a series of crimes and confronts his past in the Lone Star State of Texas. Big Red Tequila was actually the very first book Riordan ever published, and the gritty, twisty mystery series is a good place to start for his non-Percy Jackson works.

Cold Springs

Cold Springs was Riordan’s first standalone novel and is a mystery thriller for adults set in Texas. The book follows Chadwick, a grieving and guilt-ridden father who finds himself with the chance to save the life of a troubled teen, Mallory Zedman. However, when he finds out she’s involved in a murder mystery, he’ll be forced to confront his past and get to the bottom of the murder to save her.

The 39 Clues

The books in The 39 Clues series written by Riordan are:

1. The Maze of Bones
2. Introduction to The 39 Clues: The Black Book of Buried Secrets
3. Vespers Rising

The 39 Clues is a series from Scholastic that follows the adventures of siblings Dan and Amy Cahill and is written as a collaboration between several different authors. Riordan had the honor of kicking off the series with The Maze of Bones and later collaborated on Vespers Rising with Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson. He also wrote the intro for the series’ guide, The 39 Clues: The Black Book of Buried Secrets.

Daughter of the Deep

Daughter of the Deep is Riordan’s first standalone YA novel set outside the Percy Jackson universe. It is a sci-fi novel set in the world of Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and follows Ana Dakkar, a 15-year-old student at a prestigious boarding school that specializes in Marine Sciences. When a trial at sea with her freshman class takes an unexpected turn, Ana will learn some startling truths about herself and the marine world as she puts her marine skills to the test.

(featured image: Disney Hyperion)