If you went to middle school in the mid-2000s or know a kid who goes to middle school, you probably know the name Rick Riordan. One of the most prolific fantasy authors of our time, Riordan has written dozens of addictive books, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
I can’t think of a writer who’s changed my life more than Rick Riordan. Percy Jackson and the Olympians came out around the time I started reading seriously as a hobby, and I’ve kept myself caught up on his work ever since. There’s something magical about Riordan’s prose, a charge coursing through every word that magnetizes my eyes to the page whenever I open one of his books.
Riordan has written many books throughout his career, and I’d argue all of them are among the best of their respective genres. However, it wouldn’t be a ranking list if all of them were of equal quality, would it?
It’s “Rick Riordan Presents,” NOT “Rick Riordan Writes”
Before we dig into the meat of things, I want to clarify a spot of confusion that pops up often in discussions about Rick Riordan and his body of work. In 2016, Riordan launched a unique publishing imprint called “Rick Riordan Presents.” Created in direct response to fans of the author’s desire to see YA books based on various world mythologies, Rick Riordan Presents scouts out writers from underrepresented cultural heritages, enabling them to give their history and folklore the “urban fantasy glow-up treatment” Riordan’s already given Greco-Roman, Egyptian, and Norse mythology.
Riordan edited and promoted every standalone book and series published under the Rick Riordan Presents label, but he wasn’t their author. These stories are fantastic in their own right, and I’d recommend them to any fan of the “modern mythology” sub-genre Riordan helped prop up.
6. Tres Navarre
Before he set the world of YA literature ablaze, Riordan honed his authorial talents by writing Tres Navarre, a series of neo-noir novels set in his home state of Texas. Jackson “Tres” Navarre, an unlicensed private investigator and Tai Chi enthusiast, solves mysteries that spring up across San Antonio, encountering a litany of colorful characters and nefarious ne’er-do-wells along the way.
Reading the Tres Navarre series was a surreal ride for me. There are no fantastical elements here: these books are about the terrible crimes that can unfold on the gritty streets and dusty plains of the Lone Star State. That said, there are glimmers of the author Riordan would become hidden throughout Tres Navarre‘s pages. The titular detective is an obvious prototype of the snarky, ungovernable protagonists that headline Riordan’s later series, and though the humor’s darker than what you might be used to, these books are still hilarious.
5. The Trials of Apollo
The third and final (for now, at least) installment in Riordan’s career-defining Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, The Trials of Apollo series is also the only one in the franchise that doesn’t follow a demigod. Instead, our protagonist is Apollo, the god of archery, art, healing, and prophecy. Cast down from Olympus after a series of world-imperiling slip-ups, Apollo must earn his god-hood back by protecting five oracles from Triumvirate Holdings, a multinational corporation headed by three of Rome’s worst emperors.
ToA has many good things going for it. Riordan takes full advantage of the enormous cast he’s built up over a decade of storytelling here. He pushes established characters in new and exciting directions while introducing memorable new faces to his already-expansive roster.
Unfortunately, as fun as ToA is, it’s held back by an unescapable air of franchise fatigue. Barring one jaw-dropping twist in the third book, ToA plays it pretty safe, which is a big disappointment. I still remember all the challenging but thrilling turns the previous Camp Half-Blood Chronicles series took, and it’s disappointing that ToA never lets itself take similar risks.
4. The Kane Chronicles
Written less than a year after he wrapped Percy Jackson and the Olympians (for the first time), The Kane Chronicles proved Riordan wasn’t a one-trick pony. When their estranged Egyptologist father disappears after a strange incident at the British Museum, Carter and Sadie Kane discover their family’s connection to a hidden world of magic, sorcerers, and gods of the Nile.
Rather than repeating the pattern he set with Percy Jacksonand the Olympians, Riordan does something entirely new with the characters and the secret magic world of TKC. The Egyptian gods don’t influence the world through their half-mortal children like the Greek Gods of PJO; they act through magicians trained in magical schools. Instead of one smart-mouthed protagonist writing his thoughts in a journal, we have two inscribing their adventures as audio files (related not: the audiobook versions of Riordan’s books are all fantastic).
While the pacing feels rushed after the first book, TKC is a fun romp from cover to cover with well-rounded characters, creative uses of magic, and even a blatant exploration of the prejudice bi-racial children face all too often.
3. The Heroes of Olympus
Percy Jacksonand the Olympians tell a satisfying story about Greek mythology’s most iconic deities and creatures. However, it only scratches the surface of the culture’s massive cast of characters. The Heroes of Olympus, a direct sequel to PJO, dives even deeper into that mythos, and it’s all the better for it.
Following a group of demigods tied together by a prophecy foretelling the end of the world, HoO expands the scope of PJO’s world to astronomical proportions. Camp Jupiter, a second demigod camp inhabited by the children and descendants of the Greek Gods’ Roman aspects, is introduced, and with it comes a host of enthralling new characters, many of whom have gone on to become fan favorites.
Everything feels big in HoO; the gods are more awe-inspiring, the odds against our heroes keep escalating, and their journey stretches far beyond the borders of the continental United States. With that said, things get messy by the final book, with too many ongoing plotlines getting wrapped up before they reach their full potential. Despite that, HoA kept the Percy Jackson name alive, triaging most of the damage 20th Century Fox’s disastrous and ultimately aborted film series did to the franchise’s reputation.
2. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
With stories about the Greeco-Roman and Egyptian pantheons under his belt, Riordan tackled Marvel’s favorite classical mythology with Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. We follow Magnus Chase, estranged cousin of Percy Jackson’s friend-turned-girlfriend Annabeth, who discovers he’s the son of a Norse god after he dies and ascends to Valhalla.
MCGA is noticeably more mature than most of Riordan’s other series. The books use the gods and monsters of Scandinavian myth to explore challenging themes like homelessness, ableism, islamophobia, and anti-LBGTQ rhetoric. Thankfully, the series doesn’t ditch the charm that defines other Riordanverse installments. Magnus is a fantastic protagonist, armed with the same razor-sharp wit we’ve come to expect from Rirodan’s leads.
If you’re a fan of Norse mythology, you’ll have a great time with MCGA. Just be ready to brace yourself when the heavy moments fall like Mjolnir on a giant’s skull.
1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians
What would happen if the gods of Greek mythology were real and they never stopped having kids with mortals? That’s the question at the core of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Percy Jackson is a troubled boy with ADHD and dyslexia, and even he’s betting against his odds of living a good life. That is until he discovers he’s the son of Poseidon and the gods of Olympus’ last hope to win a war against the vengeful Titans they overthrew millennia ago.
Riordan weaves one of the most engaging fantasy worlds I’ve ever encountered, putting a fun twist on the gods and monsters of Greek mythology while introducing some unique ideas into the mix. Despite that, the real heart of the series lies in its protagonist.
Percy Jackson is one of the most inspiring YA heroes ever written. His coming-of-age is a powerful exploration of the struggles neurodivergent youth face, and seeing him rise to the occasion and prove his worth as a hero and a person never loses its luster. Knowing that Percy was inspired by Riordan’s son makes it even more touching.
