Rick Riordan
Author of The Lightning Thief
About the Author
Rick Riordan was born on June 5, 1964, in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a double major in English and history, he taught in public and private middle schools for many years. He writes several children's series including Percy Jackson and the show more Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, and The Heroes of Olympus, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, and The Trials of Apollo. He also writes the Tres Navarre mystery series for adults. He has won Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus Awards for his mystery novels. . (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Rick Riordan
From the Kane Chronicles Brooklyn House Magician's Manual (An Official Rick Riordan Companion Book): Your Guide to Egyptian Gods & Creatures, Glyphs & Spells, and More (2018) 377 copies, 2 reviews
Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades / Horrible Histories: The Groovy Greeks (2009) — Author — 358 copies, 7 reviews
Rick Riordan Presents: Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities, The: New Stories About Mythic Heroes (2021) 342 copies, 7 reviews
39 Clues: The Maze of Bones: A Graphic Novel (39 Clues Graphic Novel #1) (The 39 Clues) (2023) 165 copies, 1 review
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Complete Series and Percy Jackson's Greek Gods Boxed Set (2016) 69 copies
Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Percy Jackson Coloring Book (Percy Jackson & the Olympians) (2017) 28 copies
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book Two: Sea of Monsters Disney+ Tie in Edition (Percy Jackson & the Olympians) (2025) 20 copies
Percy Jackson Collection, - The Lightning Thief, the Last Olympian, Titans Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth (2011) 15 copies
Percy Jackson e gli dei dell'Olimpo. Le origini del mito: Il ladro di fulmini-Il mare dei mostri-La maledizione del titano (2013) 10 copies
Percy Jackson and the Greek Gods & Percy Jackson and the Greek Heroes By Rick Riordan 2 Books Collection Set (2018) 9 copies
Percy Jackson Ultimate 6 copies
red pyramid bonus chapter sampler 5 copies
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series 2 Books Collection Set By Rick Riordan (The Chalice of the Gods, Wrath of the Triple Goddess) (2024) 3 copies
The Throne of Fire Chapter Sneak Peek! : Kane Chronicles, Book Two (The Kane Chronicles) (2011) 3 copies
Read Riordan: Five-Book First-in-Series Paperback Box Set (Percy Jackson & the Olympians) (2019) 2 copies
La deessa de tres caps (Percy Jackson i els déus de l'Olimp 7) (Colección Salamandra Juvenil) 2 copies
[unidentified works] 2 copies
El mar dels monstres (Percy Jackson i els déus de l'Olimp 2) (Colección Salamandra Juvenil) 2 copies
Rick Riordan Presents Sampler 2 copies
"About the Author" 2 copies
De dødes skib 1 copy
Gudinnans vrede 1 copy
פרסי ג'קסון וים המפלצות 1 copy
פרסי ג'קסון והקרב על המבוך 1 copy
גיבורי האולימפוס 2: בן נפטון 1 copy
פרסי ג'קסון ותקוות האולימפוס 1 copy
פרסי ג'קסון וגנס הרק 1 copy
גיבורי האולימפוס 3: אות אתנה 1 copy
פרסי ג'קסון וקללת הטיטאן 1 copy
גורלו של אפולו: האורקל הנסתר 1 copy
גורלו של אפולו: המבוך הבוער 1 copy
גורלו של אפולו: הנבואה האפלה 1 copy
G229 - O filho de Netuno 1 copy
Rick Riordan The Trials of Apollo 6 Books Collection Set (Books 1-5 [PB], Camp Jupiter Classified [HB]) (2025) 1 copy
The Trials of Apollo 1 copy
Apollon et Artémis, les jumeaux terribles: Percy Jackson et les secrets de l'Olympe - tome 1 (2020) 1 copy
Dypets Datter 1 copy
Under the Baseball Moon 1 copy
Rick Riordan Collection 3 Books Set (Demigods and Magicians, Hotel Valhalla, Camp Half Blood) (2018) 1 copy
Legends- Limited Edition 1 copy
Percy Jackson's - Greek Gods 1 copy
גיברוי האולימפוס 4: בית האדס 1 copy
Associated Works
Tales of the Greek Heroes: Retold from the Ancient Authors (1958) — Introduction, some editions — 1,999 copies, 8 reviews
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (2019) — Introduction, some editions — 1,230 copies, 37 reviews
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief [2010 film] (2010) — Original novel — 579 copies, 5 reviews
A Taste of Murder: Diabolically Delicious Recipes from Contemporary Mystery Writers (1999) — Contributor — 48 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Riordan, Richard Russell, Jr
- Birthdate
- 1964-06-05
- Gender
- male
- Education
- University of Texas, Austin
Alamo Heights High School - Occupations
- teacher
author - Organizations
- Presidio High School
- Short biography
- Richard Russell Riordan Jr. (born June 5, 1964) is an American author. He is known for writing the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, about a twelve-year-old Percy Jackson who discovers he is a son of the Greek god Poseidon. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million copies in the US. 20th Century Fox has adapted the first two books of his Percy Jackson series as part of a series of films. His books have spawned related media, such as graphic novels and short story collections.
Riordan's first full-length novel was Big Red Tequila, which became the first book in the Tres Navarre series. His big breakthrough was The Lightning Thief (2005), the first novel in the five-volume Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, which placed a group of adolescents in a Greco-Roman mythological setting. Since then, Riordan has written The Kane Chronicles trilogy and The Heroes of Olympus series. The Kane Chronicles (2010-2012) focused on Egyptian mythology; The Heroes of Olympus was the sequel to the Percy Jackson series. Riordan also helped Scholastic Press develop The 39 Clues series and its spinoffs, and penned its first book, The Maze of Bones (2008). His most recent publications are three books in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, based on Norse mythology. The first book of his The Trials of Apollo series, The Hidden Oracle, was released in May 2016. - Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- San Antonio, Texas, USA
- Places of residence
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Map Location
- Texas, USA
Members
Discussions
A really exiting talk about rick riordans books in Book talk (March 2023)
The new Trials of Apollo book by Rick Riordan coming out May 3rd!!! in Book talk (June 2018)
[The Lightning Thief] (with spoilers) in Hogwarts Express (January 2017)
The Last Olympian - spoilers! in Hogwarts Express (January 2010)
Reviews
The final novel in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, THE LAST OLYMPIAN, is everything a final novel should be. There is no build-up because Mr. Riordan took care of that in the first four books. Neither does he make readers wait for the promised battle. He doesn't add any last-minute characters. Instead, we have nonstop action and the unveiling of long-held secrets.
Even better, Percy finally shows some of the maturity I would expect to see from a teenager who was show more forced to grow up at a young age. He is clever with his battle tactics, compassionate where necessary but brutal when needed. After feeling like Percy sounded too young and naive in books three and four given his experiences, it is a treat to get a glimpse of what Percy would be like as an adult.
I'll also say that even though I wasn't a huge Percy and Annabeth fan, the ending of THE LAST OLYMPIAN was adorable. Mr. Riordan handled the awkwardness and Percy's nervousness with delicacy and just a slight touch of humor. I imagine there was more than one child who used those scenes as motivation for their own awkward romantic encounters.
There is no doubt that THE LAST OLYMPIAN is the best book in the series. It contains within its pages everything I was hoping to see in previous books culminating in the battle for Olympus. I thought the battle scenes to be well-written, detailed without being graphic, and touching on fallen comrades and foes with the appropriate level of gravitas. While Mr. Riordan sets up the next series with a well-timed prophecy, I consider my time with Percy Jackson and friends at an end, with a final book that provides enough closure to satisfy me. show less
Even better, Percy finally shows some of the maturity I would expect to see from a teenager who was show more forced to grow up at a young age. He is clever with his battle tactics, compassionate where necessary but brutal when needed. After feeling like Percy sounded too young and naive in books three and four given his experiences, it is a treat to get a glimpse of what Percy would be like as an adult.
I'll also say that even though I wasn't a huge Percy and Annabeth fan, the ending of THE LAST OLYMPIAN was adorable. Mr. Riordan handled the awkwardness and Percy's nervousness with delicacy and just a slight touch of humor. I imagine there was more than one child who used those scenes as motivation for their own awkward romantic encounters.
There is no doubt that THE LAST OLYMPIAN is the best book in the series. It contains within its pages everything I was hoping to see in previous books culminating in the battle for Olympus. I thought the battle scenes to be well-written, detailed without being graphic, and touching on fallen comrades and foes with the appropriate level of gravitas. While Mr. Riordan sets up the next series with a well-timed prophecy, I consider my time with Percy Jackson and friends at an end, with a final book that provides enough closure to satisfy me. show less
Medusa, hydras, cyclops, Hercules, winged shoes, magical trickery--what's not to love about Greek myths? Being a mythology geek, I was naturally drawn to the 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' series that focused on the modern demi-god children of the Olympian gods. While interesting conceptually and done well, it wasn't particularly remarkable storytelling. Riordan's new series, however, looks to surpass the old, seizing the golden apple. It's classic coming-of-age disguised as adventure show more novel, this time reaching out to include the Roman pantheon as well.
Briefest of summaries: Three teens are at a Wilderness Camp for miscreant youth when they are attacked by wind spirits. Their abrasive coach is carried away, and they make a near escape on a chariot pulled by Pegasii (plural for Pegasus?). Leo, a fiery Latino; Piper, a beautiful charmer of Native American and Hollywood heritage; and Jason, a guy with a magical sword and virtually no conscious memory of his life before that fatal day at camp; are taken to Camp Half-Blood, into a series of self-discoveries and a quest. Spoilery part (how else do you expect me to remember these kind of details?): They ride a mechanical dragon to the North wind (in Quebec, of course), end up sidetracked at Monocole Motors in Detroit, quickly head to the Windy City and go bargain basement hunting at Medea's, make a quick golden deal with Midas, confront Lycaon and his wolves, and visit a tv weather station in Colorado.
I enjoyed Riordan's triumvirate narrative (I know, anyone who reads my reviews regularly is shocked to hear it) that gives back-story, character growth and plot development in large enough chunks to stay coherent. Narrative seamlessly flows from one teen to the next, even during action sequences. Integrated nicely are sparkling little flashes of humor, even as the teens land in challenging situations. Make no mistake, these are not wise-cracking detectives always ready with a quip; they are scared and desperate and grappling with serious issues of identity and family. Rather the humor comes from pop culture references (Coach's megaphone alternates between Darth Vader and "the duck says 'quack'"), laughable imagery (the statue of Hippie Zeus, hallucinating dragon drivers), or the old standby, goat-humor ("Waitress! Six double espressos, and whatever these guys want. Put it on the girl's tab."). The satyr, a master of trash-talk, provides needed relief as tension is built toward the end of the story.
Two small complaints: one, while there is some sophistication of issues the teens are grappling with, I prefer my prose a little more purplish, capable of grappling with larger ideas and scenery. Word choice doesn't feel entirely up to the challenge. Second, there's the whiff of the stereotypical surrounding our heroes. Must the leader of Aphrodite's cabin be a Mean Girl? There's more along the Aphrodite line, mostly centering on looks and beauty, an emphasis on clothes and the ability to manipulate using charm. Likewise, Leo is given more of a ghetto-speak attitude that feels forced within the story, but he shines most when Riordan drops the pretense and he's allowed to act without the dialogue.
Still, those are small points, and Riordan does well compensating, fleshing out the characters beyond the limited boundaries. Though characters tend towards stereotypical, they are given enough nuance to be palatable. If the female lead isn't the physical hero in this book, the women characters can certainly said to be strong, particularly Leo's mom. Villains are male and female alike. A note on character creation: by nature of one parent being a god, there are absent mothers and fathers everywhere in this book, and blame and angst is shared out equally, with both parents and gods representing the full range of humanity. No one is infallible, not even gods, and almost everyone is redeemable (except perhaps northern cyclopes), an appreciably humanistic theme in the modern YA book.
Overall, enjoyable characters, nice integration of Greek and Roman myths and fast-paced action. While I thought the original Jason more than a bit of an ass (the original Greek one), Riordan did a nice job re-inventing. I bought a copy for my reading-resistant nephew, and will be checking out the next book for myself.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/embassytown-by-china-mieville-or-limbo... show less
Briefest of summaries: Three teens are at a Wilderness Camp for miscreant youth when they are attacked by wind spirits. Their abrasive coach is carried away, and they make a near escape on a chariot pulled by Pegasii (plural for Pegasus?). Leo, a fiery Latino; Piper, a beautiful charmer of Native American and Hollywood heritage; and Jason, a guy with a magical sword and virtually no conscious memory of his life before that fatal day at camp; are taken to Camp Half-Blood, into a series of self-discoveries and a quest. Spoilery part (how else do you expect me to remember these kind of details?):
I enjoyed Riordan's triumvirate narrative (I know, anyone who reads my reviews regularly is shocked to hear it) that gives back-story, character growth and plot development in large enough chunks to stay coherent. Narrative seamlessly flows from one teen to the next, even during action sequences. Integrated nicely are sparkling little flashes of humor, even as the teens land in challenging situations. Make no mistake, these are not wise-cracking detectives always ready with a quip; they are scared and desperate and grappling with serious issues of identity and family. Rather the humor comes from pop culture references (Coach's megaphone alternates between Darth Vader and "the duck says 'quack'"), laughable imagery (the statue of Hippie Zeus, hallucinating dragon drivers), or the old standby, goat-humor ("Waitress! Six double espressos, and whatever these guys want. Put it on the girl's tab."). The satyr, a master of trash-talk, provides needed relief as tension is built toward the end of the story.
Two small complaints: one, while there is some sophistication of issues the teens are grappling with, I prefer my prose a little more purplish, capable of grappling with larger ideas and scenery. Word choice doesn't feel entirely up to the challenge. Second, there's the whiff of the stereotypical surrounding our heroes. Must the leader of Aphrodite's cabin be a Mean Girl? There's more along the Aphrodite line, mostly centering on looks and beauty, an emphasis on clothes and the ability to manipulate using charm. Likewise, Leo is given more of a ghetto-speak attitude that feels forced within the story, but he shines most when Riordan drops the pretense and he's allowed to act without the dialogue.
Still, those are small points, and Riordan does well compensating, fleshing out the characters beyond the limited boundaries. Though characters tend towards stereotypical, they are given enough nuance to be palatable. If the female lead isn't the physical hero in this book, the women characters can certainly said to be strong, particularly Leo's mom. Villains are male and female alike. A note on character creation: by nature of one parent being a god, there are absent mothers and fathers everywhere in this book, and blame and angst is shared out equally, with both parents and gods representing the full range of humanity. No one is infallible, not even gods, and almost everyone is redeemable (except perhaps northern cyclopes), an appreciably humanistic theme in the modern YA book.
Overall, enjoyable characters, nice integration of Greek and Roman myths and fast-paced action. While I thought the original Jason more than a bit of an ass (the original Greek one), Riordan did a nice job re-inventing. I bought a copy for my reading-resistant nephew, and will be checking out the next book for myself.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/embassytown-by-china-mieville-or-limbo... show less
This is a very entertaining and rich climax to the initial five-book tale of the Percy Jackson universe. The main character is more self-aware, the supporting characters play significant roles, backstories are fleshed-out, and there is a completeness to this book that elevates it above the earlier four. While Annabeth seems to maintain her relative maturity in the face of crises, it's satisfying to see that Percy and Nico both level-up pretty significantly in terms of growth and maturity; show more while the relationship between Percy and Annabeth is given main stage billing for obvious reasons, the working friendship between Percy and Nico seems nearly as satisfying and perhaps important to the long-term stories. Also, the deities certainly seem to acknowledge a sea change in ongoing events.
If anything, the great bugaboo of this type of fiction remains how the survivors walk off shrug and laugh; PTSD doesn't seem to happen. While such happy endings are nice, they just don't seem to ring very true. show less
If anything, the great bugaboo of this type of fiction remains how the survivors walk off shrug and laugh; PTSD doesn't seem to happen. While such happy endings are nice, they just don't seem to ring very true. show less
It's winter break and an urgent message from Grover sends Percy and his friends running to the satyr's aid. Naturally, things go awry, resulting in a mission to recover Annabeth and the goddess Artemis, both of whom have gone missing. On this journey, Percy uncovers revelations about the ancient power that is threatening Camp Half-Blood and Mount Olympus.
The plot of this third volume of the Percy Jackson series is virtually identical to the first two-- someone close to Percy goes missing show more and he goes on a quest to rescue them. As Percy travels west with his companions to rescue Annabeth and Artemis, he encounters various enemies, mythological creatures, and gods and goddesses. The story zips along quickly, glossing over many details (how can Grover control power lines with his reed pipes?), with not enough time spent on even the very emotional moments (the fate of certain characters), all the while accompanied by Riordan's familiar cheesy style of humour.
Still, The Titan's Curse introduces a few surprising twists which really changes the situation for Percy and the others, and by the end of the book, the overarching storyline has really picked up. The threat of danger from Kronos, the main antagonist, feels a lot more immediate and real, and I get the sense that the storyline is shifting away from these episodic missions and will start to deal with the greater questions of war between Olympus and Kronos, with the prophecy of the half-blood child of one of the big three gods, and Percy's role and ultimate fate in all this.
As the Percy Jackson universe expands wih these plot developments, a whole slew of new characters were introduced, both divine and human. I enjoyed meeting the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, and her irreverent, haiku-loving twin Apollo. I also love the idea that Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, didn't really have a distinct face. After a meeting with her, you can only remember that you saw the absolute most beautiful woman, but you can't remember what she actually looked like. Of the new half-bloods, I really only took to Nico-- it's really cute how he asks so many questions and I loved the fact that he geeks out over his games! It seems like he has an important roles to play in the rest of the series, so I will be looking forward to any scene he is in.
(Also, can I add that I really like how Riordan is developing the relationship between Percy and Annabeth? They are incredibly adorable and I also think it's hilarious that Aphrodite seems to ship them as well. I also like how Riordan actually tries to explore Percy's emotions more in this book-- perhaps a sign that Percy is slowly maturing.)
There were a lot of things going on in this book, and occasionally things felt a bit disjointed-- the quick switch from scene to scene, even after emotional moments, was kind of jarring. But it's clear that with this book, Rick Riordan was busy setting up all of the pieces, arranging them in the right places, in preparation for what I hope will be an exciting climax for the series. show less
The plot of this third volume of the Percy Jackson series is virtually identical to the first two-- someone close to Percy goes missing show more and he goes on a quest to rescue them. As Percy travels west with his companions to rescue Annabeth and Artemis, he encounters various enemies, mythological creatures, and gods and goddesses. The story zips along quickly, glossing over many details (how can Grover control power lines with his reed pipes?), with not enough time spent on even the very emotional moments (the fate of certain characters), all the while accompanied by Riordan's familiar cheesy style of humour.
Still, The Titan's Curse introduces a few surprising twists which really changes the situation for Percy and the others, and by the end of the book, the overarching storyline has really picked up. The threat of danger from Kronos, the main antagonist, feels a lot more immediate and real, and I get the sense that the storyline is shifting away from these episodic missions and will start to deal with the greater questions of war between Olympus and Kronos, with the prophecy of the half-blood child of one of the big three gods, and Percy's role and ultimate fate in all this.
As the Percy Jackson universe expands wih these plot developments, a whole slew of new characters were introduced, both divine and human. I enjoyed meeting the goddess of the hunt, Artemis, and her irreverent, haiku-loving twin Apollo. I also love the idea that Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, didn't really have a distinct face. After a meeting with her, you can only remember that you saw the absolute most beautiful woman, but you can't remember what she actually looked like. Of the new half-bloods, I really only took to Nico-- it's really cute how he asks so many questions and I loved the fact that he geeks out over his games! It seems like he has an important roles to play in the rest of the series, so I will be looking forward to any scene he is in.
(Also, can I add that I really like how Riordan is developing the relationship between Percy and Annabeth? They are incredibly adorable and I also think it's hilarious that Aphrodite seems to ship them as well. I also like how Riordan actually tries to explore Percy's emotions more in this book-- perhaps a sign that Percy is slowly maturing.)
There were a lot of things going on in this book, and occasionally things felt a bit disjointed-- the quick switch from scene to scene, even after emotional moments, was kind of jarring. But it's clear that with this book, Rick Riordan was busy setting up all of the pieces, arranging them in the right places, in preparation for what I hope will be an exciting climax for the series. show less
Lists
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Books About Boys (1)
Library Books (1)
. (1)
2000s decade (1)
Current To Read (1)
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Farm Boy Fantasy (1)
Which house? (1)
el (10)
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Elaina's (4)
al.vick-series (4)
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Overdue Podcast (5)
Read in 2024 (5)
Read in 2023 (6)
Mystery Series (7)
August TBR (1)
Read in 2025 (2)
Favorite Series (2)
READ in 2024 (3)
6th Grade (2)
Wish List (2)
4th Grade Books (2)
Best Young Adult (3)
Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 236
- Also by
- 20
- Members
- 333,639
- Popularity
- #11
- Rating
- 4.1
- Reviews
- 6,010
- ISBNs
- 2,814
- Languages
- 35
- Favorited
- 330
