Percy Jackson and the Olympians is getting a second shot at live-action.
This one might actually be good, especially since Rick Riordan, the famous writer behind the Percy Jackson & the Olympians books, is actively involved in the series. To be fair, he was also significantly involved with the two previous film adaptations, released in 2010 and 2013, respectively, but hopefully attempt two has better results.
The books Disney Plus’ new Percy Jackson series is based around encompasses numerous books, some of which are spin-offs featuring characters other than Percy as central figures. Diving into the series is nice and easy, and starts at the beginning: With Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which debuted in 2005.
1. Percy Jackson & the Olympians
The origin of the Percy Jackson series started with five books that were part of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series of books. Written by Rick Riordan, the series consists of:
- The Lightning Thief (2005)
- The Sea of Monsters (2006)
- The Titan’s Curse (2007)
- The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008)
- The Last Olympian (2009)
These five books make up the first series and it was the start of what would later be known as the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, the franchise of which Percy Jackson is a part. Percy Jackson & the Olympians saw Percy dive into the world of Greek mythology, which he would find was very real. The first book starts a larger tale, spun throughout the five books and stretching beyond, of Percy questing to stop Kronos the titan from resurrecting himself after Zeus killed him years before.
A sixth book, titled The Chalice of the Gods, was released in 2023 and is intended as the next part in the Percy Jackson series. It is set following the events of The Heroes of Olympus, however, so if you’re looking to read the books in order, you’ll want to wait on it.
Percy Jackson spinoff series
The series also includes several fun spinoff stories which mostly contain shorter tales with returning characters, along with fun puzzles for the reader to complete. These books include:
- The Demigod Files, which was released in 2009. Its stories take place between books four and five.
- The Ultimate Guide was released in 2010. It’s a guidebook to the series.
- Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo was released in 2013 as a short story published in Guys Read.
- Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods was released in 2014.It tells the story of several Gods in Greek Mythology as narrated by Percy Jackson.
- Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes was released in 2015. It is the sequel to Greek Gods, this time with stories of the Greek heroes.
2. The Heroes of Olympus
The Heroes of Olympus serves as a direct sequel to Percy Jackson & the Olympians, with chapters alternating between different demigods who appear in the books, including Percy Jackson. The series consists of:
- The Lost Hero (2010)
- The Son of Neptune (2011)
- The Mark of Athena (2012)
- The House of Hades (2013)
- The Blood of Olympus (2014)
These books introduce the Roman Gods into the mix, alongside the Greek Gods. The Roman Gods are the more ruthless counterparts to the Greek Gods, but — rather than being separate entities — in this they are closer to the same Gods with different personalities.
The Heroes of Olympus spinoff series
The Heroes of Olympus series features two spinoff books as well, which consist of:
- The Demigod Diaries, which was released in 2012, is The Heroes of Olympus version of The Demigod Files, and is also filled with puzzles and short stories.
- Demigods of Olympus, which was released in 2015, is an interactive e-book.
3. The Kane Chronicles
Riordan was writting The Kane Chronicles at the same time as Heroes of Olympus. These books are less connected to Percy Jackson than Heroes of Olympus, but still take place in the same universe. Instead of demigods, the two main characters — sister and brother Sadie and Carter Kane — are magicians. The books also focus on Egyptian mythology rather than Roman or Greek, with Sadie and Carter Kane being descendants of Pharaohs and chosen as hosts by the Egyptian Gods Isis and Horus. The three book series consists of the following books:
- The Red Pyramid (2010)
- The Throne of Fire (2011)
- The Serpent’s Shadow (2012)
The Kane Chronicles companion books
The Kane Chronicles also had two tie-in books:
- The Kane Chronicles: Survival Guide, released in 2012 and written by Mary-Jane Knight. Its a guide to the world of Egyptian mythology and The Kane Chronicles.
- Brooklyn House Magician’s Manual, written by Rick Riordan and released in 2018. It serves as a guidebook to the series.
4. Demigods and Magicians
Demigods and Magicians was a crossover series that saw Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Sadie Kane, and Carter Kane come together. Its three entries are short stories eventually collected in 2016 in a book entitled Demigods and Magicians in 2016. The series consists of:
- The Son of Sobek was originally included with the release of The Serpent’s Shadow in 2013.
- The Staff of Serapis was originally included with the release of The Mark of Athena in 2014.
- The Crown of Ptolemy was originally included with the release of The House of Hades in 2015.
5. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is Riordan’s take on Norse mythology, and features heroes with Norse Gods for parents. The book’s protagonist is Magnus Chase, son of Frey and cousin to Annabeth Chase from Riordan’s other books. The main story sees Magnus Chase attempting to stop the Norse God of mischief, Loki, from starting Ragnarok. The series consists of:
- The Sword of Summer (2015)
- The Hammer of Thor (2016)
- The Ship of the Dead (2017)
Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard companion books
Two companion tie-ins for Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard were released as well:
- Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds, released in 2016. It serves as a guidebook to Norse mythology.
- 9 From the Nine Worlds, released in 2018. It is a compilation of short stories, one from each of the Norse Realms.
6. The Trials of Apollo
The Trials of Apollo serves as the follow-up to the Heroes of Olympus series. Written by Riordan alongside Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, the main character is Apollo, who is turned into a mortal by Zeus due to his actions in Heroes of Olympus. Apollo, now a teenager named Lester Papadopoulos, must track down the lost Oracles to regain his godhood. The Trials of Apollo consists of:
- The Hidden Oracle (2016)
- The Dark Prophecy (2017)
- The Burning Maze (2018)
- The Tyrant’s Tomb (2019)
- The Tower of Nero (2020)
The Trials of Apollo companion books
The series also has two tie-in companion books:
- From Percy Jackson: Camp Half-Blood Confidential, released in 2017. It serves as the first guidebook for the series.
- Camp Jupiter Classified, released in 2020. It serves as the second guidebook for the series.
Will there be more installments in the Percy Jackson series?
Fans of Riordan’s work are hoping plenty more is to come, and that’s all but guaranteed. The author’s latest entry in the Percy Jackson series released in September of 2023, and the author has a tendency to put out at least one book a year, so there should only be a few months separating us from his next release.