Creator / Rick Riordan

Rick Riordan is an American author. He is best known for his mythology-themed series of children's books, which have granted him the epithet "Myth Master".

His works include:

• Riordanverse (2005-)
  • The Camp Half-Blood Series (2005-)
    • Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2005-2009; 2023-)^note The sixth through eight books serve as an interquel trilogy set between The Heroes of Olympus and The Trials of Apollo.
    • The Heroes of Olympus (2010-2014)
    • The Trials of Apollo (2016-2020)
    • The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure; co-written with Mark Oshiro (May 2, 2023)
    • Percy Jackson and the Olympians; a Disney+ television adaptation of the above series co-developed with Jonathan E. Steinberg (Black Sails) (2023-present)^note Riordan also has a Creator Cameo in the first episode.
  • Demigods & Magicians (2013-2015)^note A crossover between The Heroes Of Olympus and The Kane Chronicles.
  • The Kane Chronicles (2010-2012)
  • Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (2015-2017)
• The 39 Clues series: The Maze of Bones and Vespers Rising^note Vespers Rising was a collaboration with three other authors
• Daughter of the Deep (inspired by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island, released on October 5, 2021)

Under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint (launched in 2018), he edits the following series, with more to be announced^note As of January 2024, 44 books by seventeen authors total (fifteen series — two of which share continuity — containing 39 books, plus four standalones and one anthology) have been announced:

• Pandava series; by Roshani Chokshi (Hindu Mythology)
  • Aru Shah and the End of Time (March 27, 2018) (graphic novel — April 5, 2022)
  • Aru Shah and the Song of Death (April 16, 2019)
  • Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (April 7, 2020)
  • Aru Shah and the City of Gold (April 6, 2021)
  • Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality (April 5, 2022)
• Storm Runner trilogy; by Jennifer C. Cervantes (Mayan Mythology; Aztec Mythology)
  • The Storm Runner (September 18, 2018)
  • The Fire Keeper (September 3, 2019)
  • The Shadow Crosser (September 1, 2020)
• Thousand Worlds trilogy; by Yoon Ha Lee (Korean Mythology)
  • Dragon Pearl (January 15, 2019)
  • Tiger Honor (January 4, 2022)
  • Fox Snare (October 17, 2023)
• Sal And Gabi duology; by Carlos Hernandez (science fiction and Cuban culture)
  • Sal & Gabi Break the Universe (March 5, 2019)
  • Sal & Gabi Fix the Universe (May 5, 2020)
• Tristan Strong trilogy; by Kwame Mbalia (West African/African American Mythology)
  • Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky (October 15, 2019) (graphic novel — August 9, 2022)
  • Tristan Strong Destroys the World (October 6, 2020)
  • Tristan Strong Keeps Punching (October 5, 2021)
• Race to the Sun (standalone); by Rebecca Roanhorse (Navajo Mythology) (January 14, 2020)
• Paola Santiago series; by Tehlor Kay Mejia (Mexican Mythology)
  • Paola Santiago and the River of Tears (August 4, 2020)
  • Paolo Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares (August 3, 2021)
  • Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows (August 2, 2022)
• Sikander Aziz series; by Sarwat Chadda (Mesopotamian Mythology)
  • City of the Plague God (January 5, 2021)
  • Fury of the Dragon Goddess (August 1, 2023)
• The Gifted Clans trilogy; by Graci Kim (Korean Mythology)
  • The Last Fallen Star (May 4, 2021)
  • The Last Fallen Moon (June 7, 2022)
  • The Last Fallen Realm (June 6, 2023)
• Pahua Moua trilogy; by Lori M. Lee (Hmong Mythology)
  • Pahua and the Soul Stealer (September 7, 2021)
  • Pahua and the Dragon's Secret (September 9, 2024)
  • Untitled sequel (release date unknown)
• The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities: New Stories About Mythic Heroes (September 28, 2021)^note Anthology of stories based on the first nine released series ("Pandava" series through "Gifted Clans" series) in the imprint, plus an original by Rick Riordan.
• Outlaw Saints duology; by Daniel José Older (Santeria Mythology)^note The first series under the imprint to be marketed as Young Adult books, rather than Middle-Grade books.
  • Ballad & Dagger (May 3, 2022)^note Originally announced as Mateo Matisse: Lullaby for a Lost Island.
  • Last Canto of the Dead (May 16, 2023)
• Serwa Boateng series; by Roseanne A. Brown (Ghanaian Mythology)
  • Serwa Boateng's Guide to Vampire Hunting (September 6, 2022)
  • Serwa Boateng's Guide to Witchcraft and Mayhem (September 12, 2023)
  • Serwa Boateng's Guide to Saving the World (November 5, 2024)
• Shadow Bruja duology; by Jennifer C. Cervantes (Aztec Mythology, spinoff of Storm Runner trilogy)
  • The Lords of Night (October 4, 2022)
  • Dawn of the Jaguar (October 10, 2023)
• Winston Chu series; by Stacey Lee (Chinese Mythology)
  • Winston Chu Versus the Whimsies (February 7, 2023)
  • Winston Chu Versus the Wingmeisters (February 6, 2024)
• The Spirit Glass (standalone); by Roshani Chokshi (Filipino Mythology) (September 5, 2023)
• Drop of Venom duology; by Sajni Patel (Indian and Greek mythology)
  • A Drop of Venom (January 16, 2024)
  • Untitled sequel (release date unknown) ^note Source
• It Waits in the Forest (standalone); by Sarah Dass (Caribbean mythology) (May 14, 2024)
• Moko Magic duology; by Tracey Baptiste (Caribbean Mythology)
  • Carnival Chaos (August 6, 2024)
  • Untitled sequel (release date unknown)
• The Dark Becomes Her (standalone); by Judy I. Lin (Taiwanese Mythology) (October 1, 2024) ^note Source

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Tropes common in his works:

• Alliterative Name: Richard Russell "Rick" Riordan Jr.
• All Myths Are True: Arguably one of the most famous pioneers of this trope, Rick Riordan's works are well-known for having many different mythologies and pantheons coexisting. The Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian mythologies all coexist in his universe. It is also implied that the Abrahamic God and Jesus might also exist in this world.
• Cliffhanger: Has a reputation for these (though more often he simply leaves some plot threads unresolved to be built on in later books, which some confuse for this trope).
• Creator Cameo: He has a cameo in the Percy Jackson Disney+ series.
• Crossover Cosmology: In the case of his books, Classical, Egyptian and Norse Mythology co-exist in the same universe. There is also a mention of Jesus and Moses is confirmed to exist, though his characters remain officially agnostic on the existence of a "Capital-G God."
  • Apollo references the Aztec gods during his own series, as well as the Chinese, Thai and Babylonian. A Yoruba Pantheon Demigod also appears in Book 2.
• Deadpan Snarker: He writes a lot of these. He's also quite the snarker himself, if his Twitter account is anything to go by.
• Dear Negative Reader: Has spoken out about the negativity towards the Black actress Leah Sava Jeffries playing the white character Annabeth Chase in the Disney+ series.
• First-Person Smartass: He likes this trope and uses it semi-frequently
• He Also Did: Long before creating Percy Jackson, Riordan actually got his start with the Tres Navarre series (seven books from 1997-2008), an adult mystery series about Texan private eye Jackson "Tres" Navarre, and the 2003 standalone novel Cold Springs.
• Interpretative Character: For the Percy Jackson TV series, Riordan is a fervent believer of Ability over Appearance, so he tends to have his characters played by actors who may not look like how he imagined them in the books, but can embody their essence the best.
• In Which a Trope Is Described: He tends to title his book chapters as such; for instance, the first chapter of The Lightning Thief is "I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher". Some of those even carry over to the TV series as the episode titles. The Heroes of Olympus books are the sole exceptions; their chapters don't have any titles and are instead marked with whoever's narrating at the moment.
• Recycled In Space: Though he's pretty clever at it, making the blend of ancient mythology and the modern world complex and entertaining.
• Shown Their Work: Riordan certainly does his research, though he sometimes juggles things around for Artistic License, and the fact that many of the myths have different variations and are often open to interpretations.
• Signature Style: His best-known books often put mythological figures in a modern-day setting and have a lot of humor to them while still making it a fantasy adventure. Also expect lots of pop-culture shout-outs.
• Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: His books are on the idealistic end of the scale.
• Troll: The fandom is fond of calling him one, due to his penchant for cliffhangers. He takes it well, though.
  House of Hades dedication page: To my wonderful readers: Sorry about that last cliffhanger. Well, no, not really. HAHAHAHA. But seriously, I love you guys.
• World of Badass: To be expected when the world has four distinct groups of heroes who get involved in epic battles with their respective villains. And that's not even counting the gods, monsters or other creatures, heroes of the past, and non-protagonist characters all with their own (albeit not always as interesting) adventures and abilities.
• World of Snark: Contributing to plenty Funny Moments.

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