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Rick Riordan

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Rick Riordan
Riordan in 2018
Riordan in 2018
BornRichard Russell Riordan Jr.
(1964-06-05) June 5, 1964 (age 60)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
OccupationNovelist
Alma materUniversity of Texas at San Antonio
Genre
Years active1997–present
Notable works
SpouseBecky Riordan (m. 1985)
Children2
Signature
Website
rickriordan.com Edit this at Wikidata

Richard Russell Riordan Jr. (/ˈraɪərdən/ RY-ər-dən; born June 5, 1964)[1] is an American author, best known for writing the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. Riordan's books have been translated into forty-two languages and sold more than thirty million copies in the United States.[2] 20th Century Fox adapted the first two books of his Percy Jackson series as part of a series of films in which Riordan was not involved. Riordan currently serves as a co-creator and executive producer on the television series adaption of the book series that was released on Disney+ in 2023. Riordan's books have also spawned other 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 modern-day adolescents in a Greco-Roman mythological setting. Since then, Riordan has written The Heroes of Olympus, a sequel to the Percy Jackson series; The Kane Chronicles, a trilogy of similar premise focusing on Egyptian mythology; and Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, again a trilogy of similar premise focusing on Norse mythology.[3][4] Riordan also helped Scholastic Press develop The 39 Clues series and its spinoffs, and penned its first book, The Maze of Bones.[5] In 2021, he published Daughter of the Deep. His third standalone novel, The Sun and the Star, co-written with author Mark Oshiro, was published on May 2, 2023.[6]

Life and career

Riordan at the 2007 Texas Book Festival with advance publicity for The Battle of the Labyrinth

Riordan was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from Alamo Heights High School, and first attended the music program at North Texas State University, wanting to be a guitarist. He transferred to the University of Texas at Austin and studied English and History. He received his teaching certification in those subjects from the University of Texas at San Antonio. He taught English and Social Studies for eight years at Presidio Hill School in San Francisco.[7][8]

Rick married Becky Riordan in 1985 on the couple's shared birthday.[9] They have two sons, Haley and Patrick. They moved from San Antonio to Boston in June 2013, in conjunction with older son Haley starting college in Boston.[9][10]

Riordan has created several successful book series. Tres Navarre, an adult mystery series about a Texas private eye, won the Shamus, Anthony, and Edgar Awards.[11]

He conceived the idea for the Percy Jackson series as bedtime stories about ancient Greek heroes for his son Haley.[12] Haley had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, inspiring Riordan to make the titular protagonist hyperactive and dyslexic.[13] Riordan published the first novel in the series, The Lightning Thief, in 2005. Four sequels followed, with the last, The Last Olympian, in 2009. Prior to Percy Jackson, Riordan had written the Tres Navarres series, a series of mystery novels for adult readers.[14]

His Percy Jackson & the Olympians series features the titular twelve-year-old who discovers he is the modern-day son of the ancient Greek god Poseidon. 20th Century Fox purchased the film rights and released two feature film adaptations between 2010 and 2013. Following the success of Percy Jackson, Riordan created The Kane Chronicles, which features a modern-day Egyptian pantheon and two new sibling protagonists, Sadie and Carter Kane.[15] Riordan also created a sequel series to Percy Jackson, The Heroes of Olympus.[3]

Riordan also helped create the children's book series The 39 Clues. He authored several of its books, including The Maze of Bones, which topped The New York Times Best Seller list on September 28, 2008.[16] He also wrote the introduction to the Puffin Classics edition of Roger Lancelyn Green's Tales of the Greek Heroes, in which he states that the book influenced him to write his Greek mythology series.[17]

In 2022, Riordan co-wrote the pilot for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series on Disney+ and is serving as an executive producer for the show.[18] Disney had earlier acquired Fox in 2019, allowing it to gain the rights to adapt the Percy Jackson novels.[19]

Mythology

Each of Riordan's works of children's literature centers around an adaptation of mythology for modern readers and for children. He has used Greek, Roman, Egyptian, and Norse and combinations thereof in a total of five separate novel series. The mythology used in his works possesses elements unique to his series, but has a largely historical basis. Some of its characteristics include an emphasis on human-divine interaction and a preference for anglicized names. Examples include:

Riordan's sources for the mythology used in his books must largely be surmised from isolated comments on the subject during various interviews, as he has never released a list of any kind. These sources begin with the myths and the derivations thereof that he was exposed to as a child. Unnamed "novels on Norse mythology", suggested to him by a teacher who noticed his interest in The Lord of the Rings, were his first introduction to mythology and continue to influence his writing today.[20][21] The author also claims to have read such notable classics as The Iliad and The Odyssey, and to use his "general knowledge" of a given mythology as a basis for his stories.[22] As far as Greek mythology is concerned, Riordan has stated that Tales of the Greek Heroes by Roger Lancelyn Green—called by its author a "retelling of the Greek myths... based on multitudinous sources"—was one of his first introductions to that type of myth, and is in part responsible for his decision to interpret myths in his own books.[23] Finally, Riordan has stated that he uses modern sources such as The Theoi Project for fact-checking purposes, as needed.[22]

None of his novels include a list of references. Percy Jackson's Greek Gods and Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes alone possess "Background Reading" sections, listing novels such as Robert Fagles's translation of The Aeneid and web sites such as the Encyclopedia Mythica.[24][25]

Awards

Publications

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Main article: Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Original Series

  1. The Lightning Thief (2005)
  2. The Sea of Monsters (2006)
  3. The Titan's Curse (2007)
  4. The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008)
  5. The Last Olympian (2009)

The Senior Year Adventures

  1. The Chalice of the Gods (2023)[42]
  2. Wrath of the Triple Goddess (2024)[43]
  1. The Demigod Files (2009)
  2. The Ultimate Guide (2010, in collaboration with Antonio Caparo, Philip Chidlow, and Keven Hays)
  3. Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo (2013; short story published in Guys Read)
  4. Percy Jackson's Greek Gods (2014, illustrations by John Rocco)
  5. Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes (2015, illustrations by John Rocco)
  6. The Percy Jackson Coloring Book (2017, artwork by Keith Robinson)[44]
  7. The Lightning Thief: Illustrated Edition (August 14, 2018, illustrated by John Rocco)[45]

The Heroes of Olympus

Main article: The Heroes of Olympus
  1. The Lost Hero (2010)
  2. The Son of Neptune (2011)
  3. The Mark of Athena (2012)
  4. The House of Hades (2013)
  5. The Blood of Olympus (2014)
  1. The Demigod Diaries (2012)
  2. Demigods of Olympus (2015, interactive e-book)

The Kane Chronicles

Main article: The Kane Chronicles
  1. The Red Pyramid (2010)
  2. The Throne of Fire (2011)
  3. The Serpent's Shadow (2012)
  1. Survival Guide (2012)
  2. Brooklyn House Magician's Manual (2018)[45]

Demigods and Magicians

Published individually first, then as an anthology titled Demigods and Magicians in 2016.[46]

  1. The Son of Sobek (2013)
  2. The Staff of Serapis (2014)
  3. The Crown of Ptolemy (2015)

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Main article: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard
  1. The Sword of Summer (2015)[47]
  2. The Hammer of Thor (2016)
  3. The Ship of the Dead (2017)
  1. Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds (2016)[48][49]
  2. The Magnus Chase Coloring Book (August 14, 2018, artwork by Keith Robinson)[45]
  3. 9 from the Nine Worlds (October 2, 2018)[50]

The Trials of Apollo

Main article: The Trials of Apollo
  1. The Hidden Oracle (2016)[46]
  2. The Dark Prophecy (2017)[51]
  3. The Burning Maze (2018)[45][52]
  4. The Tyrant's Tomb (2019)
  5. The Tower of Nero (2020)
  1. Camp Half-Blood Confidential (2017)
  2. Camp Jupiter Classified (2020)[53]

Tres Navarre

  1. Big Red Tequila (1997)
  2. The Widower's Two-Step (1998)
  3. The Last King of Texas (2001)
  4. The Devil Went Down to Austin (2002)
  5. Southtown (2004)
  6. Mission Road (2005)
  7. Rebel Island (2008)

The 39 Clues

Main article: The 39 Clues
  1. The Maze of Bones (2008)
  2. Introduction to The 39 Clues: The Black Book of Buried Secrets (2010)
  3. Vespers Rising (2011, in collaboration with Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson)

Graphic novels

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

  1. The Lightning Thief Graphic Novel (2010, in collaboration with Robert Venditti, Nate Powell, and Jose Villarrubia)
  2. The Sea of Monsters Graphic Novel (2013, in collaboration with Robert Venditti, Attila Futaki, and Tamas Gaspar)
  3. The Titan's Curse Graphic Novel (2013, in collaboration with Robert Venditti, Attila Futaki, and Gregory Guilhaumond)
  4. The Battle of Labyrinth Graphic Novel (2018, in collaboration with Robert Venditti, Orpheus Collar and Antoine Dode)
  5. The Last Olympian Graphic Novel (2019, in collaboration with Robert Venditti, Orpheus Collar and Antoine Dode)

The Kane Chronicles

  1. The Red Pyramid Graphic Novel (2012, adapted by Orpheus Collar)
  2. The Throne of Fire Graphic Novel (2015, adapted by Orpheus Collar)
  3. The Serpent's Shadow Graphic Novel (2017, adapted by Orpheus Collar)[54]

The Heroes of Olympus

  1. The Lost Hero Graphic Novel (2014, in collaboration with Robert Venditti, Nate Powell, and Orpheus Collar)
  2. The Son of Neptune Graphic Novel (2017, in collaboration with Robert Venditti, Antoine Dode, and Orpheus Collar)[55]

Standalone novels

Other

Rick Riordan Presents

Main article: Rick Riordan Presents

In September 2016, Disney-Hyperion announced a new Rick Riordan imprint. The imprint is called "Rick Riordan Presents" and was launched in March 2018. It is headed by Riordan's editor, Stephanie Owens Lurie.[57]

Lurie said that Riordan had been approached about an imprint several years ago but initially dismissed the idea because of his heavy workload. Later, he reported back that he had been "toying with the idea" and was "willing to go forward with a publishing line that was not a brand extension for his own work but a platform for Riordan to bring other great writers to the attention of his vast and loyal audience."[57] She also said that the imprint planned to launch with two then-undetermined books. "The point of making this announcement now is to get the word out about what we're looking for."[57]

The imprint does not publish books written by Riordan, "whose role [is] closer to curator."[57] In an interview with the Iowa Gazette, Riordan said, "Instead of me writing all of the mythologies we are going to look for authors who already are writing about that stuff. If I feel like I can recommend them [to my readers] ... we're going to have them out here in the spotlight."[58] A focus will be placed on "diverse, mythology-based fiction by new, emerging, and under-represented authors". Lurie expressed hopes that the imprint would help satisfy Riordan fans without asking the author to write more than his usual two books a year.[57]

Notes

  1. ^ This book is a part of the Camp Half-Blood Chronicles

References

  1. ^ "Rick Riordan ID Card". Puffin Books. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  2. ^ Lodge, Sally (August 18, 2011). "First Printing of Three Million for New Percy Jackson Book". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2015. There are 30 million copies in print in the U.S. of the novels in the author's three series for Disney-Hyperion: Percy Jackson & the Olympians, The Kane Chronicles, and The Heroes of Olympus—and the books have been translated into thirty-seven languages.
  3. ^ a b "Read an excerpt from new Rick Riordan". June 18, 2015. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  4. ^ Springen, Karen (May 31, 2012). "Rick Riordan Makes His 'Mark'". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2012. a cruise to the Baltic and Scandinavian countries last summer provided fodder for Riordan's upcoming Norse series
  5. ^ Italie, Hillel (September 1, 2008). "'Potter' publisher looks to promote next big thing". Fox News Channel. Archived from the original on January 24, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  6. ^ "The Sun and the Star". Kirkus Reviews. May 2, 2023. Archived from the original on May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  7. ^ "Two Days in the Bay Area | Rick Riordan". May 16, 2008. Archived from the original on January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  8. ^ "Celebrating 100 Years | Presidio Hill School". www.presidiohill.org. Archived from the original on January 21, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Update from Athena House" Archived June 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. June 12, 2013. Myth & Mystery: The official blog for author Rick Riordan (rickriordan.blogspot.com). Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  10. ^ Riordan, Rick (January 26, 2014). "Mystery man". Boston Globe Magazine. The Boston Globe (bostonglobe.com). Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  11. ^ "Big Red Tequila". Powells Bookstore. Archived from the original on September 24, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  12. ^ Williams, Sally (February 8, 2010). "Percy Jackson: My boy's own adventure". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 27, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  13. ^ Bell, Terena (March 1, 2019). "In Rick Riordan's World, ADHD Is Heroic — INTERVIEW". Romper. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  14. ^ "About the Author". powells.com. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
  15. ^ Minzesheimer, Bob; Craig Wilson (January 13, 2011). "Book Buzz: Riordan's 'Fire' ignites May 3 and a big week for e-books". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 19, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  16. ^ "Children's Books". The New York Times. September 28, 2008. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  17. ^ Lancelyn Green, Roger (1958). Tales of the Greek Heroes (3rd ed.). Puffin. pp. v–vi. ISBN 9780141325286.
  18. ^ Clark, Noelene (June 2, 2022). "Percy Jackson and the Olympians Casts Five Major Characters". TVGuide.com. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  19. ^ Rought, Karen (December 1, 2019). "'Percy Jackson' reboot may happen at Disney, according to Rick Riordan". Hypable. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  20. ^ Ferris, Amanda. "Author Rick Riordan Discusses Interpreting Mythology for Middle Schoolers". (The) Absolute Mag: Books-Comics. (The) Absolute. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  21. ^ Riordan, Rick (April 5, 2016). "An Interview With Rick". Rick Riordan. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  22. ^ a b Larson, Jeanette (May 2009). "Talking with Rick Riordan". Book Links (Vol. 18, no. 5). American Library Association. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  23. ^ Green, Roger Lancelyn (2009). Tales of the Greek Heroes. London: Puffin Classics. ISBN 978-0-141-32528-6.
  24. ^ Riordan, Rick (2014). Percy Jackson's Greek Gods. Los Angeles: Disney-Hyperion. ISBN 978-1-4231-8364-8.
  25. ^ Rirodan, Rick (2015). Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes. Los Angeles: Disney-Hyperion. ISBN 978-1-4231-8365-5.
  26. ^ "Shamus Award Winners". The Private Eye Writers of America. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  27. ^ "Anthony Award Nominees and Winners". Bouchercon. Archived from the original on February 7, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  28. ^ "Category List – Best Paperback Original". Edgars Database. Mystery Writers of America. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
  29. ^ "Edgar Allan Poe Awards". book.consumerhelpweb.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2009. Retrieved April 26, 2009.
  30. ^ a b "Mark Twain Award Previous Winners". Missouri Association of School Librarians. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  31. ^ Riordan, Rick. "2009 Rebecca Caudill Award - Acceptance Letter from Rick Riordan" (PDF). Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
  32. ^ Jones, Trevelyn; Luann Toth; Marlene Charnizon; Daryl Grabarek; Joy Fleishhacker (December 1, 2010). "Best Books 2010". School Library Journal. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  33. ^ a b "Children's Choice Book Awards Winners Announced!". Children's Book Council. May 3, 2011. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
  34. ^ "Soaring Eagle Book Award - Nominated Authors 1986 - 2014 Nominees" (PDF). Campbell County Public Library System. p. 5. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  35. ^ "Previous Winners". The Milner Award. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  36. ^ "Indian Paintbrush Book Award by Author Name 1986 - 2014 Nominees" (PDF). Campbell County Public Library System. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  37. ^ Nickelsburg, Monica (December 6, 2016). "The votes are in: Goodreads reveals 20 best books of 2016". GeekWire. Archived from the original on December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  38. ^ "'Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor' and 'If I Was Your Girl' win 2017 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award". ALA News. American Library Association. January 23, 2017. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  39. ^ "Additional ALA Awards 2017". The Horn Book Online. The Horn Book Magazine. January 23, 2017. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  40. ^ Roback, Diane (January 23, 2017). "Barnhill, Steptoe, 'March: Book Three' Win Newbery, Caldecott, Printz". Publishers Weekly Online. Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on April 9, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  41. ^ "Winners of the 2017 Youth Media Awards | ALA Midwinter 2017". School Library Journal: Industry News. School Library Journal. January 23, 2017. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  42. ^ Ulatowski, Rachel (October 20, 2022). "'Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods' Release Date, Characters, Plot, and More". The Mary Sue. Archived from the original on February 6, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
  43. ^ "Rick Riordan Announces The Upcoming Release of A New 'Percy Jackson' Book". Archived from the original on October 12, 2023.
  44. ^ "The Percy Jackson Coloring Book – Rick Riordan". rickriordan.com. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  45. ^ a b c d "Rick Riordan Announces New Books for 2018". readriordan.com. October 17, 2017. Archived from the original on November 12, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  46. ^ a b "Rick Riordan announces 'Trials of Apollo' series set in Percy Jackson's world". Hypable. October 7, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2015.
  47. ^ "The Sword of Summer". ReadRiordan.com. Disney-Hyperion. Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  48. ^ Riordan, Rick (August 16, 2016). For Magnus Chase: Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds: Your Introduction to Deities, Mythical Beings, & Fantastic Creatures. Disney Hyperion. Archived from the original on July 13, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  49. ^ Riordan, Rick (May 23, 2016). "For Magnus Chase: Hotel Valhalla Guide to the Norse Worlds". Series Info: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. Rick Riordan. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  50. ^ "9 from the Nine Worlds Cover Revealed". readriordan.com. February 8, 2018. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  51. ^ "The Trials of Apollo – Rick Riordan". rickriordan.com. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  52. ^ Riordan, Rick (May 1, 2018). The Trials of Apollo, Book Three: The Burning Maze. Disney Hyperion.
  53. ^ "CAMP JUPITER CLASSIFIED". Read Riordan. November 6, 2019. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  54. ^ Riordan, Rick; Collar, Orpheus (October 3, 2017). The Kane Chronicles, Book Three, The Serpent's Shadow: The Graphic Novel. Disney-Hyperion. ISBN 9781484782347.
  55. ^ Riordan, Rick; Venditti, Robert (February 21, 2017). The Heroes of Olympus, Book Two, The Son of Neptune: The Graphic Novel. Disney-Hyperion. ISBN 9781484716212.
  56. ^ Daughter of the Deep. OCLC 1263256204 – via WorldCat.
  57. ^ a b c d e Corbett, Sue (September 13, 2016). "Disney Announces New Rick Riordan Imprint". Publishers Weekly Online. Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on November 16, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  58. ^ Kuennen, Alyson (October 31, 2016). "Rick Riordan brings stories to Iowa City". TheGazette.com. The Iowa Gazette. Archived from the original on January 22, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2017.

Further reading

  • Art at Our Doorstep: San Antonio Writers and Artists featuring Riordan. Edited by Nan Cuba and Riley Robinson (Trinity University Press, 2008).
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