The Percy Jackson books are popular young adult fantasy books with Greek mythology. I highly recommend this series if you like fantasy!
The Backstory
The Percy Jackson series came about because Rick Riordan was telling his son, Haley, bedtime stories, and Haley requested stories based on Greek myths, which he was studying in school. When Rick Riordan ran out of existing myths, Haley suggested that he make up new stories, and so Percy Jackson was born, and his quest to recover Zeus’ lightning bolt.
The Plot
Set in the mid-2000s, the series centers on Percy Jackson, and unfortunately, someone is trying to kill him. After being saved by Gover, who it turns out, is actually part goat (a satyr), he makes his way to Camp Half-Blood where he discovers he is a demigod. And not just any demigod, but the son of Poseidon himself, one of the Big Three (Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades), who made a pack after WWII not to father any more demigods because of how powerful their children are (and yet, here Percy is…).
At Camp Half-Blood, Percy becomes friends with Annabeth, a daughter of Athena. Together with Gover, they set out on a quest to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction—Zeus’ lightning bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him.
Of course that’s just the beginning of the series, and the adventures continue, especially when Percy discovers that Zeus and Hades also had demigod children . . .
The Books
Here are the Percy Jackson Books in order!
- The Lightning Thief
- The Sea of Monsters
- The Titan’s Curse
- The Battle of the Labyrinth
- The Last Olympian
There are also companion books to this series:
- The Demigod Files: This book includes short stories that fit between the main books, as well as interviews with the characters and other extras, so it’s best read after the main books.
- The Ultimate Guide: This is an in-depth guide to Greek gods, monsters, and more and includes diagrams, maps, and even trading cards.
- Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes: Percy Jackson tells you the stories of the Greek heroes.
- Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods: Percy Jackson tells you all you need to know about the Greek gods.
- Camp Half-Blood Confidential: This fun book tells you all the ins and outs of Camp Half-Blood.
- Demigods & Magicians: Magic, monsters, and mayhem abound when Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase meet Carter and Sadie Kane for the first time. Before picking up this book, be sure to read the The Kane Chronicles first. Those books are set in the same world as the Percy Jackson books, even though Percy himself doesn’t appear in them, and they use Egyptian myths. They also are great reads!
There are also graphic novel versions on the Percy Jackson books!
- The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel
- The Sea of Monsters: The Graphic Novel
- The Titan’s Curse: The Graphic Novel
The Story Continues…
The story continues in The Heroes of Olympus series, which starts with Jason and Piper. But Percy and Annabeth do appear in book 2, and until then, we get to meet a few new characters!
- The Lost Hero
- The Son of Neptune
- The Mark of Athena
- The House of Hades
- The Blood of Olympus
- The Demigod Diaries (collection of short stories)
What’s your favorite Percy Jackson book? Let us know in the comments below!
Happy reading.
