How to Read the Percy Jackson Books in Chronological Order

Rick Riordan’s been a busy writer for years. His immensely popular modern retellings of ancient myths have developed into numerous novel series and bonus books over time — and while you might be willing to give them a go, the sheer number of entries is intimidating. But worry not: we’re here to help you out!

Stage One: Percy Jackson

The first Rick Riordan book series, Percy Jackson laid the foundation for everything that followed. Reading it first will help you better understand all the other series. We included the bonus books in the reading order; while they’re optional, you might want to read them, too, since they feature some nice standalone stories.

• The Lightning Thief
• The Sea of Monsters
• The Titan’s Curse
• The Battle of the Labyrinth
• The Demigod Files (Bonus)
• The Last Olympian
• The Singer of Apollo (Bonus)
• The Greek Gods & The Greek Heroes (Bonus)

Stage Two: Heroes of Olympus

The second series addresses the elephant in the room: Greek mythology has never been the only one. In Heroes of Olympus, Rick Riordan expands his universe, bringing in Roman mythology — both gods and their demigod children. The series also largely revolves around Percy and Annabeth and several new characters.

• The Lost Hero
• The Son of Neptune
• The Demigod Diaries (Bonus)
• The Mark of Athena
• The House of Hades
• The Blood of Olympus

Stage Three: The Kane Chronicles

Now, we get to the confusing part of the Riordan-verse: what do you read after all the Percy Jackson-centered novels? Enter the Kane siblings! Unlike the previous protagonists, they’re magicians instead of demigods, and their adventures are all about Egyptian mythology. No parent gods here — just good old (really old) magic.

• The Red Pyramid
• Throne of Fire
• The Serpent’s Shadow
• Demigods and Magicians (Bonus)
• Brooklyn House Magician’s Manual (Bonus)

Stage Four: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

If you’re an observant reader, you can already guess where this is going. Yes, this is a series about Annabeth Chase’s relative — her cousin — and it’s Norse mythology-based. But being related to Annabeth is not the only thing that Magnus Chase has in common with Percy Jackson: at one point, Percy himself joins in.

• The Sword of Summer
• The Hammer of Thor
• The Ship of the Dead
• 9 From the Nine Worlds (Bonus)
• Hotel Valhalla: Guide to the Norse Worlds (Bonus)

Stage Five: The Trials of Apollo

So far, we’ve seen a whole bunch of demigods and a few magicians. What comes next, you may wonder? Apollo the God’s POV, of course! You see, Apollo was punished by Zeus who sent him to Earth in mortal form. Now, Apollo needs to figure out his next steps — and partake in some more Greek-Roman shenanigans, surely.

• The Hidden Oracle
• The Dark Prophecy
• Camp Half-Blood Confidential (Bonus)
• The Burning Maze
• The Tyrant’s Tomb
• Camp Jupiter Classified (Bonus)
• The Tower of Nero

Stage Six: The Sun and the Star

Alright, this is the last one — and it takes us all the way back. But this time, it’s not Percy Jackson we’re talking about; it’s his friend, Nico di Angelo, the son of Hades. Nico deserves a standalone story, so it’s only right that in the end, we can join his and Will Solace’s adventure into the Underworld to help one very special Titan.

And just like that…we’re done! But don’t worry: Rick Riordan is already working on the seventh Percy Jackson book, and the Disney Plus show is out on December 20!