The Percy Jackson and the Olympians Disney+ series has received a new trailer and fans are excited to have a faithful adaptation of the original YA mythology series. But newcomers to the series might not know exactly how many Percy Jackson books there are. Remember, this series started in 2005 and is coming out with a new book on September 26th, 2023.
Books in the Percy Jackson series:
There were originally five books in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians (PJO) series: The Lightning Thief (2005), The Sea of Monsters (2006), The Titan’s Curse (2007), The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008), and The Last Olympian (2009). The first, second, fourth, and fifth books take place during the summer, while the third book takes place in the winter between the second and fourth books, where Percy is between the ages of 12 and 16.
Technically, there is also a sixth book in the PJO series coming out on September 26th, titled The Chalice of the Gods (2023). It supposedly will take place between the Heroes of Olympus Series and the Trials of Apollo. PJO also has a number of companion books, including The Demigod Files (2009), The Ultimate Guide (2010), Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo (2013 short story). Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods (2014), Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes (2015), and Camp Half-Blood Confidential (2017). Out of all of these books, the only one I would call necessary to understanding the series as a whole would be the Demigod Files as it features a short story that is referenced in the fifth PJO book.
The Heroes of Olympus series is also made up of five main books, though it should be noted that a main plot point of the first book The Lost Hero (2010) is Percy’s disappearance and we don’t find out what happens to him until the second book, The Son of Neptune (2011). From there, we have The Mark of Athena (2012), The House of Hades (2013), and The Blood of Olympus (2014).
Like PJO before it, the Heroes of Olympus features 2 companion books, The Demigod Diaries (2012) and Demigods of Olympus (2015, interactive e-book).
It should also be noted that all of Rick Riordan’s mythology books take place in the same universe. The Kane Chronicles follows the Egyptian pantheon and features 4 main books, two companion books, and 3 crossover books with PJO, though the crossovers will likely never come to live action due to Netflix having the rights to The Kane Chronicles. Meanwhile, the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series follows the cousin of Percy’s best female friend and love interest, Annabeth Chase, as he navigates being a son of Frey. The Magnus Chase series features three main books and three related books.
Rick Riordan’s most recent series is The Trials of Apollo, which follows the God Apollo after he is banished from Olympus for angering Zeus. Apollo then decides to crash at Camp Half-Blood with his “good friend” Percy Jackson, much to Percy’s chagrin. The series features five main novels including The Hidden Oracle (2016), The Dark Prophecy (2017), The Burning Maze (2018), The Tyrant’s Tomb (2019), and The Tower of Nero (2020). It also features the related book Camp Jupiter Classified (2020).
Which books feature Percy Jackson and how do you read them in order?
All of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books feature Percy Jackson as the main character. These books occur in the following order: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Demigod Files (Percy Jackson and the Stolen Chariot, Percy Jackson and the Bronze Dragon, Percy Jackson and the Sword of Hades), The Last Olympian, Percy Jackson and the Singer of Apollo, and The Staff of Hermes.
Percy is featured in four of the five The Heroes of Olympus and in the companion book, which occur in the following order: The Demigod Diaries, Son of Magic, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades, and The Blood of Olympus.
What follows are two in-universe books, made by Percy Jackson to help half-bloods learn about their world and lineage: Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods and Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes.
Percy also appears in the Demigods & Magicians books The Son of Sobek and The Crown of Ptolemy, though he is mentioned in the Staff of Serapis.
The upcoming The Chalice of the Gods book is the next in the series.
Percy appears in the first and last books in The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle and The Tower of Nero, though he is mentioned in the middle three books.
In Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Percy is mentioned by his girlfriend, Annabeth, in The Hammer of Thor, before he finally meets Magnus in The Ship of the Dead.
Finally, Percy has cameos in Un Natale Mezzosangue and The Sun and the Star: A Nico di Angelo Adventure, both of which are the latest books in the timeline.
(images: Disney+)
