Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief turns 19 on June 28. First published in 2005, Rick Riordan’s beloved novel went on to become a global sensation, spurring several spinoff books, two movies, and a hit series adaptation on Disney+.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 1 told the adventurous tale of 12-year-old demigod Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell), who learns through a string of unexplainably magical events that he’s no ordinary kid. He’s the son of the Greek god Poseidon (Toby Stephens), a secret his human mother Sally Jackson (Virginia Kull) withheld to keep her child safe.
Circumstances force Sally and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), Percy’s best friend and protector, to take the pre-teen to Camp Half-Blood early. It’s there that he learns his demigod history and is sent on a quest to retrieve his Uncle Zeus’ (the late Lance Reddick) stolen lightning bolt. Demigod Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries) joins the quest, which puts the trio to their first of many tests from the gods and monsters of Mount Olympus.
Season 2 of the series is set to begin production later this summer (get all the latest Percy Jackson filming updates here). The season will be based on Book 2, The Sea of Monsters. To understand what comes next in the story, what better way than to read the books that started it all?
Here, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the Percy Jackson books, including the two newest additions to the original PJO series, the four spinoff franchises, short story collections, and some additional collectors’ items. If you have a middle-grade reader in need of a new story to fall in love with, Percy Jackson is some of the best available. Whether you’re new to this world or grew up with Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, there’s a little something for everyone in this book guide. Happy reading!
Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Season 2 Premiere, TBA, Disney+