Richard Russell "Rick" Riordan, Jr. (/ˈraɪərdən/; born June 5, 1964)[1] is an American author known for writing the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, which is about a twelve-year-old who discovers he is the son of Poseidon. His books have been translated into 37 languages and sold more than 30 million copies.[2] Twentieth Century Fox has adapted the first two books of his Percy Jackson series as part of a series of films. His books have spawned related media, such as graphic novels and short story collections.
Born in San Antonio, Texas, Riordan was working as an English and social studies teacher in San Francisco when he conceived the idea for the Percy Jackson series as bedtime stories about ancient Greek heroes for his son Haley. Haley had been diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia, inspiring Riordan to make the titular protagonist ADHD/dyslexic. Riordan published the first novel in the series, The Lightning Thief in 2005. Four sequels followed, 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.[3]
Since then, Riordan has written The Kane Chronicles trilogy and The Heroes of Olympus series. The Kane Chronicles, focusing on Egyptian mythology and siblings Sadie and Carter Kane, began with The Red Pyramid (2010) and concluded with The Serpent's Shadow (2012). The Heroes of Olympus, the sequel to the Percy Jackson series based on Greco-Roman mythology, kicked off with The Lost Hero (2010) and ended four books later with The Blood of Olympus (2014). Riordan also helped Scholastic Press develop The 39 Clues series and its spinoffs, and penned its first book, The Maze of Bones (2008).[4] The first book of his Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series based on Norse mythology, The Sword of Summer, was published October 2015 with a second book, The Hammer of Thor, planned for October 2016.[5][6] The first book of his The Trials of Apollo series based on Greek mythology, The Hidden Oracle, is scheduled for May 2016.
Riordan was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He graduated from Alamo Heights High School and the University of Texas. He taught English and Social Studies for eight years at Presidio Hill School in San Francisco.
Rick married Becky Riordan, originally from the East Coast, on June 5, 1985. Both had been born on June 5, she thirty minutes earlier.[7] They moved from San Antonio to Boston in June 2013 when their two sons were of college and high school age, in conjunction with older son Patrick starting college in Boston.[7][8] Haley Riordan inspired the Percy Jackson series as a bedtime story.[9]
Riordan has created several successful book series. Tres Navarre, an adult mystery series about a Texan private eye, won the Shamus, Anthony, and Edgar Awards.[10] His Percy Jackson and the Olympians series features the titular twelve-year-old who discovers he is the modern-day son of the ancient Greek god Poseidon. Twentieth Century Fox purchased the film rights and released a feature film in 2010. 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.[11] Riordan also created a sequel series to Percy Jackson, The Heroes of Olympus.[5] 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.[12]
The 2010 San Diego Comic-Con featured Riordan as its special guest on Sunday, traditionally "Kids' Day".[13]
^Lodge, Sally (August 18, 2011). "First Printing of Three Million for New Percy Jackson Book". Publishers Weekly. 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 The Heroes of Olympus—and the books have been translated into 37 languages.
^Springen, Karen (May 31, 2012). "Rick Riordan Makes His 'Mark'". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved June 3, 2012. a cruise to the Baltic and Scandinavian countries last summer provided fodder for Riordan’s upcoming Norse series
^ ab"Update from Athena House". June 12, 2013. Myth & Mystery: The official blog for author Rick Riordan (rickriordan.blogspot.in). Retrieved November 14, 2015.
^Riordan, Rick (January 26, 2014). "Mystery man". Boston Globe Magazine. The Boston Globe (bostonglobe.com). Retrieved February 21, 2014.
^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.
