It’s time to return to some of those fan-favorite childhood books
For true fans, the “Percy Jackson” series is more than a collection of childhood fiction. Rick Riordan’s mythological adventure series changed the world of literature upon its 2005 release. The series provided a home for misfits and dreamers who never truly felt at home in the real world. Instead, readers could escape to a world where Greek gods and goddesses served as parents and bestowed remarkable skills and magic to their children, the demi-gods.
Percy Jackson and his demi-god friends provide solace for readers who feel like outcasts and yearn to be embraced by a fantastical world of myth and monsters. Most remarkable of all is how the books instilled a love of reading in children who previously refused to even pick up a book. Percy Jackson fans owe a foundational piece of their upbringing to Uncle Rick (as the fans often call him). For those who stuck with Percy from the beginning until the end, you remember what it felt like to finish that first book and immediately reach for the second installment, “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.” You remember falling in love with the characters and their storylines. Most of all, you remember the bittersweet, emotional journey you embarked on when you flipped to the last page of the “Blood of Olympus” and your adventures with Percy Jackson came to an end.
Still, Riordan continued to release new works of various mythological paths for his devoted fans. “The Kane Chronicles,” “Heroes of Olympus,” “The Trials of Apollo” and “Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard,” series are some of Riordan’s most beloved works. But this trail of stories all began with Percy and his friends, when they were first introduced to the world 17 years ago.
So, although Riordan continues to deliver his fans intriguing, humorous and inspiring stories within and beyond the world of Camp Half-Blood, nothing seems to compare to the original adventures of Percy Jackson. The character’s witty commentary, sympathetic kindness, unapologetic heroism and humble flaws cannot be replicated by any other book series.
The college students of today are the generation of the original Percy Jackson fans; we grew up with these books. Whether you remained a devoted fan, felt obligated to read the series at least once, or you’ve somehow steered clear of being consumed by this fandom for over a decade, it is impossible to avoid the global popularity of this series. Fans connect over inside jokes and the nostalgia that is derived from reading each chapter in any of Riordan’s earlier works. It doesn’t matter if you’re 12 or 22 — these books stick with you forever.
For the most part, these stories seem to be remnants of the past that readers latch on to from a place of comfort and solace. That all changed when Riordan made a public declaration across social media and confirmed that a “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” television series is in the works. After the two disastrous movie adaptations from 2010 and 2013 — which, in all honesty, are better left undiscussed — this news made the impossible come true. Never in a million years did it seem likely that Riordan would even entertain the idea of attempting another on-screen adaptation of his books. But, unlike the previous films, Riordan has control over the script, the cast and the overall production of this television series. The author’s artistic and authentic input will no longer be absent from the decision-making process, and for that, we should all be thankful.
This long-awaited announcement resurrected Percy Jackson fans and brought devoted readers back together to eagerly discuss theories and hopes for this project. But, it gets better. As if this television adaptation was not enough to have fans clutching their books, Riordan announced across Instagram on Oct. 18 that 10 years after “The Blood of Olympus” marked the end of Percy’s adventures, another book featuring Percy and his friends is set to hit bookstore shelves on September 26, 2023. “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is back in “The Chalice of The Gods.” It goes without saying that the Percy Jackson generation is in speechless awe. The countdown has begun for fans who eagerly await the day they can hold the newest Percy Jackson adventure in their hands and return home.
Books open a portal for readers to explore new worlds; and there is something so splendidly unique about fantasy and adventure that makes readers feel that anything is possible. Having gone on two book tours during the release of his “Magnus Chase and The Gods of Asgard” series, I learned that Riordan’s goal is to always create characters, worlds and adventures that help readers to see themselves as heroes. When you read his stories, you feel that power as well. Maybe part of Percy Jackson’s appeal is that we all want to be him. Or, maybe, he inspires us to be the best version of ourselves. He inspires us to be the heroes of our own stories. Regardless, the anticipation for the upcoming television series and newest book installment sends a clear signal: Now is the time to dust off your bookshelf and embrace some of this generation’s most beloved fictional characters. It’s about time we venture back into the world of demi-gods to relive some of the greatest moments of our childhoods.