Percy Jackson Author Rick Riordan Reveals He Has Dozens of Unfinished Novels

Rick Riordan, the writer of the wildly fashionable Percy Jackson bid of young big novels, loves to write. To date, he’s published much than 50 phantasy and escapade books covering modern-day spins connected Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. Riordan, who astatine 1 clip was a mediate schoolhouse English teacher, says that beyond each of his published works, he’s near arsenic galore oregon (potentially) much stories connected the cutting country floor, dating backmost to his clip arsenic a student.

I spoke with Riordan up of the Season 2 premiere of the Disney+ adaptation of his Percy Jackson bid of novels astir the peculiar challenges of bringing a now-beloved franchise to life.

“The hardest portion of penning a publication is finishing it, and I americium not saying that to beryllium snide oregon anything,” Riordan says. “When I was successful sixth grade, I knew I wanted to beryllium a writer, but I couldn't marque myself decorativeness adjacent a abbreviated story. I would get halfway done and say, 'Oh, this is excessively hard. I'll effort different one, and that'll beryllium easier.' I person dozens of unfinished stories [and] novels from erstwhile I was that age. The hardest happening is to say, 'I cognize I don't similar this close now' – what I'm successful the mediate of penning – 'but I'm going to decorativeness it anyhow and past I'll spell backmost and work it and spot however it is.' That's the quality betwixt getting it done and not getting it done.”

Riordan says erstwhile helium got older and began penning the Percy Jackson novels, determination was 1 quality successful peculiar that helium enactment much than a small spot of himself into. “A writer erstwhile said that you can't constitute a quality who is not successful immoderate portion you, that doesn't person astatine slightest a sliver of your personality. I deliberation overall, I consciousness astir drawn to [Camp Half-Blood Activities Director] Chiron, the centaur. We're some teachers and it is our occupation not to archer kids what they request to deliberation oregon what to do, but to assistance them fig that retired for themselves, to manager them into becoming their ain heroes. Teaching, I deliberation astatine its best, is precisely that.”

Season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, adapted from Riordan’s caller The Sea of Monsters, conscionable dropped its archetypal 2 episodes connected Disney+. Riordan says there’s 1 fan-favorite country successful peculiar helium can’t hold for the assemblage to see.

“I deliberation the country with the sirens is precise important,” Riordan says. “That's a pivotal country successful the narration betwixt Annabeth and Percy. It’s thing that fans love. It's go a touchstone for them. They're looking for that scene, and I cognize a batch of eyes are going to beryllium connected it, truthful we paid a batch of attraction to it to marque definite we're doing it close [in a way] that it is some faithful to what's successful the publication but besides a small spot surprising.”

As the caller play of the TV amusement rolls out, Riordan is anxious for fans to ticker and recognize conscionable however overmuch enactment into crafting the blockbuster adaptation.

“I deliberation the full process would beryllium eye-opening [to fans],” Riordan says. “I don't deliberation that it's imaginable to admit however overmuch enactment is progressive until you've really walked connected the set. In fact, I had this acquisition conscionable a mates of weeks ago. My literate agents for Percy Jackson came to sojourn america connected the acceptable successful Vancouver, and they've been with Percy Jackson for 20 years. They person been successful each conversation. They cognize this worldly intimately, and I've been keeping them updated. Nevertheless, until they were connected acceptable and walking done the studio, they turned to maine and said, ‘Now I get it. I had nary idea.’ You person to beryllium determination to recognize it.”

Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Season 2: Episodes 1 and 2 are streaming present connected Disney+. New episodes premiere each Wednesday. Read our reappraisal of the archetypal 2 episodes here. And for much connected Percy Jackson, cheque retired what to expect signifier the series' caller Fortnite island.

Michael Peyton is the Senior Editorial Director of Events & Entertainment astatine IGN, starring amusement contented and sum of tentpole events including IGN Live, San Diego Comic Con, gamescom, and IGN Fan Fest. He's spent 20 years moving successful the games and amusement industry, and his adventures person taken him everyplace from the Oscars to Japan to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Follow him connected Bluesky @MichaelPeyton