Before the new Percy Jackson show: How to read the Rick Riordan-verse

4) The Kane Chronicles

In my opinion, The Kane Chronicles is the most overlooked Riordan-verse series, which is a huge shame, as Sadie and Carter Kane and their adventures with Egyptian mythology are so much fun. Admittedly, this is the series which is most loosely connected to the wider Riordan-verse; Netflix is adapting these books into films, which they won’t crossover with the Percy Jackson coming to Disney+. However! While this series stands on its own, the first book has references to “other gods” (meaning the Greek gods). And there are more connections that make this series fun for any fan of Percy Jackson or of mythology in general…

The reading and publication order of The Kane Chronicles is:

1. The Red Pyramid
2. Throne of Fire
3. The Serpent’s Shadow

Unlike Percy and friends, Sadie and Carter are not the children of gods; they are magicians. They have a different kind of connection to the world of Egyptian mythology, which means their books feel quite different from the Percy Jackson books, since there aren’t any godly parents dropping in all the time. Instead, Sadie and Carty train as magicians and befriend other magicians as they try to solve a mystery involving their family and the Egyptian gods.

The Kane Chronicles are narrated by both Sadie and Carter, who’s sibling squabbles are hilarious. While we laughing, we also learn a ton about Egyptian mythology.

Bonus Note!

The reason I recommend reading this series after reading the Heroes of Olympus is because of another book called Demigods and Magicians, which consists of three short stories (The Son of Sobek, The Staff of Serapis and The Crown of Ptolemy) where Carter and Sadie Kane meet Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase, and the four of them must team up to take down a threat involving both Greek and Egyptian mythology. Demigods and Magicians is an optional read — you won’t miss anything huge if you skip it — but it is great fun, and seeing Percy encounter magicians as opposed to demigods is very amusing. Timeline-wise, this crossover happens after the events of Heroes of Olympus, hence I recommend reading The Kane Chronicles after reading those books.

Riordan also wrote a companion book to The Kane Chronicles called Brooklyn House Magician’s Manual. This book is really a guide to Egyptian mythology, hieroglyphs, and magic, which brings the world of The Kane Chronicles even more vividly to life.

5) Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods

“I thought we’d finished reading the Percy Jackson books, though?” That would be a completely fair question at this point, but even after two mainline series, Rick Riordan would not let Percy Jackson rest!

This is the sixth Percy Jackson and the Olympians book. It came out just this year. Riordan was inspired to write it after being in awe of the young actors in the upcoming Disney+ TV show (who, incidentally, he dedicated this book to). Timeline-wise, this book also happens after Heroes of Olympus. With a seventh Olympians book now confirmed, we’ll likely look back on this book as part 1 of 2.

In The Chalice of the Gods, Percy is trying to have just a normal final year of high school. But the gods have other plans for him, Annabeth and Grover, and they soon get swept into a mission to rescue Ganymede’s (the cupbearer of the gods) golden chalice before it falls into the wrong hands…

The Chalice of the Gods is another entertaining, fast-paced book. No matter how old the Olympians trio gets, the gods of Olympus will always find ways to keep them busy, as well as their extended family members…