5 Reasons We Can’t Wait for Rick Riordan’s New Series
Bestselling author Rick Riordan works so hard writing new books and series for fans that it’s difficult to believe we’re actually experiencing withdrawal while awaiting the release of The Hidden Oracle, the first in a new five-book series called The Trials of Apollo. But it’s true! We’ve got the fever, and the only cure is more Rick Riordan books—in particular, the new The Trials of Apollo series, set in the world of Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, out May 3, 2016.
So why is it that we’re so stoked? Check out our list of reasons we’re having a hard time being patient while waiting for May 3 to roll around.
The Hidden Oracle (B&N Exclusive Edition) (The Trials of Apollo Series #1)
Hardcover $19.99
The Hidden Oracle (B&N Exclusive Edition) (The Trials of Apollo Series #1)
By Rick Riordan
Hardcover $19.99
1. The book description alone is goose-bump inducing. “How do you punish an immortal?” Riordan ominously asks in The Hidden Oracle’s description. “By making him human.” Naturally, Zeus is the punisher here, and his son Apollo, god of the sun, is on the receiving end after angering dear old dad. But rather than being sent to his room, the 4,000-year-old deity is cast down to Earth, landing in New York City as a regular teenage boy without any of his godly powers. He now has a hefty to-do list: 1) learn how to survive, 2) find a way to get back in Zeus’s favor, and 3) dodge his many god, monster, and mortal enemies—NBD. Apollo quickly realizes he can’t do all of this alone and heads to the place so familiar to the legions of Percy Jackson superfans: Camp Half-Blood.
2. We’re getting a new narrator. Between the likes of Percy Jackson, Magnus Chase, and the Kane siblings, we know that Riordan knows how to write relatable, witty, flawed-in-a-likable-way characters. And we’re sure that Apollo as a god-turned-human won’t disappoint as the series’ first-person narrator. Finally, fans will recall that this isn’t our first run-in with the sun god. Apollo popped up in The Titan’s Curse and The Last Olympian in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, and in The Blood of Olympus from The Heroes of Olympus series.
“As I explained on tour, the idea came to me while writing Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, because Apollo had been turned mortal twice before when he got on Zeus’ bad side,” Riordan writes on his blog.
3. We’ll get to see almost ALL of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus characters at some point during the series. As Apollo learns to make his way in a modern world, he’s going to need the help of some new friends at Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. And Riordan has confirmed—repeatedly—on Twitter that we’ll be seeing almost all of our fave characters from books past. But Percy won’t be the star of the show—he’s got other things to focus on.
“Don’t expect the series to be focused completely or even mostly on [Percy],” Riordan writes on Twitter. “It is not. Dude has to finish HS!”
4. Everyone will get the chance to see Riordan promoting his book this year. You don’t have to live in or near a big city or travel to one of just a few tour stops Riordan will be making this year to promote The Hidden Oracle, because he won’t be touring—we need him to keep writing! But everyone will get the chance to see him at a live webcast event from Boston in May. We’ll be keeping an eye on his Twitter feed for details.
5. Lots of surprises are in store in The Trials of Apollo series. Riordan has given us a few tidbits about the new series and released some excerpts from The Hidden Oracle, but beyond that, he’s playing it pretty close to the vest. When one reader even jokingly cited “medical reasons” for needing to know if Nico and Will would be seen together at some point during The Trials of Apollo, Riordan’s only response was, “Very nice try.” Looks like we’ll have to wait till May 3 to find out, but you can pre-order The Hidden Oracle right now.
Are you excited to read Riordan’s new The Trials of Apollo series?
1. The book description alone is goose-bump inducing. “How do you punish an immortal?” Riordan ominously asks in The Hidden Oracle’s description. “By making him human.” Naturally, Zeus is the punisher here, and his son Apollo, god of the sun, is on the receiving end after angering dear old dad. But rather than being sent to his room, the 4,000-year-old deity is cast down to Earth, landing in New York City as a regular teenage boy without any of his godly powers. He now has a hefty to-do list: 1) learn how to survive, 2) find a way to get back in Zeus’s favor, and 3) dodge his many god, monster, and mortal enemies—NBD. Apollo quickly realizes he can’t do all of this alone and heads to the place so familiar to the legions of Percy Jackson superfans: Camp Half-Blood.
2. We’re getting a new narrator. Between the likes of Percy Jackson, Magnus Chase, and the Kane siblings, we know that Riordan knows how to write relatable, witty, flawed-in-a-likable-way characters. And we’re sure that Apollo as a god-turned-human won’t disappoint as the series’ first-person narrator. Finally, fans will recall that this isn’t our first run-in with the sun god. Apollo popped up in The Titan’s Curse and The Last Olympian in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series, and in The Blood of Olympus from The Heroes of Olympus series.
“As I explained on tour, the idea came to me while writing Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods, because Apollo had been turned mortal twice before when he got on Zeus’ bad side,” Riordan writes on his blog.
3. We’ll get to see almost ALL of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus characters at some point during the series. As Apollo learns to make his way in a modern world, he’s going to need the help of some new friends at Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter. And Riordan has confirmed—repeatedly—on Twitter that we’ll be seeing almost all of our fave characters from books past. But Percy won’t be the star of the show—he’s got other things to focus on.
“Don’t expect the series to be focused completely or even mostly on [Percy],” Riordan writes on Twitter. “It is not. Dude has to finish HS!”
4. Everyone will get the chance to see Riordan promoting his book this year. You don’t have to live in or near a big city or travel to one of just a few tour stops Riordan will be making this year to promote The Hidden Oracle, because he won’t be touring—we need him to keep writing! But everyone will get the chance to see him at a live webcast event from Boston in May. We’ll be keeping an eye on his Twitter feed for details.
5. Lots of surprises are in store in The Trials of Apollo series. Riordan has given us a few tidbits about the new series and released some excerpts from The Hidden Oracle, but beyond that, he’s playing it pretty close to the vest. When one reader even jokingly cited “medical reasons” for needing to know if Nico and Will would be seen together at some point during The Trials of Apollo, Riordan’s only response was, “Very nice try.” Looks like we’ll have to wait till May 3 to find out, but you can pre-order The Hidden Oracle right now.
Are you excited to read Riordan’s new The Trials of Apollo series?