Authors Like Rick Riordan: 6 Adventures to Read Next
If Rick Riordan's fast, funny, myth-soaked adventures hooked you or your reader, these six authors deliver the same magic-and-heroics fun — each with a book to start.
Rick Riordan cracked a code: take a kid who feels like an outsider, reveal that their “problems” are actually powers, root it all in real mythology, and tell the whole thing with jokes that never slow the adventure down. Percy Jackson made a generation of reluctant readers into devoted ones. So the authors who satisfy Riordan fans share that combination — the hidden magical world, the brisk funny voice, and the quest that grows from schoolyard-sized to world-saving.
Whether you’re a grown-up Percy fan or shopping for a young reader, here’s where to go after Rick Riordan, with a place to start for each.
J.K. Rowling — the gateway series
The most natural next stop is J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone shares Riordan’s core engine — an ordinary kid discovers he belongs to a hidden magical world — plus the humour, the friendships, and the stakes that climb book by book. It’s the read-alike almost every Percy Jackson fan reaches for, and for good reason.
Start with: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Philip Pullman — the richer, deeper world
Philip Pullman offers Riordan’s adventure with more weight and wonder. The Golden Compass follows a fierce young heroine across a parallel world of armoured bears and soul-companion daemons, building toward genuinely big ideas. It’s a step up in complexity — perfect for the reader ready for their adventures to mean a little more.
Start with: The Golden Compass.
Garth Nix — mythology with real stakes
For the reader who loved Riordan’s mythology but wants higher tension, Garth Nix delivers. Sabriel sends a young woman into a land of the dead armed with bells that bind spirits — inventive, atmospheric, and genuinely thrilling. It skews a touch older than Percy Jackson, making it ideal for fans who’ve grown up a little.
Start with: Sabriel.
Cassandra Clare — the hidden world, urban edition
Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones takes Riordan’s hidden-world premise into a modern city, where demon-hunting Shadowhunters live alongside oblivious humans. It’s faster on romance and a bit older in tone, but the “you’re secretly part of a magical world” thrill is exactly what Percy fans crave.
Start with: City of Bones.
Tomi Adeyemi — mythology, reinvented
Tomi Adeyemi brings the mythology-driven epic to a West African–inspired world. Children of Blood and Bone follows a young heroine fighting to bring magic back to her people, with the quest structure and rising stakes Riordan fans love, plus a fresh and vivid mythology.
Start with: Children of Blood and Bone.
John Flanagan — pure adventure
If the quests and heroics are what hooked you, John Flanagan’s Ranger’s Apprentice series is built for you. Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan follows a small orphan apprenticed to a mysterious ranger, growing into a hero across a long, satisfying series. Less mythology, more medieval adventure — and a reliable favourite for Percy Jackson graduates.
Start with: Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan.
How to choose your next one
Pick by what hooked you. The hidden-world magic? J.K. Rowling. A deeper, richer world? Philip Pullman. Mythology with high stakes? Garth Nix. The modern hidden world? Cassandra Clare. Fresh mythology? Tomi Adeyemi. Pure adventure? John Flanagan.
Most of these are long series, so one hit means many more books to come. Browse our young adult and fantasy collections, and start with whichever flavour of adventure sounds most like the next one you can’t put down.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who writes books like Rick Riordan?
J.K. Rowling is the closest in spirit — the same blend of an ordinary kid discovering a hidden magical world, fast humour, and ever-rising stakes. For the mythology angle specifically, Garth Nix and Philip Pullman build the richest imagined worlds for readers who graduated from Percy Jackson.
What should my child read after Percy Jackson?
Harry Potter is the natural next series, followed by Rick Riordan's own Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase. When they want something new, John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice and Garth Nix's Sabriel offer the same adventure and heroism, with Garth Nix skewing slightly older.
What makes a book similar to Rick Riordan?
Riordan's formula has three parts: a relatable young hero pulled into a hidden world (often rooted in real mythology), a brisk, funny voice, and a quest that escalates into something epic. The books here each capture at least two of those ingredients.
