Authors: Kenedi and Brianna
Rick Riordan has long been a household name in the realm of children’s books. From his iconic Percy Jackson & The Olympians series to his imprint, Rick Riordan Presents, the author has been a prominent figure in the modern scape of children’s literature for well over a decade. With a slew of new projects and announcements in 2021, it seems that Riordan has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. So just what upcoming ventures can you expect from Riordan in the near future? Nerds and Beyond has you covered. Read on for a comprehensive list of Riordan’s known upcoming projects in 2022 and beyond.
Percy Jackson Live-Action Series
It’s not a surprise that we’re leading with this one, nor is it a secret that we’re excited about it. OG fans know the trials that were the movie adaptations (as book-to-movie adaptations, they undoubtedly leave a lot to be desired). Despite the pitfalls of the past, hope and fervor have risen anew at the news that Disney+ would be taking a shot at this beloved book series as a live-action television adaptation.
Disney+ recently gave the show the green light, and fans are as ecstatic as ever. According to Riordan’s most recent blog post, chemistry reads are currently underway for everyone’s favorite demigods, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover. Cast announcements should start rolling out in the next few months, as the show is set to start filming in Vancouver during the summer.
The first season is set to cover the events of the series’ first book, The Lightning Thief. If the series is successful, the plan is for each subsequent season to correspond to a book in the series. While early aspects of production have started, like costume design and set building, we’re still a ways off from seeing this classic childrens’ story come to life on our screens. In the meantime, now is the perfect time to pick up those books for a good re-read! Additionally, make sure to stay up to date with news and evergreen content like things we’d like to see in the upcoming series from Nerds and Beyond!
Kane Chronicles Movies
Back in September of 2020, Riordan took to Twitter to announce the development of his series The Kane Chronicles into a series of feature films on Netflix. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much in the way of updates on the films’ development other than the fact that they are still in the process of being developed. There was a brief note in a recent blog post of Riordan’s, but nothing truly substantial was revealed. While we wait out the process of Hollywood, we plan to keep our eyes peeled for any new tidbits that float our way.
The Kane Chronicles is a trilogy of books focusing on brother and sister Carter and Sadie Kane, who became estranged after their mother’s death. A “research experiment” planned by their father reunites them but also sets off a chain of events leading them to discover that the Egyptian gods are waking — and gunning for their family. Chaos and adventures ensue.
The Kane Chronicles series was Riordan’s first major branch out in his children’s books from Greek mythology to other cultures, and he hasn’t stopped since, moving on to Norse mythology (Magnus Chase) and Celtic mythology (more on that later). We can’t wait to see this project come to life on screen. Stay tuned for more developments.
Daughter of the Deep Film
Riordan’s most recent publication, Daughter of the Deep, made quite the splash when it hit bookshelves across the world. Quickly climbing up the New York Times Bestseller’s list, Riordan has since revealed that the undersea adventures of Ana Dakkar will also get an on-screen adaptation through Disney+. Aditi Brennan Kapil will join Riordan as a co-writer for the adapted script. There is no word on any casting information as Riordan and Disney remain focused on the Percy Jackson live-action series. Rest assured, we’ll continue to bring you the latest news on Daughter of the Deep as it becomes available. While you wait, be sure to order your copy of the bestselling book now!
Untitled Celtic Novel
In a recent interview with Publisher Weekly, Riordan revealed that his next writing endeavor will take him into the realm of Celtic mythology. The as-yet untitled book is unrelated to Riordan’s Celtic short story in The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities from the Rick Riordan Presents imprint. Riordan even shared that he recently completed an online master’s degree in Gaelic literature at University College Cork. Little is known about the upcoming book, but if there is one thing we’re certain of, it’s sure to be a grand adventure rich in Celtic mythos!
Solangelo Book
To the wild excitement of Solangelo fans everywhere, back in October of 2021, Riordan announced he’d be co-authoring a project for the first time in the form of a new novel focused on Nico Di Angelo and Will Solace. The author had teased earlier on in the year that a new story set in the world of Percy Jackson was in the works before revealing his intent to release this project.
Riordan is set to coauthor the book with Mark Oshiro. Oshiro is a YA author of books like The Insiders, Anger Is A Gift, and more. We can’t wait to see how the two authors’ styles blend as Oshiro brings their talents and perspective as a part of the LGBTQIA+ community to the Riordanverse and a story that fans have already been enamored with concerning these two characters.
The book’s ballpark release date is sometime in 2023. According to Riordan’s most recent blog posts, the two authors are still passing drafts back and forth to perfect the manuscript. The still-untitled (to the public’s knowledge) novel is set to pick up after the events of Riordan’s latest series, The Trials of Apollo, in which Nico and Will set out on a mission to help save Bob the Titan, who sacrificed himself to save Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase in the Heroes of Olympus series. We can’t wait to see what this new extension of the Percy Jackson universe will bring!
Rick Riordan Presents
Fans of Rick Riordan are no doubt familiar with his imprint of Disney-Hyperion, aptly named Rick Riordan Presents. His imprint works to elevate the diversity of mythologies from around the world by publishing highly entertaining books from authors of underrepresented cultures and backgrounds. With a host of impressive titles, it’s no wonder books from the imprint are soaring up the charts and flying off the shelves. Every book is carefully selected to highlight lesser-known mythology around the world. The beautifully written books are action-packed and just what every mythology lover should reach for after rereading Percy Jackson! This year Rick Riordan Presents will bring seven new books to readers, some brand new stories, and some installments to already existing series. (This is your chance to see what’s coming and grab copies of the first installments to read now!) Let’s check out the 2022 titles from Rick Riordan Presents.
Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chokshi
Release Date: April 5, 2022
Twelve-year-old Aru Shah has a tendency to stretch the truth in order to fit in at school. While her classmates are jetting off to family vacations in exotic locales, she’ll be spending her autumn break at home, in the Museum of Ancient Indian Art and Culture, waiting for her mom to return from her latest archeological trip. Is it any wonder that Aru makes up stories about being royalty, traveling to Paris, and having a chauffeur?
One day, three schoolmates show up at Aru’s doorstep to catch her in a lie. They don’t believe her claim that the museum’s Lamp of Bharata is cursed, and they dare Aru to prove it. Just a quick light, Aru thinks. Then she can get herself out of this mess and never ever fib again.
But lighting the lamp has dire consequences. She unwittingly frees the Sleeper, an ancient demon whose duty is to awaken the God of Destruction. Her classmates and beloved mother are frozen in time, and it’s up to Aru to save them.
The only way to stop the demon is to find the reincarnations of the five legendary Pandava brothers, protagonists of the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata, and journey through the Kingdom of Death. But how is one girl in Spider-Man pajamas supposed to do all that?
Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older
Release Date: May 3, 2022
Almost 16 years ago, Mateo Matisse’s island homeland disappeared into the sea. Weary and hopeless, the survivors of San Madrigal’s sinking escaped to New York.
While the rest of his tight-knit Brooklyn diaspora community dreams of someday finding a way back home, Mateo — now a high school junior and piano prodigy living with his two aunts (one who’s alive, the other not so much) — is focused on one thing: getting the attention of locally-grown musical legend Gerval. Mateo finally gets his chance on the night of the Grand Fete, an annual party celebrating the blended culture of pirates, Cuban Santeros, and Sephardic Jews that created San Madrigal all those centuries ago.
But the evil that sank their island has finally caught up with them, and on the night of the celebration, Mateo’s life is forever changed when he witnesses a brutal murder by a person he thought he knew.
Suddenly Mateo is thrust into an ancient battle that spans years and oceans. Deadly secrets are unraveled, and Mateo awakens a power within himself — a power that not only links him to the killer but could also hold the key to unlocking the dark mystery behind his lost homeland.
From the author of the award-winning Shadowshaper Cypher series comes the first novel in the Outlaw Saints duology — a brilliant story that will transport readers to a world where magic, myth, and gods reign over the streets of Brooklyn.
The Last Fallen Moon by Graci Kim
Release Date: June 7, 2022
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents the second book in Graci Kim’s magical and mysterious Gifted Clans trilogy.
For Riley Oh, life as the Godrealm’s last fallen star is not all it’s cracked up to be. Her new divine heritage doesn’t even come with cool magical powers; half of her friends and family (including her parents) can’t remember her; and to top it all off, the entire Gom clan is mad at her for killing the Cave Bear Goddess and stripping away their healing abilities.
But when their anger boils over and a group of witches curse Riley’s home, she knows it’s up to her to restore magic back to her clan — even if it means sneaking into the Spirit realm.
Luckily, Riley has some backup. Along with her sister, Hattie, Riley meets Dahl, a heaven-born boy with shockingly white hair and a fondness for toilets who might not be telling the whole truth about who he is. Together they’ll fight vicious monsters, discover dark underwater worlds, and race to save the land of the dead from a fate that no one could have foreseen.
And this time, Riley won’t let anything get in her way. Because she can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is coming their way — and the gifted community is going to need all the powers they can get.
Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows (A Paola Santiago Novel) by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Release Date: August 2, 2022
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents Tehlor Kay Mejia’s third chilling story based on Mexican folklore. This time Paola Santiago faces El Cucuy, aka the Boogeyman.
Paola Santiago has recently returned from Oregon, where she defeated the Hitchhiker ghost and saved her father from the vengeful spirit that was possessing him. The poor girl deserves a rest! But first, she has to rescue Dante from the void, where he’s been imprisoned by some unknown force. Even though Dante has turned against Pao, she can’t just leave him there — they’ve been friends for too long.
Paola’s prophetic dreams seem to have dried up, so she has to find other ways to locate a new rift where she can enter the void. Signs point to Texas, but how will she get there from Arizona? It just so happens that Emma’s new group of politically active friends, the Rainbow Rogues, are planning a field trip to San Antonio. It’s the perfect ruse for Paola if she can stand being with the judgmental girls for that many days…
Relying on her wits, training from the Ninos de la Luz, and the emotional support of her best friend Emma, Pao makes it into the void. Once there, she must face down not just one but two enemies: El Cucuy, the boogeyman … and someone even scarier who looks a lot like Pao herself.
Serwa Boateng’s Guide to Vampire Hunting by Roseanne A. Brown (Ghanaian Folklore)
Release Date: September 6, 2022
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents best-selling YA author Roseanne A. Brown’s middle-grade debut about a pre-teen vampire slayer with a strong helping of Ghanaian folklore.
For most kids, catching fireflies is a fun summer activity. For twelve-year-old Serwa Boateng, it’s a matter of life and death.
That’s because Serwa knows that some fireflies are really adze, shapeshifting vampires from the forests of Southeastern Ghana. Adze prey on the blood of innocents, possessing their minds and turning them into hulking monsters, and for generations, slayers like Serwa and her parents have protected an unknowing public from their threats.
Serwa is the best adze slayer her age, and she knew how to use a crossbow before she could even ride a bike. But when an obayifo (witch) destroys her childhood home while searching for a drum, do Serwa’s parents take her with them on their quest to defeat her? No. Instead, they dump Serwa with her hippie aunt and cryptic-obsessed cousin in the middle of Nowheresville, Maryland “for her own safety.” Now, instead of crossbows and battle armor, she’s dealing with mean girls and algebra, and for the first time in her life, she doesn’t have to carry a staff everywhere she goes, which is … kind of nice, actually.
Just as Serwa starts to get the hang of this whole normal girl who doesn’t punch vampires everyday thing, an adze infiltrates her school. It’s up to her to whip some of her classmates into monster-fighting shape before all of them become firefly food. And when she uncovers a secret that upends everything she thought she knew about her family’s role in the slayer vs. adze war, Serwa will have to decide which side of herself — normal girl or slayer — is the right one.
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky, The Graphic Novel by Kwame Mbalia; Illustrated by Olivia Stephens
Release Date: August 9, 2022
The best-selling and awarding-winning novel about a Black boy who helps folk heroes and gods through storytelling is now a dynamic graphic novel! The talented team of Robert Venditti and Olivia Stephens brings to glorious full color the novel.
Seventh-grader Tristan Strong feels anything but strong ever since he failed to save his best friend when they were in a bus accident together. All he has left of Eddie is the journal his friend wrote stories in. Tristan is dreading the month he’s going to spend on his grandparents’ farm in Alabama, where he’s being sent to heal from the tragedy.
But on his first night there, a sticky creature shows up in his bedroom and steals Eddie’s notebook. Tristan chases after it — is that a doll? — and a tug-of-war ensues between them underneath a Bottle Tree. In a last attempt to wrestle the journal out of the creature’s hands, Tristan punches the tree, accidentally ripping open a chasm into the MidPass, a volatile place with a burning sea, haunted bone ships, and iron monsters that are hunting the inhabitants of this world.
Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left Black American folk heroes John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky. But bartering with the trickster, Anansi always comes at a price.
Lords of the Night: A Shadow Bruja Novel by J.C. Cervantes
Release Date: October 4, 2022
Best-selling author Rick Riordan presents J. C. Cervantes’ exciting new spin-off from the best-selling Storm Runner trilogy.
Fourteen-year-old Renata Santiago is the most powerful godborn of them all, a bruja with a unique combination of DNA. The Mexica blood from her dad’s side gives her the ability to manipulate shadows. Her mom Pacific, a Maya goddess, gifted her a magical rope that controls time, and Ren recently used it to save a few gods from getting stuck forever in 1987. She brought them back to the present, but her BFF Ah Puch, the once fearsome god of death, darkness, and destruction, is now a teenager with no divine powers.
Ren is also a girl with ordinary hopes and dreams. She wishes, for example, that her blog about alien sightings would garner more respect. She’s always been absolutely convinced that there’s a connection between aliens and the Maya civilization. Plenty of online haters feel differently, and they call her a fake, a liar, and a loser.
When Ren receives an email about an alien sighting in Kansas, she thinks it may support her theory. She also suspects that the cinco — five renegade godborns — are up to no good. Soon she finds herself embroiled in a quest to prevent the troublemakers from awakening the nine Aztec Lords of Night. The problem is, none of Ren’s friends are available to help her hunt down the cinco and the dangerous gods they are resurrecting. Ren has no choice but to team up with two strangers recruited by Ah Puch: Edison, a teen hybrid demon, and Montero, an eleven-year-old Aztec hunter. Succeeding in this quest will prove that Ren is no fake, liar, or loser. But it isn’t just another challenge. It could well be an impossible one that leaves Ren questioning her very existence.
Anyone who enjoys fast-paced myth-based adventures will be swept up in this one featuring Maya and Mexica gods and their magical offspring.
Rick Riordan definitely has a lot of irons in the fire. We can’t wait for all of these new projects to get off the ground! As always, stay tuned for more updates concerning these projects and Riordan. In the meantime, while you wait, make sure to stay up to date with everything the author has going on.
