If you’re like me, you were enchanted by Rick Riordan as a younger person, drawn into his captivating narratives and mythological backgrounds. You might have found a love of mythology through him, as I did (if this website didn’t make it obvious).
So if you’re looking for more authors like Rick Riordan to wett that same appetite, I have exactly what you need.
I’ve assembled a list of 8 authors that are very much like Rick Riordan. I selected them based on one or more of the following criteria:
- They specialize in mythology for their fiction
- They are written for a middle-grade audience
- They have a similar adventurous style like Rick Riordan does
Not all of these authors have all three, but are close enough on at least one (especially the first one), to merit being on this list.
For this list, I’ve written a brief blurb about why I included each author, their official bio, plus a link to their books on Amazon and their websites.
Disclaimer: The Amazon links are affiliate links, but if you choose to buy something it costs you nothing extra, and every cent I receive goes straight to diapers for my children, which I deeply appreciate.
Author #1: Jason Hamilton
Okay, so I might be a little bit biased on this one. But hear me out.
If you haven’t heard of me, I am a mythic fantasy author, and it is my intention to do for families and adults what Rick Riordan did for middle-grade children.
The best place to start with my books is my Arthur Tales collection, which is available for free, and contains several short stories about King Arthur in my shared mythological universe.
Here’s my official bio:
“Jason is the Content Manager for Kindlepreneur and a mythic fantasy author. He loves mythology, history, and geek culture. When he’s not writing, his favorite hobbies include hiking, chilling with his wife, spouting nonsense words at his baby daughter, and developing his website: MythBank.com.”
Author #2: Roshani Chokshi
If you want an author that is very much like Rick Riordan, Roshani Chokshi is one of the best to go with. Her books fit into the exact same genre, and are inspired by Hindu Mythology. Her books were part of the “Rick Riordan Presents” imprint, making her perfectly suitable for fans of Percy Jackson and other Rick Riordan stories.
Here is her official bio:
“Roshani Chokshi is the author of commercial and critically acclaimed books for middle grade and young adult readers that draws on world mythology and folklore. Her work has been nominated for the Locus and Nebula awards, and has frequently appeared on Best of The Year lists from Barnes and Noble, Forbes, Buzzfeed and more. Her New York Times bestselling series includes The Star-Touched Queen duology, The Gilded Wolves, and Aru Shah and The End of Time, which was recently optioned for film by Paramount Pictures.”
Author #3: Kwame Mbalia
Like Roashani, Kwame Mbalia is another author that is perfect for fans of Rick Riordan. His Tristan Strong books were also part of the “Rick Riordan Presents” imprint, meaning they are also middle grade, and inspired by mythology.
Here is his official bio:
“Kwame is a husband, father, writer, a New York Times bestselling author, and a former pharmaceutical metrologist in that order. His debut middle-grade novel, TRISTAN STRONG PUNCHES A HOLE IN THE SKY was awarded a Coretta Scott King Author Honor, and it—along with the sequels TRISTAN STRONG DESTROYS THE WORLD and TRISTAN STRONG KEEPS PUNCHING, out October 5th—is published by Rick Riordan Presents/Disney-Hyperion.
“He is the co-author of LAST GATE OF THE EMPEROR with Prince Joel Makonnen, from Scholastic Books, and the editor of BLACK BOY JOY, a middle grade anthology from Delacourte, out August 3rd. A Howard University graduate and a Midwesterner now in North Carolina, he survives on Dad jokes and Cheezits.”
Author #4: Yoon Ha Lee
I had to include one more in this list from the “Rick Riordan Presents” club. In this case, Yoon Ha Lee provides a Korean take on mythology, and his books are perfect for fans of Rick Riordan.
He is also an award winner, and many of his other books are well worth reading as well.
Here is his official bio:
“A Korean-American sf/f writer who received a B.A. in math from Cornell University and an M.A. in math education from Stanford University, Yoon finds it a source of continual delight that math can be mined for story ideas. Yoon’s novel Ninefox Gambit won the Locus Award for best first novel, and was a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, and Clarke awards; its sequels, Raven Stratagem and Revenant Gun, were also Hugo finalists. His middle grade space opera Dragon Pearl won the Mythopoeic Award for Children’s Literature and the Locus Award for best YA novel, and was a New York Times bestseller. Yoon’s short fiction has appeared in publications such as F&SF, Tor.com, and Clarkesworld Magazine, as well as several year’s best anthologies.”
Author #5: Dyrk Ashton
Dyrk Ashton is an author of fiction very similar to Rick Riordan, but geared for adults. He writes epic urban fantasies with multiple mythological gods making an appearance. It is definitely more for adults, but very similar to Rick Riordan in all other respects.
Here is his official bio:
“Dyrk Ashton is a Midwestern boy who spent some time in Hollywood. He currently resides in NW OH, teaches online film classes, geeks out on movies and books, and writes fantasy novels about regular folks and their trouble with monsters.”
Author #6: Michael Scott
Michael Scott (not that Michael Scott) is an author that writes books very similar to Rick Riordan, and is also well-known as an authority on Celtic and Irish Mythology. He has written several books on the subject, but is perhaps most well-known for his Nicholas Flamel series, which draws from history and other related topics. Plus, they are middle grade adventure books perfect for fans of Rick Riordan.
Here is his official bio:
“Irish-born Michael Scott began writing over thirty-five years ago, and is one of Ireland’s most successful and prolific authors. He has published over 120 titles in 25 languages which are available in 38 countries, spanning a variety of genres, including fantasy, science fiction and folklore. He writes for both adults and young adults and is considered one of the authorities on the folklore of the Celtic lands. He is credited with the resurgence of interest in the subject in the mid-1980’s. His collections, Irish Folk & Fairy Tales, Irish Myths & Legends and Irish Ghosts & Hauntings have remained continuously in print for the past thirty years and are now included amongst the definitive and most-quoted works on the subject.
“His horror novels, Banshee, Image, Reflection, Imp and Hallows are considered cult classics of the genre and draw heavily upon his encyclopedic knowledge of folklore.
“In the United States, the first two volumes of his fantasy trilogy, Silverhand and Silverlight, were published to exceptional reviews, Publishers Weekly declaring, “This shows how good fantasy can be.”
Author #7: Eoin Colfer
Now we get to a few authors that have less mythology in their books, but have very similar middle-grade books that you are likely to love if you like Percy Jackson.
Eoin Colfer is the author of the Artemis Fowl series, along with many others. His books are well beloved, and are perfect for those who like the style and genre of Rick Riordan’s books.
Here is his official bio:
“Eoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) is the New York Times best-selling author of the blockbuster Artemis Fowl series as well as Airman; Half Moon Investigations; The Supernaturalist; Eoin Colfer’s Legend of… books; The Wish List; Benny and Omar; Benny and Babe; and Illegal, a graphic novel. He was born in Wexford on the southeast coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father (an elementary school teacher, historian and artist of note) and mother (a drama teacher). He first developed an interest in writing in primary (elementary) school with gripping Viking stories inspired by history that he was learning in school at the time.
“Eoin got his degree from Dublin University and qualified as a primary school teacher, returning to work in Wexford. He married in 1991 and he and his wife spent about 4 years between 1992 and 1996 working in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. His first book, Benny and Omar, was published in 1998, based on his experiences in Tunisia; it has since been translated into many languages; a sequel followed in 1999. In 2001, the first Artemis Fowl book was published worldwide to much success – shortly thereafter he left teaching to concentrate fully on his writing.
“To this day, Eoin has written 8 Artemis Fowl books which have sold over 12 million copies worldwide.”
Author #8: Brandon Mull
Last, but not least, we have Brandon Mull. Brandon is an author of middle-grade fantasy, and while it is not as overtly mythological as Rick Riordan’s books, it does contain a lot of fairytale-like fantasy and folklore. You should definitely check out his Fablehaven series if you like Percy Jackson.
Here is his official bio:
“Brandon Mull no longer lives on the side of a mountain above a prison. He now resides in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife and three children. Since the arrival of his new daughter, he is more the golem of the household than ever, following whatever orders trickle down the chain of command. Brandon is the author of the New York Times bestselling Fablehaven books and The Candy Shop War.”
Any Other Authors like Rick Riordan You Know Of?
If you have read any other authors that are similar to Rick Riordan, don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know!
I am always on the lookout for new reads in the mythology-inspired genres, and can’t wait to find more authors similar to Rick Riordan, who is one of my favorites.
Let me know in the comments.
In the meantime, don’t forget to check out my Arthur Tales collection for a taste of fiction similar to Rick Riordan (I like to describe it as Rick Riordan meets Brandon Sanderson).
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