If you went to middle school in the mid-2000s or know a ??kid who goes to middle school,? you probably know the name Rick Riordan. One of the most prolific fantasy authors of our time, Riordan has written dozens of addictive books, and he's showing no signs of slowing down.

I can't think of a writer who's changed my life more than Rick Riordan. Percy Jackson and the Olympians came out around the time I started reading seriously as a hobby, and I've kept myself caught up on his work ever since. There's somethin?g magical about Riordan's prose, a charge coursing through every word that magnetizes my eyes to the page whenever I open one of his books.

Ri??ordan has written many books throughout his career, and I'd argue all of them are among the best of their respective?? genres. However, it wouldn't be a ranking list if all of them were of equal quality, would it?

It's "Rick Riordan Presents," NOT "Rick Riordan Writes"

Before we dig into the meat of things, I want to clarify a spot of confusion that pops up often in discussions about Rick Riordan and his body of work. In 2016, Riordan launched a unique publishing imprint called "Rick Riordan Presents." Created in direct response to fans of the author's desire to see YA books based on various world mythologies, Rick Riordan Presents scouts out writers from underrepresented cultural heritages, enabling them to give their history and folklore the "urban fantasy glow-up treatment" Rior?dan's already given Greco-Roman, Egyptian, and Norse mythology.

Riordan edited and p?romoted every standalone book and series published under the Rick Riordan Presents label, but he wasn't their author. These stories are fantastic in their own right, and I'd recommend them to any fan of the "modern mythology" sub-genre Riordan helped prop up.

6. Tres Navarre

Before he set the world of YA literature ablaze, Riordan honed his authorial talents by writing Tres Navarre, a ser??i?es of neo-noir novels set in his home state of Texas. Jackson “Tres�Navarre, an unlicensed private investigator and Tai Chi enthusiast, solves mysteries that spring up across San Antonio, encountering a litany of colorful characters and nefarious ne'er-do-wells along the way.

Reading the Tres Navarre series was a surreal ride for me. There are no fantastical elements here: these books are about the terrible crimes that can unfold on the gritty streets and dusty plains of the Lone Star State. That said, there are glimmers of the author Riordan would become hidden throughout Tres Navarre's pages. The titular detective is an obvious prototype of the snarky, ungove??rnable protagonists that headline Riordan's later series, and though the humor's darker than what you might be used to, these books are still hilarious.

5. The Trials of Apollo

The third and final (for now, at least) installment in Riordan's career-defining Camp Half-Blood Chronicles, The Trials of Apollo series is also the only one in the franchise that doesn't follow a demigod. Instead, our protagonist is Apollo, the god of archery, art, healing, and prophecy. Cast down from Olympus?? after a series of world-imperiling slip-ups, Apollo must earn his god-hood back by protecting five oracle?s from Triumvirate Holdings, a multinational corporation headed by three of Rome's worst emperors.

ToA ha??s many good things going for it. Riordan takes full advantage of the enormous cast he's built up over a decade of storytelling here. He pushes established characters in?? new and exciting directions while introducing memorable new faces to his already-expansive roster.

Unfortunately, as fun as ToA is, it's held back by an unescapable air of franchise fatigue. Barring one jaw-dropping twist in the third book, ToA plays it pretty safe, which is a big disappointment. I still remember all the challenging but thrilling turns the previous Camp Half-Blood Chronicles series took, and it's disappointing that ToA never lets itself take similar risks.

4. The Kane Chronicles

Written less than a year after he wrapped Percy Jackson and the Olympians (for the first time), The Kane Chronicles proved Riordan wasn't a one-trick pony. When their estranged Egyptologist father disappears after a strange incident at the British?? Museum, Carter and Sadie Kane discover their family's connection to a hidden world of magic, sorcerers, and gods of the Nile.

Rather than repeating the pattern he set with Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Riordan does something entirely new with the characters and the secret magic world of TKC. The Egyptian gods don't influence the world through their half-mortal children like the Greek Gods of PJO; they ?act through magicians trained in magic??al schools. Instead of one smart-mouthed protagonist writing his thoughts in a journal, we have two inscribing their adventures as audio files (related not: the audiobook versions of Riordan's books are all fantastic).

Wh?ile the pacing feels rushed aft??er the first book, TKC is a fun romp from cover to cover with well-rounded characters, creative uses of magic, and even a blatant exploration of the prejudice bi-racial children face all too often.

3. The Heroes of Olympus

Percy Jackson and the Olympians tell a satisfying story about Greek mythology's most iconic deities and creatures. However, it only scratches the surface of the culture's massive cast of characters. The Heroes of Olympus, ?a direct sequel to PJO, dives even deeper into that mythos, and it's all the better for it.

Following a group of demigods tied together by a prophecy foretelling the end of the world, HoO expands the scope of PJO's world to astronomical proportions. Camp Jupiter, a second demigod camp in??habited by the children and descendants of the Greek Gods' Roman aspects, is introduced, and with it comes a host of enthralling new characters, many of whom have gone on to become fan favor?ites.

Everything feels big in HoO; the gods are more awe-inspiring, the odds against our heroes keep escalating, and their journey stretches far beyond the borders of the continental United States. With that said, things get messy by the final book, with too many ongoing plotlines getting wrapped up before they reach their full potential. Despite that, HoA kep??t the Percy Jackson name alive, triaging?? most of the damage 20th Century Fox's disastrous and ultimately aborted film series did to the franchise's reputation.

2. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

With stories about the Greeco-Roman and Egyptian pantheons under his belt, Riordan tackled Marvel's favorite classical mythology with Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. We follow Magnus Chase, estranged cousin of Percy Jackson's f?riend-turned-girlfriend Annabeth, who discovers he's the son of a Norse god af?ter he dies and ascends to Valhalla.

MCGA is notice?ably more mature than most of Riordan's other series. The books use the gods and monsters of Scandinavian myth to explore challenging themes like homelessness, ableism, islamophobia, and anti-LBGTQ rhetoric. Thankfully, the series doesn't ditch the charm that defines other Riordanverse installments. Magnus is a fantastic protagonist, armed with the same razor-sharp wit we've come to expect from Rirodan's leads.

If you're a fan of Norse mythology, you'll have a great time with MCGA. Just be ready to brace yourself when the he?avy moments fall like Mjolnir on a giant's sk??ull.

1. Percy Jackson and the Olympians

What would happen if the gods of Greek mythology were real and they never stopped having kids with mortals? That's the question at the core of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Percy Jackson is a troubled boy with ADHD and?? dyslexia, and even he's betting against his odds of living a good life. That is until he discovers he's the?? son of Poseidon and the gods of Olympus' last hope to win a war against the vengeful Titans they overthrew millennia ago.

Riordan weaves one of the most engaging fantasy worlds I've ever encountered, putting a fun twist on the gods and monsters of Greek mytho??logy while introducing some unique ideas int??o the mix. Despite that, the real heart of the series lies in its protagonist.

Percy Jackson is one of the most inspiring YA ?heroes ever written. His coming-of-age is a powerful exploration of the struggles neurodivergent youth face, and seeing him rise to the occasion and prove his worth as a hero and a person never loses its luster. Knowing that Percy was inspired by Riordan's son makes it even more touching.

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If every school were magical, no child would ever complain about having to g??o. The idea of a school where aspiring mages can learn the ins and outs of magic is raw fuel for the imagination, and many fantasy series have taken a crack at it over the years.

I’ve read many fantasy books and watched a lot of fantasy shows that feature magical schools. From this experience, I??’ve learned to judge a magic school by how well it incorpo??rates its world’s magic system into its curriculum. There’s a magical school for every flavor of fantasy buff, but here are the ten that, in my opinion, stand above the rest.

10. Death Weapon Meister Academy (Soul Eater)

In Atsushi Ohkubo's Soul Eater, certain people can transform into sentient weapons, while others can channel the power?? of their souls into tho??se weapons. Recognizing these parings' potential, the Grim Reaper stepped into the world of the living and built an academy to train so-called "Death Weapons" and "Meisters" to become witch-hunting warriors.

Death Weapon Meister Academy embodies the unhinged wackiness that defines Soul Eater; the headmaster is a cartoonish skeleton, the list of teachers includes a ??mad scientist and a zombie, and the students are all shades of crazy. Oh, and an ancient evil god is imprisoned in the basement.

9. The Little Palace (Shadow and Bone)

Unlike most other nations in the unnamed world that Leigh Bardugo's "Grishaverse" is set in, the kingdom of Ravka does not persecute the element-manipulating Grisha. Instead, it forces? them to serve as magical soldiers in the kingdom's military, and their version of basic training goes down in a gothic castle known as the Little Palace.

Despite its name, the Little Palace is massive and l?avish. The students live in luxurious dorms with round-the-clock access to an expansive library and an idyllic private lake. Of course, all of this luxury comes at the cost of becoming warriors expected to fight and die for the country that's going against the world's grain by tolerating their existence.

8. Beacon Academy (RWBY)

Nightmarish, emotion-smelling beasts known as "Grimm" have?? plagued the world of Remnant for most of its recorded history. Recognizing the danger that the Grimm pose to humanity, the world's nations have all founded "Huntsman Academ??ies," which train young men and women to become Grimm-slaying Huntsman and Huntswomen.

Beacon Academy is the primary setting of RWBY's first three seasons, and it's an impressive establishment with an expansive campus, cozy dorms, and an arena where the students can practice their skills on captive Grimm. Unfortunately, its security is pretty shoddy, failing to stop a long string of infiltrations that pave the way for a Grimm ?invasion that reduces the school to rubble in the season three finale.

7. Strixhaven School of Magic (Magic: The Gathering)

Nestled within the Plane of Arcavios, Strixhaven School for Magic is the focal point for the eighty-seventh expansion of Magic: The Gathering. The school also became a campaign setting for Dungeons & Dragons after the Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos modul??e book hit sto??re selves.

Strixhaven splits its curriculum into five colleges dedicated to studying different magic types. The school’s faculty is composed of powerful mages, with the headmaster of ea?ch college being a mighty dragon. Student life doesn't slouch either, with the school hosting vario?us magically enhanced extracurricular activities. Anyone who's played A Curriculum of Chaos might also know that the school's dating scene is equally robust.

6. The Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy, from Magicians

Like Harvard, Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy is older than ?the United States. The only officially accredited school for magic in Lev Grossman's The Magicians, Brakesbill is one of the most grounded portrayals of a magical school you'll find, for better or worse.

B?rakebi?lls has many of the standard amenities that define a magic school, but what sets it apart from others is how it's plagued by many issues that impact secondary education in the real world. From unfair expulsions to tuition, Brakebills proves that not even magic can remove all of the humdrum of modern education.

5. Strange Academy (Strange Academy)

The Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters might be Marvel's most famous school, but Stra?nge Academy has it beat in quite a few ways. Founded by Dr. Strange and s??ituated in beautiful New Orleans, Strange Academy is where the Marvel universe's next generation of sorcerers and sorceresses learned the tricks of the arcane trade.

With many of the Marvel universe's greatest mages serving as teachers and classes about astral projection and inter-dimensional summoning, Strange Academy is anything but standardized. The school's student body is just as diverse as its curriculum, with humans, fairies, demons, and giants living in rel?ative harmony in its dorms.

4. The Island of Roke (Earthsea)

Magic is a language in Earthsea that a lucky few are bo?rn with the abilit??y to comprehend. But a basic understanding isn't enough to complete the "conversations" that allow one to cast a spell. One of the few places a wizard of Earthsea can learn to speak the tongue of magic is the Island of Roke.

Situated near the heart of the archipelago, the Island of Roke is home to Earthsea's only school for wizards. Arc??h??mages of every form of magic serve as the school's instructors, and it even has a mysterious final exam that every student must pass before becoming a fully-fledged wizard.

3. Camp Half-Blood (Percy Jackson and the Olympians)

In Percy Jackson and the Olympians’s version of reality,  the Greek gods are real and love to have kids with mortals. Once these demi-gods come of age, they're whisked away to Camp Half-Blood, a secret training camp where?? the wise old cent??aur Chiron teaches them to fight monsters.

As its name implies, Camp Half-Blood is a summer camp, not a traditional school?; the kids stay in cabins, do outdoor activities like archery, and roas??t marshmallows by campfire once the sun goes down. However, Camp Half-Blood is still an educational institution, and its magical, anti-monster barriers make it a far safer place for demigods than a regular school could ever be.

2. The Unseen University (Discworld)

Terry Pratchett's Discworld is one of the funniest fantasy series ever written, and that inherent light-heartedness rings loudest in the halls of Unseen University. Nestled in the heart of the great city of Anhk-Morpork, Unseen University is the living em?bodiment of arcane academia–or at least it would be if the professors weren't a bunch of inept, out-of-touch boomers.

The unhinged antics of the Unseen University's faculty and students are some of the Discworld saga's major overarching plot points, and seeing these accompl??ished and aspiring wizards flounder about never stops being funny. With that said, whenever a great evil threatens the people of Discworld, Unseen University is always one of the first forces to rise against it.

1. Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry (Harry Potter)

I have many issues with Harry Potter, most of which I had long before J.K. Rowling made comments about sections of the LGBTQ+ community? that I find appalling. However, I can't deny that Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and? Wizardry is a fa?ntastic magical school.

Hogwarts has just about everything a magical school needs: a staff of talented teachers overseeing classes on anything and everything mystical, transformable architecture, and outdoor areas where magical creature?s roam free. What else can I say? There’s a reason why this misty, ocean-locked castle is the first thing most people think of when they hear the words “mag??ic�and “school�back-to-back.

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Epic Fantasy is a genre that encompasses all the other literary traditions insi?de itself, so when talking about the most popular books shaping its long history, it’s not surprising to be confronted with a plethora of widely disparate stories, characters, and worlds.

Whether it be the rolling hills of Middle-earth, where the Free Peoples fight against the Shadow emerging from the eastern sky, or the high storms of Roshar sweeping across the continent and reminding the world of what it has forgotten, or even the petty feuds of the lords and ladies of the Seven Kingdoms and the commoners ever embroiled in the?ir conflicts, the Fantasy genre has something to offer?? to anyone.

But though the number of acclaimed Fantasy books is already? beyond count �despite the relatively short time since it rose to popularity in the �0s �there are some names that, through popularity or influence or standing the test of time, have managed to become timeless.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Having sold over 500 million copies worldwide, Harry Potter is undoubtedly the most popular and recognizable n??ame in fantasy. The story of The Boy Who Lived finds new fans in every generation of young readers, and the acclaimed movie adaptations have assured J.K. Rowling’s immortality in the speculative fiction landscape. Harry Potter might be derivative and, at times, underwhelming, especially for seasoned fantasy readers, but there’s a sense of sincerity and warmth within Rowling’s pages that you can’t quite find anywhere else.

The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Lord of the Rings was the much-awaited sequel to The Hobbit and took the world by storm when it came out in 1954. In one of the initial reviews, The Sunday Times praised Tolkien’s achievement by writing: “The English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and those who are going to read them.�Many years later, th?ese words sound almost prophetic. We don’t have Eru Ilúvatar’s omniscience to claim there would be no High Fantasy today without Tolkien, but we do know t??he entertainment world would not be the same.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was once many a child’s most memorable fantasy read before taking on serious stories. I remember going through the pages and being absolutely enamored by the world C.S. Lewis was spinning into existence. I also remember asking my parents to buy me the sequel before the first book was even finished. In a lot of ways, The Chronicles of Narnia is like the compromise between Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which built an imaginative world from the ground up, and Rowling’s Harry Potter, which combined the fantastical with the real.

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan

While there’s no denying that Tolkien’s legacy was mountainous, what followed after The Lord of the Rings was a string of unoriginal, generic rip-offs that all wanted to jump on the bandwagon and imitate the professor’s success. In fact, it wasn’t until writers like Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin came along to breathe fresh air into the lungs of this tenuous new beast that Epic Fantasy truly began to soar as a genre. The Wheel of Time by the former is one such work that built on Tolkien’s legacy and, having sold close to 100 million cop??ies since its conception, remains one of the most ambitious feats of imaginative worldbuilding ever attempted.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin may not have become as successful and prominent as he is today without HBO’s Game of Thrones, but the fact that Westeros is here to stay �whether it be true popular spinoffs like House of the Dragon or the books�own lingering hype despite the decade-long drought �can only be a testament to his power as an author. Martin has changed the game forever, but more importantly, this is exactly what Epic Fantasy needed to stay relevant after Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy in the early 2000s.

Discworld by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is a voice to be celebrated, and his Discworld series remains one of the best-selling, most popular fantasy books of all time. Now, it doesn’t matter how many (or how few) publications decide to write asinine articles about how his literary achievement is overstated (if you know, you ??know) because there’s always a place in Pratchett’s books for people who are looking for a bit of humorous escapist fantasy to lay down some of their burdens.

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

This might be a rather odd inclusion, but considering the fact that The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice has sold tens of millions of copies since its release, it should, by definition, have a place in the list of the most popular fantasy books in history. What’s more, there’s no doubt that Anne Rice hugely influenced the gothic and urban fantasy movement with The Vampire Chronicles. The story?? was progressive for its time, and its motifs still play a part in informing many other gothic fantasy books.

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

Say what you will about Twilight and its literary value �or lack thereof �but at the very least, the case of Stephenie Meyer and her huge success should be studied. Now, I’ll admit that I dropped the first book a mere 100 pages in, but the story has certainly left a mark in the fantasy space. Several popular and even acclaimed book series, like A Court of Thorns and Roses or the new BookTok sensation Fourth Wing, trace their p?opularity and standing back to Meyer’s work.

The Dark Tower by Stephen King

While you can always expect to find the fantastical in Stephen King’s works, it wasn’t until The Dark Tower that ??the ??author forgot about dipping his toes into the genre and dived headfirst into it with a grimdark tale combining tropes from several genres like fantasy, sci-fi, and Spaghetti Western. The seven-book series has sold 30 million copies and is among the finer works in the Epic Fantasy space.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians by Rick Riordan

At first glance, Percy Jackson might come off as a Harry Potter clone due to everything it derives from Rowling’s themes and motifs, but the story has much more to offer thanks to Riordan’s brilliant prose and amazing characterization. Percy Jackson and the Olympians books are now among the best-selling fantasy stories in the world, and t??he new Amazon adaptation is sure to increase that popularity tenfold.

This was our list of some of the most popular fantasy book series out there, but as they say, popularity a great piece of art doth not make. So, to read our picks for the ten best fantasy book series of all time, head to this article.

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