By Audrey Huynh

SAN JOSE, CALIF. – Author Rick Riordan announces the sixth book of the Percy Jackson series “Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods” via blog post on October 18 that is set to be published Sept. 26, 2023.

The magical universe of Percy Jackson began in 2005 when the first book was published to the world and has only been growing ever since. Ensuing the release of the fifth book in the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series, the fantastical universe in which the novels occur has been expanding with several spinoffs, including the “Heroes of Olympus” pentalogy, the “Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard” series, and the “Trials of Apollo” series.

On October 18, Riordan surprised his fans as he announced that another book was to be added to the beloved childhood staple series, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” through his blog page. With the last addition to the collection being more than 10 years old, published in 2009, this news surprised Percy Jackson lovers, who believed that Riordan was finished with the series. 

Set to be released on Sept. 26, 2023, “Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods” will tell the story of how Jackson struggles to collect recommendation letters from several deities to be admitted into a special college for demigods. The novel will take place before the “Trials of Apollo” series and after the “Heroes of Olympus” pentalogy.

This is the latest surprise from the “Riordanverse”, as affectionately nicknamed by fans. Back in January, confirmation for a TV series airing on Disney Plus was announced and has been in its filming production. As of Sept. 28, the title, cover, and release date was revealed for the upcoming stand-alone novel, “The Sun and the Star”, centering around characters Will Solace and Nico di Angelo.

Reading all of the different news and announcements brought back my Percy Jackson phase in full force. I never really outgrew the phase; I simply forgot about it and rediscovered it every time I came across a post about the series. Though I am no longer in the age group for whom the novels are written for, I still love reading them whenever I happen to hold a book in my hands. These novels are certainly not flawless and have a couple plot holes now that I reflect on at an older age, but they are my comfort series nonetheless. 

When I originally heard the announcement, I was worried that Riordan was just milking the characters and publishing the book only to publish it, because it had been so long since the last installment of the series. “The Last Olympian” had, in my opinion, a perfect and adequate closure to the series. Many book series have lost my interest by releasing unnecessary sequels after the series’ conclusion. However, Riordan writes in his blog post, “I wanted it to be a book you all may genuinely like, a kind of ‘thank you’ for staying with me all these years as you waited for a better PJO adaptation.” This reassured me that he intends for a genuine desire to write a book that the audience will actually love, rather than one placed out there solely to generate attention for future projects.

Of the ten random Silver Creek students I interviewed, six were concerned about the novel’s relevance. Since it is sandwiched between two different but interconnected series, they expressed that they were worried that the book would just be a filler novel.

Freshman Juan Garcia argues that the sixth book isn’t necessary. He says, “They should’ve ended it on the fifth book; it ended beautifully and I think they shouldn’t add more. I think it’s perfect the way it ended.”

An anonymous Silver Creek sophomore expresses, “I don’t really want to read just a filler book. We already know everyones safe and alright in ‘Trials of Apollo’.”

On the other hand, sophomore Juliana Alaibila says, “I just hope that the book can be as good as the other ones.”

The next few years are shaping up to be exciting for fans of the Percy Jackson universe. The Disney Plus adaptation is due to begin premiering in 2024, “The Sun and the Star” is set to be published on May 2, 2023, and “Percy Jackson and the Chalice of the Gods” is scheduled to be released on Sept. 26, 2023. You can check out Riordan’s blog posts and updates on all his projects on his website at rickriordan.com.