Missions Unknown » Rick Riordan

Second “Percy Jackson” film is in the works, the L.A. Times reports

Sanford Allen — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:08:01 +0000

The cover of Riordan's "The Sea of Monsters."

If you — or more likely your kids — are waiting anxiously to see if San Antonio author Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” books will yield another Hollywood film, we’ve got good news.

Film studio Fox 2000 has exercised the option on youthful star Logan Lerman, pulling him in to reprise his role as Percy Jackson in a sequel to last year’s “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” the Los Angeles Times reported today, citing a source close to the project.

The company has also grabbed Thor Freudenthal, director of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” to lens the movie, according to the report. He will take over for Chris Columbus, who directed the previous “Percy Jackson” but will only produce this time around.

The first film, based on Riordan’s fantasy children’s series, was a moderate hit, taking in $89 million in U.S. box office and another $137 million elsewhere.

Riordan’s series spins the yarn of an ordinary kid who discovers he’s the son of the Greek god Poseidon. The upcoming film sequel, the Times reports, is expected to follow the series’ second book, The Sea of Monsters, which tracks Percy and his buds as they take to sea looking for the Golden Fleece. However, it will likely include elements from other books in the series, according to the Times.

Riordan’s ‘The Throne of Fire’ Hits Stores Tuesday

Paul Vaughn — Mon, 02 May 2011 19:28:56 +0000

'The Throne of Fire' by Rick Riordan

The much anticipated second installment of Rick Riordan’s Kane Chronicles is due to hit stores tomorrow and local book sellers are gearing up for the crowds of fans looking for the book. The Throne of Fire is the followup to The Red Pyramid which follows the adventures of Sadie and Carter Kane, offspring of the fabled Egyptologist Dr. Julius Kane, as they span the globe in search of the legendary Book of Ra. The Kanes must battle the forces of chaos and are under the threat of the the snake god Aphosis rising that may bring the world to an end.

The Barnes & Noble at La Cantera (15900 La Cantera Parkway Bldg 27, San Antonio, TX 78256 | 210-558-2078) will be hosting a book signing with Rick Riordan on Saturday May 14th at 4:00 pm. This event will be packed and you will need a ticket to go through the signing line. BN will start handing out tickets at 9:00 that morning.

Borders is also having some events this Saturday May 7th, 2011 at 2:00 pm and you can read an excerpt of the novel on their site along with a letter from Riordan himself.

Riordan is currently one of San Antonio’s most popular authors.

Riordan’s latest Kane book ships on May 3

Sanford Allen — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 17:29:00 +0000

John Rocco's cover for Rick Riordan's "Throne of Fire."

Rick Riordan, San Antonio’s premiere purveyor of kid lit, is releasing his latest book, “The Throne of Fire,” on May 3, according to his blog. He also gave readers the first glimpse of John Rocco’s colorful and action-packed cover.

“Throne” is the second book of Riordan’s Kane Chronicles series, published by Disney. Its predecessor, “The Red Pyramid,” rose to No. 4 on the New York Times’ bestseller list last spring. The series chronicles a wisecracking brother and sister adventures among ancient Egyptian gods unleashed on the modern world.

Borders.com is offering a free read of the first chapter and a 41 percent pre-order discount on the book.

Riordan’s other books include the bestselling Percy Jackson & the Olympians series and the Tres Navarre mysteries.

Riordan’s “Percy Jackson” out on DVD

Sanford Allen — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:55:27 +0000

The movie based on San Antonio kid-lit author Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” didn’t exactly burn up the multiplex box offices.

Time to see if it has a more impressive showing now that it’s been released today on DVD.

If you haven’t been following Riordan’s books — the heirs apparent to the Harry Potter franchise — here’s the basic story: Modern-day kid Percy is called on a quest to retrieve the Greek God Zeus’ lightning after he discovers (whoa, cool!) that his dad is actually Poseidon.

While the movie version didn’t exactly churn up Harry Potter levels of ticket sales, it got decent reviews and featured some spiffy special effects. Not to mention, Percy (played by Logan Lerman) gets support from a bevy of A-list stars, including Pierce Brosnan, Uma Thurman, Sean Bean, Rosario Dawson and Ray Winstone.

Extras on the just-released DVD include a “making-of” documentary; deleted and extended scenes; “Discover Your Powers” quiz.

Riordan Discusses ‘Lost Hero’ with the New York Times

Paul Vaughn — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 05:30:13 +0000

"The Lost Hero" by Rick Riordan, due in the Fall of 2010

Prolific San Antonio author Rick Riordan has a new series coming out and he took the time to talk about it recently with the New York Times. The series, starting with The Lost Hero, is set in the same world as his hugely popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Readers get to return to Camp Half-Blood in the new series The Heroes of Olympus that is separate from his recently released book, The Red Pyramid, the first of the Kane Chronicles. The Lost Hero is scheduled for release in October.

While Riordan isn’t giving away any spoilers, he does reveal that the series will be five books and that the characters from the Percy Jackson books will make appearances. The author is on a six-month schedule with his books, The Heroes of Olympus in the Fall and The Kane Chronicles in the Spring.

You can read the full article, The World of ‘Percy Jackson’ Lives on in ‘The Lost Hero’ on the New York Times’ ArtsBeat blog.

I know several eight-year-olds who will be anxiously awaiting this book!

Uncover Rick Riordan’s Red Pyramid Today

Paul Vaughn — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:12:42 +0000

The wait is over for fans of San Antonio author Rick Riordan, his follow-up to the wildly popular Percy Jackson series is out today! The Red Pyramid is the first book in the Kane Chronicles from Disney Hyperion. As you might expect, this release comes with a big marketing push, including a full Disney-hosted web site and events at bookstores nationwide. Borders will have a Red Pyramid Release Party on Saturday, May 8th at 2:00 and Barnes & Noble La Cantera (15900 La Cantera Parkway, 210.558.2078) is having a booksigning at 2 p.m. on May 15.

The synopsis of The Red Pyramid goes like this:

Since their mother’s death, Carter and Sadie have become near strangers. While Sadie has lived with her grandparents in London, her brother has traveled the world with their father, the brilliant Egyptologist, Dr. Julius Kane.

One night, Dr. Kane brings the siblings together for a “research experiment” at the British Museum, where he hopes to set things right for his family. Instead, he unleashes the Egyptian god Set, who banishes him to oblivion and forces the children to flee for their lives.

Soon, Sadie and Carter discover that the gods of Egypt are waking, and the worst of them —Set— has his sights on the Kanes. To stop him, the siblings embark on a dangerous journey across the globe – a quest that brings them ever closer to the truth about their family and their links to a secret order that has existed since the time of the pharaohs.

Riordan can explain it better himself…check out the trailer below for his take.

The Red Pyramid is garnering great reviews all over:

‘Pyramid’: It’s another towering Riordan tale of mythology – USA Today
Rick Riordan’s Gods and Monsters – Wall Street Journal
Book review: ‘The Red Pyramid’ by Rick Riordan – Los Angeles Times

MySA.com: Riordan Awakens Old Egyptian Gods

Paul Vaughn — Mon, 03 May 2010 05:01:31 +0000

Ahead of the release of the first book in his new series, Steve Bennett at the San Antonio Express-news ran an interview with Rick Riordan Sunday. This series, the follow-up to his wildly popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, has an Egyptian theme and is aimed at readers from 9 to 12 years old. The first book, The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid, will be out Tuesday and Riordan will be at a book signing at Barnes & Noble La Cantera (15900 La Cantera Parkway, 210.558.2078), at 2 p.m. May 15. There will be Egyptian-themed activities and crafts about an hour before the signing.

Bennett asked Riordan about the switch from the Greek mythology in Percy Jackson to the Egyptian themes in the new series. Riordan says:

“The Egyptians had a very interesting attitude toward their gods. They believed gods could be bribed, threatened, even fought in order to get what you wanted from them. That’s why magicians were so important, and why Egypt was renowned in the ancient world for their magicians. Magicians actually controlled the gods and channeled their power. It was very different from modern concepts of the divine, which is why that scene in the Old Testament when Moses battled the magicians of pharaoh is so striking. Ancient readers would’ve been truly impressed by that story, because everyone knew Egypt’s magic was the most powerful. In ‘The Red Pyramid,’ Carter and Sadie find out they are descendants of Egyptian magicians, and when the gods escape into the modern world, the Kane siblings are the only ones who can put things right.”

You can read the full article on MySanAntonio.com.

Percy Jackson’s box office take is less than Olympian

Sanford Allen — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:26:25 +0000

Percy may be able to throw lightning, but can he make Fox money?

San Antonio author RICK RIORDAN’s Percy Jackson series may be a kid lit phenomenon, but the jury’s still out whether it will be a Hollywood franchise.

“PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THEIF” took in $31.2 million during its Feb. 12-14 opening weekend. Formidable, but not something FOX probably wanted to see when it dropped $95 million on the film. Receipts fell more than 50 percent the following weekend to $15.3 million.

So far, “Percy” has grossed $60.1 million in domestic theaters, which is some pretty good scratch. Problem is, domestic box office returns are well short of the studio’s investment in the film, and they’ll probably continue to slide over following weeks.

Of course, Fox also will figure in foreign box office, DVD sales and television licensing before it decides whether to green light a second installment. If Fox thinks Percy can ride the lightning into home screen popularity, it may be more willing to write another check.

Rick Riordan: Multimedia Phenomenon?

Sanford Allen — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:09:22 +0000

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (a Sorcerer’s Stone perhaps?), you’ve probably seen the splashy, flashy and undeniably enormo-budgeted trailer for PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF, which opens Friday.

The movie — chock full of Olympian set pieces and more CGI harpies, hydras and medusas than you can shake a virtual stick at — is of course based on San Antonio author RICK RIORDAN’S book of almost the same name.

Anyone who attended Rick’s fairly recent book signing at the Loop 1604 Barnes & Noble knows that his Percy Jackson series has become a full-fledged kid-lit phenomenon. The place was sandwiched with kids, moms, dads and assorted fan folk, who all had to pick a number and wait for a few precious seconds with the writer.

Seems pretty obvious FOX is betting that Rick can help the studio have its own HARRY POTTER franchise. Heck, the movie’s even helmed by the guy behind the first Harry Potter installment.

Rick’s book sales haven’t quite hit the J.K. ROWLING stratosphere yet, but according to media reports, the Hollywood buzz may be putting them on their way. Publisher DISNEY/HYPERION says its sold 10 million of his Percy Jackson series, 3 million in just the past three months.

It will be interesting to see just how big the movie opens and how much further up Mount Olympus it will allow Rick Riordan to climb.

Stay tuned.

Missions Unknown Gift Guide

Mission Control — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:13:05 +0000

Merry Christmas, Holidays, Hannukah, Festivus, Kwaanza, Saturnalia, Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, Brumalia or whatever it is you’re celebrating this time of year. ‘Tis the season you may find yourself looking for the perfect gift for the SF/Fantasy/Horror fan on your list. Take a look at some of these local offerings:

JASON LIMON Original Artwork & Prints — He’s a San Antonio homeboy and a rising art star. He isn’t a household name in his own hometown (yet), but his work is currently heading to major exhibitions in San Francisco, Berlin, and Hamburg. Be the first on your block to have some Jason Limon goodness on your wall. You can say you knew him before the rest of SA did. Rest assured that the Blue Star and First Friday art illuminati will embrace him as their very own (“We knew him all along!”), long after the rest of the world’s art scene trumpets him as the genius he is. Puro San Antonio.

QUARANTINED by Joe McKinney — A deadly flu outbreak threatens to wipe out the populace of San Antonio. The military quarantines the Alamo City to halt the spread of the disease. Amid the chaos, homicide detective Lily Harris finds a murder victim hidden among the plague dead, and her questions begin to make some powerful and dangerous people very uncomfortable.

ATOMIC COMICS Gift Certificates for Comics, Graphic Novels, and Figures — If you haven’t been to Atomic Comics lately, you’re missing out on one of San Antonio’s best comic-book emporiums. And this weekend is the perfect opportunity to visit. Saturday, Dec. 12 & Sunday, Dec. 13 — everything in the store is 50% OFF for Atomic Comics’ Annual Christmas Rush Sale (*on any item not new this week). 50% off, people!!! That’s why owner John Minton is Superman when it comes to treating SA comic book fans the right way. Get there early!! 4904 Broadway / San Antonio / TX / 78209 / 210.826.3223

HYPERBUBBLE’s Better Set Your Phasers to Stun – This 5-song maxisingle on the Glasgow, Scotland based Bubblegum Records label mixes San Antonio synth pop with Star Trek love. The first track on the disc is a version of Better Set Your Phasers to Stun with guest vocals by BubblegumPunkPopDisco queen Helen Love. One mix of the song can be heard on Hyperbubble’s MySpace page, and the disc also includes the catchy track UFO Beach Party. With lyrics like “You better set your phasers to stun, you better pop your bubble gum.” we’re not delving into hard SF, but it’s more than worth the mere £1.99 plus postage. Definitely worth checking out.

DAMIEN BRODERICK’s QUIPU — In QUIPU, a reimagining of Damien’s prize-winning 1984 novel TRANSMITTERS, one character, Caroline, is going batty. Another, Joseph, can’t talk to women, even if he is a certified high-IQ clever dick trying to take snapshots of the end of the universe. Ray and Marj have their own hassles with in-laws, but student terrorists get in the way. Meanwhile Brian, misogynist and wit, appalls everyone in the quipu world. Quipus? They’re the scandalous fanzines that hikes traded before blogs were invented. Hikes? Why, high-IQ clever dicks, of course. The book’s drew some rave reviews too. Arthur C. Clarke Award winner GEORGE TURNER called it ”far and away Broderick’s best novel.” From E-Reads in both print and ebook formats.

Joe R. Lansdale’s VANILLA RIDE or the recently published collection of some of Lansdale’s best stories, SANCTIFIED AND CHICKEN-FRIED, which features a foreword by Bill Crider. From the publisher’s website: “In this collection of gothic tales that explore the dark and sometimes darkly humorous side of life and death, you’ll meet traveling preachers with sinister agendas, towns lost to time, teenagers out for a good time who get more than they bargain for, and gangsters and strange goings-on at the end of the world.”

DIBBLE’S Hobbies Gift Certificates for Games and Models — It’s a San Antonio institution and a local treasure trove for local modelbuilders, gamers, and hobbyists. They’re very well-known for their extensive railroad sets and expertise, but they have tons of gems for fantasy role-playing gamers, lead figure lovers, and miniature enthusiasts. The folks behind the counter are some of the nicest people you’ll ever encounter. Think of Dibble’s like “Cheers” for model-builders and tabletop gamers — even if everybody doesn’t know your name there, they treat you like they do. 1029 Donaldson Ave. / San Antonio / TX / 78228 / Tues-Sat. 10-6pm / 210.735.7721

Crocheted ADIPOSE — How could diets pills go wrong in such a cute way? Inspired by the Doctor Who episode Partners in Crime, these little guys range in price from $12.00-$15.00. Head over to the Doctor Who Fans Unite Fan Art page to see more and get contact info.

Rick Riordan’s THE LIGHTNING THIEF — The major motion picture debuts February 12, 2010 so your kids should read the book now. It’s the first in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and is a great read for kids and young adults.