Why I would probably sell my soul to Rick Riordan if he asked me to

Why do I love Rick Riordan so much?

Is a question I have never asked myself because, let's be real, what's the point? Also it's just sort of obvious. Who doesn't love Rick Riordan? (OK, you can leave.)

That being said, here are a few possible reasons behind my enthusiasm for the man and his books. Feel free to share yours in the comments, or tell us your favorite Rick Riordan book and/or quote.

(Rick Riordan's only rival is himself)

Reason 1: His books just keep getting better

Once upon a time there was this MG series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and it was like nothing else that came before it. Percy Jackson was this king of sass who was also vulnerable and had adorable friends, and they got up to all these crazy adventures involving ancient Greek monsters and gods in modern times. It seamlessly blended ancient Greece and contemporary America, and it was chalked full of originality, wit, humor, and pretty non-stop action. My favorite novel in the series was The Titan's Curse, which I read in about 24 hours, I think.

When we finished that series, with Annabeth challenging Percy to a race down the hill (ah, bittersweet memory), it kind of felt like an era in our lives had ended. But I bet you all remember reading Rick Riordan's acknowledgements at the end of the book and snagging on the line where he thanks someone for helping him with his "first Camp Half-Blood series."

FIRST??? SO THERE WILL BE MORE??????

And there were more. And if we thought that first series was good (it was), the next books just kept getting better and better. Sure, some of us will always have a rose-colored view of that first series, and sure, some of the following books have been better than others. But then Riordan drops something like The House of Hades, or The Hidden Oracle, or The Dark Prophecy, and it's like, "dang, Riordan, I knew you could write, but - well, dang!"

Reason 2: He throws out fabulous one liners like nobody's business

"I confess I lost track of the specifics after he explained about the exploding chain-saw Frisbees."

"You hit the Lord of the Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."

"With great power... comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."

Rick Riordan is the master of one liners. His off-the-wall brand of humor is one of the things that made those first Percy Jackson books so great, and now it's become his hallmark. What other book (except the ever-present Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) contains lines of such memorable, well-aimed goofiness?

Reason 3: He is the master of the subtle art of haiku

How many of us could come up with an original, clever haiku for each chapter of a book? And then do the same thing for two more books?

Reason 4: He is the master of the subtle art of killer book dedications

You all know what I'm talking about.

Reason 5: He pretends his fans have a love/hate relationship with him but everyone knows we'd probably jump off a cliff into Hades after him

Riordan knows he has us wrapped around his finger, but he plays it cool, pretending we hate him because he's such a troll (we pretend that too, but let's be real, his trolling only makes us love him more). And he keeps giving us more of what we want, and it's pretty consistently awesome. Like how much stuff has this guy churned out, now? Not just novels, but all those things like The Demigod Files and Percy Jackson's Greek Myths. To say nothing of his other series that take place outside of Camp Half-Blood.

Reason 6: He's giving us a whole series about Apollo

'Nuf said. Now you know
Rick Riordan is our man
We love him a lot


Happy birthday, Rick Riordan! Here's to many more demigod adventures.



Until tomorrow.