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Who do you think is a better author? J.K. Rowling or Rick Riordan?
They both are phenomenal authors, however statistically speaking J.K. has had a lot more success than Riordan. Her book series having global success alongside successful movies as well. Her books were a gateway for many young readers to explore their imagination and creativity. Not to say that Riordan's books weren't successful but retrospectively J.K. has had far more success and her books have continued to populate interest even as we are passing the eighteen year mark since the first book was published in the UK.

Hi, good question. I have to say that J.K. Rowling's books have sold better than Rick Riordan's for a reason. I won't even try to determine which author is better--that would produce very biased answers. I like Harry Potter more than the Percy Jackson series, but that's just me. Anyways, I will point out that J.K. Rowling was much more of a success commercially because it was incredibly original (one of the first times, wizards were shown in a positive light) and the movies were well done and stayed true to the novels. Percy Jackson while original, did not become a huge success in the movie theaters. When we change a book into a movie, it can either create a terrible movie or create an amazing one that only contributes to the book's success. In terms of commercial success, J.K. Rowling won.

I have read both the Harry Potter series and The Percy Jackson series. Both definitely have wonderful qualities about them and are very entertaining, I would have to say that I favor J.K. Rowling more. She is the reason why I love to read (never really liked it before I started to read her books back in middle school), and she will always hold a special place in heart because of that.

I love j.k.Rowling because she was one of the few authors from my childhood who got me hooked on books as a kid. But I may also be partial to Rick Riordan because he introduced me to the world of Greek mythology which I found to be a very mysterious and addictive info-generating world in general and hence I think both of them equally have a place in my heart amongst my favourite authors of all time!!!

I love both of them! Rowling has had more financial success though. I think if the Percy Jackson movie had been done better, the series would have gotten even more successful than it did. I think the movie stunk. Both authors have created incredible worlds and characters that I love. I just don't think I could choose one over the other. I can reread both series over and over.

Since I prefer both it's hard to say.. But i like JK more than Rick. JK's writings are magnificent! It has literature in it, not just an easy-reading book. I like reading a book that makes me think to interpret each word. It's magical. Not to say that Rick's writings is way too easy or stuffs but as you know Percy Jackson's is book for kids. That's why he uses easy-reading style of writing.

I would have to agree with J.K Rowling. Her books alone have encouraged so many people to read. There has to be someone out there that got their start reading Harry Potter, and now can't stop reading. Not to mention, people are still widely talking about the books, even after all this time. They come up with theories that even intrigue J.K herself.

Both are great writers. For J.K. Rowling, her writing style is more grown-up than Rick Riordan's, although both plots and story lines are astounding. Along with that in J.K. Rowling's there are a lot of inner meanings and symbolism, like Professor Trelawney's prediction of Harry's birthday that actually corresponds to Voldemort's. I can always reread both over and over though!!

I definitely enjoy the series written by both authors but they are two very different styles of writing and I find it difficult to compare them because of that.

I will say that when Order of the Phoenix came out we bought two copies because neither my husband nor I were willing to concede first reading rights. That hasn't happened with a Riordan book yet.

I love both authors equally!! Can't really determine who is better because they both write differently. "Life was like a box of chocolates..." Like that quote, books are like a box of chocolates where the genre is the type of choclate and the authors are different flavors. Successfully, J. K. Rowling, but success doesn't mean the better writer; it's just good agent and PR. I love mythology and magic (fantasy), so for me, it's both not one or the other.

My opinion reflects that of many voiced above. Personally, I think it is actually tough to compare the writing styles. I read the Harry Potter series starting when I was in middle school and have reread it multiple times since. I only recently was introduced to the Percy Jackson series. I am on the last book now. Even though the target audience is the same for both books, I think Rowling's books are written at a higher reading level than Riordian's. I found Rowling's books to be captivating from start to finish throughout the series, while Riordan's were a little rougher at the start. I must say the later books seem to be written better than the earlier ones.

As far as success goes, I agree that the huge differences between the books and the movies for the Percy Jackson series plays a huge role in the flop that occurred after their premier. I was in a state of shock when I started reading the books and found how far the movies strayed from the books, especially the second one. It's no wonder that there hasn't been one since! The early Harry Potter films remained in line with the overall storyline from the books, with minor details being removed. Some of the later films (I'm talking about you number 6!) deviated more, but still remained true to the books. Film adaptations can have a huge impact on the popularity of books.

I can't say that I prefer one author over the other because each one's writing style is so different and enjoyable.

I greatly prefer Harry Potter. I tried to read Riordian's series, and I didn't make it more than a few chapters. The issue was that the main character's life was too depressing!! If I recall, he had acne, he had a stepdad who stole his lunch money, he had a severe learning disorder, etc. Harry Potter had a depressing life too, but he didn't have to deal with a learning disorder all those years at Hogwarts! Rowling made his issues magically infused. Riordian failed in that regard, and I just couldn't keep reading.

Hm...I didn't think about how depressing the main character's life was. I was younger when I read the series, discovering the world of books. I'll have to pick it up again to refresh my memory. Interesting thoughts!

I loved both series, but I prefer Harry Potter.

zeldas_lullaby wrote:If I recall, he had acne, he had a stepdad who stole his lunch money, he had a severe learning disorder, etc. Harry Potter had a depressing life too, but he didn't have to deal with a learning disorder all those years at Hogwarts! Rowling made his issues magically infused. Riordian failed in that regard, and I just couldn't keep reading.

Alright, plot spoiler alert! I picked up the Percy Jackson series only in the past few months. I only have the 5th book left. The first book does start off with Percy's life in the normal world, before he knew he was the son of Poseidon. After he goes to Camp Half-Blood and becomes friends with Grover, he learns a lot more about himself and his life. First, what kid doesn't have acne? I'm not sure that that's a depressing thing, but probably the only normal thing about Percy. Second, his mother married his stepfather because he smelled so bad that the monsters couldn't smell Percy. As the son of one of the "big three" gods, Percy had a stronger smell than most half-bloods. Since his mom kept his stepdad around, the monsters couldn't find Percy and he was able to live a relatively normal life. Eventually he mysteriously disappears . Third, Percy doesn't really have learning disabilities. His ADHD is a manifestation of his warrior instincts growing and developing. As a Greek warrior he needs to be prepared to fight at all times, so sitting still isn't his thing. His dyslexia is a manifestation of his ability to read Greek.

That being said, I do feel the first book spends a lot of time on Percy's pre-half-blood life, so it's a bit slow, but once he goes to camp things progress more quickly. Future books spend less time on the mundane things. If you enjoy Harry Potter I believe you can enjoy Percy Jackson, so don't give up on it yet!