J.K. Rowling or Rick Riordan?

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bclayton13
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Re: J.K. Rowling or Rick Riordan?

Post by bclayton13 »

Like everyone else, I’ll have to say JK Rowling, but I’m very biased. I just really love the Harry Potter series. I do like Riordan’s books and I have very fond memories reading them, but JK Rowling all the way.
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Post by bukworm543 »

I have greatly enjoyed reading both authors' series. I have to say that I prefer Rowling as I have read / listened to the Harry Potter series numerous times, while I have only read The Percy Jackson series and the Kane Chronicles once each.
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Nanig83006
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Post by Nanig83006 »

They're both phenomenal for similar and different reasons. I love the magic that Harry Potter holds and I adore the the mythology of Percy Jackson. Both take a character and have him face and overcome problems that are not originally his. While financially, Rowling wins, Riordan definitely holds his own. Rowling's series covers many characters, but ends with the seventh book and play. Riordan has many books covering Percy and his adventures then branches off into more novels based on his friends, occasionally crossing paths with the original hero. So, Riordan's taken his story and its world farther than Rowling.
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Vscholz
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Post by Vscholz »

Dezu44 wrote: 28 Jul 2015, 19:07 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.
One of the reasons the PJO movies didn't do very well is because they took very little from the books and made an entirely new plot. I watched The Lightning Thief before I read the book, and I found it just to be an awful movie (personal opinion). When I did read the PJO books, I read them quickly and thoroughly enjoyed them.

I have since moved on to read other books by both authors. I have read the Magnus Chase trilogy by Riordan and I can see how much he has improved as an author, and I have read the first of the Kane Chronicles. This series was much more developed than PJO and showed character growth. The one thing I didn't like about the PJO series was that the characters remained static throughout their lives; Percy at 12 was the same as Percy at 16, which is problematic because those years are so important in personal identity formation. I mean, Percy could very well have known who he was at 12 and had little change, but I find that unbelievable.

I think the main difference between authors is that Rowling had her characters grow and mature throughout the books. They dealt with some heavy stuff and it impacted them personally. I really believe that this growth is what sets HP apart from PJO. Readers were able to literally grow up with Rowling's characters while Riordan's aged but did not necessarily mature.

I have also read The Casual Vacancy by Rowling. It was so beautiful and heartbreaking! I admit, not a lot happened regarding plot but I view it as more of a character study than a story. Her Gilbreath mystery novels are on my TBR list, but I haven't sat down to read them just yet.

Of the two authors, I return to Rowling more frequently. I prefer the books to the movies, but I will rarely turn away from the films as background noise. I think the commercial success of the movies has made her wizarding world tangible to readers, and the opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios certainly doesn't hurt.

With all of that being said... they are both great authors. Riordan has a background in mystery, which usually revolves around adults who have formed their senses of self, and he had to learn to change his storylines to reflect that. I think he has done an amazing job, and it was just a small change he made. Instead of spreading out a series over several years, he has condensed his stories so that he can keep his characters the same with little changes along the way. Rowling, on the other had, did not have a specific background, although her growth is evident throughout the initial HP series.
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Post by jcoad »

I like Harry Potter better because the series evolved and became more adult and complex as the characters aged and the story progressed.
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Post by ObsessedBookNerd »

I think Rick Riordan is the better author. Most people find JK Rowling better but she basically copied off the Lord of The Rings series. Rick Riordan has better originality because I haven’t found anything like it. I also find that the way he integrates new series is amazing; he finished Percy Jackson but then created Heroes of Olympus which he then transitioned the Magnus Chase series & the Trials of Apollo from his first two book. Not only does he combine different series seamlessly but he does the same with using different mythology’s. In his book he has used Greek, Roman, Chinese, and Norse Mythology.
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Post by Zimall »

Haven't read anything from rick riodran yet and i think it wont make any difference my fav would be j.k rowling no matter what..
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Uche B
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Post by Uche B »

They both are great fantasy writers but it's J.K. Rowling for me, I love the Harry Potter world so much.
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Uche B
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Post by Uche B »

jcoad wrote: 15 Aug 2018, 17:34 I like Harry Potter better because the series evolved and became more adult and complex as the characters aged and the story progressed.
Exactly! The series started out like children's books but the stories started to get darker and more complex, and I think it represented the maturing of the characters well.
"Life is more than unpainted fences" - Nomnso Mordi.
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Post by mamilla93 »

J.K.Rowling ofcourse!! Rick Riordan has a lot of promise and Percy Jackson was a fun read, but no can measure up to J.K Rowling's Harry Potter .
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Post by flaming_quills »

I would definitely go with J.K. Rowling because her books were a coming of age story and I love those.
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Post by Artizi »

Both are amazing authors, but I'll have to side with Rowling if I had to choose. She has a unique style I enjoyed a whole lot growing up.
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Brendan Donaghy
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Post by Brendan Donaghy »

I had to google Rick Riordan so, by default, it must be JK Rowling! :D
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Roy Bou Hamdan
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Post by Roy Bou Hamdan »

I LOVE HaRRY POTTER!!! J.K. ROWLING
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ferry flawless
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Post by ferry flawless »

I choose J.K.Rowling.
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