Penguin UK just revamped the covers of Heroes of Olympus, and we are here to give you a handy guide in case you have questions.
Who is the artist behind the new covers?
Malaysian artist Khadijah Khatibwho, who revamped Percy Jackson and the Olympians covers for UK readers 2 years ago.
What’s the continuity like with the Percy Jackson new covers then?
They all have this colourful frame. The only thing is that while the Percy Jackson has a tag line that says “half boy, half god, all hero”, here it says “seven heroes, one prophecy, destiny calls”. And well, obviously the Percy Jackson ones don’t say “featuring Percy Jackson”.
How do these compare to the original Heroes of Olympus covers?
Using The Lost Hero, book 1 of the series, as an example, there were the US original edition, the UK original, the UK updated, and the US updated.
We definitely like the new covers a lot more than any of the UK versions as the older UK ones have a strong CGI / digital vibe, and do not give us the warm vibe that Rick Riordan’s stories give us. However, we have to admit that we might still like the original US edition just a bit more as they are a classic. But it’s super close.
But do the new covers reflect the story? (spoiler alert)
The Lost Hero: Leo fixes a bronze dragon (Festus!) and adds wings to Festus. Jason and Piper join Leo and set off on their quest on Festus’ back. This is a core part of the story and we like how we can finally see Leo, Jason, and Piper on Festus’ back, which is a first in UK’s edition!
The Son of Neptune: Percy, Hazel, and Frank arrive at Hubbard Glacier. Frank shape-shifts into an eagle, and then a grizzly bear. There are also Hazel’s horse, Arion, and Percy’s chariot. This is a big battle moment and we like how it’s depicted in the cover.
The Mark of Athena: The cover depicts Athena Parthenos, the statue of Athena that went missing thousands of years ago and Annabeth has to retrieve. We feel like the Athena statue could be a bit more subtle, but do appreciate that it’s on the cover, instead of Arachne, the spider, which we feel is a minor part of the story.
The House of Hades: The new cover is very similar to the other ones — they all feature The Doors of Death. We are not entirely sure who those monsters are but maybe that doesn’t really matter. What matters is that it reflects the story.
The Blood of Olympus: We love that the seven heroes are only seen through their shadow. The depiction of Gaea is absolutely chilling. 10/10 cover.
What other Percy Jackson books can we look forward to in the rest of the year?
Glad you asked!
The deluxe collector’s edition of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Sea of Monsters will be out November 4. This follows last year’s deluxe version of The Lightning Thief, which included many amazing extra bits. We hope the deluxe version of The Sea of Monsters will have something similar. Regardless, the cover is enough for us to want a copy.
The sequel to The Sun and the Star will be released on September 23. This series is written with Mark Oshiro, and follows Nico di Angelo and Will Solace, whom readers would know from Heroes of Olympus. This book follows Nico and Will, along with Hazel Levesque, as they manage some monsters who have taken up residence at Camp Jupiter.
Finally, the paperback edition of Wrath of the Triple Goddess, book 2 of the new Percy Jackson spin-off trilogy (The Senior Year Adventures), is coming out on July 3. This series follows Percy as he needs to go on quests in exchange for reference letters to apply for university. This edition would match the rest of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians paperback books, with the colourful frame, and this should have the number 7 on the spine, indicating book 7.
