The Tower of Nero

The final installment of Rick Riordan’s Trials of Apollo pentalogy, The Tower of Nero (2020) is a young-adult fantasy book set in the Percy Jackson universe. The novel tracks the fallen god Apollo in his final quest to save the world from the cruel emperor Nero and the monster Python. Apollo’s dangerous adventure quest takes him, with his demigod companion Meg McCaffrey in tow, to underground tunnels, a sinister Manhattan high-rise, and the deathly lair of a malicious ancient serpent. Apollo and Meg defeat old and new enemies to transform into their better selves, an important theme in the novel. Praised by readers for providing a satisfying close to the Trials of Apollo series, The Tower of Nero won the Goodreads Choice Awards 2020 for middle-grade and children’s fiction.

The plot of the novel begins immediately after the events of The Tyrant’s Tomb, the fourth book of the series. After finally defeating Caligula and Commodus at New Rome, a sanctuary and university for demigods in San Francisco, Apollo and Meg receive a prophecy that directs them to seek Nero out in Manhattan.

The author of more than 20 New York Times bestselling books for young readers, Rick Riordan taught Greek mythology for several years before turning to full-time writing.