Mythological Reimagination in Contemporary Fantasy: A Comparative Analysis of Amish Tripathi and Rick Riordan

Abstract

This paper examines the divergent approaches to mythological adaptation in contemporary fantasy literature through a comparative analysis of Amish Tripathi's Shiva Trilogy and Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. While both authors engage in mythological retelling for modern audiences, their methodologies reflect fundamentally different cultural positioning, narrative strategies, and ideological commitments. Tripathi's work emerges from within Indian cultural discourse, treating Hindu mythology as living tradition requiring reverent reinterpretation, whereas Riordan approaches Greek mythology as cultural artifact available for creative appropriation. Through close textual analysis grounded in adaptation theory and postcolonial literary criticism, this study demonstrates how each author's treatment of sacred narratives reveals broader tensions between cultural preservation and global commodification, between reverence and irreverence, and between insider and outsider perspectives on mythological tradition. The analysis illuminates how contemporary fantasy literature functions as a site of cultural negotiation, where ancient narratives are continually rearticulated to address present concerns while navigating the complex dynamics of cultural ownership, religious sensibility, and literary innovation.