The Sword of Summer is the first book in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series by Rick Riordan.
| by Alberte |  |
Title:
‘The Sword of Summer’ (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1)
Author:
Pages:
499
Reading Level:
Advanced Beginner
Published:
October 6th 2015
Publisher, this copy:
Disney – Hyperion Books
Feelings Thermometer:
Magnus has been living on the street ever since his mother died under weird circumstances. The only contact he has with others is his two friends Blitzen and Hearthstone (that he might not know as well as he thought) At least until he finds out that his uncle Randolph is searching for him, the Uncle his mother always claimed was bad luck.
Randolph tells him that he has to find a long lost sword, which is apparently his birthright to own. He finds the sword, but it only leads to more trouble and his death.
For most people that would mean the end, but not when you’re the son of a Norse God. After his death, Magnus ends up in a strange hotel called Valhalla, where he learns that the world is at the border of Ragnarok and the Gods need Magnus to help stop it.
Rick Riordan as an author
I personally love the author of this book, and have read almost all of his books. One thing Rick does that I have not seen before is that sometimes the world in this different book series collided. It may seem like all of the stories despise what mythology there are about, actually are happening in the same world. For example if you have read his series Percy Jackson, Magnus last name Chase might ring some bells. Especially then you think about the fact that he has got a cousin named Annabeth.
Characters
To have a good book you of course need a good storyline, but something just as important is a good set of characters. In Rick’s book you meet many people, which often can get confusing, but Rick’s characters are unique so I don’t have a problem remembering who is who.
I’ve heard other people saying that the main character in his different series are the same just with different names. It have never been anything that bothered me or something that I’ve noticed. I think it would be hard for them to not remind about each other, because they’ve often been through similar things. So they end up being strong and a bit rebellious people and I see no problem with that.
Furthermore, I enjoy the headstrong female character Samirah al-Abbas who often saves Magnus ass rather than the classic, the strong male character saves the day.
Love story
One think that I really appreciate about this book is that Magnus doesn’t fall in love with anyone. The reason for this is that I often feel as if authors of a fantasy book feel the need to press in a love story, in a tale where it doesn’t belong. In that way they can appeal more to female teenagers. It’s one of the thing that often throws me off then it comes to books.
I really can’t stand when a person falls in love within the first twenty pages. Don’t get me wrong I believe that love most likely could happen later in the story, but if it’s anything like Percy Jackson it will first happen in about three books. Which I think is so much more realistic, because so much is going on with monsters and gods trying to kill you. I don’t think it would be natural to get these feelings and figure them out so fast, then you’re running for your life.
Excerpt from ‘The Sword of Summer’
“Back up,” I said. “What did Sam mean by again? You’ve lost your hammer before?”
“Once,” Thor said. “Okay, twice. Three times if you count this time, which you shouldn’t, because I am not admitting that the hammer is missing.”
“Right…” I said. “So how did you lose it?”
“I don’t know!” Thor started to pace again, his long red hair sparking and popping. “It was just like…Poof! I tried retracing my steps. I tried the Find My Hammer app, but it doesn’t work!”
Conclusion
I had very high expectations then I started reading this book, and I was not disappointed. I really love this book it got everything that I associate with a good book it got an amazing story, fantastic and unique characters and it’s very funny and witty. I would recommend this book for anybody who loves books like Harry Potter, The Maze Runner and The Mortal Instruments.
‘The Sword of Summer’ is goodreads CHOICE 2015 WINNER
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