MAGNUS CHASE -- The Sword of Summer by Uncle Rick


Title: The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Book #1)
Author: Rick Riordan (Uncle Rick)
Published: October 6th, 2015
Pages: 528 pages
Source: Barnes & Noble Hardcover
Genre: Norse Mythology, Fantasy
Rating:
Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother's mysterious death, he's lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers. 

One day, he's tracked down by a man he's never met- a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god. 

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years. 

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision. 

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die...

Get it now!
It's been a while -- and I mean a long while -- since I've last dived into one of Uncle Rick's book. I say Uncle because Riordan was always the one that put me to sleep at night with his fascinating stories and characters. The Percy Jackson series is one of my all-time faves. Now speaking about this book today, Rick Riordan has decided to step into a whole other universe of Norse gods! Riordan never fails to surprise me and make me fall in love with yet another part of mythology. By the end of the book, I was saying...


Plot

It should come as no surprise to any of the readers that the narrator DIES!! Magnus Chase dies a heroic death and is sent to Valhalla. According to myth, Valhalla is this majestic place in Asgard where heroes that have died in battle and are chosen to be worthy stay. It is ruled over by the god Odin. Now for a lack of better words, it's like the glorious afterlife that the Egyptians were trying to reach. Everyone wants to go there and some would say they treat you better there in death than how people would treat you when you were living. The story actually starts off with Magnus dying and being placed in Valhalla. What he doesn't know, is that he was chosen for a greater destiny than to spend the rest of his life (well, rest of his death, I should say) in a heavenly paradise. 

The plot works sort of the same way the Percy Jackson series works. There's a dude with this prophecy and he's supposed to find something and save the world... yappety yap yapp. That doesn't change much. I also found a long string of similarities, which I think were put in on purpose. Rick Riordan probably wanted his readers to feel more nostalgic while reading this book and to think of his PJ series. For those who haven't read PJ, you're not missing out or anything but it's nice to have that sense of returning warmth when you read Riordan's familiar words. 

Did anyone else feel like Valhalla was extremely similar to Camp Half-Blood? IF you have read the book and you understand what I'm talking about, please let me know I'm not crazy!

Characters 

Going into this book, I was expecting Magnus Chase to be a lot like Percy Jackson. It's been a habit of mine to compare the characters in one series to another series that the author has written, just like the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series, both by Sarah J. Maas. Ladies and gentlemen, another reason why I LOVE Rick Riordan is because his characters are so unique. Magnus was a whole lot of wit and not enough selflessness, which makes him on an different level than Percy. I couldn't find anything similar about them, other than the fact that they both encounter gods. Their journeys are so different and their personalities lead them to do either the most dangerous or most heroic things. I would have to say that I love Percy more though, not that Magnus wasn't interesting, but I guess I think Percy is more tame. 

Magnus is indeed a flamboyant character. He's like the sun, and he's not afraid to show his rays. He is not afraid to barter and test a god's patience, which at some points were funny but also made me scared for his life! 

We have a returning character from the Percy Jackson series, the bae Annabeth. Of course, none of you should be surprised since Magnus' last name is 'Chase'. Annabeth is like this tiny cutie in the book and it's so wonderful that she made an appearance. 

Although most of Rick's books are geared towards middle grade readers, The Sword of Summer has once again proven that anyone, at any age, will enjoy reading his work. He makes you feel like a kid again and that feeling is priceless. For lovers of the Percy Jackson series, you'll definitely get a kick out of reading this new installment in a brand new series. With a returning character, a new protagonist, and some similar aspects that bring you back into the PJ series, it's a guaranteed 5 star rating! If you just love mythology, Rick Riordan will lure you in with the way he ties the myths and legends into the plot and setting. You'll feel like you're in the book! I am so ready for the second installment of this series! 


Have any of you read this year? Fangirl with me!




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4 comments

  1. I read this book and loved it! Rick Riordan never ever fails to amaze me. I really liked the fact that he included a wide range of diverse characters in this book, like Sam, Blitz, and Hearth (I happen to ship Blitz and Hearth, haha). I can't wait for the next book!
    ~Erika @ Books, Stars, Writing. And Everything In Between.

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    1. Hearth was my favorite, and I still can't believe he put a deaf person in this book. I think the incorporation of the ASL was a major change in rating for me and made me love the book even more!

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  2. I read this a few months ago and I absolutely LOVED it. It was so good! And I felt it read a lot older than the Percy Jackson series, it felt more YA than MG. I need the sequel ASAP!

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  3. Yes I did feel that way. I actually don't know for sure whether this book is officially classified as YA or MG.

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