Review: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
Published: October 6, 2015
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Pages: 491 (Hardcover)
Series: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1
Source: Bought
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

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 tell shim 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...

I preordered this book the second it was available and was sitting as patiently as possible to await it’s arrival. Let me just say this- I was not disappointed! While I’m not sure if it reaches Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus standards, it was just as good, if not better than the Kane Chronicles. This book brings together a homeless boy in Boston, a deaf elf, an unappreciated dwarf who’s trade is bulletproof ascots, and a strong, empowering woman of color. None of these characters felt stereotyped and each brought something new and fresh to the story. Thank you Uncle Rick for bringing together some diversity here! Each of the characters had their own depth and backstory and while we got a satisfactory summation of each, I hope that that’s something Riordan will dive deeper into in future books.

For those of you that may have been wondering, Riordan pours on the sass and wit in this wonderful volume of Norse Mythology. There are many jokes for long-term fans of Riordan as well as just genuinely funny remarks. It’s similar to his old series, but at the same time The Sword of Summer is distinctly different. They travel to some of the different realms, encounter a squirrel, and have a very intense deep sea fishing expedition! In Midgard the world is set in Boston which was pretty cool. Knowing a bit about Boston drivers from living there myself it was also amusing to see this city from Magnus’s perspective. Additionally, we get to see Annabeth in the book momentarily and Magnus clearly doesn’t appreciate how much of a badass she is: yet.

Ok so general plot: Magnus is destined to pull his Father’s old weapon The Sword of Summer out of an old Norse shipwreck here in Boston and this basically triggers Ragnarok because that sword has been missing for centuries and it’s needed to cut Fenris Wolf free to start the apocalypse. For a unique twist, Magnus our main character gets killed in the first chapter. We then proceed to delve into Norse myth along with Magnus, which I thought was great because I don’t know them was well as I know Greek Myths. As usual the whole story flowed well and this is just another huge Riordan masterpiece.

I would definitely recommend this to Riordan Fans, fans of Norse mythology, or anyone looking for characters other than strong hero-type hetero-normative white males! Not even Magnus truly fits that stereotype and it was just pure amazingness.