Liz (Bent Bookworm)
Written on Mar 24, 2018
The second book in this number one, bestselling series from the creator of Percy Jackson.
Thor's hammer is missing again.
The thunder god has a habit of misplacing his weapon - which happens to be the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn't just lost, it has fallen into enemy hands.
Magnus Chase and his friends must find it, fast. If they don't, the mortal worlds will be defenceless against an onslaught of giants, and the Nine Worlds will burn. But the only person who can help them is the gods' worst enemy, Loki - and the price he wants is very high.
- ISBN10 0141342544
- ISBN13 9780141342542
- Publish Date 4 October 2016
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 10 May 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc
- Imprint Puffin
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 480
- Language English
Reviews
Stephanie
Written on Apr 9, 2017
Big old fan of Hearth, though. My favorite.
thepunktheory
Written on Apr 3, 2017
Moreover, there is such brilliant humor in these pages! Riordan has definitely some of the best jokes assembled in this one - and also some of the funniest chapter titles.
The story itself is hell of ride and you never know what to expect next. Riordan fills his books with amiable characters and amazing friends. It basically ties right in with the stuff we are used to coming from him!
Another amazing book by Rick Riordan that will make you laugh, cry and even teach you something!
sa090
Written on Mar 6, 2017
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I think I'm one of the last people to hear that this series is only a trilogy, at first I heard it'll be a series of 5 books as well, which really pushed the importance of reading this book in my TBR priority list and now I'm finally ready for The Ship of the Dead coming this October. Anyways overall I liked this book more than it's prequel, I think I got a little more acquainted with the characters here and my major issue with the Sword of Summer actually got addressed so it's a plus for me even though that still doesn't make it okay in the bigger scheme of things. More of that later, let me focus on the things I really enjoyed first.
The first thing is how Magnus is, in The Olympians series we can always count on Percy to fix things up most of the time but in this series, it's very interesting to see Magnus in an opposite light to Percy. He's not the bravest guy around, he's not the most powerful one and sword fighting isn't exactly second nature to him which imo makes it a great opportunity to see the other members of his party shine and I'm glad Rick took the chance to do just that. Samirah being a badass with the spear and axe, Blitzen and his mad skills with a thread, Hearthstone and the runic magic that I honestly wish he'll use more of and of course not to forget our newest addition to the team; Alex. All of this happened while making sure that Magnus was still an important member of the team, not necessarily in its fighting prowess without Jack's assistance but still vital.
Speaking of our newest character, regardless of the little identity issue which I kind of decided on my own with how Alex was portrayed in the book, she was a blast to have around. I have never seen a character use the same weapon as she did, and actually have her be ruthless with it was very entertaining. The complete opposing sides of her and Samirah's stand on a few things about themselves was a nice subplot in the series and I'm looking forward to see what happens next concerning that, would be so awesome to have it turn from a con to a huge pro.
That wasn't the only interesting subplot btw, learning more about Hearthstone and his abomination of a relative was sad, I didn't expect it to be like this but Rick seems to be trying to outdo himself with the "who's got the most messed up background?" Game he's got going on and I'm actually curious to see who'll win in the end? or would that be lose in the end? I'm just going to hope for a somewhat good resolution, seems like we're all set to see one in the near future.
After all this, what's my only issue with the book? Samirah's religion, yes he's trying to be really diverse with his character but it doesn't work out like this. He made quite a bit of research about it as can be seen by the various hints in this book and the prequel while also having that conversation on top of the rainbow but it's still iffy to me. Add Magnus and Samirah's conversation in Chapter 12 and it shows just how much of a touchy/big-deal topic this is. That's my only issue with the series, not because she's a Muslim (love them) but because it doesn't fit here in any way and bringing real world rules means that you have to abide by them or at least it does to me, especially if breaking said rule nulls her Islam. I do appreciate Ch. 12 though, really shows he's "trying" to make it work.
Again still enjoyed it more than book one and after that last conversation with my favourite character happened, I'm very very excited for the last book of this series. Since it's the last book and we got the name "Quetzalcoatl" dropped, should I expect some Aztec themed books at some point? Not sure but that'll definitely be interesting!!
Final rating: 3/5
KitsuneBae
Written on Feb 12, 2017
Just like his other books and the first Gods of Asgards books, I was smiling as I reached the end of this book. The Hammer of Thor is a spectacular sequel to The Sword of Summer and is further proof of Riordan’s prowess when it comes to mythology. Although it’s obvious that he recycled some stuff from his previous books, The Hammer of Thor and The Sword of Summer were still enjoyable reads that I breezed through them in a very short amount of time. I finished this book in a day while doing household chores and the usual fix of online gaming.
What made The Hammer of Thor different from the rest of his books was not the plot (as I’ve said earlier, there were some plot elements from previous books that were regurgitated in here somewhere) but rather, its cast of characters. Very diverse without making me feel like Riordan was just deliberately pushing it for the sake of ya know, fulfilling the #WeNeedMoreDiverseBooks. And I must tell you that this book introduced us to a brand new main character named Alex Fierro. To say that he/she became a new favorite character would be an understatement. Some spoilers here so read at your own risk. Alex Fierro is the shapeshifting daughter/son of Loki and an unnamed mortal man. Alex Fierro is gender fluid so there are days that he/she identifies as male and other days as otherwise. I liked the fact that she/he already owned her sexuality in this book and that she/he is very straightforward and firm about it. Well, you probably know where I’m going with this one but please, Gods of Asgards, let the Magnus-Alex Fierro ship sail and have their HEA at the end of the series.
So aside from falling in love with the Magnus-Alex ship and adoring the other quirky characters (from Thor to Heimdall to Prince Gellir and his merry band of 12 berserkers to Otis, I can’t even…), I’m also pleased that The Hammer of Thor contained the trademark Riordan humor …an assurance that everything is going great. The pop culture references were just can-you-excuse-me-while-I-laugh-my-heart-out funny?
Oh well, there are so many things to love about this book although as I’ve said, you might encounter some déjà vu issues with the plot. But as for me, it didn’t bother me that much because there are so many things about The Hammer of Thor that made up for that.
Overall, a worthy sequel and certainly a keeper. Now, off to wait for the sequel of The Hidden Oracle.
Artemis
Written on Dec 9, 2016
I enjoyed this sequel far more than I enjoyed the first book.
Thor’s hammer is lost, Loki is up to no good and a new einherjar to figure out are just a few of the key plot points. The last is perhaps my favorite – Riordan has nothing but grace when it comes to tackling some sensitive and topical issues. Alex Fierro is possibly the best part, and in my opinion is what really made me enjoy this sequel.
Alex is a great character, a child of Loki and gender fluid. For me this was such an interesting perspective to tie into the series. Riordan impressed me with his ability to incorporate an interesting conversation on gender roles and diversity into this series about Norse mythology. She’s (since most of the time Alex is a female) kick-ass, likeable and a great foil to Magnus.
When I first picked up this series I wasn’t too impressed with the first book, I found it a little lackluster and too much of the same formula as the Percy Jackson series. Consider me a changed person, because I am looking forward to the next installment!
tellemonstar
Written on Oct 19, 2016
ellieroth
Written on Oct 5, 2016
And yes, IT IS TIME! (!!!!!)