Stephanie
Written on Dec 12, 2015
The first book in the incredible new series from the author of Percy Jackson, the Kane Chronicles and Heroes of Olympus.
My name is Magnus Chase. I'm orphaned and living rough on the streets of Boston. And things are about to get much worse.
My day started out normally enough. I was sleeping under a bridge when some guy kicked me awake and said, 'They're after you.' Next thing I know, I'm reunited with my obnoxious uncle, who casually informs me that my long-lost father is a Norse god.
Nothing normal about that. And it turns out the gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Apparently, if I can't find the sword my father lost two thousand years ago, there will be doom. Doomsday, to be precise.
A fire giant attacking the city?
Immortal warriors hacking each other to pieces?
Unkillable wolves with glowing eyes?
It's all coming up.
But first I'm going to die. This is the story of how my life goes downhill from there...
- ISBN10 0141342439
- ISBN13 9780141342436
- Publish Date 6 October 2015
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country GB
- Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc
- Imprint Puffin
- Format eBook (EPUB)
- Pages 528
- Language English
Reviews
Chelsea
Written on Nov 14, 2015
1. I'm a little disappointed. This book was A LOT like Percy Jackson. I was hoping the main character would have been different.
2. Other than that the book was pretty good. I liked meeting the characters in Norse mythology.
3. I was hoping the plot would have been a little different. It was still the same typical do a quest or the world will end sort of plot.
4. I liked learning new things about Norse mythology but I think someone who didn't know anything about it would have appreciated it more.
Nessa Luna
Written on Oct 20, 2015
This book follows Magnus as he finds out he's a Norse demigod and gets brought to Hotel Valhalla (sort of like Camp Half-Blood, but different). He then goes on a quest without permission of the hotel owner and shit happens. Yes, it's the same formula as PJ and HoO, but honestly I love it so much more! Because I love Norse Mythology so so much, it kind of made the fact that the book was predictable a lot better.
Because yes, I am going to be terribly honest - this book is predictable. Magnus goes on a quest with two companions (initially, but he does get a third companion along the way); they meet a couple of the gods (to introduce people to Norse mythology I guess), they meed some of the mythology creatures (including the offspring of Sleipnir, an eight-legged horse that Loki gave birth to (yes really!)). And then there's a big fight at the end with the enemy that was introduced in this book. But this book is just so cool that I didn't care about that at all. Because I love these quest books, and it's Norse Mythology, come on!
Magnus is of course the main character of this book, and he's the only one who has a POV in this story which I liked a lot. Because that also meant the resturn of the chapter titles! That was one of the reasons I loved the PJ books so much, the hilarious chapter titles every time. I missed those in Heroes of Olympus and was super happy to find out they were back in this book! My favourite one, which hopefully isn't spoilerish, was: "Hearthstone passes out even more than Jason Grace (though I have no idea who that is)".
Aside from Magnus, we meet several other characters - including an elf and a dwarf, an eight-legged horse which they call 'Stanley', a bunch of guys called Erik, some Valkyrie and of course a couple of norse Gods. Not sure which one was my favourite, but Thor was definitely one of them. Magnus' companions are Blitz, Hearth and Samirah, and personally I liked Sam best. She's a muslim and a Valkyrie and gods I loved her so much!
I won't tell you who Magnus' father (because that we already know because of the synopsys) is, because that's a spoiler, but I can say I was surprised. It wasn't Thor, or Loki, it wasn't even Odin. No, his godly parent was Frey, a Vanir god (the 'lesser' God apparently); which I liked at lot! Because after seeing his appearance on the cover I was so afraid he might be the son of Thor (though of course Marvel's Thor doesn't look at all like how he 'actually' looks like. Still...
We also find out a bit more about the Chase family - because yes, Annabeth and Magnus are related. They are cousins, but at the moment this book starts they haven't seen each other for at least seven or eight years. Whether or not Annabeth is in this book or not I won't tell you, you'll have to find out for yourself!
In the end, I really loved The Sword of Summer and I can safely say it's my favourite mythology book so far from Riordan. I hope the rest of this series will be as awesome as this one, but seeing as it's Rick Riordan, and seeing as it's Norse mythology, it probably wil! I recommend this book to people who loved the previous three series, and especially to fans of The Almighty Johnsons, The Blackwell Pages and of course Norse mythology in general!
My opinion on this book in one gif:
bumblingbookworm
Written on Oct 13, 2015
Oh my God. Or Gods, rather. I don't even know where to start with this review. Have you ever enjoyed a book so much that you can't possibly articulate into words just HOW much you loved it? That's how I feel right now, I just want to say "it's bloody good, read it now!" and be done with it. Alas, that would be a pretty crappy review, so I'm going to do my best to tell you just how much I love this book. Here we go...
Check out the rest of my review here!
Kelly
Written on Sep 27, 2015
Ever since discovering the wonderful world of Camp Half Blood and Percy Jackson, I've been an avid Rick Riordan fan. He's a phenomenal author who creates a wanderlust within readers to explore magical new worlds. Magnus Chase and The Sword of The Summer brings back the delight of discovering a new series that has the makings to be on every young adult bookshelf. It's funny, sassy and shows why Rick Riordan is one of the world's best modern day authors for the young and young at heart.
The characters are incredible and incredibly diverse. From Valkyrie Samirah, or Sam as she's better known. Sam is a feisty Muslim girl who breaks down the stereotypes of how western society sees and depicts her culture. She's the offspring of Norse god Loki and recruits heroes into the afterlife where they prepare for war. Until she meets Magnus... And it seems she may have made a terrible mistake. But Sam isn't a love interest for Magnus, she's betrothed to someone else and it makes an incredible dynamic between the two. By far my two favourites were Blitzen and Hearthstone, the duo posing as two homeless men in order to keep Magnus safe. Blitz is a dwarf with a keen eye for fashion while Hearth is an Elf who uses sign language to communicate. Both characters bring such a lightheartedness and warmth to the storyline, comparable to Grover's character in Percy Jackson and The Olympians.
For some reason, Blitz had donned a broad brimmed hat and sunglasses along with his black trench coat, so he looked like a grungy, very short Italian priest. In his gloved hands he wielded a fearsome wooden dowel with a bright yellow sign that read make way for ducklings.
And of course Annabeth Chase. For those who are yet to discover Riordan's world, Annabeth is the heroine from Percy Jackson and The Olympians series and cousin of Magnus in which her minor cameo appearances will be sure to delight fans.
I really enjoyed it. It felt a little more mature than Percy Jackson and The Olympians but still preserved that unique and cheeky humour that we've come to expect from Rick Riordan. The references to his former series really add a warm familiarity throughout the storyline. As much as I loved The Sword of Summer, it just felt as though there was something missing. The pacing felt a little off towards the latter half of the book but only a minor objection to what truly was an incredible read.
A realistic hero. Norse mythology. Humour, sarcasm and sass. The Sword of The Summer really is a brilliant adventure fantasy young adult read. Riordan is back to his best, weaving an incredible storyline with likable characters who are as diverse as they are developed. Entertainment in it's purest form and I'm so incredibly excited to see where Rick Riordan takes the series.