Magnus Chase and The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
Pages: 528
Publish date: October 6th 2015
Publisher: Penguin Australia
ISBN: 0141342420
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU
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 an uncle he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. His uncle 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 . . .
The Sword of Summer:
I received an advance copy of The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan from Penguin Australia in exchange for a review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts about the book.
I cannot explain my feelings when this showed up at my PO Box. I got home late from University and there is was sitting on the table. I ended up hugging the book around the house for the next hour. Yes I said, hugging. And then I started to read it right away and I wasn’t disappointed.
Rick Riordan is a genius. He knows how to write a fun, exciting and engaging novel that keeps you reading and reading.
“You missed a pedestrian,” I said. “You want to go back and hit her?”
I’m a massive fan of mythology. I studied it in high school, I am doing a class on it at university and I have grown up with it. So it’s something that I hold dearly to my heart and I love reading retellings or books based on myths. The thing is, I don’t know too much on Norse Mythology – so I was happy that I start getting into it.
The Sword of Summer reads much like his other novels, in a sense that it reads for Middle graders, however anyone can read it. And come on all the main characters are just so loveable.
Magnus Chase; man I love him. He is quite similar to Percy in a sense, but much more sarcastic. He had off my seat laughing, I couldn’t read it late at night because I was going to wake up my siblings for all the laughing. A lot of the time he was funny and sarcastic and brilliant, then again at times he broke my heart. I am an emotional person so most of you won’t tear up, I just cry at everything. In saying that Rick Riordan was able to balance the two well and not have it too heavily funny. It would have made it unrealistic because of the events that happen before and during the novel.
“Then why don’t you just say A.D.?”
“Because Anno Domini, in the Year of Our Lord, is fine for Christian, but Thor gets a little upset. He still holds a grudge that Jesus never showed up for the duel he challenged him too.”
There is something about Rick Riordan characters that I just love. He is able to write characters that you just want to read about. That you want to know more about. That keeps the story going.
The plot of The Sword of Summer like other Riordan novels are quite similar. There is a boy, he turns out he is special, people are after him and so on. It’s the hero story and it might sound the same as other books, but there is something about Riordan’s writing like his characters that are unique and is intriguing.
I also really adored The Sword of Summer because of the diversity in characters. And it shows that not only contemporary novels have diversity, nevertheless fantasy can have it too.
The writing style is easy to read, however it does use a good deal of Norse mythology references and names. If you don’t have some knowledge with how to say these words and worlds, you might stumble a bit.
The Sword of Summer takes you on an adventure. That you can’t help, but keep on reading. I also love Riordan’s play on Norse mythology and the Norse Gods. They had me laughing at 1 am.
Not only was the words of book funny, sarcastic and brilliant but the chapter headings – holy – they are the most amazing chapter headings in the world.
There is also surprise visitors that made me squeal and it looks like some might make some appearances in the rest of the series.
The Sword of Summer is a book that takes you on a journey of laughs, heartache and fun. Rick Riordan doesn’t fail in his newest novel that any new and old fan will love.
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