Magnus Chase - The Sword of Summer - Rick Riordan

   2015; 512 pages.  New Author? : No.  Full Title: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Book 1: The Sword of Summer.  Book #1 (out of 3) in The Gods of Asgard series.  Genre : Fantasy; YA; Norse Mythology.  Laurels : Winner of the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award for Middle Grade and Children’s Fiction.  Overall Rating : 8½*/10.

    It's been a rough life for Magnus Chase so far.  He never knew his father, and his mother died two years ago when two giant wolves with blue eyes attacked them from out of nowhere.  Magnus barely escaped alive, and he's been living on the streets of Boston ever since, keeping a low profile and learning to live the life of a homeless person.

    His mom’s two brothers live the Boston area, Uncle Frederick and Uncle Randolph, but Magnus doesn’t like either one of them.  His cousin Annabeth, Uncle Frederick’s daughter, is about the same age as Magnus, but there’s something positively scary about her, and Magnus hasn’t seen her in ten years or so.  His two closest friends are a pair of fellow bums called Blitz and Hearth, but they’re more in the “misery loves company” category.

    Just now Blitz is rousing Magnus from his not-very-comfortable sleep on a cold Boston street beneath the shelter of a bridge.  Blitz has a short, chilling message: “They’re after you.”  Who?  Why?  Hoe'd they find him?  What’s the deal?

    Well, today’s your 16^th birthday, Magnus.  You’ve just “come of age”.  And there are some who would like to make this your last day alive.

What’s To Like...

    Magnus Chase - The Sword of Summer is the first book in a trilogy by Rick Riordan featuring Norse mythology.  I’m not sure if this is a completed series or not.  Magnus is a 16-year-old demigod, so the target audience is presumably high school boys, but I found it entertaining and I think most other fantasy-loving adults will as well.

    The pacing is brisk, which is a necessity for any YA novel.  There are a slew of characters to meet and greet, most of them from Norse mythology.  This could get confusing for any reader whose knowledge of Norse gods begins and ends with Thor, but Rick Riordan introduces most or all of these (plus mythological places and runes) with a brief explanation, and even then, if you forget who’s who, there’s a handy glossary in the back.

    The book is written in the first-person POV (Magnus’s).  The only settings are Boston and the Nordic afterworld, including its most famous attraction, Valhalla.  I liked the snarky chapter titles, and the music references, which included the Dropkick Murphys, the Wiggles, Taylor Swift, and ZZ Top’s hit “Sharp Dressed Dwarf”.

    The Intrigue starts right away, and the Action commences shortly thereafter.  There are no slow spots, as Magnus keeps getting assigned various quests: find the magic sword, get an “apple of Idun”, recover Thor’s hammer (not that he officially admits losing it), buy some earrings for his aunt, and of course, save the world from Ragnarok/Doomsday.  Heady stuff for a teenager.

    Critters abound: gods, demigods, elves, dwarfs, Valkyries, trolls and half-trolls, dead and undead warriors, giants, goats, squirrels, wolves, and an eight-legged horse.  I liked the clever way of inserting cuss words in the YA novel – phrases such as "what the Helheim”, “Heimdall’s Horn", "Odin’s Eye", and "Balder’s Bling”, just to name a few.  And it was neat that my favorite Norse mythological “place”, Ginnungagap, gets some ink, although, unsurprisingly, our heroes never venture there.

Kewlest New Word. . .

Bail (n., jewelry) : The top loop on a pendant that the chain slides through.  (Google-image it)

Others: Kibbeh (n.).

Excerpts...

    YAAAARRRRK!  The sound was much louder this time.  A dozen branches above us, a large shadow passed across the leaves.

    I hefted my sword.  “We’ll fight the squirrel.  We can do that, right?”

    Sam looked at me like I was mad.  “Ratatosk is invulnerable.  There is no fighting him.  Our options are running, hiding, or dying.”

    “We can’t run,” I said.  “And I’ve already died twice this week.”  (loc. 3186)

    Frey shrugged.  “I made my choice long ago.  I surrendered the blade for the sake of love.”

    “But on Ragnarok, you’ll die because you don’t have it.”

    He held up the deer antler.  “I will fight with this.”

    “An animal horn?”

    “Knowing your fate is one thing.  Accepting it is another.  I will do my duty.  With this antler I will slay many giants, even Beli, one of their great generals.  But you’re right.  It won’t be enough to bring down Surt.  In the end, I will die.”  (loc. 5613)

Kindle Details...

    Magnus Chase - The Sword of Summer currently sells for $7.99, which is also the price of the other two books in the series: The Hammer of Thor and The Ship of the Dead.  Most of Rick Riordan’s other YA-Mythology books are in the $5.99-$7.99 price range, but if it’s a new release, it can be as high as $12.99.

She looked like the maid of honor at someone’s Mortal Kombat wedding.  (loc. 898)

    There’s not much to quibble about in Magnus Chase – The Sword of Summer.  Quests are fulfilled, and everything builds nicely to a logical ending.  It’s not particularly twisty, but I think any YA reader will be satisfied.  The epilogue is a teaser that sets up the next book in the series, which is not to say it’s a cliffhanger.  MC-TSoS is a standalone novel, as well as part of a series, and will entertain everyone from young’uns to geezers who like “questing” tales.

    8½ Stars.  There’s a unique facet about Norse mythology that I’ve always found fascinating:  coming to grips with the knowledge that your unalterable fate is one of utter doom.  Odin, Thor, and the rest of the Aesir *know* they will lose the Doomsday battle, yet they soldier on.  Rick Riordan gives this concept major focus in Magnus Chase – The Sword of Summer, and I for one think that was a noteworthy literary decision.

The Lost Hero - Rick Riordan

   2010; 553 pages.  New Author? : Yes.  Book #1 (out of 5) in The Heroes of Olympus series.  Genre : Fantasy; YA; Mythology.  Laurels : Barnes &Noble’s “Best Book of 2010” Award.  Overall Rating : 8*/10.

    All in all, it could’ve been worse.  You wake up in a camp bus next to a girl, who’s kinda cute, holding your hand.  And the kid in front of you looks kinda geeky, but claims he's your best friend at camp.

    It’s too bad you have no idea who you are, how you got here in the bus, or anything about your life so far.  The girl – her name’s Piper – and your best buddy – his name’s Leo -  do their best to answer your questions, but they know little about you before you came to the camp.  They say your name is Jason, though.

    So what’s it going to take to get your memory back?  Hmm.  Well maybe getting zapped by a lightning bolt will do the trick.  Jason doesn’t know it, but there’s one in his very near future.

What’s To Like...

    The Lost Hero is the first book in Rick Riordan’s second YA fantasy series, The Heroes of Olympus.   It follows closely – both in real time and in the fantasy setting timeline - his phenomenally successful pentalogy, Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  There are a slew of characters to meet and greet, but really only three that you need to follow closely – Jason, Piper, and Leo - and the chapter titles let you know which one to focus on.

    This is a YA novel, so the action starts early and fast.  The storyline in complex.  Hera has been imprisoned, but who knows by whom?  Mt. Olympus has gone silent on orders for Zeus, but who knows why?  Percy Jackson is missing in action, but who knows where?  And each of our three heroes harbors secrets that they’d rather not divulge.

    There’s a heavy emphasis on Greek and Roman mythology (which is also true of the Percy Jackson series) and that's always a plus for me.  If mythology isn’t your forte, there’s a handy list of the gods and goddesses in the appendix at the back of the book.  I liked the Arizona “Hualapai” setting, and the Cherokees get worked into the story as well.  And you’ll love Festus, the mechanical dragon with a taste for tabasco sauce.

    One of the stops in the journey is Quebec, and Rick Riordan works some French into the dialogue.  But I did cringe a bit at “Je suis Piper”, which really ought to be “Je m’appelle Piper.”  Everything builds to a tension-filled showdown, where some, but not all, of the plot threads get tied up.  The story ends at a logical point, and gives the reader some hints as to where this series is headed.

    This is a YA story, so there’s no cussing, sex, booze, or drugs.  There may be a kiss or two, but other than that the steamy scenes are confined to hugging and holding hands.

Excerpts...

    “Leo, you’ve just been claimed –“

    “By a god,” Jason interrupted.  “That’s the symbol of Vulcan, isn’t it?”

    All eyes turned to him.

    “Jason,” Annabeth said carefully, “How did you know that?”

    “I’m not sure.”

    “Vulcan?” Leo demanded.  “I don’t even LIKE Star Trek.  What are you talking about?”  (pg. 38)

    “Well, there are the Hunters of Artemis,” Annabeth amended.  “They visit sometimes.  They’re not children of Artemis, but they’re her handmaidens – this band of immortal teenage girls who adventure together and hunt monsters and stuff.”

    Piper perked up.  “That sounds cool.  They get to be immortal?”

    “Unless they die in combat, or break their vows.  Did I mention they have to swear off boys?  No dating – ever.  For eternity.”

    “Oh,” Piper said.  “Never mind.”  (pg. 57)

 “I hate to tell you this, (…) but I think your leopard just ate a goddess.”  (pg. 94)

    Being a YA novel, I thought I’d breeze right through The Lost Hero, but it took me a couple weeks to plod my way to its end.  This surprised and puzzled me.  The writing is superb, the wit is plentiful, and Leo provides a bunch of comic relief.  So what’s the problem?

    Well, frankly, it’s the storytelling.  Our heroes flit from place to place, slowly uncovering what their quest is, yet everybody they meet seems to already know.  Piper can charm any mortal; Leo has a magic backpack, and Jason has a dad that makes him someone you don't want to mess with.  They may be young, but they’re not exactly defenseless, even when going up against immortal powers.  I suspect it also would’ve helped if I had read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series first, even though I have a fair idea of what that was all about.

    Still, the strengths outweigh the weaknesses, and I think any teenager will find The Lost Hero to be a fascinating read.  But juveniles may be turned off by its length, and adults may wish the storyline would do a bit less rambling and a bit more advancing.

    8 Stars.  Add 1 star if you are a Young Adult and are intrigued by, but have never gotten into Greek and Roman mythology before.