The Sword of Summer
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| File:The Sword of Summer Cover.jpg Cover of first edition | |
| Author | Rick Riordan |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | John Rocco |
| Series | Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (bk 1) |
| Genre | Fantasy, Norse mythology, young-adult novel |
| Publisher | Disney Hyperion[1][2] |
Publication date | October 6, 2015[2] |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover), audiobook |
| Pages | 528 pp. |
| Preceded by | None |
| Followed by | The Hammer of Thor |
The Sword of Summer is the first novel in a trilogy of fantasy novels, the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, written by Rick Riordan and published by Disney Hyperion. Like most other works from Riordan, it is based on mythology, in this case Norse Mythology. It is narrated in the first-person by Magnus Chase, the titular character, as he and his friends search for the Sword of Summer. It was released on October 6, 2015. A sequel, The Hammer of Thor, is set to be released on October 4, 2016. The novel has received positive reviews.
Plot summary
After the loss of his mother, whose death was caused by wolves and a fire in their house, 16 year-old Magnus Chase has been living on the streets of Boston for two years, aided by his friends Blitzen and Hearthstone. One night Blitzen warns him of people searching for him. Magnus finds out that they were his cousin Annabeth Chase and his Uncle Frederick. Overhearing them discuss his uncle Randolph sending them to find him, he breaks into Randolph's house to look for answers, only to be found by Randolph himself. Randolph claims that Magnus' father was a Norse God, and takes him to the Longfellow bridge, where Magnus is able to summon the Sword of Summer, which has been lost in sea for many years. The fire giant Surt invades the bridge, but Magnus is able to defeat him, though he dies in the process.
Magnus enters Hotel Valhalla, a paradise for the honourable dead where the einherjar train to aid the god Odin against the giants and the god Loki. After meeting his Valkyrie, Samirah al-Abbas, a daughter of Loki, the thanes deem Magnus unworthy of being picked due to the Valkyrie Gunilla editing his video of the fight with Surt. Sam is banished from the Valkyries for picking Magnus, and the Norns issue a prophecy about keeping Fenris Wolf from being freed from the Sword of Summer, the sharpest sword in The Nine Worlds. Magnus is defined as a son of the god Frey. Deciding that he could no longer stay in Valhalla, he, Blitzen and Hearthstone (who were actually a dwarf and an elf) escape the hotel to look for the sword and stop Surt from freeing Fenris Wolf.
Upon entering Boston again, the trio make a temporary truce with Sam to find the sword. The giant king, Utgard-Loki, gives them the location of the sword, and they eventually barter for it from the sea goddess Ran. After receiving the sword, they attempt to travel to Nidavellir (the dwarf world) for a new rope to bind Fenris, but get side-tracked on the World Tree. The goddess Freya asks Magnus and Blitzen to get her dwarf earrings while in Nidavellir. Arriving in Nidavellir, they are able to get both the rope and earrings, but are pursued by armed dwarfs for cheating in a building competition for the rope. While escaping, Magnus discovers that the sword could talk, and dubs him 'Jack'.
Being forced to jump into a chasm, Magnus and his friends end up in Jotunheim, the world of the giants. After saving Thor, they go on a side-quest for his missing hammer, in which Hearthstone summons an eight-legged horse to transport them. They end up finding Thor's staff, but he accepts it and teleports them to where they are needed most.
The four arrive at the location of Fenris, but are in close pursuit by Gunilla and her valkyries. They eventually cut Fenris' old rope with the sword and replace it, with the new one, but in the process, Gunilla is killed by a fire giant. Back at Valhalla, Odin appoints Sam as his apprentice for dangerous missions, Hearthstone as his student for magic runestones, and Blitzen is free to start a new clothing shop. Magnus is offered another chance of life, but he refuses. Magnus tells Annabeth the truth of his life, sparking a crossover. In an epilogue, Randolph is revealed to be in league with Loki and Ragnarok.
Main characters
Magnus Chase
Magnus Chase is the son of Frey, god of summer and abundance, which has given him power over alf seidir, possible because Frey was the lord of the elves. He is able to heal himself and others at a high speed, and he could also disarm everyone with an energy blast. When living on the streets, he befriended Blitzen and Hearthstone. His cousin is Annabeth, who ties the Camp Half-blood chronicles with the Magnus Chase series. He has a sarcastic sense of humour, and feels responsible for those in danger. He is also shown to be quick-witted, shown when bartering with Ran. Magnus is described to have long, messy dirty blonde hair parted in the middle that hung to his jawline, and grey eyes that had a scary emptiness to them. Originally he was scrawny, but this changed when he became an einherji, which gave his arms more definition and even gave him abs. He is described to be unnaturally pale.
Blitzen
Blitzen, despite being fairly good at building, has always been obsessed with fashion. His father died after checking on Fenris Wolf. While under Mirmir's service to stop Ragnarok, he met Hearthstone in Midgard (the human world) and they became friends. During the competition with Junior, he made the Expando-Duck, a chainmail vest and a bulletproof tie. When Odin released him of Mirmir's service, he decides to open a fashion shop, Blitzen's Best, on Newbury street, one of the products being a chainmail vest. He always wears fashionable suits and clothes, and has trimmed black hair and dark skin, as well as being 5 feet tall since he was a dwarf.
Hearthstone
After the death of his brother, his parents had pinned the blame on him, claiming that he was the one that was supposed to die. During his isolated life as a deaf and mute elf, he began learning the secrets of runestones, but at a cost of two choices: he could either not learn magic and no longer be deaf and mute and may stay with his parents, or he would continue his isolated life to continue magic. During the quest, he has shown multiple usefulness, like when protecting them from Fenris with a staff and some runes, and when he summoned the eight-legged horse. He is described to have spiky white blonde hair, and wears a black leather jacket and black jeans, as well as a candy striped scarf.
Samirah al-Abbas
Sam's mother married Loki when she found him being taken care of at the hospital. Sam dislikes her father very much, especially since he was the god of lies, describing him as a "liar, a murderer, a thief". During middle school children bullied her since she was Muslim, but when a giant attacked she defeated it and stopped people from being killed. Odin noticed this and offered her to be a Valkyrie, which she accepted. It was Odin that told her to pick Magnus to be in Valhalla. Her abilities include shape-shifting, fighting with an ax and flying (when she was a Valkyrie).
Reception
| This section possibly contains original research. (June 2016) |
The Sword of Summer was praised for its characters and action, with Common Sense Media stating that it was an "Exciting Norse mythology adventure with Percy-like hero." On Goodreads, it holds a rating of 4.3/5. It won the Goodreads choice awards for middle grade readers.