A street kid from Boston, Magnus Chase is used to surviving on his wits. On his sixteenth birthday, his life completely changes - he finds out he is the son of a Norse god and the only one who can find a powerful weapon that has been lost for centuries. With the help of a ragtag group of Valkyries, dead heroes, Norse gods, elves and dwarves, Magnus finds himself travelling through the nine Norse realms to face his deepest, darkest fear and stop Ragnorak - the Norse apocalypse.
There was a lot I liked in this book. The Sword of Summer, like all of Riordan's books, is so imaginative and the weaving together of the modern world and ancient Norse mythology is deftly done. Magnus as a narrator is sarcastic and sassy and frequently hilarious, and the supporting characters are wonderfully diverse. However, I didn't love this book. Even though the mythology is different, The Sword of Summer felt very similar in style and plot to Riordan's other books. I also can't help thinking that if Percy Jackson, Jason Grace and Magnus Chase were in a room together, I would have problems telling them apart... Rick Riordan writes a good protagonist, but they are usually the same protagonist with a different name and hair colour.
This is still a solid book, however, and a promising start to a new series. It's not particularly original, but I liked the characters and The Sword of Summer was a diverting read on a rainy Sunday evening. If you like middle-grade fantasy or are a fan of Rick Riordan, you won't be disappointed.
Read On: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief was the first book in Rick Riordan's universe. The next book in the Magnus Chase series is The Hammer of Thor.
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