Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer

This is the first in a new series by the author of the phenomenally successful series featuring Percy Jackson.  This time he has turned his attention to the Norse Gods and they are just as flawed and ‘human’ as the Greek, Roman and Egyptian deities he has written about before.

At the start of the book Magnus has been living rough for the past two years, after the death of his mother. Then he discovers that his uncles are searching for him, but can he trust them and does he want to be found?  The action really starts when Magnus is killed after an encounter with a fire giant and is then rescued by a Valkyrie called Sam and taken to Valhalla as a dead hero.  He also discovers that he is the son of a Norse God and finds himself on a quest to defeat Loki and stop the coming of Ragnarok (the end of the world).

Rick Riordan has once again created at world that is our own, but with the addition of a very full vision of an ancient mythology.  It is an extremely readable story full of action, humour and even pathos.  The author seems to have a real grasp of the world and gods that he is writing about, which is remarkable given that this is the fourth mythology that he has had to come to terms with.  He has created or embellished the character of the gods but they are not infallible and have the issues as the rest of us, just on a larger scale.  There is a definite feeling that Riordan has his tongue in his cheek, especially when he was writing the chapter headings, they are brilliantly funny and yet they reflect the story.

This is a series that is going to be just as much of a hit as his previous works and I cannot wait to see what role is going to be given to Magnus’s cousin, also named Chase, who has appeared in his other series. A familiar friend for many fans, but will there be any others?