Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, Book 1: The Sword of Summer

Top positive review

Fast paced; good read

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2016

You can tell Riordan is through in his mythology research and uses that knowledge to build stories that draw readers in and teach them a little mythology while entertaining them. In the line of Percy Jackson series (Greek and Roman mythology) and the Kane's series (Egyptian mythology), he has done the same with Norse mythology with a little spin to it.

His heroes seem to have a few common themes -personal tragedy (i.e. The death of a parent or some thing in that line), no knowledge of their true parentage, and a quest of some sort that awakens their potential strength. Also humour/sarcastic nature.

This book doesn't disappoint. I found myself reading this book in the voice of my 18 year old son, who still loves reading these books. It's a quick read after reading books at Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Game of Thrones.

For pre-teens and children interested in mythology, this is a good read. Not everyone lives, but it's not as violent as GoT nor as gory. It shows character development in both the hero and his friends and those around him. The villains are not 2D, but have plenty of depth and sometimes make you wonder what their angle are. Even those who seem to be on their side makes you wonder about their true intentions.

I would recommend Roirdan's books; even to the most reluctant readers!

34 people found this helpful

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H. K. Bjerke

Not my favourite book

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2018

I did really love the Kane Chronicles books and when I heard that Rirdan had written a book featuring Norse Mythology, I ordered it. I was so disappointed. It did started well from the beginning, but when Magnus arrived in Valhalla, it all got plain weird. I didn`t like the modern take on the elements from the Norse Mythology. I mean, Hotel Valhalla, Thor watching HD TV on his hammer and other weird things. Didn`t like the humour either.

Another thing I didn`t like was, Spoiler Ahead,
that when Magnus and his friends confronted the Fenrir Wolf, Magnus`s Valkyrie friend shapeshifted to a lion. What a cliche and stereotype! She should have turned in to a wolf instead to make the fight more equal. (Yes, I`m a wolf lover.) and I also got sick of hearing Magnus complain over anything that looked like a wolf.

I don`t think I`m gonna read any more books in this series. Not my style.

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From the United States

Theresa N Bellflower

Fast paced; good read

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2016

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34 people found this helpful

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DaMann

This book made my son a reader.

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2016

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I am a reader. I love books. As a child I would read anything and everything, including the packaging on the toilet paper if i ended up in the bathroom for more than a couple of minutes. I never imagined I would have a child that didn't enjoy reading.

My two oldest children love books and I constantly balance my desire to let them read as much as they want with other more prosaic things like eating regular meals and somewhat sane bedtimes. My third child, not so much.

We have tried everything to entice my 10 year old son to read for pleasure. We have filled the house with age appropriate books. I read to him. I make him read to me. I let him stay up past his bedtime if he uses that time to read. I offered him money...

Even if I got my son started reading a book and even if he enjoyed it, he never read for very long and he would never go back and pick up the book again. He says he "forgets" that he had been enjoying the book he was reading.

Everything changed when I handed my son Rick Riordan's "Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard." With chapter names like "Good Morning, You Are Going to Die" and "I've Always Wanted to Destroy a Bridge," my son found himself intrigued from the start. The story's action started immediately and continued to the end of the book. My 10 year old nonreader didn't want to put the book down. I even caught him under his covers reading with a flashlight a couple of times. He finished the book without any prompting. Then he did the unthinkable: he read it again.

Needless to say we are eagerly awaiting book 2 of this series. In the meantime we are looking at other books by this author.

32 people found this helpful

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So far so good

Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2019

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I was afraid that after Harry Potter my son was never going to read another book again because nothing seemed appealing or exciting enough to him. The Percy Jackson series changed that and he has now finished the Heroes of Olympus series and we are now moving onto this series. He is especially excited for this one because he is already familar with some of the Norse legends and I think he may have been getting tired of the Greek and Roman Gods.

At first there was a little concern on my son's part that Percy was not involved in this series and generally he says it isn't as good as the Percy Jackson series, but he is still pleased and loving the books. I'm not sure he would have been talked into reading the first Percy Jackson book himself, but his teacher at school read it to them, and then he was hooked. We are now re-reading the Percy Jackson series together and then our plans are to read The Heroes of Olympus series together as well and then onto this one. So he likes them enough to read them twice - once by himself and then another round with us reading 1-2 chapters before bed. Overall I am pleased because he is reading and the material is appropriate for his age and he is pleased because he found some books he really likes.

4 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

What A Rollicking Good Time!

Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2018

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My first response on beginning this book was lots of chuckles and outright laughing. Mr. Riordan's writing style, especially from the point of a teenage boy, Magnus Chase, was often amusing and downright funny. This story takes place in the present time with vivid trips into the realm of "the gods" where he must fight and die many times for the delaying of Armegedon. Yes, I said die many times. And even that is found humorous! My title/teaser reflects that fact, not the part about fighting and dying-we all know that there's nothing funny about that. But this action-packed, multi-world, magical story that is written primarily for teens/young adults is a good read even for someone in his 60's-like me!

10 people found this helpful

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BookLover72

Excellent for kids, ok for adults

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2020

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As a middle school teacher, when my kids are raving about a book and saying that I HAVE to read it, I take it with a grain of salt. But after so many students insisted, I gave in with this book and I have to say it is really good. I can totally see why my middle schoolers are absolutely nuts over this series. However, I have to say that while I liked the book and will probably read the next one, I didn’t love it. The book is very plot based (this happened and then this happened, etc) and the action carries the reader through the book. That’s probably what my middle schoolers like the best actually. But for me, I’m more of a character based reader and while I loved the characters in the book, I don’t feel like the story delved too deep into them. Maybe they’ll get there in subsequent books but for this one, plot won over character.

2 people found this helpful

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Dorothy Winsor

Typical Rick Riordan and that's a good thing

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2020

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The story of a homeless boy who learns he’s the son of the Norse god Frey. Magnus dies in the first chapter and then adventures through Valhalla and other parts of the gods’ realm, trying to avert disaster and learning his own strengths. Told with a strong voice and a lot of humor, this is an entertaining read. The humor undercuts the tension to some degree, just as it does in real life. But the book draws on the death of Magnus’s mother and his concern for his friends to give it some depth.

I picked this up after seeing a tweet in which someone talked about trying to explain a cousin’s gender identity to their 10 year old. The kid said, “Oh, they’re gender fluid, like Loki’s kids in Magnus Chase. What pronoun shall we use?” I wanted to see how Riordan handled gender, though it turned out the gender fluid character doesn’t appear until the second book in the series. Riordan has always been good with representation. The central character in his Percy Jackson series is dyslexic. When he turns out to be descended from the Greek gods, he concludes that’s because he’s meant to read ancient Greek.

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heather patrick

god i love the gods! oh and Rick! love him too!

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2015

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this is one of Rick's greast's works! I loved percy Jackson, I really got into greek gods and goddess after reading them all. BUT my blood is norse my family can trace our family back to the Danish Vikings so this was epic to read! I loved the opener of the thank you to Classera clara who wrote the shadowhunter series, for letting rick use the name Magnus. ( Magnus bane is my favorite character in shadow hunters). I loved Magnus wit and personitaly. I also loved how rick made the norse gods. how some were as written in the hold story's and some were... well written a little more... with character! I love the different way's Rick put a little of percy Jackson into the chase books. why couldn't his sword turn into a pen? that's stupid lol and how he was now as graceful as Jason grace? love! even a doctor who comment! made me smile! this book totally hit home to my norse side, and it also made me deicded on my next tattoo. being thor's hammer. :) totally can not wait for the next book. I also loved how , and I already kind knew, that Annabeth was his cousin. we shall see who spills the beans first about parents being gods. :) so excited!

6 people found this helpful

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College Stealth

Hooray! Norse Mythology

Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2015

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I’m a huge Rick Riordan fan and I’ve been waiting for this book for a while, those who have been waiting as well won’t be disappointed. I’m personally impressed; I know that the structure of the story is going to be similar to others of Riordan, but even with the structure similar, it’s still a page turner, but this time in the context of Norse mythology. It initially appears to be a long book, but, it is an easy read that goes fast; I didn’t want to put it down and read it in one night.

For those who are not familiar with Rick Riordan’s writings, this is a perfectly fine book to jump into Riordan’s fantasy world, there is no benefit gained in having read his other books that deal with heroes from Greek, Roman, or Egyptian mythology. The characters stand alone in their identities and are all affiliated with Norse mythology. The protagonist, Magnus, is quickly discovered in the story to have a background not quite like others, more so in his parenting and lineage; his father is a Norse god. As a result of this lineage, there are obligations that Magnus is thrust with, and the story is a modern day interaction of Magnus through components of Norse mythology, ranging from characters to weaponry of the ancient belief system. The story is told with humor, but also does a great job in outlining and establishing some of the belief systems of Norse mythology, such as the pantheon of the gods and goddesses.

The characters have a different personality, much like those we meet out of Camp Jupiter vs. Camp Half Blood. The story takes place in Norse mythology, which I personally do not have as strong of a familiarity with, and allowed for a new sense of novelty in the story that has the format of hero discovered, hero goes to “camp,” and hero goes on quest. The introduction of the new characters was nice and it created a sense of anticipation about who maybe a bit more friendly than others. Overall, the relationship with the gods themselves is a bit more casual, even if the society itself is more regimented.

A discussion board commenter alluded to the possibility of a relationship between these books and that with Camp Half-Blood, from the start of the book there is a pleasant surprise in that Magnus does have a cousin who attends Camp Half-Blood, but rather than long-term interaction with him/her, there is just a brief reference too at both the beginning and the end of the story.

It’s a hard story to talk about because of the potential to give so much away about who is related to who, and familiarity with some of the Norse gods would reveal some of the plot elements. However, a unique aspect of the Norse mythology is that the fates of the gods are much clearer, with a level of clarity and absolutism in the roles that each one knows that he/she plays, even in the final battle (Ragnok  which isn’t the final battle in this book).

Know that the structure is similar to the books in the past, the characters who are introduced throughout this book are unique in their own ways, especially Magnus’s new companions and, I especially enjoyed the history and sense of honor associated with the Valkyrie corps, especially Samirah al-Abbas, who identifies from a Muslim family.

Anyway, enjoy a way! I have some Norse mythology to learn about now that I’m curious.

164 people found this helpful

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A. H. Wagner

Great start to another super-entertaining series from Rick Riordan

Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2015

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If you’ve enjoyed all of Rick Riordan’s previous mythology series, the odds are pretty good you’ll have a blast reading Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer, set in the world of Norse mythology. All the stuff that makes a Rick Riordan book so great is here: ancient gods who’ve picked up modern styles and habits (Loki makes an appearance wearing a Red Sox jersey and Thor can’t get enough of prime time TV shows), hilarious chapter titles (“Come to the Dark Side. We Have Pop-Tarts” and “I Am Trash-Talked by a Squirrel” are among my favorites), interesting juxtapositions between the human world and the mythological world (since the story is set in Boston, the entrance to Valhalla is through a townhouse on Beacon Street), and a wise-cracking protagonist who will make you laugh and start rooting for him within the first few pages of the book.

As the story opens, Magnus Chase has been homeless since his mother died, surviving on the streets of Boston. On his sixteenth birthday, Magnus’s estranged uncle breaks the incredible news that not only is Magnus the son of a Norse god, but also he has inherited an ancient and powerful sword and oh, by the way, he has enemies who want to kill him for it. The pressure only builds from there when Magnus learns all doomsday will break out unless he can find the sword first and protect it from those who are eager to wield it for evil.

I really enjoyed getting to know Magnus Chase and all the interesting characters he befriends on his quest. I love that the author not only gives each character unique quirks and abilities, but also he features characters of diverse backgrounds, including a deaf elf who communicates in American Sign Language and a Valkyrie who is Iraqi-American.

The Sword of Summer is a super-entertaining introduction to Norse mythology. All the foreign words and names can be a little confusing at first if, like me, you know next to nothing about Norse history or culture. Since Rick Riordan is behind the wheel, though, you’re going to have a fun ride no matter what, and soon you’ll be saying “einherjar” and “Ginnungagap” with the best of them. I can’t wait for Book 2!

One person found this helpful

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Elizabeth Howard

Great series no matter your age.

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2019

Verified Purchase

I bought this and the box set of the Olympians series and both arrived the very next day, both intact, and in excellent condition.
I only just got into reading the series after first seeing the films (I now also see where "some" of the hatred stems from, in regards to those versions) and I have to say, I'm hooked.
It started when I somehow acquired my dad's copies of two of the Chase books and a Trials of Apollo book. I picked up one of the Chase novels and couldn't put it back down. Of course I had to see if I could find out more from the series - and I really just had to see what all the fuss was about regarding the film versions - particularly Sea of Monsters. I'll let you know my views on that one soon although, to be honest, I'm probably one of the few people who actually liked the film... *prepares to duck tridents" xD
In conclusion, I'd definitely buy from this seller again. ^_^

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