Book Review: Magnus Chase & Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

As I have confessed time to time that I am a huge fan of mythology, this time let me tell you, I love other mythological tales just like the Indian ones. So, naturally, when Rick Riordan came into the scene, he became one of my favourite authors. As a result, when Riordan announced his new series will be based on Norse mythology, I was thrilled. Norse mythology is quite alien to me apart from the Thor and Loki of Marvel cinematic universe. So. I was eager to meet Mr Magnus Chase.

The first thing that I love was the name Magnus. Riordan has clarified that he took the name from Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instrument series' Magnus Bane. That Magnus is also one of my favourite character and this Magnus has the same wit, dark humour and though both them try to be at the far side of the danger, they find themselves in such situation frequently. The other characters are also good specially the valkyire (The Norse version of our very own Yamdoot, except the fact that they are gorgeous teenagers) Samaira Al-Abbas. Magnus's buddies, Hearth and Blitz, through their adventures and selfless acts, make the book enjoyable. Though I missed Percy Jackson, the scenes of Magnus with his cousin Annabeth Chase were more than welcomed, they were devoured.

The book is full of narration to give the readers an introduction to the background of Magnus Chase and his connection to Norse Gods. But in some places, I found them too lengthy. Otherwise, the central character is an excellent narrator. Riordan's books are full of humour and comic scenes. The writer has the gift to make even the gruesome scene bearable with his wittiness. This book is also no exception except that the humour was the dark one. The change was quite prominent as Magnus is almost adult in comparison to teenager Percy Jackson and his friends.

The cover of the book is great. The titles of the chapters were too quirky and they give the hint of what will happen in the particular chapter. Overall, a great read.

Name of the Book: The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1)
Name of the Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books
Pages: 502
Price: INR 45o