Magnus Chase is narrated by and stars Magnus. A Boston kid who gets thrown into the difficult-to-pronounce worlds of Norse Mythology. In the book he, and some of his new friends, have to go an save the world from the big bad wolf. On the way there they will do epic things such as fishing, horse riding, playing catch and tree climbing just to name a few. Meanwhile, you the reader will get to witness the beginning of new friendships and old rivalries all while being jealous that you only have to read about. (Seriously, you can't help but want to jump in and join the fun that Magnus, Sam, Hearth and Blitz have on their adventure. All except the pain. There is a lot broken bones in the book that I am fine with not experiencing.)
This book has many similarities with the first Percy Jackson story. A demigod that doesn't know he's a demigod. A dead mother. Friends that aren't actually human. A magical sword. An Annabeth. And a spooky prophecy. Now although that looks bad, Magnus is different from Percy in other ways. For one, he's homeless (oh and he's 16). That's a start and I'm not going to say too much more because the long journey ahead will bond the reader to the hero better than I can in 19,256 words....
The back of the book advertises that the it is a "page-turner" and (although I regret to inform you that it does not magically turn pages by itself) it does make you anxious to find out more. Almost every thing the book does "wrong" I am forced to excuse as the book takes advantage of my ADHD and distracts me constantly with one thing after another. (Want to mourn the death of a talking goat? Too bad there is now an horse that can fly.) If you are wondering about the similarity of this book and The Lightning Thief then rest assured that I think it is also excusable. This book is merely an introduction to the characters. And what better way to introduce characters than to have them save the world. (If that isn't relatable, I don't know what is?)
This is what the books ultimately sets out to do and succeeds in doing:
- Introducing the main characters (check)
- Showing off some of the nine worlds (check)
- Making you pronounce difficult Viking names (check)
- Familiarizing you with Viking rituals (check)
Give you a taste of Thor's goat meat
With all that said I only have one negative thing to say about this book. THE CHAPTER TITLES. I did not mind when Percy made up chapter names but Magnus is pretty bad at coming up with titles. They are interesting but they also spoil the key point of the chapter. I'm pretty sure you can read all the titles and put together sum semblance of the story's events. Not to mention that Chapter 69 is self aware and breaks the forth wall by referencing another chapter. What's up with that? One more thing I want to mention before I end this rant. The book has a pretty good build up to the big bad world-ending wolf showdown. But the whole encounter feels rushed. Both the deed that they have to do (trying to spoiler-free here) and the "fight" with Surt. All of it feels fast forwarded. (Although it could be that I just read faster in anticipation of what was about to happen.)
Okay I can keep rambling. This is my first real review so I will say this:
I enjoyed Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Book 1. It had lots of heart-warming moments mixed with the usual Rick Riordan character quips and humor. This (I think) is a GREAT combonation for a GREAT book. (Just saying, I could not help but smile whenever the hall mates had Magnus's back. Vikings are real bros before...um...not bros?) For someone who is trying to get back into reading, this book was fun to get back into and all with said and read The Sword of Summer is....AMAZING! (Which I'm sure Jack would be happy about.)
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