Audiobook: The Sword of Summer

The Sword of Summer is written Rick Riordan and narrated by Christopher Guetig and is the first book of the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series.

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

The Breakdown:
1.  I loved Riordan's Percy Jackson books, so I was excited to read this book.  It, in a way, takes place in the same universe as Percy Jackson.  Magnus is Annabeth's cousin, and she makes a cameo in the book.  Magnus, however, is a Norse God's son, and is learning to navigate his way through the Nine Worlds of Norse Mythology.

2.  The biggest disappointment for me was the narrator for the book.  Guetig  has probably been my least favorite narrator out all the books I have listened to.  He is more like a really good story time reader at the library than a voice actor for audiobooks.  It also bothers me that he gives Magnus a faint mid-western accent when he is a boy who has lived his whole life in Boston.

3. While Magnus is snarky and funny, for me Samirah "Sam" Al-bbas is my favorite character.  She is a Muslim Valkyrie, whose dad happens to be a big figure in the Norse gods.  She is smart, and has some pretty amazing moves.  Plus without her Magnus would be dead-dead, and she helps to keep him clued into who is who in the Norse world.

4.  I enjoyed the book as a whole, and the wittiness, but I don't think it is as good as the Percy Jackson boos.  I thought it was hilarious that Thor uses the most power weapon Mjolnir to watch television.  I Blitz and Hearth, Magnus street friends who are more than what they seem.  I want to know more from this series, and see if it will continue to improve.

5. On a side note, I now realize where J.K. Rowling got the Death Eater Werewolf's name from.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read