Toppsta - Childrens Books – Reviews

Things are tough for Magnus Chase – he is homeless, an orphan and trying to stay one step ahead of the police and truant officers stalking him in Boston. The last thing he is expecting on his sixteenth birthday is to be told that his dad is a Norse god and that the gods of Asgard are preparing for war. More mind-boggling even than that: it is up to Magnus to find the weapon his father lost two millennia ago, otherwise there will be doom. Doomsday, to be precise. And to top it off, it looks like he is going to have to die in order to save the world.

Magnus and his friends’ adventures in the fantastical world of Valhalla have had millions of readers hooked since they were first published in 2015. The trilogy follows the friends as they fight Norse fire giants, retrieve Thor’s hammer, deal with troublesome gods and fight some epic battles along the way. Magnus has to deal with elves, dwarves, angry sea gods and wolves with glowing eyes, not to mention his own demons as he battles with the memories of his mother’s death and his growing feelings for his friend Alex.

The Magnus Chase books bring Norse mythology to the modern day with their unique cynicism, wit and flair. American author Rick Riordan is a fan favourite for his action-packed mythological stories, which started with the bestselling Percy Jackson series based on the Greek myths. Percy Jackson was born from bedtime stories to Riordan’s son who loved Greek mythology.  When he had run out of real myths, Riordan started to make them up and came up with the story of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. There are lots of links between the Magnus Chase characters and Riordan’s previous series, for example Magnus is a cousin of Annabeth Chase from the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus books. Rick Riordan’s books are bestsellers all over the world and have been adapted for TV and film, although fans are still waiting for news of a Magnus Chase movie.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is Riordan’s first series based on the Norse myths and book 2 Magnus Chase and The Hammer of Thor won the Stonewall Book Award for children’s literature for Magnus’ relationship with his love interest, genderfluid child of Loki, Alex Fierro.

Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase series is a fantastic read for adventure or fantasy lovers aged 10 and over. It is best to read the books in order and if you enjoy them you can go on to explore the other stories in mythological worlds linked to Magnus, like the Heroes of Olympus. 

All the Magnus Chase books in order:
Book 1: The Sword of Summer (2015)
Book 2: The Hammer of Thor (2016)
Book 3: The Ship of the Dead (2017)

Supplementary book: Hotel Valhalla:Guide to the Norse Worlds (2016)
Short Stories: 9 From the Nine Worlds (2018)