The Hammer of Thor

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #2

by Rick Riordan

"Magnus Chase, you nearly started Ragnarok. What are you going to do next?"

It's been six weeks since Magnus and his friends returned from defeating Fenris Wolf and the fire giants. Magnus has adjusted to life at the Hotel Valhalla—as much as a once-homeless and previously alive kid can. As a son of Frey, the god of summer, fertility, and health, Magnus doesn't exactly fit in with the rest of Odin's chosen warriors, but he has a few good peeps among his hallmates on floor nineteen, and he's been dutifully training for Ragnarok along with everyone else. His days have settled into a new kind of normal.

But Magnus should have known there's no such thing as normal in the Nine Worlds. His friends Hearthstone and Blitzen have disappeared. A new hallmate is creating chaos. According to a very nervous goat, a certain object belonging to Thor is still missing, and the thunder god's enemies will stop at nothing to gain control of it.

Time to summon Jack, the Sword of Summer, and take action. Too bad the only action Jack seems to be interested in is dates with other magical weapons. . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Adventure, LGBT

459 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2016

About the author

Rick Riordan is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including the Percy Jackson series. You can follow him on Twitter and via his official website.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 4 out of 5]

(A-) 80% | Very Good
Notes: Fun if uneven, it runs in peaks and valleys: a drag when didactic, but keenly climactic, fueled fire for the series finale.

[Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

”Just my luck, Grimwolf was happy to turn his attention to me. When it comes to drawing aggro from ancient monsters, I’ve got the golden touch.”

No kidding!!! Haha! I won’t even bother to try to make a list of the many ancient monsters Magnus pissed off in this book. Suffice it to say it were many. *lol* For some reason the gods seem to like him though so this is actually kind of funny and weird at the same time. XD

Well anyway, let’s talk about the book! This was such a typical Uncle Rick story and of course that immediately caused me to love every second of it. I don’t know how Uncle Rick does it but he has such an amazing imagination that everything seems to make sense even though it doesn’t. *lol* But then again I suppose that mythology is one of those things that rarely makes any sense and just the idea to use it as a basis for amazing fantasy books is actually more than just brilliant. ;-)

Heimdall laughed. “You have no idea. Once, I butt-dialled the apocalypse. So embarrassing. I had to text everybody on my contact list, like, False alarm! A lot of gods came running anyway. I made this GIF of them charging up the Bifrost and then realizing there was no battle. Priceless.”

There, I said it. Uncle Rick you’re brilliant! XD You’re allowed to blush now, if that’s your kind of thing. ;-P

And speaking of things: Another “thing” that’s always nice about Riordan’s books is that they are not only fast paced but have an amazing cast of diverse and multi-layered characters. They are certainly not your typical dwarf or elf and they all have very interesting and difficult background stories. This time around we found out more about Hearth’s past and Sam’s life and to say those two sub-plots were instructive would be more than just an understatement.

Poor Sam had to go through a lot in this book and even though it must have been tough she still managed to deal with it somehow. Still, if she doesn’t start to rebel against her father soon all her awesome and faithful friends won’t be able to save her. She has to want this change otherwise it won’t work, so I really hope that she’ll take heart and decide to get help from Alex. =)

”She was betrothed to Amir. She loved the guy. I would raise an army of einherjar, magic elves and well-dressed dwarves and burn down Jotunheim before I let them coerce my friend.”

And after mentioning Alex for the first time I can finally go into gushing mode!!!

I LOVE ALEX FIERRO!!! <333

”What did you mean earlier?” I asked. “When you said –“
“Call me she? I’m gender fluid and transgender, idiot. Look it up if you need to, but it’s not my job to educate –“

Thank you Uncle Rick!!! Thank you for introducing us to a gender fluid character!!! Alex is soo damn awesome I can’t even! I love her/his character and I’ll defend her/him with my life if necessary! She/he is precious and must be protected at all costs!!
Gosh, Uncle Rick I could kiss you for inventing Alex! If you want to collect that kiss you’ll have to come to Austria though. *lol* Well, and if you’re already at it, it wouldn’t hurt if you’d bring a signed copy of your book as well. Just saying. ;-P

”My pronouns are he and him,” Alex confirmed. “And you can stop staring.”
“I wasn’t …” I caught myself. Arguing would’ve been pointless.

Also I love the idea that Alex might end up being Magnus love interest!!! I mean it’s pretty obvious that he likes her/him. All that blushing and feeling warm and fuzzy whenever she/he is around is enough reason to expect a ship to sail. And no, I’m not talking about “The Ship of the Dead” even though I’m pretty certain that we can expect THAT ship to sail as well. *lol* Better don’t think about it. Dead peoples nails… Ewww!!! *shudders*

Nope, I’d rather like Alex’s and Magnus’ ship to sail! Thank you very much! XD

All told “The Hammer of Thor” was another amazing adventure and I can’t wait to read the final book of this trilogy! Give me all those intriguing background stories, suspenseful fights, weird and awkward moments and an adorable ship to sail! <3
I want it all! ;-)

[Darth J]

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Otis," I said.
"Shhh," he said. "I'm incognito. Call me...Otis."
"I'm not sure that's how incognito works, but okay."

The Hammer of Thor is the second book of the series. The book starts off with the quest which is about Magnus finding Thor's hammer. He has to fight against the giants, his uncle and LOKI. BIG BAD LOKI. AWWWW ! It looks promising, right ? And Alex is kinda kickass in this book. I liked her character, but not that much. Heart and Blitz are also my favorite characters, too. I have lost count of the moments when I laughed and cried over them.

So why didn't I give this book five stars ?



Rick Riordan has done many things in these last ten years or so. The things that made me a fan of him was his humor and wonderful idea. The concept of Percy Jackson was new, fresh and vivid - it was easy to love that series. Then comes Carter and Percy Jackson season two. Honestly, because I grow up or other reasons, I didn't enjoy them as fully as possible. However, last year I gave the Magnus series a try and liked it a lot after that. I had had high expectations for this second book, I read it with twinkling stars in my heart. And then, nothing. I felt nothing after I finished this book. Although The Sword of Summer fired me up with its spectacular ending, The Hammer of Thor was another predicament.

“Mjolnir is always getting misplaced. I swear, Thor needs to have that hammer duct-taped to his face.”

Rick recycled his plot. He polished the materials of his previous Percy books and mixed them up to be the new book showing before your eyes right now. The whole story was predictable. I'd known since the begining that Loki is to be released from his confinement. As why I was not excited and so lazy to finish. If I didn't get a lot of work to be done this weekend, I would put this book on hold until next month.

However, I still liked this. I want to know more about Magnus and his friends chasing after Loki and stopping Ragnarok. The next installment is going be mind-blowing ! I know it.



Anyway, I was so curious why Thor didn't beckon to his hammer as in the movie...and it would come to his hand like this....



https://goo.gl/6ZnIQI

[Tharindu Dissanayake · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I like my rivers the way I like my enemies - slow, wide, and lazy."

Instead of going for three individual reviews, I thought it's better to do a series review for Magnus Chase. After all, there was little variation between the three books, aside from the continuation of plot. First two felt like 3.5-star reads where as the last one was definitely a near 4.5-stars, which concluded the series in a much better-than-expected manner. Oh, and very acceptable cliff-hangers at the ends of first two books.

"Nothing started a day better than a little breaking and entering."

We all know Riordan is one of the most consistent writers when it comes to world building, character development and that hilarious storytelling (assuming you've already done with PJO). Magnus Chase is no exception when it comes to these three characteristics. Simply put, he makes learning mythology a lot of fun. There was hardly a page in the entire trilogy that I could not laugh at, no matter how dire the circumstances were. Most of the characters were entertaining enough to keep one engaged, and the world building (or the modifications to the existing world) does not lack any creativity. With any other author, I might've said the humor was overdone but with Riordan, there's no such thing.

And as always, Riordan had done his research well. The god tree along with the nine worlds, and other monsters are well placed throughout the story, enabling the reader to understand the Norse Mythology in a detailed way. Honestly, I think reading these mythology series is one of the best ways to get started in Greek, Roman and now Norse mythologies in an unforgettable manner. Just like with all the Greek and Roman gods, the modernization of the setting does not alter the experience at all.

However, when compared to the Greek campaign, there are several things worth mentioning, starting with the plotlines. I'm not saying they were bad or boring or anything, but it just wasn't quite the PJO level. May be it was the underlying similarities. Nevertheless, it did feel a tiny bit repetitive at times. The pace was also a little too slow for my liking, especially after reading all three sub-series of camp half-blood. But in the rare event that you haven't read any of Greek/ Roman books, I'm almost certain that one could easily enjoy this series.

"I'd always slept with one eye open."

It was a nice touch to find a way to link Annabeth to this story, and then Percy too, which did make things super exciting for a while. I almost wished they could've taken a lengthier part in the story, though that probably would've overshadowed the main characters here, defeating the whole purpose. Still, it was nice to encounter them again. Another really good series by Riordan. If you belong in the intended age group OR if you haven't read PJO yet, this one would be an awesome read!

"You hear what you want to believe."

[Simona B · Rating 4 out of 5]

"At this point, most people would have thrown themselves down on the ground and given up hope. And by most people, I mean me."

•I know that I have already raved plenty about how much I love this author and his characters, but Magnus Chase defies all standards of cutie-pie-ness and adorable-ness and funny-ness and whatnot. You just cannot not love the kid. And guess what (OBVIOUS FACT ALERT) (cit.)? I love him!

•So now that we got the Obvious Fact out of the way, I should start listing all the reasons why if you love Riordan and his previous books, you'll love this one too, and then those why if you have never read anything of his, you'll love it anyway. But I won't, partly because many of them already are in my review of The Sword of Summer, first book in The Gods of Asgard series, and partly because they can be more or less summed up in this sort of epiphany I had right after finishing this book: I think that when Riordan writes a new book, the world becomes a little better place.
His books are fun and hilarious. They are also utterly brilliant and full of mythology (yup, you might not have figured it out but that is kind of the point), which is cool and instructive for the children and a real treat for the mythology/history/this-kind-of-stuff freaks, and I know it first-hand now because I'm currently studying for a Germanic philology course and, being able to being up on all the gazillion references? Priceless. Plus, while they entertain you and teach you all this great stuff, they also manage to tackle some sensitive and topical issue on the side. Impossible, you say?
People, meet Alex Fierro.

"I’m gender fluid and transgender, idiot."

•And not only is Alex a great character as she (as said, Alex is gender fluid, but since in most of the scenes she appears as a female, I'll use this pronoun for convenience and because she made it clear that she doesn't do "they") represents diversity in such an unusual and compelling and absolutely perfect way, she is also likeable, relatable, kick-ass and a million shades of splendid. I also appreciated how the magical element intervenes in Alex's characterization -she's a shape-shifter, so she can be male one minute and female the next. Brilliant. And she and Magnus actually talk about what it means for her to be gender-fluid and how she feels about it. I think this is all the more perfect and astonishing when you consider that The Hammer of Thor is the second instalment in a middle-grade series. We need more writers like Rick Riordan.
Plus, I ship Alex and Magnus so hard you can't imagine.

•And now yes, a couple of quotes for you because I'm not that cold-hearted.

“The dragon’s mouth opened wide, revealing several extra rows of teeth—just in case the outer row of teeth didn’t kill me dead enough.”
---
“Hearth finger-spelled: K-E-N-N-I-N-G.
“What’s that?” I asked.
Samirah edged a little closer to the inscription. “A kenning is a Viking nickname.”
“You, mean like… Hey, Kenning. How’s it going?”
(My professor would have killed you so much, Magnus.)
---
“Dagfinn looked at me apologetically. “It's a Thing thing. You wouldn’t understand.”
---
“Stop that, I told my brain.
Also, the wedding is tomorrow, said my brain.
Get out of my head.
My brain refused to get out of my head. Inconsiderate brain.”
---
“I think it's time you met Percy.” And that must TOTALLY happen in the next book! Thumbs up for the incoming crossover! *happy dance*


PRE-READING

So, book, this is what I want from you:



Oh gods- sorry, wrong gif!



*mpfff*- okay, that's funny, but no!



Yes. Yes, that's what I want. Evil Loki reigns.

[April · Rating 5 out of 5]

YAAASSSSS!! Magnus Chase is going to meet Percy Jackson!! My two faves!!

[may ➹ · Rating 4 out of 5]

there was one (1) mention of Percy at the end and I’m embarrassed to say I went completely feral

——————

Alex, immediately upon arrival: tries to kill everyone

me: 🥺🥺🥰🥰🥺🥰🥺🥺

// buddy reread with the gays! (tag later)

[ambsreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Otis and his brother, Marvin, pulled the god’s chariot. They also provided Thor with a never-ending supply of goat meat. Each night, Thor killed and ate them for dinner. Each morning, Thor resurrected them. This is why you should go to college, kids—so when you grow up you do not have to take a job as a magical goat."

Rick Riordan's books are always some of my favourite books to read so Magnus Chase and the Hammer of Thor is no exception. That being said, it was even better than the first book. The Magnus Chase series feels different from Rick Riordan's other books as well, I'm not sure if it's because Norse mythology is a whole lot more intense or because he uses a series of diverse characters, but it is beyond enjoyable to read. This book got so good that I stopped taking notes and recording quotes for my review because I had been excitedly telling people about this series and running around screaming.

Accurate representation of me:



Now, what else can I say?
I don't even know what to say because I just dove straight into this book and if you have read the first one it may be the best plan of attack.

Diversity. I will talk about diversity. Now, I noticed the other month when I joined Twitter for a short period of time people wanted diverse representations in YA fiction. The Hammer of Thor has this diversity. How? You may ask. Well, first we have Samirah al Abbas who is a Muslim character in the Norse world but also believes fully in Allah.



Sam's religion plays a large part in this series, with her prayers even being mentioned throughout this book. I studied Islam religion for two years in high school, so it is interesting to be able to use information I learnt in school to help me understand the book further.

However, Sam was in the first book so she isn't that big of a shock. The big shock of this book is Rick Riordan introducing the first gender-fluid character in his books, Alex Fierro.



I can say so much about Alex, but they were honestly my favourite character throughout this book. The fact that the pronouns were instantly taken on, whether Alex wanted to be called she/he, was amazing. I just loved it.

Now, I should probably talk about the plot and the world building. Everything in this book is just perfect. The fact that we have Magnus' witty sense of humour and other characters. The fact that Magnus makes mistakes and screams in situations. The fact that Magnus sucks at sword fighting. Now, that is just Magnus. The rest of the characters are developed so much further in this book.

This book doesn't suffer from second book syndrome.

The plot was completely action packed. I'm not sure there was a page where something wasn't happening, or if there was it was a chapter filled with humour that had me laughing incredibly loudly.

I mean the way that Rick winds his words together, because Magnus, is in fact, Annabeth's cousin, is beautiful.

“I’d even had a mind-melting conversation with my cousin Annabeth about the Greek gods who hung out in New York and made her life difficult. Apparently North America was lousy with ancient gods. We had a full-blown infestation."

I'm not even sure what else to say, this whole review is a complete mess. I am a mess. I love this series so much. I think the only thing that could have made this book better if our Thor was more like this



You can't live in my household, where my mum is so obsessed with Thor/Chris Hemsworth that our dog got named Thor, without loving the man too.

Overall, this book is a masterpiece and is definitely on my favourites of 2016 list.

[Ahmad Sharabiani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #2), Rick Riordan

The Hammer of Thor is an American young-adult fantasy novel based on Norse mythology written by Rick Riordan. It was published on October 4, 2016.

The book opens six weeks after the close of the preceding novel, The Sword of Summer.

Magnus Chase meets with Samirah "Sam" al-Abbas and Otis, one of the god Thor's two goats, who inform the heroes Thor's hammer is still missing.

The jötnar are beginning to suspect Thor does not have his weapon to defend Midgard and plan to invade. On Otis's advice, Sam and Magnus visit a Norse barrow in Provincetown. Magnus returns to Hotel Valhalla to rest and prepare, where he meets Alex Fierro, Sam's newest einherji recruit and a genderfluid child of Loki. While in Valhalla, Magnus has dreamlike visions of Loki manipulating his uncle Randolph.

Loki also tells Magnus about a wedding between Samirah and the giant Thrym in five days, and that Magnus will need to bring the bride-price. Magnus, Sam, and their friends Blitzen and Hearthstone travel to the Provincetown barrow but discover the Skofnung Sword instead of Thor's hammer. Loki appears and tells the quartet the sword and matching whetstone will be Sam's bride-price. They are reluctant to help Loki, who causes Randolph Chase to wound Blitzen with the sword.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز شانزدهم ماه ژانویه سال 2019میلادی

عنوان چکش ثور؛ نویسنده: ریک ریوردان؛ مترجم آرزو مقدس؛ تهران، نشر پرتقال‏‫، 1397؛ در 500صفحه، شابک 9786004621236؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 21م

عنوان چکش ثور؛ نویسنده ریک ریوردان؛ مترجم: وحید جعفری‌ منصوریان؛ تهران، انتشارات بهنام، ‏‫1397؛ در 448ص؛ شابک 9786007132500؛

مکنوس چیس در نبردی خونین و بی‌ترحم با غول آتش، جان میبازد، و سپس در هتل «والهالا» در پیکره‌ ی یکی از جنگجویان «اودین»، حیاتی دوباره پیدا میکند، به جهان چشم میگشاید؛ این زندگی دوباره فرصتی برای در آرامش زیستن اوست؛ امیدوار هست؛ او از «اوتیس» خبرچین سراغ گمشده را میگیرد، و نام «پراونیس تاون» قاتلی با نقاب گرگ را میشنود، که به او هشدار میدهد، جستجو برای یافتن چکش را رها کند، زیرا چکش در زیر زمین است، و با جادویی توانمند و مهلک نگهداری می‌شود، و از دیگر سو، ارتش غول‌ها نیز بسیج شده‌ اند تا حمله کنند، و اگر نتواند چکش را بیابد، آنان جهان را به نابودی کشیده و جهان‌های نه‌ گانه را زیر و رو خواهند کرد...؛

نمونه متن (درس لیاردین اگر یک والکایری را بیرون، به یک قهوه دعوت کنید، چیزی که روی دستتان خواهد ماند، یک صورتحساب و یک جنازه خواهد بود؛ سَمیرا آل عباس را حدودا شش هفته بود که ندیده بودم و زمانیکه با من تماس گرفت و گفت میخواهد درباره یک موضوع مرگ و زندگی با من صحبت کند، فورا قبول کردم؛ در واقع، من مرده بودم و این یعنی، موضوع مرگ و زندگی در مورد من صدق نمیکرد اما سَم مضطرب به نظر میرسید؛ زمانیکه به کافه تینکینگ کاپ در خیابان نیوبری رسیدم، او هنوز نیامده بود؛ کافه طبق معمول شلوغ بود و من مجبور شدم برای یک فنجان قهوه در صف بایستم؛ چند دقیقه بعد سَم مثل اجل معلق جلوتر از همه در صف ظاهر شد؛ هیچکس ککش هم نگزید؛ آدمهای معمولی زیاد متوجه این چیزهای جادویی نمیشوند که این خودش جای شکر دارد چون در غیر اینصورت اهالی بوستون بیشتر وقت خود را با ترس و وحشت از غولها، جنها، اِلفها و اُرکها در حال دویدن به این طرف و آن طرف خواهند بود؛ اینهریارها با آن تبرزینهای جنگی را نیز باید اضافه کنم سَم با لباس فرم مدرسه در کنارم نشست؛ کتانی سفید، شلوار خاکی نظامی و یک پیراهن آستین بلند ملوانی با آرم آکادمی کینگ به تن داشت، با حجاب سبزی موهایش را پوشانده بود و تبرزینی به کمربندنش آویزان کرده بود؛

با نگاه اول میشد فهمید آن تبرزین اصلاً مناسب قد و قواره اش نیست، همچنان که از دیدنش خوشحال بودم، متوجه کبودی زیر چشمهایش شدم که کمی غیرعادی به نظر میرسید؛ او داشت روی پاهایش این طرف و آن طرف تاب میخورد؛ گفتم «هی، وحشتناک به نظر میای.» گفت «مگنوس، من هم از دیدنت خوشحالم» - نه، منظورم وحشتناک نه به اون معنی ...؛ منظورم اینه که خسته و به هم ریخته ای؛ - بس کن دیگه ...؛ دستهایم را به نشانه تسلیم بالا بردم و گفتم «تو این مدت کجا بودی؟» کمی خود را جمع وجور کرد و گفت «این ترم کارام خیل�� زیاد شده و داره منو از پا درمیاره. بعد از مدرسه به بچه ها درس میدم؛ نمیدونم یادته یا نه، یه شغل پاره وقت هم دارم که جمع کردن ارواح مرده ها و انجام ماموریت سرّی برای اودینه» - اوه.؛ چقدر سرت شلوغه؛ - از اینا گذشته، یه دوره پرواز هم میرم؛ - دوره پرواز؟ با هواپیما؟؛

میدانستم که سَم آرزو داشت روزی یک خلبان حرفه ای شود ولی متوجه نشده بودم در حال گذراندن دوره مخصوص پرواز باشد؛ گفتم «خوبه که تو شونزده سالگی میتونی این همه کار انجام بدی» چشمهایش از هیجان برق زد و گفت «پدر بزرگ و مادربزرگم هیچ وقت توان مالی شو نداشتن ولی خانواده فدلان یه دوستی دارن که یه مدرسه پرواز رو اداره میکنه؛ اونا هم جید و بی بی رو سر این موضوع قانع کردن» با پوزخند گفتم «آهان پس درسها و دوره ها یه هدیه از طرف امیره؛ گونه هایش سرخ شد؛ او تنها نوجوانی بود که میدیدم در این سن نامزد دارد و برای من جالب بود زمانی که درباره امیر فدلان حرف میزند، چقدر دستپاچه و مضطرب میشود؛ سَم آهی کشید و گفت «اون درسها و دوره ها بیش از حد متفکرانه بودن، اما دیگه کافیه؛ من تو رو اینجا نیاوردم درباره مشغله ی من صحبت کنیم؛ یه خبرچین دارم که باید ببینیش» - یه خبرچین؟ - این همون لحظه ای میتونه باشه که منتظرش بودم؛ البته خدا کنه خبراش به درد بخور باشه؛ صدای زنگ تلفن سَم بلند شد؛ گوشی تلفن خود را از جیبش بیرون آورد، به صفحه نمایش آن نگاه کرد و گفت «اه، لعنتی! باید برم» - تو که تازه اومدی؛ - این یه قضیه والکایریه؛ کد احتمالی سه - هشت - یک، یعنی یه مرگ حماسی در حال وقوعه؛ - این داستانها چیه داری میبافی؟ - داستان نیست؛ - خب ...؛ که چی، یکی که فکر میکنه داره میمیره، به تو پیامک میفرسته که ما داریم میمیریم و در اسرع وقت نیاز به والکایری داریم! و به دنبالش هم چند تا از این شکلکهای غمگین میفرسته؛ - یادم باشه یه بار دیگه روح تو رو به والهالا ببرم؛ تو به من پیامک نزده بودی؛ - هر چی باشه من یه شخص خاص هستم؛ - یه میز بیرون رزرو کن و خبرچین منو ببین؛ من زود برمیگردم، - من حتی نمیدونم این خبرچین چه شکلیه؛ - وقتی ببینیش، میشناسیش؛ شجاع باش؛ یه دونه از اون بیسکوئیتها هم به من بده؛

سپس پرواز کرد و از کافه خارج شد و من ماندم و صورتحساب کافه؛ دو فنجان بزرگ قهوه و دو عدد بیسکوییت گرفتم و پشت میزی در بیرون کافه نشستم؛ امسال، بهار در شهر بوستون کمی زودتر از سالهای قبل رسیده بود؛ لکه های کثیف برف هنوز روی لبه پیاده راه ها مثل کثیفی و جرم روی دندان دیده میشد؛ اما غنچه های سفید و قرمز؛ درختان گیلاس بر روی شاخ و برگها پراکنده بودند؛ لباسهای گل منگلی از پشت ویترین یک لباس فروشی طوری به نظر رسید که انگار شکوفه داده باشند؛ توریستها در حال لذت بردن از نور آفتاب بودند؛ خارج از کافه نشسته بودم و در شلوار جین، تی شرت و پیراهنی که تازه از خشک شویی گرفته بودم، احساس راحتی میکردم؛ با خود فکر کردم بعد از سه سال این اولین بهاری است که آواره و آلاخون والاخون نیستم؛

همین ماه مارس گذشته داشتم داخل آهن قراضه ها جان میکندم و زیر پل پابلیک گاردن میخوابیدم؛ با دوستان عزیزم هارت و بلیتز) بیرون میرفتم و همگی سعی میکردیم گیر پلیس نیفتیم؛ فقط میخواستیم زنده بمانیم؛ دو ماه قبل، در مبارزه با غول آتش کشته شده بودم و وقتی بیدار شدم، خودم را در هتل والهالا دیدم؛ من یکی از جنگجویان اینهریار اودین شده بودم، اکنون لباسهای تمیز به تن میکردم، روزی نبود که دوش نگیرم و شبی نبود که روی تخت گرم و نرم نخوابم؛ میتوانستم در این کافه و سر این میز بنشینم و چیزی بخورم که واقعا پول آن را پرداخت کرده ام، بدون نگرانی از اینکه من را از کافه اخراج کنند؛ از زمان تولد دوباره، به چیزهای عجیب و غریب فراوانی عادت کرده بودم، در جهانهای نُه گانه سیر کرده بودم؛ خدایان نورس، اِلفها و کوتوله ها را دیده بودم؛ هیولاهایی را مشاهده کرده بودم که حتی تلفظ نام آنها نیز برایم دشوار است؛ یک شمشیر جادویی نیز به من اعطا شده بود که آن را به شکل یک آویز به گردنم انداخته ام؛ حتی یک مکالمه با دخترخاله ام، آنابت درباره خدایان یونانی داشتم که نیویورک را پاتوق خود کرده، زندگی را برایش دشوار کرده بودند؛ ظاهرا آمریکای شمالی مملو از خدایان باستانی اکبیری شده بود و ما تحت هجمه ای همه جانبه قرار داشتیم؛

من همه اینها را قبول داشتم؛ حالا به بوستون برگشته بودم و در یک روز خوب بهاری، اینجا مثل یک آدم معمولی نشسته بودم؛ درست است...؛ میدانم کمی عجیب است؛ در افراد پیرامونم کمی دقت کردم تا شاید بتوانم خبرچین سَم را تشخیص بدهم؛ او گفته بود به محض اینکه اونو ببینی، میشناسیش؛ با خود گفتم، این شخص چه اطلاعاتی میتواند داشته باشد که برای سَم حکم مرگ و زندگی را داشت؛ چشمهایم بر یک نقطه روی سر در مغازه ای قفل شد؛ سر در مغازه یک تابلوی نقره ای - برنجی بود که روی آن نوشته شده بود «بهترین بلیتزن» اما کرکره ی مغازه پایین بود و روی شیشه پنجره ی جلویی نوشته شده بود برای تغییر دکوراسیون تعطیل است؛ امیدوار بودم بتوانم از سَم درباره ی او سئوال کنم؛ نمیدانم چرا دوست قدیمی من، بلیتز ناگهان غیبش زده بود؛

همین چند هفته پیش داشتم از جلوی مغازه اش رد میشدم که فهمیدم بسته است؛ بعد از آن دیگر هیچ خبری از بلیتز و هارت نشد که نشد؛ این قضیه حسابی فکرم را مشغول کرده بود و موض��ع خبرچین پاک داشت از یادم میرفت که ناگهان او را بالای سرم دیدم؛ حق با سَم بود؛ دیدن یک بُز که بارانی پوشیده باشد، چیزی نیست که آدم هر روز در خیابان ها مشاهده کند؛ کلاهی بر سر داشت که دو شاخش از آن بیرون زده بود؛ عینک آفتابی هم زده بود؛ بارانیش مانع از آن میشد که سُمهای سیاهش دیده شود؛ با همه اینها، فورا او را شناختم. من این بُز را در دنیای دیگر کشته و خورده بودم و این یک تجربه فراموش نشدنی بود؛ گفتم «اوتیس ...!» گفت: «ش...؛ ش...؛ ششش...؛ یواشتر، من ناشناسم؛ ولی خب، منو همون اوتیس صدا کن»؛

فورا بر روی صندلی ای که برای سَم رزرو کرده بودم، پرید و لَم داد؛ سُم هایش را روی میز انداخت و به خیال اینکه سَم داخل پاکت شیرینی قایم شده، به پاکت خیره شد و گفت «والکایری کجاس؟ نکنه اونم ناشناسه...؛» گفتم «سَم باید میرفت جایی ...؛ دنبال یه روح؛ گفت زود برمیگرده ...؛» اوتیس با افسوس گفت «اوه، باید زندگی یه هدف و معنایی داشته باشه؛ برای غذا ممنونم»؛ گفتم «اون برای تو نبود»؛ بیسکوئیت سَم را برداشت و همه آن را خورد؛ حتی کاغذ و جعبه اش را؛ زن و مرد میانسالی که پشت میز کناریمان نشسته بودند، به این رفیق بُز من نگاه میکردند و لبخند میزدند؛ احتمالا حس انسانی آنها اوتیس را به شکل یک سگ خانگی یا یک بچه بامزه میدید؛ همچنان که در حال جویدن جعبه بیسکوئیت بود و خرده های آن روی لباسش میریخت؛

به او گفتم: «خب، ظاهرا یه چیزایی برای گفتن داری.» بادگلویی زد و گفت «موضوع اَربابم درمیونه» گفتم «ثور...!» کمی به خود پیچید و گفت «آره، ثور...؛» راستش اگر من هم برای خدای توفان کار میکردم، وقتی اسم ثور به میان میآمد به خود میپیچیدم؛ وظیفه اوتیس و برادرش، ماروین، کشیدن کالسکه خدای توفان بود؛ آنها همچنین منبع غذایی بی پایانی برای ثور بودند؛ ثور هر شب آنها را سربریده و برای شام نوش جان میکرد و صبح روز بعد دوباره آنها زنده میشدند؛ اینجا معلوم میشود که چرا شما باید به کالج بروید تا بزرگ که شدید، مجبور نباشید شغلی مثل این بُز جادویی را انتخاب کنید؛

اوتیس گفت «باید بگم اون شیء مخصوص اربابم گم شده» - منظورت چکشه...؟ «- یواشتر بگو...»؛ آره، منظورم همون چکشه؛ ماه ژانویه را به خاطر آوردم، وقتی که خدای توفان را برای اولین بار ملاقات میکردم روزهای خوبی بود؛ کنار آتش...؛ گوش دادن به حرفهای ثور که درباره برنامه های تلویزیونی مورد علاقه اش و همین طور از چکش گم شده اش میگفت که از آن برای کشتن غولها و دیدن برنامه های تلویزیونی استفاده میکرد؛ از اوتیس پرسیدم «هنوز پیداش نکرده؟» اوتیس سُمهایش را روی میز کشید و گفت «راستشو بخوای، نه...؛ اگه غولها بدونن که ثور اون چیزی رو که من و تو میدونیم، نداره؛ اونوقته که به دنیای آدما حمله کنن و همه چیز رو نابود کنن؛ ماههاست که داریم میگردیم؛ دشمنای ثور دارن گستاخ میشن؛ اونا این ضعف رو حس کردن؛ به دکتر روانشناسم گفتم این قضیه منو یاد بچگیهام میندازه، که بچه های قلدر اذیتم میکردن»؛

چشمهای اوتیس از شدت نگرانی برق میزد؛ این قضیه بهانه ای شد، تا ساعتها با اوتیس راجع به احساساتش حرف بزنم؛ به او گفتم من احساسات و حالش را درک میکنم؛ گفتم «اوتیس یادمه بار آخری که همدیگه رو دیدیم، ثور یه چوب دستی بلند داشت که ازش به عنوان یه سلاح پشتیبان استفاده میکرد؛ ثور کاملاً هم بی دفاع نیست»؛ جواب داد «آره، ولی اون چوبدستی جای چکش رو نمیگیره؛ راستش رو بخوای چوبدستی، ترس و وحشت لازم رو تو دل غولها نمیندازه؛ تازه، وقتی ثور برنامه های مورد علاقه اش رو از طریق اون میبینه، بدخلق میشه»؛

اصلا دوست نداشتم ثور را بدخلق ببینم، خیلی از حرفهای اوتیس با عقل جور درنمیآمد؛ مثلاً اینکه چرا ثور قادر نبود چکش را در یک جای امن نگهداری کند و اینکه او چطور توانسته بود قضیه گم شدن چکش را تا این حد سرّی نگه دارد هم جالب بود؛ با تردید گفتم «پس ثور الان به کمک ما نیاز داره؟» اوتیس گفت «نه به طور رسمی!» گفتم «البته که نه...؛ همگی باید بارونی بپوشیم و عینک دودی بزنیم!»؛

به کنایه جواب داد «فکر خوبیه...؛» و ادامه داد «در هر حال، به والکایری گفتم اونو در جریان کارا قرار میدم؛ او داره ماموریتی مخصوص رو برای اودین انجام میده؛ این اولین سرنخیه که از محل اختفای اون شیء مخصوص پیدا کردم؛ منبع خبر، موثقه.؛ یه بُز دیگه هست که پیش همون دکتر روانشناسی میره که من میرم، و یه چیزایی به گوشش خورده»؛ گفتم «خب، حالا تو از ما میخوای براساس یه چیزایی که تو اتاق انتظار روانکاوت گفته و شنیده شده، بریم جلو؟»؛ اوتیس طوری به صندلی لم داد، که نزدیک بود از صندلی بیفتد، و گفت «این عالیه...؛ فقط باید خیلی مراقب باشیم»؛

خیلی تلاش کردم جلوی خنده ام را بگیرم؛ من با غولها بازی گرفتن توپهای مذاب را انجام میدادم؛ بر فراز بوستون مثل عقاب پرواز میکردم؛ مار عظیم الجثه و معروف را، از ماساچوست بیرون کرده بودم، فنریس گرگ را، با یک توپ نخ شکست داده بودم، و حالا یک الف بچه، به من میگفت مراقب باشم؛

پرسیدم «خب...؛ حالا این چکش کجا میتونه باشه؟ در جوتانهایم؟ در نفلهایم؟ یا در ثورفارهایم؟»؛ اوتیس که عینک آفتابی اش کمی به پایین دماغش لغزیده بود، گفت «راستش رو بخوای چکش در یه محل خطرناک قرار گرفته...؛ تو پراوینستون»؛ گفتم «پراوینستون؟ بالای قله کیپ کاد؟»؛

خاطرات مبهمی ر��جع به آن محل داشتم؛ وقتی شش سالم بود، مادرم در یکروز تابستانی آخر هفته مرا به آن اطراف برده بود؛ ساحل، رولت خرچنگ، آب نباتها و گالریهای هنری آنجا را هنوز به یاد دارم؛ خطرناکترین چیزی که آنروز با آن مواجه شدیم، یک مرغ دریایی بود که به سندرم حاد روده مبتلا شده بود؛ دیگر خودتان فکرش را بکنید؛ اوتیس با صدای آرامی گفت «یه بارو توی پراوینستون هست که مال یه ویگته، ویگت یه موجود قدرتمنده که سلاحهای جادویی رو از همه جا برای خودش جمع میکنه؛ به مقبره ی یه ویگت، میگن بارو؛ ببخشید، وقتی درباره ویگتها حرف میزنم یه جوری میشم؛ اونا منو یاد پدرم میندازن»؛

طبیعتا با حرفهایی که اوتیس زد دوباره سئوالهایی درباره کودکی او به ذهنم خطور کرد ولی ترجیح دادم اینبار آنها را به روانکاوش واگذار کنم؛ پرسیدم «وایکینگهای زیادی تو پراوینستون هستن؟»؛ جواب داد «تا اونجا که من میدونم، فقط یه دونه هست؛ اما همون یه دونه هم کافیه؛ اگه اون چیزی که ما دنبالش هستیم اونجا باشه، به سختی میشه پسش گرفت؛ چون زیر زمینه و توسط نگهبانای جادویی محافظت میشه؛ در اینصورت تو به دوستات، کوتوله ها و اِلفها نیاز خواهی داشت»؛

راستش اگر میدانستم دوستانی که اوتیس میگفت، کجا هستند؛ عالی میشد؛ امیدوار بودم سَم درباره ی آنها اطلاعاتی داشته باشد؛پرسیدم «خب...؛ چرا ثور خودش نمیره بارو رو چک کنه؟ وایسا، بذار حدس بزنم؛ اون نمیخواد جلب توجه کنه...؛ یا اینکه میخواد یه فرصتی به ما بده.؛ یا شاید، چون اینکار واقعا سخته»؛ اوتیس گفت «راستش رو بخوای سری جدید جسیکا جونز هنوز شروع نشده»؛ به خودم گفتم خطای بزرگی نیست، حقش نیست که مشتی تو چونه اش بخوره؛ گفتم «خوبه...؛ پس سَم که بیاد اینجا درباره نقشه مون حرف میزنیم»؛ گفت «بعید میدونم بتونم اینجا منتظرش باشم ...؛ باید زودتر از این به تو میگفتم؛ یه کسی ...؛ یا یه چیزی داره منو میپاد»؛ کمی جا خوردم و گفتم «یعنی میگی تو رو تا اینجا دنبال کردن؟»؛ جواب داد «مطمئن نیستم ...؛ باید امیدوار باشیم که این تغییر قیافه اونا رو گمراه کرده باشه»؛ گفتم «اوه، چه عالی!» خیابان را بررسی کردم اما کسی یا چیزی را که اوتیس میگفت، ندیدم؛ ...؛)؛ پایان نقل از متن

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 18/06/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

[Natalie Monroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Natalie: I don't like that we're always here these days with Riordan's books.

Cynical Natalie: Maybe if he wrote quality material, we wouldn't be here. Exhibit A: the plot. Hello, quest-with-sidekicks narrative 65.0.

Nice Natalie: Oh, come on, you liked the plot! You laughed a bunch of times.

Cynical Natalie: I laugh at Vines, but that doesn't mean they deserve an Oscar. What about Hearthstone's dad? They basically left him there, half-mad and terrorizing his guests. That plot thread is so loose, people keep mistaking it for the word "lose."

Nice Natalie: They were on a tight schedule. I'm sure they'll get back to it next book.

Cynical Natalie: And don't even get me started on the ending.

Nice Natalie: Oh boy, here we go. *takes cover*

Cynical Natalie:

"I think it's time you met Percy."

Percy. Fucking. Jackson. He has to be dragged into every damn series, every damn mythology now, does he? We all know why—The Kane Chronicles bombed without Percy. The fans want Percy, so Riordan's going to keep extending the franchise and stabbing Easter eggs in places Poseidon's son has no business being.

And people are eating it up! Oh, my God, hardly anyone is complaining about this. Why are we sitting by and letting this blatant fanservice sneak by?

Nice Natalie: Maybe because, like us, they squealed with delight during that part and maybe because, like us, it's the main reason they're excited for the next book.

Cynical Natalie: ...Shut up.

Nice Natalie: Can we talk about the good stuff now? There's a transgender and gender fluid love interest. How awesome is that?

Cynical Natalie: Yes, and the reveal was about as subtle as a haddock to the face. Sam told us outright that she's transgender. It's lazy writing.

Nice Natalie: It's a middle-grade book. A good portion of adults don't understand the gender spectrum beyond gay, lesbian, and bisexual. This way, the message clearly comes across.

Culture appropriation is mentioned, too. It seems as though Riordan is finally getting a handle on this diversity thing. It felt a little for show in The Hidden Oracle, but here, we get to see Sam pray and interact with her culture. Nothing against Muslim-Americans who don't feel strongly about their religion, of course, but in the wake of the election and all these hate crimes going on, it's nice to see a Muslim American character who indulges in these belief and still be portrayed positively. She's someone we can root for, not a fear-monger's terrorist.

This line is beautiful:

"I wondered how Inge felt about being required to show her tail at all times. Was it a source of pride to show her identity , or did it feel like a punishment?"

Respectful, thoughtful while leaving room for personal consideration.

Cynical Natalie: You think you have me beat, don't you?

Nice Natalie: Nice girls don't engage in competition, but yes.

Cynical Natalie: ...Fuck you.

Nice Natalie: I love you, too.



My review of The Sword of Summer
My review of The Ship of the Dead

Other Nice Natalie/Cynical Natalie brawls reviews:
The Fault in Our Stars
A Girl Like You
If I Stay
Dreams of Gods & Monsters
The Martian
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Catching Fire
All The Rage
An Ember In The Ashes
Harry Potter & the Cursed Child
Caraval
Warcross
The Last Namsara

[Ashley Nuckles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book took me so long to get through for absolutely no reason at all BUT IT WAS SO WORTH IT.

5 STARS.

ALSO ALEX IS MY NEW FAVORITE CHARACTER IN THESE BOOKS! (If that wasn't obvious enough before)

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thor's lost his dang hammer again.



Loki is scheming and causing trouble, again.



3.5 stars. Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:

The god Thor has lost his hammer again, but this time it’s even worse: the giant Thrym has gotten hold of it and has hidden it away where no one else can reach it. If the hammer isn’t returned to Thor quickly, enemies of Asgard will take advantage of their weakness and attack, triggering Ragnarok, the battle at the end of the world, and bringing massive death and destruction in the Nine Worlds.

Loki the trickster, who has been chained up by the other gods as punishment for his misdeeds, visits Magnus Chase in a dream (Loki gets around pretty well in dreamland). He tells Magnus that he’s worked out a deal to get Thor’s hammer back: all Magnus has to do is bring Thrym a certain bride for a wedding in five days, along with the bride-price, and Thrym will give back the hammer as his wedding gift.

There are just a few problems with this plan: The intended bride is the Valkyrie Samirah, Magnus’ friend and Loki’s daughter, who is already engaged to another man and, by the way, has absolutely no interest in marrying a giant. The bride-price that Magnus is supposed to bring to the giant is the magical Skofnung Sword, hidden in a mummified Danish king’s tomb and protected by zombie Viking guards. And certainly not least is the fact that Loki certainly has a scheme, his own devious reason for brokering this deal … if only Magnus could figure out what it is. But Magnus doesn’t see any choice but to go along with the plan, at least for now. Luckily he has his friends Samirah, Blitzen the fashion-forward dwarf, and the elf Hearthstone to help him, as well as a new acquaintance, Alex Fierro, the latest addition to the halls of Valhalla.

The Hammer of Thor (2016) doesn’t diverge from Rick Riordan’s formula of mythological gods and smart-aleck half-blood children who are sent off on various quests and adventures in each book, but Riordan excels at telling a fast-paced, humorous adventure. Magnus’ talkative sword Sumarbrander, the Sword of Summer (fondly known as “Jack”) is back in full force, chatting with Magnus, flying through the air to fight enemies all by himself, and ill-advisedly falling in love with the lovely and deadly Skofnung Sword. Samirah and Hearthstone both become more fully fleshed out characters, as we get to know more about their lives and backgrounds, particularly when we visit Hearthstone’s family home in Alfheim. Thor’s hammer strikes me as a bit of a MacGuffin, an object whose primary function is to advance the plot, and, entertaining as it was, I’m not certain the overarching plot of this series was advanced much in this middle book. While the plot is amusing and we explore a few more of the Nine Worlds, the entire book struck me as a rather elaborate way to set up just one particular event that occurs toward the end.

The most notable difference from his earlier books is that Riordan is making an appreciable effort to include more diverse characters, particularly in the MAGNUS CHASE AND THE GODS OF ASGARD series: Magnus is a formerly homeless teen, Hearthstone the elf is deaf, and Magnus’s closest companion is Samirah, a devout Muslim. Now in The Hammer of Thor we meet the gender-fluid Alex, whose self-identification as either male or female can change from day to day. Like Samirah, Alex is a child of the trickster god Loki, who in the traditional Norse legends was able to change his sex: he often disguised himself as a woman. So it does make sense for Loki to have a gender-fluid child. There’s a slightly clunky lecturing tone to Magnus’ discussions with Alex about respecting Alex’s current gender choice and calling Alex by the gender he/she currently identifies as, but overall this somewhat touchy subject is handled sensitively and in a way that most will consider appropriate for its intended age group of readers.

The MAGNUS CHASE AND THE GODS OF ASGARD series is generally light-hearted and humorous, though it does include a fair amount of violence and mayhem, in a nod to the warlike Viking culture that inspires this series. Most of the time the violence is played for comic effect, so it’s not likely to traumatize any but the most sensitive readers. The Hammer of Thor is a solid story; it might not appeal to readers who are tired of Riordan’s formula, but it will almost certainly please the Riordan fan in your house.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a review. Thank you!

[prag ♻ · Rating 4 out of 5]

alex fierro thank you for my life

buddy reread with sil and may 🥰

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Hammer of Thor can firmly be described as "alright." And by that I mean, it had very good parts and very bad parts, but through a mixture of entertainment value and respect for the author, it landed itself a solid three out of five stars. I may change that later (update: I did), but for now, this is what I'm going with.

Essentially, the first half of The Hammer of Thor was pretty rough, but the second half was able to (mostly) make up for it. And now, on to the good, the bad, and the iffy.

The Good

Sam's Religion In one respect, I do find it strange that this is the only time Rick has explored monotheistic religion in his demigods series (although I suspect that that's about to change), but what really worked with the exploration of Sam's faith was that it actually felt like something genuine and spiritual, not like he was just making a Point (which we'll get to later). It was a very respectful representation, and although it did get a bit heavy-handed at one point, Sam was at her most peaceful and intelligent during the scenes where she practiced and discussed her religion. My only quibble was with her arranged marriage, which I'll get to later on. But for the most part it was very well-done, and I enjoyed being able to learn a small bit about Arabic culture through her.
Fun and Enjoyable to Read I'll be honest: the humor in the last book was simply cringe-worthy. Jack the Magic Talking Sword felt juvenile and cheap to me, the jokes were too pun-y for its own good, and Magnus' pessimism often overshadowed the rest of the story. That's why I was so relieved to see how genuinely funny and enjoyable the prose was this time around. Although I didn't appreciate the pop culture references (they make the book feel dated), the humor was much more subtle and far less obnoxious here. Even with its faults, The Hammer of Thor was still a fun read for me, which is always a good thing.

The Bad

Elf Police Rick had a lot of Points to make with this story, and for the most part, they worked. The exploration of Sam's religion went well, and even though Alex's story felt a bit like an infomercial at times, it still did the trick. However, both of those plots were created to be inclusive and promote acceptance; the evil elf police was not. As an extremely thinly veiled metaphor for the real-life police force, Rick portrays the elf police as being a bunch of racist, elitist jerks who have no purpose in this story other than to be racist, elitist jerks. Even the most vocal of anti-police brutality activists have stated that they don't believe all cops are corrupt or immoral, so to have a pointless scene where we're shown the generalization that they are is extremely disconcerting. Perhaps that wasn't Rick's intention, but that's the way it came across. It was a clunky and poorly-handled addition to the story, and the story suffered because of it.
The Gods In the Percy Jackson books, the gods were often portrayed as quirky and silly, but still capable of having wisdom and other abilities. In the Magnus Chase books, they're dithering idiots. Maybe it's because Rick is running out of plot devices, but being treated to Thor, the smelly, incompetent dullard or Heimdall, the Vine-making airhead, is nowhere near as enticing as when we met Hera, Zeus, Artemis, or any other of the Greek deities. Indeed, this is the one aspect where the The Sword of Summer was actually much better than its successor. Remember when we met Frey and Freya, and actually learned some things about Norse mythology? Or when for a span of five glorious pages, Hel showed up to lay down some serious philosophy and give the concepts of life and death some legitimate perspective? Man, those were the days. With the exception of Loki, an uber-villain, and Sif, the endearing trophy wife, the only gods who managed to peak my interest were Vidar and Sigyn, who were both mute. Needless to say, I found it disappointing.
The Demigods One of the things that made reading a series about demigods so endearing was that it was essentially about young superheroes, only with history thrown in. Camp Half-Blood was so much fun to read about because the kids all had their own powers, each connected in some way to the Greek myths. I realize that Rick needed to make this series different from PJO, but it simply wasn't as enjoyable to read about elves and dwarves as it was about a whole group of unique demigods. Frey is a close counterpart to Apollo, but Magnus' powers aren't nearly as exciting as the Apollo kids' are. Blitzen is a son of Freya, but you wouldn't know it unless someone mentioned it every so often. And Sam and Alex are the children of the same god--Loki--who shape shift occasionally, but usually just throw sharp objects at people. That's not much compared to characters who control water, raise the dead, enchant people with their voices, and summon thunderstorms.
Magnus The big one. Most people will disagree with me on this, but the weakest part of the Asgard series is our very own narrator who, in my opinion, doesn't have a solid personality. There are multiple Magnuses that exist in this story, and it appears that Rick can't figure out which one is the real deal: the angry social justice warrior who hates the upper class and is exceptionally well-versed in cultural rhetoric, the condescending anti-establishment bro who is too enlightened to be your friend, or the funny little dork who loves soap operas and silly puns. I don't think the author ever really figured out what to make of Magnus, and as his desire to address social issues grew, Magnus became his de-facto mouthpiece. It simply doesn't make sense for a scraggly bro like Magnus who only wants to chill and eat falafel to randomly whip out words like "non-heteronormative" and "appropriation." One minute Magnus wants to feed the homeless and protect the vulnerable, and then the next minutes he's mouthing off to anyone who blinks at him the wrong way. Rick seems to be somewhat conscious of these inconsistencies, and tries to cover for it towards the end when he has Alex say, "You pretend like you're all tough and sarcastic or whatever, but you're a big softie." The only issue is, there's no internal struggle that suggests that Magnus is fighting to hide his tender heart. It certainly would fit with his situation--Magnus lost so much and lived such a rough life that it would be only natural for him to have his guard up--but I've read plenty of books where the main character faces this interval vs. external struggle, and they've all been handled better than this. Magnus never has any regrets about being a jerk, nor does he often put himself into another person's shoes. If we're supposed to believe that Magnus is really just a sweet guy who protects himself by acting like he's above everyone else, then that's not what we're given. All it seems like is that Magnus Chase is an inconsistent character whose personality changes based on the narrative.
(Note: while on the subject of the Magnus that hates the upper class, there definitely seems to be a running theme in this book that wealth = low moral character. I find this a bit hypocritical given that Rick is one of the top earning authors in the world. There's something rather distasteful about being lectured on the evils of affluence by a multi-millionaire).

The Iffy

Combination of Religions It's clear that Rick really wanted to write about a Muslim character, and while I do think that he did a great job with this, a whole new level of confusion is added to the story by somehow making monotheism and polytheism exist within the same realm. Add to this that Magnus is somehow an atheist despite being the son of a god who is living in a spiritual afterlife. Just by doing a quick online search, the definition of an atheist is "a person who denies or disbelieves the existence of a supreme being or beings." I believe that Rick decided to make Magnus non-religious because he wanted to give non-religious kids representation, but it doesn't make any sense, thematically, for Magnus to be an atheist when he's the son of one of many "supreme beings." I also don't understand who all these polytheistic religions exist in the same sphere (were the Norse not at all concerned when Gaea returned? Why aren't Norse demigod children trained and protected the way the Roman and Greek ones are? Which afterlife do non-divine mortals go to when they die?) but I'm going to cut Rick some slack here, since it looks like this will be addressed more in future books.
Inconsistencies Forget the timeline issues--I can forgive Rick for giving up on that. But what was the point of Loki confronting Sam's grandparents, only to have them forget about it five days later? Why were they able to forget so easily, but humans in the other series weren't (such as when Piper's father had to have his memory erased)? These weren't huge issues, but they did puzzle me quite a bit.
Alex I like Alex very much (even if she did remind me of Thalia at times), but as mentioned above, discussions of her gender identity often turned into after-school TV specials. I realize that representation is very important to these books, and that certain things have to be explained for the middle-grade audience. However, Rick had already shown that he was able to write about touchy subjects without turning the story into a dissertation with how he portrayed Sam's relationship with Islam (or to go back to the Greeks, with the excellent way he wrote about Nico's sexuality). I understand why Rick was so stringent with how he explained Alex's identity, but I would have preferred that he made it sound more like part of a story and less like a college lecture. (Also, call me crazy, but I'm just not feeling the Magnus/Alex ship. It just doesn't do anything for me *shrugs*).
Sam's Arranged Marriage Both of them, actually. For the engagement to the giant, we've seen this already: it was in The Sea of Monsters, when Grover was pretending to be a cyclops' fiance and needed to be rescued by Percy within a few days' time. As for her other engagement, the legitimate one, I am more conflicted. I like Amir, and I realize that, once again, this is part of Rick trying to promote tolerance and inclusion in his work. However, the irony was not lost on me that despite being an exceedingly socially liberal story, we're somehow supposed to not question the fact that a teenager is being married off by her grandparents simply because it's part of her culture. Respect for other cultures and religions is something that I take very seriously, but I also have met many hijab-wearing Muslim girls in my lifetime, none of whom were engaged at sixteen. This makes me question why Rick felt inclined to include this aspect of Islamic culture in the first place. When eager fans asked if Annabeth and Percy would get engaged anytime soon, Rick had responded that they were much too young--something that I fully agree with. So why then is this not the case with Samirah? Heck, he could have totally avoided this issue by having Sam still be betrothed but not set to actually be wed until after she finished college. But instead, we're specifically told that she and Amir are planning to get married once she turns 18. Much like how I find Rick's regard for wealth in this story to be hypocritical, I also can't help but feel that there's a double standard with this as well. If any other teenage girl were being married off--no matter how likable her fiance is--it would be considered outrageous, but because Sam comes from a culture where this isn't unheard of (albeit not necessarily common in North America, at least from what I've gleaned), it's considered perfectly acceptable.

These are merely my own opinions and observations, and I understand that plenty of people feel differently than I do. All in all, I did enjoy this book, but it had many flaws, and I sincerely hope that the next one is better.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit there were times when I thought this book was a little too silly (again, maybe I'm slightly outgrowing middle grade books finally). Regardless, I still really enjoyed the story! I'll definitely want to pick up book 3!

[Marnie (Enchanted Bibliophile) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet again Rick make me stay up way to late!

What I love most about Rick's work is that the action and suspense just keep getting better! It's not like with most trilogies where you feel the second book is just a bridge to the third book and doesn't really add any value to the story. The Hammer of Thor gives us dynamic character growth, new characters to cherish, epic adventures, suspense and of course a cliffhanger ending!
In all honesty, I'm not giving this review my full attentions, because I really, really just want to read the next book...

So I'm not gonna torture you (or myself) any further, I'm just gonna stop now and go READ!

[Melanie]

Aaaaand the year of waiting for Riordan's next book commences! You'd think I'd be good at waiting since I've been doing this for so many years now but NOPE. At least there's THE HIDDEN ORACLE coming out on May 3rd...

[Charmel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncle Rick never disappoints!

This book was so good, so fun and so full of action! I love it, from the wonderful diverse characters to the awesome writing style of uncle rick and to the amazing plot!

✫*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨‘*✫*¨*.¸¸.✶*¨‘*✫

I feel sad about Hearthstone's past and Samirah's poor life. They deserve all the love and happiness. (especially Hearth *hugs*)

"—I couldn’t always fight my friends’ battles. The best I could do was be there to heal their injuries."

uhhm and. Hey Alex Fierro, ily. You have my heart. and I ship you with Magnus *happy noises*

"I will decide what is manly, unmanly, womanly, or unwomanly for me. Don’t make me kill you again."

Overall, I love Magnus Chase. I enjoyed the 1st book and this book as well. The plot is good Thor, as usual, loses his hammer lol Plus, I learned some stuff about norse mythology. This was such a fun read!!!

Annabeth smiled. “I don’t know the ocean very well, but my boyfriend does. I think it’s time you met Percy.” OMG aaaaahhhh Percyy

[Mariam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samirah al-Abbas is the greatest gift Rick Riordan has ever given me. <3

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 3.7 stars.
My favourite part of this book was how hyped I made myself about Magnus and Alex’s budding relationship.

I don’t know what it was about the narration but Magnus’ quips felt more forced (like how he had to promote Hotel Valhalla?)

I loved the intricacies of Sam struggling to balance her faith and her life as a Valkyrie.

Speaking of complicated, Alex Fierro. I applaud Riordan for representing another group of people.
I felt there was enough dedication to this character to allow us to understand but it didn’t overtake the plot.

The story itself felt a little divided. There was what was going on with Hearth and his father then it moved on to the wedding and Loki. (Don’t even get me started about the giant bowling part).
Last book had more of a flowing story line. This time it felt like every time I picked up this book, it was telling a different tale.

Don’t get me wrong, it was still a super easy read to get through.
It was just these mini quests felt disconnected from the main story.
Maybe trying too much to have continuing plots for the next book.

Typically my favourite part of these (really, any) books are the characters and relationships between those characters.
That was not the focus here which is surprising for a Riordan novel. Besides Alex, who came across as surly but bonded with Sam and Magnus, I didn’t really feel like there was a whole lot of relationship building.

I’m excited to see what happens next with Annabeth and Percy thrown into the mix!

[Grace (kanej & evajacks' version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! It was very light and entertaining, with plenty of action, which was basically what I was expecting from this sequel 😄

This book takes place about a month after the events of book one. After completing their mission successfully in the Sword of Summer, Magnus and his friends now have another problem: Thor's hammer is still missing and if he doesn't get it back soon, giants are going to invade Midgard. What follows is a whirlwind of action as they try to steal back Thor's hammer and prevent invasion.

As always, Rick Riordan's writing was witty and really fun, which lightened up the sometimes hectic plot. The balance between the frequent jokes and the action prevented the book from feeling heavy. This sequel was also slightly less predictable than the first one, with a couple of twists later on to make it interesting. The ending also makes me curious enough to want to read the next book, the Ship of the Dead. Hopefully I'll get my hands on it soon 🤩🤩

The characters were also great. Magnus was the trademark funny and likeable Rick Riordan hero and the book also had a well-developed and diverse cast of side-characters. We had a new main character featured in this one- Alex Fierro, another child of Loki. I didn't like Alex at first but she/he definitely grew on me during the course of the book and she/he is now one of my favourite characters in the series 😌😌

A few negative points: I did find this book to be quite long. The first half went pretty quickly but it began to drag by the end of the book 😬😬
I also felt that this one didn't tie into the first book as much as I wanted. We didn't really get to see the impact of their actions at all and although the events of Book 1 were briefly mentioned (not in detail though), the two books felt very seperate. However, the ending of this one shows that this will probably change with the third and final book in the series, so it's not that big of an issue.

Overall, a very entertaining book that was very fun to read. I look forward to reading the next book in this series! 😁


~ 3.5 stars

[Carlos Peguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Riordan lo ha vuelto a hacer. De verdad, con cada libro de este señor que leo me enamoro aún más de su forma de escribir. Y sí, todos sus libros son iguales, pero es que me da igual.

Como con todos los libros de este señor, ha sido un libro súper divertido y súper ágil de leer. Me lo he pasado genial reencontrándome con Sam, Magnus, Blitz y compañía; y me ha encantado saber un poquito más de Hearth, de su historia y de su mundo.

También quiero señalar una cosa que me ha parecido muy heavy, incluso para ser Rick Riordan: la introducción de un personaje genderfluid, Alex Fierro (que ya lo sabía porque lo leí en tumblr pero whatever). Me parece ameisin que este señor esté inculcando este tipo de tolerancia y de respeto a la cantidad de niños pequeños que leen sus libros, y que se esté enfrentando a todos los padres retrógrados que dicen que ya no van a comprar más sus obras. No sé, quiero mucho a este señor.

En fin, no puedo decir nada de este libro que no haya dicho de cualquiera de Rick. Es maravilloso, ameno, y entrañable. Yo creo que me ha gustado incluso más que el primero, y con ese final estoy nerviosito por leer el tercero.

[Isa Cantos (Crónicas de una Merodeadora) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Mientras sus historias sobreviviesen, los dioses sobrevivirían. Y las historias eran casi imposibles de eliminar".

El Martillo de Thor, el arma más poderosa del universo nórdico, se ha perdido y los planes de Loki de desencadenar el Ragnarok están más cerca que nunca. Por eso, Magnus Chase tendrá que embarcarse en una nueva misión que lo llevará a recorrer varios mundos nórdicos, seguir pistas de cabras, salvar a sus amigos de la muerte y destrucción, evitar bodas macabras y ser más inteligente que el dios del engaño.

Además de Magnus, Samirah (la valkiria), Hearth y Blitzen, nuestros personajes habituales, en El Martillo de Thor aparece alguien muy peculiar. Alex es una hija/hijo de Loki que acaba de morir y se acaba de unir a los guerreros nórdicos en el Valhalla. Lo interesante de este personaje es que, en sus mismas palabras, es de género fluido, es decir que unos días se siente más chica que chico y otros días se siente más chico que chica. Si bien es un asunto un poco complejo de entender en un principio, con el paso de las páginas nos vamos acostumbrando más, al igual que los demás personajes, a dejar fluir a Alex.

En medio de aventuras, engaños y traiciones, el libro va reinterpretando varios de los mitos nórdicos más representativos. Las reglas que rodean a la espada y la piedra Skofnung, las barbaries de algunos habitantes de Alfheim, la gran misión de Heimdal en el puente Bifrost, el engaño de la boda, los castigos de Loki y, por supuesto, las tareas imposibles de Thor en el reino de los gigantes. Para una amante de la mitología como yo, el ver estos mitos reinterpretados con tanto experticia y humor en los libros de Rick Riordan siempre es una experiencia fenomenal.

Una de las cosas más interesantes de El Martillo de Thor es que, a pesar de que se me hizo un poco más lento que el anterior, la historia se apoya muchísimo en las experiencias individuales de los personajes, en sus sentimientos y en sus motivaciones. Es por eso mismo por lo que el juego de engaños en esta segunda entrega de Los Dioses de Asgard es mucho mayor. Tenemos más variables y más personajes en juego que pueden engañar a los protagonistas y, por supuesto, los lectores. Llega un punto en el que no sabes si confiar en Alex, por ejemplo, ya que es hija/o de Loki.

Si bien el libro, como decía antes, es un poco lento, todo se compensa con las grandes dosis de humor que Rick Riordan le imprime a todas las situaciones y a sus personajes. Las conversaciones de doble sentido, los chistes deliberadamente malos, las situaciones absurdas y, ¿cómo dejarlos por fuera?, los nombres de los capítulos, hacen de esta aventura algo muchísimo más memorable. Además, ¿podemos hablar de la cabra de Thor encubierta como agente secreto? ¿O del hecho de que Jack, la espada de Magnus, tenga citas con otras armas peligrosas? Ay, tío Rick.

Pero no todo es humor en El Martillo de Thor. De hecho, hay escenas bastante oscuras y retorcidas que, por supuesto, corresponden con lo más retorcido de la mitología nórdica. El pago del wergild, la deuda más difícil de sostener y la cual Hearthstone ha llevado a sus espaldas toda la vida; el dilema que atraviesa Samirah, no sólo por sus creencias, sino porque su vida personal se ve truncada por una boda malintencionada... eso sin mencionar la manipulación a la que la somete Loki, su padre; el mismo castigo de Loki con el veneno goteando en su cabeza y su esposa Sygin, obligada a acompañarlo, sirviéndole y con los brazos destrozados... Todos estos no son más que ejemplos de la oscuridad que atraviesa el libro.

Si volvemos a un tono más alegre, me encanta que Rick Riordan haya sido consciente de que sus libros se enmarcan en un panorama actual y, por lo tanto, la representación e inclusión de todo tipo de personajes era necesaria. Ahora, hablando de Alex, ¿soy la única que notó un je ne sais quoi entre ella/él y Magnus en algunos momentos? No sé, díganme loca, pero estoy absolutamente segura de que algo va a suceder más adelante entre ellos dos.

Ahora, lo que se viene en The Ship of the Dead promete muchísimo, pues el Ragnarok se presenta como algo absolutamente real, Loki tiene más ases bajo su manga y nuestros personajes van a necesitar ayuda de sus conocidos en el Campamento Mestizo para sobrevivir al fin del mundo... o detenerlo.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread: September 2020

Buddy rereading with May and Prag 💕

___

✨Full series review here!

The best way I can describe this series in one sentence is: a more diverse and woke version of Percy Jackson and if that doesn't want to make you read it then I don't know what will.

[AttWaq · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read like 5 chapters and then SHUT IT!!!!!
I am truly honest when I say that I had never left a book in the middle before and this book was....umm how do I put it? Umm ok...boring, the hero dies in the first few chapters, first Rick Riordan's book that is utterly (umm) disappointing yadda yadda yadda.

I was immature and reckless then.
I absolutely loved it. It helped me survive a week of school. xD
The ending was a bummer. I really like Alex Fierro and Jack the Sword.

I absolutely love the sarcasm and humour in the book.

“Etiquette tip: If you're looking for the right time to leave a party, when the host yells, "No one leaves here alive," that's your cue.”

I also like Alex Feirro xD

“Sam’s body language looked pretty stiff. I was too far away to hear, but I imagined her conversation with Alex was something like:
Sam: Awkward.
Alex: Awkward, awkward.
Sam (nodding): Awkward, awkward, awkward.”

Sam and Alex's relationship was... what's the word? Yeah! Awkward!!!

Trouble did seem to chase them wherever they went.

“I'd been chased by Valkyries. I'd been chased by elves with firearms. I'd been chased by dwarves with a tank. Now, lucky me, I got to be chased by giants with giant bowling balls.”

I felt pretty bad for the goats. It was a goat that died in the beginning of the book. Wait! Or was that a sheep. I'm confused. But I liked them too. :D

“We need our goats!” I yelled.
I waded through the crowd until I reached our chariot. I grabbed Otis’s face and pressed my forehead against his.
“Testing,” I whispered. “Is this goat on? Thor, can you hear me?”
“You have beautiful eyes,” Otis told me.”

Thor is such a dumb ass. I can't believe this is the original Thor. This book completely ruined how I looked at Thor... zzzz

Thor announced his well-reasoned conclusion. "We must kill them all !"
Blitz raised his hand. 'Ah, Mr Thor, even if we could get you close enough to Thrym, killing him wouldn't help. He's the only one to who knows exactly where the hammer is.'
'So we torture him for the information and then kill him! Then I will retrieve the hammer myself!"
Alex muttered, 'Nice guys.'
'Sir', Sam said, 'even if Thrym told you exactly where the hammer was, how would you get it back from eight miles under the Earth?'
'I would break through the Earth! With my hammer!'
We waited for Thor's mental gears to run.
'Oh,' said the god. 'I see the problem. Curses!'

'The girl is right', Vidar signed. Time is wasting. “Listen to brave Vidar, girl,” said Thor. “Loki’s capture can wait for another day. Right now we should be celebrating the return of my hammer!” That’s not what I said, Vidar signed.”

Also, I don't really get Randolph.

“THIS IS WHY I HATE FAMILY REUNIONS. You always have to face that one uncle you don’t want to see—you know, the one who pops out of a nutshell and demands a sword.”

This is a great ending and will be a great beginning (for the next book)

Annabeth smiled. “I don’t know the ocean very well, but my boyfriend does. I think it’s time you met Percy.”

[Juliana Zapata · Rating 3 out of 5]

No puedo negar que al igual que los otros libros de Rick, esta historia es entretenida, con personajes geniales y con aventuras maravillosas. Si embargo, sentí este libro muy infantil, creo que son demasiados chistes tontos que le quitan mucha seriedad a la historia.

Durante todo el libro estuve bastante entretenida, pero siempre estuve esperando un plot twist, algo que me sorprendiera, mi momento mas fangirl llegó con las últimas dos paginas, leer ese último capítulo sí llenó mi corazón de emoción

Reseña: https://bastvilard.blogspot.com/2019/...

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Just like the good old days: marching together into the unknown, searching for missing magical weapons and risking painful death. I’d missed my buddies!"

Every time I try to ignore one of Uncle Rick's releases, or act like there are too many of his books for me to possibly still love them, I end up preordering it anyway and binge reading it. At this point I might as well admit I'm hopeless, and will be reading at minimum Magnus Chase and Trials of Apollo to completion.

This was the perfect book to get me out of my reading slump. It was fast paced, hilarious, and honestly, held a lot more maturity than I was expecting. This book handled some topics that most authors won't dare to poke with a stick (religion, gender fluidity, and even mentally abusive parents) well and without pause.

Besides a few more childish jokes, I can tell that Uncle Rick's books are beginning to mature into novels I would consider much more young adult than middle grade. Besides the stunts of the gods, Magnus and co. are definitely much more mature and deeper than past books. (Don't worry; this is by no means a jab at any of his past books.)

Look forward to lots of great pop culture references guys, because as usual, there are lots and I love it. What other author talks about Netflix, Captain America, Star Wars, and Jessica Jones so freely in their novels?

This book is also fantastic for Blitzstone fans, as we get a much deeper look into Hearth's childhood and many awesome bromantic scenes between everyone's favorite elf and dwarf. These two are definitely one of my favorite bromances of all time, and one of, if not my favorite, parts of the book.

Now that I'm itching for The Ship of the Dead, I'll inform you that if you haven't yet, you should pick up this series. It has humor, a man-eating squirrel, diversity, an elf and dwarf who you may or may not ship, and the best promise for the next book ever:

"I think it's time you meet Percy."

Are you excited now?!?!

[Catarina (TravelerBetweenWorlds)]

October 23, 2016 UPDATE
This magnificent book is already out and I haven't had the chance to read it. *sniff* #cryingoutloud

October is getting closer!!! *dancing around*

July 5, 2016 UPDATE
You can find the first chapter here.

April 30, 2016 UPDATE
I'm late, as usual! I just seen the synopsis and sounds amazing...
And the cover.... It's so beautiful!!!


January 12, 2016 UPDATE
The second book from Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard.....

October 4th.... I'm going to die... Why, Why???

Just:

[Bumble Greenbriar · Rating 4 out of 5]

”I couldn’t always fight my friends’ battles. The best I could do was be there to heal their injuries.”

god, this one was so fun! even when they’re running from a horde of giants in bowling shirts, or saving the world by jumping from a plane, the characters are always able to make each other (and me) laugh.

first, the writing. I happen to know that Rick is actually pretty active on Goodreads, so sir, if you’re reading this review, please take it as high praise. the writing style was just like in the first one - simple, well paced and hilarious. the way it was written was just so well done, but there were a few moments where I had to go back through like: “wait- did he- how did I miss this- I need to check again“ because I completely missed a key piece of information. or maybe i just don’t absorb information.

either way, I really enjoyed it and the wit and sarcasm had me absolutely rolling! there’s also some more interesting ideas and plot points that were very well thought out.

next up, the plot. (maybe I should start putting this part first? nah.) magnus is back in valhalla with all his friends, but when a new einherji arrives just as there start to be whispers of something evil going on, people are pointing fingers at every corner and the hotel is rife with distrust. as if that weren’t bad enough, this new person is a child of loki, the god of evil and chaos. (bad chaos.) and to top it all off, the newbie is transgender and genderfluid. lonely and distrusted, the newbie, alex, befriends magnus and sam. but when they are led straight into a trap, magnus and his friends have five days before a wedding that could change everything. because that wedding is arranged by loki, and if they can’t stop him, he’s going to marry samirah off to a giant.

woweeeee!! it was a lot more difficult to follow, but because I read it in 2 sittings my brain kept the information and I could get most of it. this plot was so interesting, but I don’t think it was as good as the first which is why I lowered the rating from 5 stars.

now, let’s discuss the characters. first we have magnus, who’s still as funny and relatable as ever. he’s also totally ok with alex being genderfluid which is too cute and we need more characters who are so casually accepting like that.

ok but like hold up- alex is a total badass (I will be using they/them pronouns to describe them during this part because they haven’t specified their pronouns for this review. why would they lmao they’re fictional) anyway, they became homeless because they had transphobic parents, but died saving someone from the same wolves that killed magnus’ mom. now they’re in valhalla, and wreaking havoc by smashing up their room and punching people. but in person, they’re so smart and sweet. and I ship them with magnus ALL THE WAY.

now let us discuss one of the best characters in this book and one of the most underrated. yes that’s right.
jack, otherwise known as magnus’ sword.
he is so funny! in this book, he’s more interested in dating hot swords than fighting. and he chimes in at the worst possible moments. always the king of tact. hey, you can’t fault him. he’s a sword.

ok that’s enough for today because for whatever reason I have no motivation to write reviews right now. bye!!
—
ahhh this was such a fun read!! RTC