 First edition | |
| Author | Rick Riordan |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | John Rocco |
| Language | English |
| Series | Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard(book 1) |
| Genre | Fantasy,Norse mythology,young-adult |
| Publisher | Disney Hyperion |
Publication date | October 6, 2015 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover andpaperback),audiobook,e-book |
| Pages | 513 |
| ISBN | 978-1-4231-6091-5 |
| OCLC | 994762497 |
| LC Class | PZ7.R4829 Sw 2015 |
| Followed by | The Hammer of Thor |
The Sword of Summer is ayoung-adultfantasynovel based onNorse mythology written by American authorRick Riordan. It was published on October 6, 2015, byDisney Hyperion, and is the first novel in theMagnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series.
The novel is narrated in thefirst-person view byMagnus Chase, 16-year-olddemigod andhomelessorphan and after his death he arrives in a Norse afterlife as anEinherji, Magnus discovers that he is the son of the Norse deity,Frey, and must stopFenris Wolf from leaving hisprison andending the world.
The Sword of Summer received positive reviews from critics, who praised its plot, humor, the inclusion of diverse characters, and mature themes, but also noted its failure to rise above the author's previous work. The book has appeared on The New York Times children's Best Seller list and theAmazon best-seller list. It won the 2015Goodreads Choice Award for Middle Grade and Children's Fiction. A sequel,The Hammer of Thor, was released on October 4, 2016. Since its release, the novel has been translated into 9 languages.
The novel opens on the sixteenth birthday ofprotagonist Magnus Chase, who has been living on the streets ofBoston since his mother died.
Magnus Chase's uncle, Frederick, and cousin, Annabeth, have unexpectedly come to search for him. In the meantime, Magnus breaks into his uncle Randolph's house to look for answers. Catching Magnus in the act, Randolph drives him to Longfellow Bridge, revealing that Magnus is the son of a Norse god. This makes him the target of an unnamed magical enemy.
Randolph explains that Magnus must magically retrieve an ancient sword known as Sumarbrander (or the "Sword of Summer"), which is hidden in Boston Harbor, to protect himself. Suddenly, a fire giant named Surt appears and starts destroying the bridge. In an attempt to save the other pedestrians, Magnus confronts Surt with the sword. As he realizes he might die, he manages to wound the giant and hurls him off the bridge. Unfortunately, Magnus dies upon striking the water.
Magnus awakens in a place called HotelValhalla as aneinherjar, where he is told he will spend eternity training forRagnarök. He is introduced to theValkyrie who brought him to Valhalla,Sam, and to his new einherjar hallmates. During Magnus' welcome feast, thethree Norns pronounce Magnus a son ofFrey and deliver aconfusing prophecy. The hotel's ruling council banishes Sam the Valkyrie for apparently "wrongly choosing" Magnus. That night, Magnus's friendsHearth andBlitz arrive and reveal they are anelf anddwarf, respectively. They convince him to leave the hotel. InMidgard, the trio joins up with Sam. The group meets with the godMimir, who tasks them with finding the Sword before Surt and bringing it to the island ofFenris Wolf. They retrieve the sword from the sea goddessRan and journey toNidavellir to secure a newbinding for the Wolf. During the quest, Magnus experiences dream-visions ofLoki, and once even of the goddessHel offering to reunite him with his late mother—a proposal he struggles to refuse.
After a detour toJotunheim, where they help the godThor and Magnus discovers new magical powers, they finally arrive at Fenris's island. Despite being attacked by a group of Valkyries, some of Magnus' hallmates, and Surt, they successfully rebind the Wolf. Magnus has a brief vision of his father Frey before returning to Hotel Valhalla to stand trial for his disobedience. Before he can be punished, however, Magnus's hallmateX stands and reveals himself to be the godOdin, in disguise. Odin rewards each of the heroes, finally offering Magnus a chance to return to life or choose adifferent afterlife. Magnus declines but returns to Boston to speak with his cousin Annabeth. The two hold a funeral for Natalie Chase and exchange stories of each other's lives as demigods. Meanwhile, in theepilogue, Loki punishes Randolph for being unable to stop Magnus from rebinding Fenris. Loki implies that Randolph's family will be in danger if the man does not cooperate.[1]
The prophecy that was given to Magnus by the Norns reads:
Wrongly chosen, wrongly slain,
A hero Valhalla cannot contain.
Nine days hence the sun must go east,
Ere Sword of Summer unbinds the beast.[1]
The first line of the prophecy was initially taken as confirmation that Magnus was unfit for duty as an einherjar; later, Odin interprets it to mean that Loki chose the wrong hero to manipulate. The second line refers to how Magnus manages to leave Valhalla despite claims that the hotel is impossible to escape. The final two lines describe howSumarbrander was fated to free Fenris (as it did before rebinding him), and how the one day of the year when Fenris' island can be reached by a mortal was exactly nine days from the date the prophecy was given.[1]
During Riordan's book tour forThe House of Hades, he announced that he was writing a Norse mythology series that would take place inBoston. He also stated that his plans for the setting were unrelated to his recent move to the city, although living in Boston made researching for the series less difficult.[2] On September 23, 2014, Riordan broadcast awebcast from theEmpire State Building and announced the name of the series:Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard.[3]
The title of the first book,The Sword of Summer, was revealed in the final page ofThe Blood of Olympus. On June 18, 2015, the cover and the second chapter were released onUSA Today.[4] The first five chapters were revealed on September 28, 2015.[5] To prepare readers for the new book, Riordan posted images of Norse vocabulary words on hisTwitter account starting August 28, 2015, along with thehashtag #norsecrashcourse. Words such asValhalla,Ragnarok, andYggdrasil were all included and defined.[6]
In the months precedingThe Sword of Summer's publication,Disney-Hyperion and Rick Riordan advertised even more heavily for the new book. Riordan embarked on a tour across the U.S., speaking to hundreds of fans on each stop of his tour.[7][8][9][10] An online myth-writing competition was sponsored byScholastic just before the novel's publication, with the grand prize of a "virtual visit" from Rick Riordan.[11] Finally, Riordan signed 10,000 copies ofThe Sword of Summer, to be distributed onBlack Friday atBarnes & Noble stores nationwide, as yet another massive advertising campaign.[12]
The Sword of Summer was first published as a hardcover in the United States on October 6, 2015, with cover illustration byJohn Rocco and interior rune illustrations by Michelle Gengaro-Kokmen.[13]It had a first printing of 2.5 millionhardcover copies in the United States.[14]Ebook editions were published worldwide on the same date, available through the print edition publishers or ebook distributors such asKindle.[15] Anaudiobook was released October 6 byListening Library in the U.S.[15]
The Sword of Summer debuted asNo. 1 on theNew York Times Children's Middle-Grade Hardcover Best Sellers list and has remained there for 36 weeks as of June 30, 2016.[16][17] It was also #3 onAmazon's best-selling Children's Books list for 2015.[18]
Many publishers in other countries - includingPuffin Books in theUK - released hardcover editions on October 6, or shortly thereafter.[15] An audiobook edition was released byPenguin Random House Audio in the UK.[15] An audiobook inGerman was released in 2016.[15] To date, editions have been published inEnglish,Spanish,Italian,Portuguese,French,Polish,Turkish,Dutch,Bulgarian, andFinnish. The majority of foreign-language editions have been published with the same U.S.cover art, but a few boast unique illustrations not done by illustratorJohn Rocco.[15]
The book received aLexile score of 630L, making it age- and difficulty-appropriate for the average 9-13-year-old.[19] OnScholastic, the book is recommended to teachers as appropriate material for grades 6-8 and 9–12.[20]
The Sword of Summer has been very well received since its publication. Maggie Reagan ofBooklist warned readers and booksellers to "buy extra copies, and prepare for the siege. ...Riordan has the magic touch..."[21]School Library Journal explained the book's success with its comment: "With an epic plot, engaging (and diverse) characters, and tons of wise-cracking humor, Riordan’s latest is a page-turner. ...fans of his previous works will [also] be happy to see clever nods and references to the other in-universe books."[22] While reviewer Jody Mitori said Riordan's pop culture "references may date the book in years to come", she went on to assert that "for now, they make the trek entertaining".[23] Among overall children's book sales in 2015,The Sword of Summer did very well, but was not a "big front-runner" among other bestselling books.[24]
The Sword of Summer has been praised especially as an excellent example of aRiordan novel.Kirkus Reviews, for example, wrote, "First there were the Greek gods, then the Egyptian gods, then the Roman gods—now Riordan takes on the Norse gods. ...A fast-paced, eventful, and largely successful pivot."[25] More specific aspects of the novel have also been noted by critics. AuthorCassandra Clare's review, praised "Riordan's effervescent world-building", in addition to the novel's humour and breakneck plot.[1] AuthorMichael Grant lauded the novel as "a propulsive, kinetic, witty rebooting of Norse mythology with all the charm of the Percy Jackson novels."[1]KidsReads's review praised the characters and their development, saying "Magnus Chase feels fresh and exciting" even with its oft-used mythological themes.[26] Reviewers such asPublishers Weekly have praised the book, saying, "Riordan plays much of the material for laughs...and brings the Norse gods into the 21st century... The sensibility is right in line with the Percy Jackson novels, and the audience will be just as large."[27]
A few reviews—most notably Adam Gopnik's inThe New York Times—have expressed disappointment at the novel's failure to rise above Riordan's previous work, however.[23][28][29] Gopnik's review acknowledged the difficulties modern-myth authors like Riordan face in writing for a young audience; such as the "required" action scenes, fantastic powers, and drama; but went on to question Riordan's inadequate portrayal of "the special quiddity that separates Norse mythology from other kinds...its fatalism". A similar review from theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch asserted that "at nearly 500 pages,Sword of Summer is too long" and loses some of its charms from the overuse of "quests-within-a-quest".[23] While Gopnik and others acceptThe Sword of Summer as of passable quality and certain to appeal to many readers, Gopnik summarizes their views in his review's concluding lines: "The marvels of myth Riordan recreates here as before; the mystery of myth remains unactualized in his work or, sadder and more likely, unasked for by his time."[29]
On a more positive note, some critics appreciated Riordan's new turn towards multiculturalism.[30][31][32] Other reviewers have shown interest in Riordan's choice to kill his main character and other signs of his newest story being more mature than the famousPercy Jackson & the Olympians.[31][32] Kirkus praised Riordan's interesting choice to make the main female protagonist, Samirah al-Abbas, happily betrothed—and thus "blessedly free of romantic tension" with Magnus.[25]The Sword of Summer won theGoodreads Choice Award for the Middle Grade and Children's Fiction of 2015.[33]
A sequel,The Hammer of Thor was released on October 4, 2016.[34]
