Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard

File:Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Logo.jpg Logo of the series
The Sword of Summer The Hammer of Thor
Author	Rick Riordan
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Fantasy, Young adult, Comedy-drama, Thriller, Norse Mythology
Publisher	Disney Hyperion
Published	2015-present
Media type	Print (hardback and paperback), ebook, audiobook

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is a series of fantasy novels by Rick Riordan. It is based on Norse mythology and is set in the same universe as the Camp Half-Blood chronicles, and The Kane Chronicles series. The first book, The Sword of Summer, was released on October 6, 2015. The second book, The Hammer of Thor, is set to be released on October 4, 2016.

The novels are narrated in first person by Magnus Chase, the main protagonist who is a son of the Vanir god of fertility, Frey. He is also a cousin of Annabeth Chase, a main character of the Camp Half-Blood chronicles, who links the two series together.

Books

The Sword of Summer

The Sword of Summer is the first book in the series, which was released on October 6, 2015. In the US it was published by Disney Hyperion Books, an imprint of Disney Publishing Worldwide.

After the death of his mother two years ago, 16-year-old Magnus Chase is living on the streets of Boston. One day, he is told by his friend, Blitz that two people are searching for him. He discovers that the two people are his uncle and cousin, Frederick and Annabeth Chase, who were sent by his uncle, Randolph, to find him. He breaks into his uncle's house and is caught. His uncle then informs him that he is the son of a Norse god, and that his mother's death was not an accident. He brings Magnus to a bridge, where he is confronted by the fire giant, Surt. Magnus is killed and carried to Hotel Valhalla by his valkyrie, Samirah "Sam" Al Abbas. There, he is informed that his father is the Norse god of fertility, Frey. Unfortunately, after a prophecy that supposedly states that Magnus is unworthy, Sam is removed from the Valkyries because she brought Magnus to the hotel. With his "homeless" friends, the dwarf Blitzen "Blitz", and the deaf elf, Hearthstone "Hearth", Magnus escapes to Midgard and becomes a fugitive of Valhalla. Joined by Sam, the four venture into the Nine Worlds, working to retrieve Sumarbrander, stop Ragnarok, and keep Fenris Wolf imprisoned. After multiple near-death experiences, meeting multiple gods, giants and monsters, and finding a stronger magic rope to re-imprison Fenris, the group manage to delay Ragnarok by stopping Fenris and expelling Surt back to Muspellheim, but at the cost of Gunilla, the Valkyrie captain, and two more Valkyries. Sam is reinstated, now as Odin's personal servant; Blitz opens up a boutique; and Hearth is accepted to Asgard to learn more about the runes. Meanwhile, Randolph is revealed to be secretly in league with Loki.

The Hammer of Thor

The Hammer of Thor is the second book in the series and is scheduled to be released on October 4, 2016.

Characters

Main characters

• Magnus Chase – Magnus Chase is the main protagonist of the series. A 16-year-old Bostonian teenager, Magnus lost his mother to a mysterious wolf attack two years previous and is forced to live in the streets with his fellow homeless friends, Blitz and Hearth. Right when he reaches the age of majority, however, he suddenly reconnects with Randolph(Magnus's Uncle), who informs him about his divine parentage as the son of a Asgardian God, and the fact that he inherits the right to his Father's sword, Sumarbrander. Magnus is then sent to Hotel Valhalla(Paradise for the Heros of the All Father Odin) by Sam after his death at the hands of Surt, but things seem to be unusual since his acceptance as an einherji. He then finds out that his father is Frey, who belongs to the Vanir tribe of Asardian deities. He eventually escapes with Blitz and Hearth and joins back with the expelled Sam to wander the Nine Worlds with the intent of stopping the Fenris Wolf from breaking free of his prison.

Magnus is described as having a parted blond hair that reaches his chin and haunting gray eyes that resemble his cousin's, Annabeth. His usual scrawny look is replaced by a more muscular persona since his death and acceptance to Valhalla. He is quite street smart due to the two years he spent as a homeless man and as a result, is not quick to trust people. Nevertheless, he considers Blitz and Hearth as the only friends he is completely loyal to, and after a while, also begins to ease up and trust Sam.

• Blitzen "Blitz" – Blitzen "Blitz" is a dwarf (technically a black elf) from Nidavellir. He has black hair and skin with a beard that curls up in all directions. He is the son of a Vanir, Freya, making him Magnus' cousin, and a dwarf, Bilì, who was eaten by Fenris Wolf while checking his prison. He is sent alongside Hearth by Mimir to watch and protect Magnus. Though he keeps it up for two years, the task fails when Magnus is killed, but Blitz continues to look for him until they are reunited in Valhalla. As a dwarf, Blitz is sensitive to sunlight and will slowly turn to stone if exposed too much, which is why he always wear a copious article of clothing whenever there is sunlight, except in Vanaheim, whose sunlight is radiated from Freya instead. Instead of a blacksmith, Blitz excels in clothing design, making him a laughing stock among his fellow dwarves, but after he wins a match against Junior, he becomes respected and even opens up a clothing shop. Blitz has a strong relationship with Hearth ever since the former saved the latter's life, and the two are very protective of each other.

• Hearthstone "Hearth" – Hearthstone "Hearth" is a light elf from Alfheim. He is skinny with fair skin and a short spiky white hair, which, when combined with his black leather jacket, jeans and a red scarf, "makes him look like a character from a Japanese anime". Hearth is deaf and can only communicate with ASL (Alf Sign Language), though he is able to read the movement of the lips. Since his home world is always day, he is sensitive to night (an opposite of Blitz). Like Blitz, Hearth makes a deal with Mimir to drink water from the root of Yggdrasil to gain knowledge about runes and in return has to work with him for several years. He becomes a companion and protector of Magnus from then on. Hearth is the first of the elves since a long time to focus on magic from runes, which he has studied extensively, and can cast various runes, though doing each consumes his energy. Hearth has a traumatic past, however, as he is effectively unclaimed by his parents, who shun him for being deaf and not as great as his brother, who died young. His relationship with his friends covers it, though, and he even starts calling Magnus "brother". At the end of the first book, Hearth is freed from servitude and begins learning runes at Asgard.

• Samirah "Sam" Al Abbas – Samirah "Sam" Al Abbas is a valkyrie and a daughter of Loki who decides to choose Magnus as an einherji under Odin's order. She is an Arab American who normally wears her valkyrie armory and a noticeable green hijab, which also functions as a valkyrie camouflage. As a valkyrie, Sam is different from Magnus in that she is still alive and leads a double life as both a valkyrie and a normal high school student. She does not even worship the Norse gods as she already has her own God to believe in, though she still has to occasionally work with them. Her family was from Baghdad, Iraq, and Sam is raised by her grandparents after the death of her mother. Even before Loki got involved, Sam's family already has a long history with the Vikings; Ahmad ibn Fadlan, an envoy of the Abbasid Caliph to the Kievan Rus', is one of Sam's ancestors, and the Varangians had since intermarried with Sam's family. Her parentage is a shame to both sides of her parents; she is shamed in her mother's family as an out-of-wedlock child, while having Loki as a father makes her a suspicious person among the Asgardians. Sam is expelled from Valhalla when her video of Magnus' heroic death is edited by Gunilla, but later joins along with Magnus, Blitz, and Hearth in stopping Fenris Wolf from breaking free, eventually getting another job as Odin's personal servant in the end. Sam has an interest in flying and planes and vows to become a pilot one day, which is why she is very serious about her job as a valkyrie.

As a fighter, Sam excels in axe, a weapon of the valkyries. She also inherits her father's ability to shapeshift into animals such as horsefly and lion (the meaning of her surname, Al Abbas, in Arabic), though it makes her uncomfortable as it causes her mind to become Loki-like.

Einherjar

• Thomas Jefferson Jr. – Thomas Jefferson Jr., T.J. for short, is an einherji from the time of the American Civil War. He is a son of Tyr and a runaway slave. T.J. carries a bayonet as his main weapon. T.J. is the first of Magnus' floormates to befriend him. He is very energetic and likes to capture hills, which was what he originally did as a private of the 54th Massachusetts.

• Mallory Keen – Mallory Keen is an Irish einherji. She is foul-mouthed and quick to criticize someone, though T.J. explains that those are her expressions of affection. She has a love-and-hate relationship with Halfborn Gunderson, criticizing him as a "disgusting Swede" yet is shown in tears when he almost dies at the end of The Sword of Summer; Magnus notes that Mallory does not react violently as she normally does to Halfborn placing his arms around her at the end of the book.

• Halfborn Gunderson – Halfborn Gunderson is an einherji who has lived in Hotel Valhalla since the Age of the Vikings over 1,200 years ago. He died in East Anglia, protecting Ivar the Boneless. He is described as "Robinson Crusoe in steroids". Having lived for a long time, Halfborn is extremely skilled and has learned many languages. He almost dies at the end of The Sword of Summer, but is revived by Magnus' power of healing.

• X – X is a half-troll and one of Sam's more controversial choices. His skin is grey and covered with warts and welts. He is called X as his real name is unpronounceable. He died in Chicago, breaking up a Dog fighting ring. At the end of the book, it is revealed that X is actually Odin in disguise.

• Lars Alhstrom – Lars Alhstrom is an einherji who comes to Hotel Valhalla alongside Magnus. He is a son of Thor.

• Dede – Dede is one of Magnus' fellow new einherjar. She is the daughter of mortal parents, though no one is really skeptical because of it.

Valkyrie

• Gunilla – Gunilla, nicknamed "Gorilla" by Magnus, is a daughter of Thor and the leader of the valkyrie. She is very hateful to Sam as a daughter of Loki and tries to bring her reputation down; she finally manages to do it after she edits the latter's video of Magnus' documentation. This, however, is fueled solely because she once dated a son of Loki who turned out to be a spy of his father. When Magnus escapes Valhalla, Gunilla leads the expedition to capture him, even after he and his friends release her from the giants' imprisonment, but later sacrifices herself to fight Surt while Magnus is rebuilding Fenris Wolf's prison.

• Margaret and Irene – Margaret and Irene are Gunilla's two valkyrie aides. Magnus does not find out their names until they have been killed by the fire giants at the end of the first book.

Gods

Aesir

• Loki – Loki is the god of evil and trickery. He is the adoptive son of Odin and brother of Thor. After tricking Hod to kill Balder, he is chained to a rock with poison dripping to his face. His three children, Fenris Wolf, Jormungand, and Hel, are three of the main players in Ragnarok. Loki appears to Magnus in dreams, wearing a Red Sox shirt, and tries to persuade him from taking the Sumarbrander and instead giving it to his uncle, Randolph. He ultimately fails, fulfilling the first part of the prophecy of the Norns, and at the end of the book is revealed to be working with Randolph.

• Ran – Ran is the goddess of the sea who operates a net that collects anything that falls on the sea, including tools, trash, and souls. She has an apple of Idun, but likes to forget consuming it, which contributes to her elderly appearance. Magnus and Sam manage to convince her to give the apple and Sumarbrander, but she warns that doing so has made her and her Aegir bent on attacking Magnus.

• Thor – Thor is the god of lightning, storms, and strength. He has an unkempt appearance, is lazy, and is also up-to-date with modern media. He tasks Magnus and his friends to retrieve the weapon stolen from him by Geirrod, even though he could easily take it by way of his flying carriage.

• Odin – Odin, the "All-Father", is the king of the Aesir, the god of royalty and magic. He is able to rewrite reality by spelling out runes, which he learned after meditating for nine days at Yggdrasil. In The Sword of Summer, Odin is claimed to have disappeared two years before Magnus' acceptance as an einherji, but he actually disguises himself as X, the son of a troll, and one of Magnus' floormates. At the end of the book, Odin reveals himself and rewards Magnus and his friends for their bravery against Fenris Wolf. He likes to give boring presentations and Hearth even says that it is the reason why he worked for Mimir instead.

Vanir

• Freya – Freya is the goddess of love and warmth and the twin sister of Frey. She is described as very beautiful that Magnus has a hard time focusing on which part of her is the most unmemorable. She presides over Vanaheim, where the other half of worthy souls go after death, and casts warmth that shines over it. Freya is the mother of most dwarves in Nidavellir, including Blitz, which happened because she bartered to (briefly) marry some dwarves in exchange for luxurious items that she lusts after. Freya tasks Blitz to get some earrings by challenging Junior.

• Frey – Frey is the god of fertility, warmth, and healing, the twin brother of Freya, and the father of Magnus. Frey owned a sword, Sumarbrander, which was given to an aide of the fire giants in return for his help to woo a beautiful giantess; as a result, he is unarmed by the time of Ragnarok and will be killed by Surt. Though Magnus never meets his father until the end of the first book, he realizes that all the time his mother took him hitchhiking through the wilderness is a way for them to get closer with Frey's domain: nature.

Other

• Mimir – Mimir is the god of knowledge and wisdom. He was beheaded during the Æsir-Vanir War and only his head remains, now acting as the boss of Blitz and Hearth due to a deal they made so they could drink from his well. The deal is broken off by Odin at the end of first book as their reward for dealing with the Fenris Wolf.

• Jormungand – Jormungand is the serpentine son of Loki. He is a snake who circles over Midgard and even able to grab his tail. He is lured by Magnus and Sam to eat a bait and cause a ruckus in the sea big enough to summon Ran. Even after being lured, Jormungand is still half-sleepy, but Ran warns that waking him up completely would cause Ragnarok, where he is destined to kill Thor.

• Hel – Hel is the daughter of Loki who presides over Helheim, the realm where unworthy people or those who do not die while carrying a weapon go. One half of her is a very beautiful woman, while the other is an aging crone. She tries to persuade Magnus to give up Sumarbrander to Randolph, but he refuses.

• Fenris Wolf – Fenris Wolf is the lupine son of Loki and a full brother of Hel and Jormungand. He was a terror in times past and the gods could only chain him up with the help of the dwarves to stop him; even Tyr had to lose his arm against the wolf, while Blitz's father, Bilì, lost his life while checking his prison in Heather Island. During Ragnarok, Fenris Wolf is destined to kill Odin and eat the sun. He is the focal point of The Sword of Summer, as the goal of Magnus and his friends is to stop Fenris Wolf from breaking free of his prison, which needs to be rebuilt. They manage to imprison him back at the end of the book.

Giants

• Surt – Surt is the king of the fire giants of Muspellheim. He is destined to kill Frey using the Sumarbrander and set the Nine Worlds on fire during Ragnarok. Though he manages to kill Magnus, Surt's nose is cut and does not recover by the time of his second encounter with Magnus, where he is expelled back to Muspellheim.

• Utgard-Loki – Utgard-Loki is a king of Jotunheim. He is sometimes mistaken for the more famous Loki, which he hates. As an eagle, Utgard-Loki forces Magnus to retrieve an apple of Idun for him, which reverts him back to his youthful state.

• Harald – Harald is a frost giant who operates a boat in the port of Boston. He helps Magnus and Sam to set a bait for Jormungand to summon Ran. He is easily swayed by red gold, which can force him to do anything.

• Geirrod – Geirrod is a giant who owns an anti-geometry house in Jotunheim. He keeps a weapon of Thor, which is mistaken by the others for his hammer. He is killed when Magnus and his friends kick the pillars of his house down while he is drunk.
• Gjalp and Greip – Gjalp and Greip are Geirrod's two giantess daughters. They are killed by Jack entering through their noses.

Dwarves

• Nabbi – Nabbi is a bartender of a bar in Nidavellir. He also becomes a jury for Blitz and Junior's smithing game.

• Junior – Junior is a grumpy old dwarf who hates Blitz for shaming his father, who built Fenris Wolf's prison. He challenges him to a smithing game before he gives him Andskoti and a jewelry for Freya, which he fails because of Sam's intervention, but Blitz decides not to execute Junior.

• Fjalar and Galar – Fjalar and Galar are trickster dwarves who operate a boat that leads to the prison of Fenris Wolf. Anyone who barter with them usually end up unlucky and stranded on the island. This is counteracted by Magnus, who refuses their assistance to return back to Midgard.

Other beings

• Saehrimnir – Saehrimnir is a creature whom the Aesir and einherjar kill every night for food only for it to materialize back the next morning. Its flesh's taste depends on what its eater wants it to taste.

• Eikthrymir – Eikthrymir is a stag who constantly pours water that serves as the source of all water on the Nine Worlds. It resides in Hotel Valhalla.

• Heidrun – Heidrun is a goat whose milk is the source of the mead that serves the gods. Like Eikthrymir, Heidrun resides in Hotel Valhalla.

• Norns – The Norns are a trio of female figures who give a particular prophecy to einherjar that would change the world. They give a prophecy to Magnus that kickstarts his journey to stop Fenris Wolf from breaking free.

• Ratatosk – Ratatosk is a gigantic squirrel who runs around Yggdrasil, delivering hateful messages between the eagle at the top and the titanic serpent, Nidhogg, below. It is also tasked to capture intruders who enter and leave Hotel Valhalla without permission. Ratatosk is able to emit sorrowful callings to people, which Magnus describes is much worse than simply being gnawed by it.

• Sumarbrander – Sumarbrander is Frey's weapon, currently wielded by Magnus. Magnus finds out that it is sentient and decides to name it Jack. Magnus can simply let loose of it for it to attack his enemies, but taking it back will tire Magnus as much as the strength required to do it all himself.

• Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr – Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr, also known as Otis and Marvin are two goats who pull Thor's carriage. They are also used as source of food, which they would recover the next morning unless their bones have also been broken. Marvin is the more pessimist and angrier than Otis and likes to criticize him.

• Stanley – Stanley is an eight-legged horse whom Sam speculates is a child of Sleipnir, Odin's stead. He helps Magnus and his friends go through Jotunheim to reach Geirrod's residence.

Other characters

• Annabeth Chase – Annabeth Chase is a cousin of Magnus. She is described as fierce and bold, with gray eyes that match Magnus, and has an interest in architecture. Magnus lost contact with her when he was only 6 years old, but later reunites with her after his mortal death. Magnus decides that she would be the person he entrusts the secrets of the Norse world with. Little does he know that Annabeth has also been in a similar adventure like him.

• Frederick Chase – Frederick Chase is Magnus' uncle and the father of Annabeth, whom he was formerly distant with until they suddenly reconnected several years before. He is contacted by his brother Randolph to search for his nephew.

• Randolph Chase – Randolph Chase is Magnus' oldest uncle and the older brother of Frederick and Natalie. He was a university professor of history before being expelled for theorizing on the location of the first great Norse settlement in North America. He deliberately distanced himself with all of his family when Magnus was 6 years old. Randolph, however, had lost his wife and two daughters for attempting to search the Norse boat. Randolph is secretly in league with Loki, who wants the Sumarbrander.

• Natalie Chase – Natalie Chase is the younger sister of Randolph and Frederick and the mother of Magnus. She distanced herself from her brothers and lived with Magnus as a single mother until her death at the hands of the wolves of Fenris Wolf when Magnus was 14 years old. She liked to walk with Magnus through sunlit parks, which Magnus realizes much later is a way for them to get close with his father, Frey.

• Hunding – Hunding is a hotel boy of Hotel Valhalla and is Helgi's servant. Hunding has been at the hotel for thousands of years and longs for his family.

• Helgi – Helgi is the receptionist of Hotel Valhalla. He bounds Hunding as a servant.

• Gómez – Gómez is a Bostonian police officer. Magnus, Blitz and Hearth have to be careful not to get captured by Gomez.

• Amir – Amir is Sam's fiance. Their betrothal is by arrangement, though Sam says that she fell in love with him when she was young. Like Sam, Amir is an Arab American descendant of Ahmad ibn Fadlan and thus is related to her. He is the son of Abdel, the owner of a falafel shop that Magnus frequents.

External links

• Magnus Chase series at The Worlds of Rick Riordan (Disney: readriordan.com)
• Magnus Chase at Rick Riordan Myth Master (Penguin: rickriordan.co.uk)
• Magnus Chase at RickRiordan.com
• Rick Riordan at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database