Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard - Book 3 The Ship of the Dead

Summary:
So Loki’s on the loose and hooked up  with the crew of the Ship of the Dead to start Ragnarok.  Now, Magnus and every other demi god knows this is coming…. eventually.  But not yet- there’s stuff to do.  Percy and Magnus’ cousin Annabeth have to be allowed to go to college, Sam has to be allowed to marry her true love, Alex…. has to be allowed to be Alex.  To hold off Rangarok and gain a (hopefully long) reprieve, Magnus must cross an ocean, and defeat and imprison Loki- in less than two weeks.  On his side we have:
a fasting Valkyrie
a love-sick sword
Four friends from Valhalla two of which are on the off part of their on/off relationship and one who is Loki’s child.
A magical boat that is lovingly referred to as the “Big Banana”
our elf and dwarf friends
a drink of God Spit
a nut
Piece of cake right?
My thoughts:
I love this series!  It’s just so outlandish and fun, weaving Norse mythology and adventure.  As with all of Riordan’s series ( look here for a full list).  I like that the series tie together, though that does mean that you might miss little things if you haven’t read the others.  The characters are fantastic and the plot sprints along at break-neck speed.  This is a quick, very fun read.  Magnus’ series may actually be my favorite to date and it was a fierce competition.  Five stars!!!  
On the adult content… well there’s obviously violence but this was written for very young teens in mind.  I don’t think there’s anything that would be too questionable.  

Loved this series. This and Percy Jackson's series (PJ&tO 5 books) are Rick's best. The humor, the personal relationships are well-developed and unforgettable. I enjoyed the Apollo books 1 & 2 as well, but the third isn't due until May 2018, I think.

Couldn't stop reading. I am enjoying the turn of Alex and Magnus's relationship, he needs someone to keep him on his toes. Rick Riordan never disappoints. I've already started re-reading the first book to tide me over until the next book comes out.

This book went above and beyond what I expected from Riordan, and I have grown to expect a lot. Smoothly transitioning from the ridiculous Magnus we have come to love, to new developments of character, and hints of romance; this story is one for the books.

I liked that rick went all out. He heldheld back nothing and I admire him. I dont think the age limit is off. Most 1star ratings are from the idoits who can't except change. Wonderful book. I loved switching mythology from Greek and roman to Norse and egipthion. PS if you keep your kids from reading this because of the religion and gay belifs, then you are keeping them from the real world. Not every is regular with a perfect marage, perfect religion and perfect experience, you can try to prevent it, but can ultimately never stop it. Real life baby

Rick Riordan is a God among humans. A great finale to the tale of Magnus Chase. I can't believe it will only be a trilogy, definitely caught a hint of continuation. Maybe he will continue on as a joint series like Heroes of Olympus was for Percy?

Especially the climax with the insult contest is great. Expando-ducks are great. Good read. Lots of perseverance and good Norse myth stuff. Excellent characters. Rick Riordan dove deeper into the character of all his characters.

Wonderful book series. If you like Percy Jackson, this is a great way to continue the stories. The world Rick Riordan is creating with all of his stories is fantastic and in-depth. And mythology liker will love these books.

I love all the Rick Riordan mythology series (minus Kane Chronicles, which I felt were a bit lesser). It's always fun to see his take on the various gods, and his characters are always super fun, Magnus Chase being no exception. Every time I finish one, I begin the impatient wait for the next installment.

I truly enjoyed the Magnus Chase Series. It was a very delightful read. Now I believe a book is as good as it Climax and Ending and to end the series as it did. In such a fast and..... uh. The Ending lacked elegance.

It is one of the best books I read, although not as good as the previous ones but still recomended
it is very interesting al characters have different personalities and plot is very fun and dramatic

Rick Riordan has yet not to satisfy me. I am always impressed with his stories, but one character always stands out to me: Magnus Chase. He is relatable, funny, and I can't help but like him. Same with Percy, Sadie, Leo, Annabeth, Alex, Carter, Jason, all of them!
Now lets get to the point. Those of you who even read this review probably want to know what others think and/or if the book is any good. Believe me when I say I haven't read a book this good in a long while, and I thank Rick Riordan for keeping me company all those nights I could never sleep.
Hoping for more fashionable dwarves, selfie sticks, green hair diets, falafel-loving giants disguised as birds, blood-thirsty gods, betrothed teenagers, and fart-elves very soon!

The character of Magnus Chase is amazing. The Ship of the Dead brings all the einherjar from floor 19 neighborhood to stop Ragnarok. Great book, following the challenges that Magnus ans company have to face. A nice and funny read that kept me laughing. I hope for at least two more Magnus Chase books in the future!

I truly enjoyed the Magnus Chase Series. It was a very delightful read. Now I believe a book is as good as it Climax and Ending and to end the series as it did. In such a fast and..... uh. The Ending lacked elegance.

It is one of the best books I read, although not as good as the previous ones but still recomended
it is very interesting al characters have different personalities and plot is very fun and dramatic

Rick Riordan has yet not to satisfy me. I am always impressed with his stories, but one character always stands out to me: Magnus Chase. He is relatable, funny, and I can't help but like him. Same with Percy, Sadie, Leo, Annabeth, Alex, Carter, Jason, all of them!
Now lets get to the point. Those of you who even read this review probably want to know what others think and/or if the book is any good. Believe me when I say I haven't read a book this good in a long while, and I thank Rick Riordan for keeping me company all those nights I could never sleep.
Hoping for more fashionable dwarves, selfie sticks, green hair diets, falafel-loving giants disguised as birds, blood-thirsty gods, betrothed teenagers, and fart-elves very soon!

The character of Magnus Chase is amazing. The Ship of the Dead brings all the einherjar from floor 19 neighborhood to stop Ragnarok. Great book, following the challenges that Magnus ans company have to face. A nice and funny read that kept me laughing. I hope for at least two more Magnus Chase books in the future!

It’s a decent book with a good plot line, but there is something about these characters that is just off. Everything is too easy for them and they’re simps about hardship. Nothing compared to Percy Jackson.

This is my opinion but it fell short of the build-up of the previous two books. Was it bad? not really. Was it good? again not really. I kept waiting for an epic twist for the flyting but its just magnus tellibg loki he is alone. That is it, no real twist or subterfuge or anything more then just the power of friendship. Which would not be bad if the story was bot about doing things differently. It felt hollow and lacking with no real sence that the story had reached the end riordan wanted. I dont know if its because i am subconsciously comparing it to percy jackson or the kanes stories but i personally was left dissapointed.

This novel pushes a progressive liberal agenda, of transgenderism, "diversity" homosexuality, and seeks to normalize Islam. The fantasy world setting had no need of these insertions for it to be a decent escapist read. As is it deserves only 2 stars, the author should keep his agendas out of his novels.

Alex Fierro Stan
Product Review
the store
February 1st 2018

Rejection

     Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard is, in my opinion, a literary masterpiece. The way the plot escalates is absolutely marvelous, so intense yet comical that even I, an experienced reader, could not keep up with the depth of this timeless work of art. Stumbling upon words that flawlessly convey the full emotion that boils within me as I read these books was an odyssey, to say the least, yet the store censors me. This, dear reader, is not the first review I passionately wrote for this book, no, the first one was reckless yet full of raw emotion. I can never express myself in such a way ever again and I am deeply disappointed that the heartless the store employees would stop me from expressing my truest feelings. I will not be silenced. Fight the system.

I love reading books by Rick Riordan everyone is enjoyable and I wish they would never end. I hope that he will write a series that will include all of his heroes from all four series into multiple books. Maybe someday

Have read all the series released from this author. This one started strong but book three ruined it.
The third book was filled with obvious political hot topics to emphasis the authors beliefs. Which ultimately added nothing to the story and were so forced that the story suffered.

Please make another book. I am a huge fan of your books and I love all of the series that you have written. These books are awesome and even my principal and teachers recommend it. I do not want the series to end.

Flat characters. Less than compelling plot. Slightly depressing read. Like the normally good author made a checklist of what to include to win all the "bonus points" and made the book only about checking off those golden boxes. I do not particularly mind bonus points, but I bought this book to looking for a good fantasy read from a typically excellent author, not middle school required reading material. I expected more skillful writing.

We are big Riordan fans here at this house but we’re super disappointed with the latest book the Magnis Chase series. Just an overall weird tone to this book that gets in the way of the story over and over.

So it was a sort of nah book. I loved Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus but Kane Chronicles not so much. The first 2 books in this series were ok, but this one doesn't have much story. It literally is characters going to Loki, obstacle comes, some main character dies and they move on. Oh and Rick Riordan somehow figured out how to fit every single controversial topic of 2016-2017 into a fictional Norse mythology book.

Throughout the story, one has to think that the author has some political agenda, or at least views transcribed. That being said, if you can put your own personal biases or favors away you can appreciate the idea of what the author is trying to get to. However the book was enjoyable.

The story was ok, but it became about propaganda and relative truth- pushing support for the lgbt community rather than friendship and teamwork. Kind of disappointing that instead of continuing the great story, it became muddled with the authors social viewpoints.

So disappointed. Love Riordan's books, but I feel he really missed the mark with this series. I love Viking lore as well. This series should have been my favorite, but it is the least exciting and detailed of all his storylines. I am hoping the next one improves vastly or I will stop following this series.

Sad to say I think I'm done with Rick Riordan. I feel like he's pushing this politically correct thing too hard and doing it just to press a viewpoint on his readers or feels like he needs to overdo it for whatever reason.

Don't get me wrong, I love how Samirah is so dedicated to her religion in a world that should be forcing her to rethink everything. And Alex may be my favorite character. But it all just seems forced and that throws me out of a book faster than anything. Very disappointed

Sad to say goodbye to this trilogy which surprisingly grew on me through the two years I've been reading it. I hope we get to see more Magnus Chase in the future as there was definitely room for more adventures. This was definitely my favorite of the trilogy. We got to find out the backstories of Halfborn, Mallory, and TJ, and they really grew on me since I was neutral on them before. TJ is especially awesome. I also liked finding out more about Alex and her past and more on her personality besides the fact she is genderfluid. Alex continues to be my favorite character and her and Magnus were really stinking cute. #fierrochase IS CANON! Also it was nice to see her and Sam bonding as siblings. Speaking of Sam, I loved how Riordan portrayed her faith in this book. Like Magnus, I am an athiest but I was inspired by her devotion to Allah and I like how she found her own way of avoiding Loki's control by fasting through Ramadan and finding faith in something bigger than herself, the gods, and the Nine Worlds. She was definitely a positive Muslim representative and I'm glad young Muslim readers (and people who have bad views of them) will get to read about her. I also loved how Magnus dealt with Loki. It was very true to his character and the fact he is a healer, not a fighter. The ending was really nice and wrapped things up well. Overall, I loved this trilogy to death and I will miss Magnus and his friends.

By way of introduction, I have Norse ancestry on my father's side, back through father's fathers until somewhere I was Dansk, or Swensk, or maybe with the people they called Rus. So, I'm a sucker for Norse Mythology. (That makes sense, right?) Second, I thoroughly enjoyed the first installment of the Magnus Chase series. I was, you see, primed to enjoy this book, and I was not disappointed. Riordan manages to write with the voice of a sixteen-year-old boy, which is quite an impressive achievement in itself. When the story that the boy narrates is as good as this one, we are deep into bonus territory. The references to the Norse pantheon, and their deeds, personalities, and achievements, are all, so far as I can tell, accurate. Except that, of course, the whole Asgard crowd has modernized, using technology available today, all the while staving off Ragnarok using clever, teenaged-boy-approved ploys and devices. (In book one we learn that Thor gets several hundred HD channels on his hammer.) The action is immediate, the characters interact, grow, squirm, touch, and duck just the way you'd expect people of their age to do. The book is also big on inclusion, tolerance, and growth. Good stuff!

Third in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard mythic fantasy series for middle-grade readers and revolving around a young man who died a hero…and “lives on” to save the world.

My Take
It’s all about friendship and loyalty. Depending on those around you to work together as a team, for even as Riordan uses first-person protagonist point-of-view from Magnus’ perspective, Riordan still gives voice to the team. Who are, ahem, quite self-deprecating…and snarky. Lordy, I do enjoy that snark. Reminds me of home, lol.

Everybody’s a character, especially Jack! And, oh boy, do we ever learn a lot. About how T.J., Mallory, and Halfborn met their dooms, what led up to them. About Alex’s past. About the qualities each brings to floor nineteen.

Other minor conflicts include Magnus with his own issues in believing in himself, a break-up within the team, Sam’s and Alex’s parental issues, Sam’s adherence to her faith, lovelorn gods, and those who want love in return.

”The whole point of saying [God is greater] is to remind yourself that God is greater than whatever you are facing — your fears, your problems, your thirst, your hunger, your anger.”

All in all, it’s great fun as Magnus and company must collect plot coupons and undergo a wide variety of adventures from Alex and Magnus’ meet-up at his uncle’s house, unfolding the Big Banana, the sea god’s daughters’ unlooked-for enthusiasm, and the essentials for the quest to be successful.

The flyting was different. No exactly how I would have expected a contest of insults to go, but it’s definitely a good example for the kids.

It’s a good ending, especially with Magnus’ decision with Annabeth as to what to do with Uncle Randolph’s mansion.

The Story
Loki is awaiting his chance to set sail, and Magnus and his team must find him. For if Loki succeeds, Ragnörak will begin…our world — all Nine Worlds — will end.

It all depends on Magnus in the end. Will Kvasir’s Mead lend Magnus’ tongue wings or will the world go down in flames?

The Characters
Magnus Chase is now an einherji with healing powers (that carry an unwelcome side effect) and lives at the Hotel Valhalla in Boston, in between saving the world. Jack, Sumarbrander (a.k.a., the Sword of Summer), is his enchanted sword. Natalie Chase was Magnus’ mother. Uncle Randolph Chase was the betrayer, desperate to reunite with his deceased wife, Caroline, and his children, Emma and Aubrey. Frederick Chase is another of the siblings and is Annabeth’s father.

The friends who set out on the Big Banana with Magnus include:
…Alex Fierro, a gender-fluid person with more snark than most schools; s/he has Loki for a mother. Her father inherited Fierro Ceramics, a company started by her grandfather. Samirah “Sam” al-Abbas is a Muslim Valkyrie who can fly and command horses with Loki as her father; she’s engaged to Amir Fadlan. Thomas “T.J.” Jefferson, Jr., a Black, fought in the Civil War on the Union side. Mallory “Mack” Keen is scary good with a knife. Halfborn Gunderson is a berserker who carries Battle-Ax and had served with Ivar the Boneless.

Hearthstone is a mute elf who practices magic, and Blitzen is his good dwarf friend with an eye for fashion. Both became friendly with Magnus when he was homeless. Mimir is part of the interdimensional mafia.

The Hotel Valhalla is…
…set in Boston where the einherjar battle to the death over everything. Every day. The hotel manager is Helgi; Hunding is his long-suffering assistant; and, Erik the Green is from floor 135.

Percy Jackson, a demigod son of Poseidon, and Annabeth Chase, Magnus’ cousin and a daughter of Athena from Percy Jackson & the Olympians, appear; they’re living in New York. Riptide is Percy’s sword/pen. Percy’s mom just had a baby girl, Estelle, with her new husband, Paul Blofis. Frank, a shape-shifter friend, and Jason are mentioned.

The Nine Worlds are…
…the different planes for the elves, dwarves, giants, etc. Odin is the leader of the Norse gods with Munin and Hunin perched on his shoulders. He’s also known as Bolverk. Vili and Ve are Odin’s brothers. Sif is a goddess. Kvasir was a living peace treaty whose blood made a most excellent mead, Kvasir’s Mead. Drinking this mead will help you find your inner poet, so the words come trippingly off your tongue. He was slaughtered by two dwarves: Fjalar and Gjalar. Frey is the god of summer. Njord, the positive sea god, has the beautiful feet. Tyr is a god of war.

Aegir is the god of the sea, a jotun married to Ran, a Norse sea goddess obsessed with her nets and junk. Their daughters include the Nine Giantesses of the Waves: Himminglaeva, Hefring, Hrönn, Unn, Bylgya, Kolga, and Blodughadda. Eldir is the only cook now that Finnafeng is gone.

Kymopoleia is a storm goddess. Heimdall is the guardian of the Bifrost Bridge, a.k.a., Rainbow Bridge, who carries Ghallar, the Horn of Doomsday — and loves taking selfies.

Alfheim is…
…the home of the elves. Inge was a hulder, and Mr. Alderman’s house servant. Alderman was Hearthstone’s horribly, horribly, horrible father, who gets what’s coming to him. Nisser are brownies (smell like ‘em too), hobs, di sma. Andiron is the older brother who drowned.

Thunder Home, a.k.a., Thrymheimr, is…
…the fortress where Thjassi’s ice giantess daughter, Skadi, lives. She was Njord’s prize.

The Ship of Nails is…
…also known as Naglfar , and is made of toenails and fingernails of the dishonored dead, a ship of death. Hyrm is the captain of the ship. Surt is a fire giant and owns the Ship of Nails. Loki is a trickster god who can be male or female. Sigyn is his long-suffering wife.

Hrungir is a giant in Jorvik who knows where to find the mead. “Pottery Barn” is the ceramic partner Alex creates while Mokkerkalfe is Hrungir’s partner. Baugi and Suttung are brothers and more giants. Gunlond is Suttung’s angry daughter whose son is Bragi, the god of poetry. Red, Tattoo, and seven other giants are their thralls. Godfrey and Bill are two of the four erudite crows.

Lieutenant Jeffrey Toussaint fought on the side of the Confederacy. Joey Kelso had been in Magnus’ eighth grade biology class. Theodore is a goat, and not one of Thor’s. Adrian was a friend of Alex’s who committed suicide. Stanley is an eight-legged horse.

An einherji is a warrior of Odin; only those who die a hero’s death may apply. Being an einherji means EVERYthing is fought to the death. Cooking, shuffleboard, painting… Ragnörak is the inevitable battle looming at the end of the world. The Norse glamour is known as the Mist in the Greek pantheon. A flyting is a contest of insults. Vatnavaettir are water horses. Jorvik is York, England. Wyrd is fate. Chase Space is a residence for homeless youth. Blitzen’s Best is a fashion shop.

The Cover and Title
The cover is a storm at sea…at night under a tiny full moon on the left against a backdrop of deep blue and green skies, lightning forks, and a gigantic head of Loki, which looms above a shield-lined Viking ship crashing through the waves while Magnus, in an orange T, a dark suit jacket, and torn jeans, stands ready, Jack in hand, braced on a pile of rocks. The author’s name is at the very top in a yellow orange with the series name ABSOLUTELY HUGE in an embossed silver immediately beneath. You can almost find the tiny title, also in embossed silver, at the very bottom. I do hate how Riordan has the series information so big, as I’m always thinking it’s the title.

The title is terrifying, for it is The Ship of the Dead which Magnus and friends must find and defeat.

I recently reviewed books one and two in Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series (see review of book one, September 21, 2017, and review of book two, October 30, 2017). Although I enjoyed both books, The Ship of the Dead, the third and final book in the Magnus Chase trilogy, is, in my opinion, the best of the three.

Can Magnus and his friends stop Loki from launching the ship of the dead and starting Ragnarok? It is a daunting challenge for anyone, but especially for a dead teenage hero from Valhalla. At the beginning of The Ship of the Dead, Magnus meets his cousin Annabeth’s boyfriend, Percy Jackson, one who understands all about daunting challenges. Percy helps Magnus prepare for the challenges to come.

The Ship of the Dead does not disappoint, as it is filled with adventure, suspense, mythology, and Riordan’s trademark clever writing. For example, while in the elevator at Valhalla, “sing[ing] along with Frank Sinatra in Norwegian”, Magnus was glad he lived on the nineteenth floor: “if I lived somewhere up in the hundreds, I would have gone…well, berserk.” (p. 43). Riordan’s rich imagination is evident in The Ship of the Dead as well; for example, we learn that ravens deliver messages by barf-mail (p. 39) and that there is an on-site IKEA at Valhalla (p. 42).

Riordan has successfully wrapped up yet another series. The Ship of the Dead is an absolute delight.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Book III The Ship of the Dead may be a mouthful of a title, but moves quickly and compels readers to finish the book promptly to the conclusion. Riordan once again tells an epic tale riddled in mythology, but with a modern twist that creates a compelling story of truly fascinating characters.

This book begins nicely linking Magnus to the parent Percy Jackson series with Percy himself making an appearance. Annabeth has been a minor supporting character in the first two books, but with the addition of Percy, Riordan bridges the gap completely much like his link between the Kane Chronicles and the Percy Jackson series in his shorts.

The one big difference in this series, which plays right into the finale, is Magnus’s need for his companions. They lift him up and he’s constantly thinking of them throughout. Percy, in his original series, took center stage on most occasions and then even when his friends helped him, he still rose up to the spotlight. Magnus is not the same character. He has the same type of insecurities, but he leans heavily on his friends, which is a dynamic change from the loner kid we saw at the beginning of the story.

Riordan also takes on some fairly large issues with having a non-binary character like Alex. He also plays it very well in terms of it not being an issue for any of the characters. Magnus makes note that sometimes Alex uses ‘he’ and sometimes Alex uses ‘she’. It feels like the only reasons Riordan notes it is so the reader can follow the pronoun shift. The only characters who make any note of it are when they first come into contact with it, then it’s waved off. This is the world the LGBTQ community want to live in. It shouldn’t matter. It should be accepted. Riordan makes this point very well.

The inclusion of Samirah as a Muslim also plays well into each book of the trilogy. But here it becomes incredibly prevalent because of it taking place during Ramadan. He showcases the different religion by it being something that Magnus thinks about constantly. Samirah fasts throughout the novel, and Riordan puts the full weight of the sacred days for the readers to experience next to the character. He sheds a much needed light into a religion that really needs a positive spotlight.

Finally in terms of minority representation, the character of Hearthstone shows an elf with the inability to hear. Like Samirah and Alex, all the characters merely accept this and many of them know Americans Sign Language to be able to speak to Hearth. Moreso than even the LGBT and Muslim communities, people with disabilities need their heroes who succeed and can outmatch even the heroes in certain abilities.

The story itself moves on much like the other books in the series. The heroes have one adventure after the other. They must get a whetstone. Then they must get the mead. Finally, they make their way to the final battle and win. And they do.

Riordan has a wonderful way of tying it all together and creating characters that grow throughout his series. By the end, we’ve followed them not only on a heroic journey, but also a journey of person growth that we all hope to accomplish in our own experiences. We get to watch these characters become better people.

The Ship of the Dead was a terrific read, and towards the end, it creates an excitement for the next Trials of the Apollo series even though it only indirectly references potential events. I was happy with the closure of these characters, and I hope to see them again running through the realms again soon and maybe fighting beside the other characters from the Kane Chronicles or the Percy Jackson series.

I've been reading the Rick Riordan books with my son since he was a preteen. He's 16 now and we still read the books. It gives us a common topic of conversation (often difficult at this age) and we both love the books.

The mythology in the book is solid, I loved learning the back stories and motivation of some the secondary characters. Riordan's characters are one his his strong points. The only issues I hard were the jokes were a bit flat, the epic ending just kind of fizzled, but mostly the audio book narrator was annoying. Now about the identity politics.....

Many kids are Muslim, atheist, minorities, and gender fluid. It's very easy for straight white Christian kids to find characters to relate too. When authors write about Christian white kids, no one talks about identity politics. My dad recently came out my family as gender fluid, my dad is 83. Dad had no one to relate to growing up, no one to identify with. So when my son said, "Oh, Grandpa, you're gender fluid, I read about that," my dad found acceptance and understanding from a teenage. Something Dad didn't receive from many adults in his/her life. What some people call identity politics, are the lives of other people. I love that Rick Riordan gives kids someone they relate too.

Magnus Chase: Ship of the Dead starts off with Percy Jackson giving Magnus advice to help his seamanship. Percy Jackson is a great way to start off this book and I just wish he had stuck around for the rest of the book. Once again, Magnus is his usual floundering self that is only kept in check by Alex who is her cool usual self that knows how to help Magnus. I really loved to see the relationship between Magnus and Alex develop. Alex had a lot of really great character development and I loved getting to go on that journey with him. The more and more I read, especially with Magnus's great descriptions and over exaggeration, I realized that the insider of my head and my thoughts closely mirror Magnus' with his stream of consciousness nonsense narration and overexaggerating with strange puns, metaphors and similes. This was my favorite book out of the trilogy so far, and I am only saying trilogy because there has been three. I am a firm believer that this is no the last time we will see Magnus Chase as I can't be left without more…. Well I don't want to spoil it, so I will just leave it at that. In this book, Magnus and his friends are more of a unit and even more impressively Sam completes all of this while fasting for Ramadan, I learned a lot of Islam through this book and I thought it had a really thoughtful dialogue about religion and faith. This book does a great job of showing what it means to be inclusive in ones beliefs. This is something that is really needed in our current discussions as everyone becomes more and more polarized. Hearth and Blitz are my favorite and I love the way that everyone uses ALS and it is just natural for everyone to be able to sign and for the world to be accessible for Hearth. This is how it is supposed to be! I love that Rick Riordan is creating a model for all of us. Through this book, he is creating great characters and stories and vibrant, funny worlds but he is also showing us how to be the best we can be through his characters. Also, DUCKS, never trust a duck.

This book got so meta for me at two separate points - it mentioned Godzilla while I was watching Godzilla and then mentioned the fourth of July while I was reading it on the 4th of July - so all the bonus points for that.

This wasn't quite the ending I was looking for with this series. Usually Riordan excels at an amazing finale, but for me, this wasn't quite stellar. It just felt boring?

I think the biggest issue for me was that there didn't seem to be an urgency to the whole Ship of the Dead needed to be stopped. I felt like we were being sent on quests and trying to find magical items like any ole Riordan journey; however, I didn't quite understand WHY we needed these things, how they related, and why we weren't rushing more to do other things...like stopping Loki??? Usually, I'm pretty good at understanding the stakes, but I didn't quite feel the anticipation and pressure of the whole world ending. Instead, I just felt bored and wanted the book to hurry up.

That was really my only gripe with the book, and the rest of it I quite enjoyed. One of the main things that I really enjoyed was the fleshing out of characters. Riordan is a master of creating a solid and entertaining quest crew, and I had always felt like Magnus had a few choice players but not really the crew that Riordan excelled at. This book really shown a spotlight on some of the other key characters that I had wanted to know more. TJ was amazing and I just love him so much; Mallory was complex, complicated, and so so so strong; and Gunderson had some depth and heart underneath all that muscle. We even dived in deeper with our lovely main characters - Magnus, Alex, Sam, Hearth, and Blitzen - even more which was amazing.

I enjoyed the mythology aspects as usual. I thought Riordan picked up some interesting ones for this particular book. There were definitely some interesting ones - and I especially enjoyed Riordan's time down in the ocean with a hipster god.

The ship was adorable as well - well, not sure about the Big Banana - but the one between Alex and Magnus. It came so organically, and I enjoyed how it wasn't the main focus but just a cherry on top of a fantastic sundae. They are so adorable together, and the mutual respect for each other is everything. I liked how Riordan gave some hints of it, and it was great to see it coming through.

Overall, this wasn't the best finale that I've seen from Riordan or the one I was hoping for, but it was still a pretty good ending to a series I had a rocky beginning with it. I am fully invested in this crew now, and I so hope Magnus + Co. will be popping up again. The mythology aspects were great as always, but the pacing was just a bit off for this finale. 3 crowns and a Belle rating!

Magnus Chase and gang must retrieve a whetstone to go get some special mead to face down Loki in a flyting and somehow stop Ragnarok. Just another typical week in the life of an einherji.

I think there's a mathematically provable ratio of amount of fresh humor and plot twists and how close you are to the beginning of a new Riordan series. He starts off fresh and loaded with good stuff, and then it drops at a steady rate as you get to the end. To me, this one felt like it was just following the typical pattern. Occassionaly Riordan threw in a good pun or snarky remark, but overall it felt like he was just going through the motions to get this one done. I totally knew from the start how everything would turn out. I knew that each impossible task would get done in an unusual way, but that it'd get done. And I never felt there was any real danger of Loki pulling off Ragnarok. Also, Magnus Chase's "friends" need some counseling on friendship. Sure, they'll be there to lop off the head of whatever's trying to eat you when the danger is imminent, but actually say something nice to you or encourage you? Don't count on it. Alex is the worst of these and we're supposed to believe that Alex is Magnus' best friend?! Kids, if someone is treating you like Alex that's called being manipulative, not being a friend. Sheesh. If you constantly downplay someone's actions, tell them they are just mediocre and treat them like they are just soso, they will eventually start to believe that they are really just soso. This is why sarcasm needs to be balanced with honest statements. You need to use words and actions BOTH in a solid friendship. I know they are supposed to be these tough Viking warriors, but even tough guys and gals need to hear the truth of their value from their friends' lips. So I was disappointed in that aspect as well as the predictability of the plot. I'd rather go re-read the original Percy Jackson books.

Notes on content: Swearing is all done in Old Norse, so it probably won't offend anyone. No sexual content beyond two kisses. Lots of violence complete with gallons of blood, beheadings, hacking out hearts, etc. Granted, most will regenerate quickly but still lots of violence.

Magnus Chase: Ship of the Dead is the final book in the series that blends Norse mythology with the modern world. Rick Riordan writes in his typical humourous fashion and makes learning fun (even if it’s not always entirely accurate.) As this is the third and final book in the series, there isn’t too much to say that wouldn’t spoil the first two books if you have not read them so I would recommend doing so before reading this review. You can also read my review of the first book as it is spoiler-free.

Our heroes continue their journey to postpone Ragnarok and defeat Loki. Magnus is joined by Samirah the Valkyrie, Hearthstone the Elf, Blitzen the Dwarf and his fellow Einherjar Alex, Mallory, TJ and Halfborn. They must battle giants, outwit guardians, and save the world from utter destruction. Just your average Tuesday.

I really enjoyed how diversity was represented in this series as we have main characters with different sexualities or orientations, religions, ethnicities, and disabilities. Since I am not most of the ones that were represented in the book, I can't speak to how accurate the portrayal was but I am glad that they were included. As a casual reader, the representation felt informative and not condescending or demeaning.

Rick continues his world building by sending our heroes off on adventures in the nine realms while simultaneously teaching us a bit about Norse mythology. His books are a very approachable way to tackle the topic and perhaps foster a sense of curiosity that will lead readers to want to discover more. There isn't much else to say without spoilers, so I would recommend this series to middle grade, young adult or teen readers who enjoy fantasy. It is a fun, easy read that I hope you won't regret picking up.

Great book! Riordan does it again! I have nothing negative to say about this book/series. In fact, it may now be my favorite Riordan series - and that’s high praise because I LOVE the Percy Jackson books.

There’s just something about Magnus that I adore. He’s not a fighter - at least, not in the conventional sense. And that doesn’t end up hindering his character or quests. He finds other ways to be strong and win battles. And he’s adorable and sassy and...well, what more could you ask for?

The quests were entertaining, and the plot moved at a good pace. Great plot + fantastic writing + amazing characters = all my love for this series.

As always, the supporting characters were delightful. I want to know more about Blitz and Hearth - I feel like they could have a series all their own. And of course, I loved Alex. She can be pretty cantankerous at times, and send extremely mixed signals, but boy do I love her! I was happy with how things ended for her and Magnus.

I guess if I had one complaint it would be that I would have loved more than 3 books for this series. I am desperately hoping that Magnus and gang get (at least!) another trilogy.

ALL the stars for this series!

I have loved every single one of Rick Riordan's books to date. I'm about halfway through this book, but I have to say that Rick Riordan is getting more and more politically correct as time goes on. It feels like the books are being diluted just to throw everything in. Even the concept of "manspreading" is brought up in this book. Personally, I hope that Rick Riordan goes back to his old writing style.

This felt very much like a Percy Jackson book with Norse mythology instead of Greek. It seemed as though every time the characters turned around there was another giant to fight. This level of action appeals to kids and will make this popular with readers who enjoy adventure stories and books with a fast pace. For those looking for diversity, within the main group of characters there is a gender fluid character and a Muslim character observing Ramadan. These aspects of their characters are fully integrated into the story; they are not token mentions to check a box that there is diversity in the book. Fans of the previous books will enjoy the continuation of this series.

Huge fan of his books but greatly disappointed in this series as a whole. I appreciate that he has shifted all of these myths into what I hope to be a great finale but sadly will not be letting my daughter read them due to the interjection of an ideology I'm opposed to. Great writing but sad none-the-less.

Garbage! I Our entire family have truly loved the 1st three series (Greek, Egyptian, and Greek and Roman, in that order) of this author! Why did he feel the homosexual, bisexual, and gender-fluid agenda needed to be pushed in a kid's series?!?

My husband bought me this book for Christmas - so even though it doesn't show verified purchase, it really did come from here.

I'm sorry, it's just so hard to get through this book. After reading the first one (excellent) and then the second one (mediocre) I should have stopped and stuck with the Apollo series.

Look, I try to be as open minded and accepting as the next person. But I don't seek out a book on the Norse Gods to read about Islam. Plain and simple. And it's not enough that Riordan is trying to teach tolerance (which is wonderful) but he puts down the Norse Gods to build up Allah. That's not OK. If he wants to do a series on Allah, then he should do one. But don't take away from one belief system to replace it with one that is truly intolerant of women, gays and many other things. Even the most peaceful aspects of Islam are very suffocating to human freedom.

Every. Single. Line in this book is sarcastic, snarky and filled with attitude. Do you parents want your kids to talk like this? Because they will - they think it's cool when they read these books. It's as though Riordan has lost the ability to write with meaning and instead has resorted to attitude...a bad one.

Lastly, Riordan obviously hates the Norse gods. He makes them smelly, shallow, mean and useless. Why write about something if you hate it? It defies logic. Let someone else do it for pete's sake. If Riordan is going to go down all the different Pagan religions and pick them apart so hatefully, I can assure you my family won't be reading them any longer. There are other authors out there who write on the same subjects.

I liked this book well enough, however it doesn't quite meet the expectations I had for it. Having been a fan of Rick Riordan since before he finished the Percy Jackson series, I had a lot of high expectations. I love the representation Mr. Riordan has in his books especially this series, so that was a definite plus.
Up until this book I would have given the series a 5 star review. The problem is that this feels like there should have been another book. I kept wondering how they were going to wrap everything up by the end, but I ended up being disappointed. There was this grand adventure all of these characters went on with the fate of the world at stake and it seemed to be leading up to something great... but then very suddenly it was over. A little too suddenly, I was left wondering "Is that it?". Apparently, that WAS it. I love Mr. Riordan's works and this series but honestly the ending felt absurdly rushed and anticlimactic.
That being said, this is still a very good book and I don't regret buying it. It is, perhaps, just not quite as good as his other works. And in my opinion it could have benefited by being the penultimate book.

I began counting the number of laugh aloud moments of Rick Riordan's unique explanations of human nature and mythology. This is the best book to date. Only when I reread an earlier book I am certain to recant why another earlier book is the best. Mr. Roberts, Bill Shakespeare are priceless treasures correlated in Book III of this Apollo treasure. Today as I read I envision Professor Riordan sharing this adventure in his classroom for the world as only he can make education entertaining.
The Burning Maze is excellent.
Grace Johnston
age 74

Like all the books in this series, I really liked this. I think the best part of the series are the characters. I loved how his friends from the 19th floor had a bigger role in this book and had more character development. All of his friends are just so precious. I love them and want to protect each and every one of them.

Overall, this was a fantastic installment in the Magnus Chase series.

P.S. Alex is still my fav <3

The book Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer is written by Rick Riordan. This book is a part of a series called Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. It is adventurous, funny, and action packed. Some parts are fighting scenes with bits of jokes and some are serious. Every chapter is exciting and makes the story even better. This book has a variety of events that take place in this book.
The main events this book is about is, Loki is trying to break free from his chains. These chains were created by the other gods to keep Loki from hurting other innocent people. Magnus and other main characters have to got to Loki to try to keep him from getting freed. If Loki is freed it could be the start of Ragnarok. Ragnarok is the day when all the nine worlds will perish. Magnus and a few other characters must work together with some help from a few gods to find a way to find Loki.
Rick Riordan is an amazing author. I have read three other series of his and they were absolutely stunning. I can be doing something (beside reading) and I will still feel as if I am in the book. I sometimes forget I am still in the real world. I never want to have to put the book down. Rick Riordan has a great writing tone and I love the way it is written. His books are never too easy to understand or too hard to understand. This makes these books great for anyone from third or fourth grade and older. I would highly recommend reading this series.

I love the Rick Riordan books, and my son and I read them together. However, I feel like the gender fluidity issue is a bit much for my 10 year old. I felt like the issue was forced on us throughout the book. I especially was disappointed with two male characters kissing. Yes, for adults this is not a big issue, but these books are geared towards children. I'm not encouraging my son to finish this one.

My only problem with the book was that of all the things that could have been in it was that there was one curse word I can't recall seeing one in any of his other books in any of the series of his that I have read. I have been delighted to read his previous works because there is no profanity and at most some innuendos. So I was disappointed to see such a word appear in a place where it did not need to be used and surely could have been replaced. Other than that the series is quite intriguing and it is entertaining as always. Mr. Riordan is quite an author and I have enjoyed reading all but one of his series which I am looking into starting. I hope that this does not continue to appear in his writings because I would regretfully have to quit reading these lovely books of his. It would please me greatly to see him continue to be one of the great authors to write beautiful worlds into existence without the use of profanity of any sort.

Really good. Blew my mind. I also like that Rick Riordan included transgender people, atheism, and Muslims. I respect him much more for that move. There were some things that blew my mind too. And I have just one question: What happened to Hearthstone's staff from the end of the Sword of Summer?

With Riordan's usual humor and all the heroism of Percy Jackson, the reader takes an exciting journey with the Vikings. Magnus and his friends occasionally need help, but they mostly rely on their own wits and loyalty to each other. Highly recommended to Riordan fans.

I love thiks book as well as the series. Not only this series but all of Uncle Rick's books. He is an amazing author and has an unbelievable mind to come up with such great ideas that sometimes I think he acually witnessed these stories.

I love all of Rick Riordan's, and this one was no exception. A few details I didn't enjoy was the fact (spoiler alert) Alex and Magnus become an item even though I was hoping for Sam. The rest however was wonderful and hilarious. I hope that there a still more novels in this series or that the characters will appear in more.

I did enjoy the writing and the story Riordan weaved; however, some of the content is definitely not suitable for "young readers". My daughter will not be permitted to read this until she is in high school. Furthermore, I did not appreciate the constant push of his agenda. There is a deaf elf, a metrosexual dwarf, a character who is gender fluid, a Muslim valkyrie, and ends with a homosexual relationship between two of the main characters. I understand he is trying to promote inclusiveness, but it feels like it's being shoved down the reader's throat and is very distracting from the story. Overall, I did enjoy the books, but I don't appreciate the fact that Riordan is targeting young readers and pushing his views on the young and impressionable. Stick with story-writing, and I'll parent my children and promote the morals pertinent to my household.

Riordan never disappoints. He always comes up with new adventures for the demigod to partake in. With all the task the demigod had to accomplish, Magnus' feelings for Alex caught me guard. Can't wait until the next book!!

great book bought the book when it came out I read it and read it again kne of my friends asked me to lend it to him we both enjoyed the book we started reading the books whenever they came out but we are both sad that this is the last book but it didn't disappoint.

Amazing kapow kaboom 10\10 five stars A+ one hundred percent first place Shazam slam dunk gooooaaal touchdown hole in one, all the things. Read this book unless you are closed minded and \ or conservative or have terrible taste in books and like an empty life \ childhood. Good day.

Magnus Chase and the Ship of the Dead was beautiful. It was a wild ride from beginning to end, especially amongst the characters. Mr. Riordan continues to inspire with his forward-thinking, expansive characters who represent so many wonderful aspects of humanity. My only regret is that it is a three part series rather than five. I need more. Please?

Why can't he keep his political agenda out of it? Gender fluid? Admiring Muslim faith? It is a book for teenagers, good grief. Percy Jackson started out interesting, but he has gone down hill sticking in all of his politically correct ideas!

All of the books are connected somehow, so it is like one big series! Percy Jackson is the son of a greek god, Magnus Chase is the son of a Norse god, and et cetera. Annabeth Chase appears in all the series, it is the main link between all the books from Rick Riordan.

Beware that this series promotes gender fluidity and gay relationships. I had assumed since Percy Jackson was a safe read for my children that this would be as well, imagine our surprise when one day out children start telling us about gender fluid characters and then arguing with us that it’s not a big deal.

This series has seriously made me want to book a Fjord cruise and see all the sites famous for their Norse Mythology. Bad.

Magnus is such a great main character and I cannot get over how good Riordan's books are to inform young people about the different minorities and cultures and differences on such a relatable inoffensive level. In every single one of his series so far (aimed at middle-school kids).

Magnus and his friends are a great example of how they move with the time they're written in, Sam's character is so awesome and ... I just can't get over how great they all are. This is what young people, and parents even, need to be reading at the moment.

At this point, I preorder anything Riordan publishes without a second thought because I know it's going to be good, can't wait for the rest of Trials of Apollo.

Havent started this book yet but so far I love the different feel from these books compared to his other works in the Greek/Roman world and the Egyptian world. just I love how different he writes his books and the Magnus series is another great one.

I'm an avid reader of Rick Riordan's works on mythology in the modern world. This was no exception. This third installment of Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard continues to bring the world of Norse Mythology to life, in ways that are surprising.

In this novel, we see the return of familiar characters from the Percy Jackson Series, the tell tale sass and unique personalities of the characters that Rick brings to life, and a surprising hint at romance! I for one fine Magnus to be a far more relatable character than Percy Jackson or Carter and Sadie Kane (Though Lester in Trials of Apollo is giving Magnus a run for his money). This book was enjoyable, and gave me a much needed respite from what has been a semester of grueling university work. I highly recommend the book.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Book III The Ship of the Dead may be a mouthful of a title, but moves quickly and compels readers to finish the book promptly to the conclusion. Riordan once again tells an epic tale riddled in mythology, but with a modern twist that creates a compelling story of truly fascinating characters.

This book begins nicely linking Magnus to the parent Percy Jackson series with Percy himself making an appearance. Annabeth has been a minor supporting character in the first two books, but with the addition of Percy, Riordan bridges the gap completely much like his link between the Kane Chronicles and the Percy Jackson series in his shorts.

The one big difference in this series, which plays right into the finale, is Magnus’s need for his companions. They lift him up and he’s constantly thinking of them throughout. Percy, in his original series, took center stage on most occasions and then even when his friends helped him, he still rose up to the spotlight. Magnus is not the same character. He has the same type of insecurities, but he leans heavily on his friends, which is a dynamic change from the loner kid we saw at the beginning of the story.

Riordan also takes on some fairly large issues with having a non-binary character like Alex. He also plays it very well in terms of it not being an issue for any of the characters. Magnus makes note that sometimes Alex uses ‘he’ and sometimes Alex uses ‘she’. It feels like the only reasons Riordan notes it is so the reader can follow the pronoun shift. The only characters who make any note of it are when they first come into contact with it, then it’s waved off. This is the world the LGBTQ community want to live in. It shouldn’t matter. It should be accepted. Riordan makes this point very well.

The inclusion of Samirah as a Muslim also plays well into each book of the trilogy. But here it becomes incredibly prevalent because of it taking place during Ramadan. He showcases the different religion by it being something that Magnus thinks about constantly. Samirah fasts throughout the novel, and Riordan puts the full weight of the sacred days for the readers to experience next to the character. He sheds a much needed light into a religion that really needs a positive spotlight.

Finally in terms of minority representation, the character of Hearthstone shows an elf with the inability to hear. Like Samirah and Alex, all the characters merely accept this and many of them know Americans Sign Language to be able to speak to Hearth. Moreso than even the LGBT and Muslim communities, people with disabilities need their heroes who succeed and can outmatch even the heroes in certain abilities.

The story itself moves on much like the other books in the series. The heroes have one adventure after the other. They must get a whetstone. Then they must get the mead. Finally, they make their way to the final battle and win. And they do.

Riordan has a wonderful way of tying it all together and creating characters that grow throughout his series. By the end, we’ve followed them not only on a heroic journey, but also a journey of person growth that we all hope to accomplish in our own experiences. We get to watch these characters become better people.

The Ship of the Dead was a terrific read, and towards the end, it creates an excitement for the next Trials of the Apollo series even though it only indirectly references potential events. I was happy with the closure of these characters, and I hope to see them again running through the realms again soon and maybe fighting beside the other characters from the Kane Chronicles or the Percy Jackson series.

All of the books are connected somehow, so it is like one big series! Percy Jackson is the son of a greek god, Magnus Chase is the son of a Norse god, and et cetera. Annabeth Chase appears in all the series, it is the main link between all the books from Rick Riordan.