Book Review: “Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Ship of the Dead” by Rick Riordan

I’m conflicted about what rating to give this book. On one hand, it was the usual Riordan fantastic-ness- funny, entertaining, exhilarating, and surprisingly educational- but there was one big negative element that cannot be ignored. More on that later.

Synopsis: Magnus Chase, a once-homeless teen, is a resident of the Hotel Valhalla and one of Odin’s chosen warriors. As the son of Frey, the god of summer, fertility, and health, Magnus isn’t naturally inclined to fighting. But he has strong and steadfast friends, including Hearthstone the elf, Blitzen the dwarf, and Samirah the Valkyrie, and together they have achieved brave deeds, such as defeating Fenris Wolf and battling giants for Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir. Now Magnus and his crew must sail to the farthest borders of Jotunheim and Niflheim in pursuit of Asgard’s greatest threat. Will they succeed in their perilous journey, or is Ragnarok lurking on the horizon?

So, like I said, this was a fantastic book. The story was gripping and kept me on the edge of my seat. I adore the characters, especially Magnus Chase, obviously.

And the cameo appearance by Percy and Annabeth (and also Riptide), was spotless. The plot was powerful, and I could feel the desperateness of the crew of the Big Banana as they rushed to postpone the end of the world. It was so real, and although there are amusing elements around every corner (talking swords, neon yellow ships, ships made of toenails, and epic smackdown battles), there is nothing funny about the gravity of the impending doom that is Ragnarok. And Uncle Rick does a fantastic job of accurately communicating the beliefs of my ancestors (Scandinavian) with a modern but not entirely disrespectful element.

That being said, as much as I love Alex, I can’t ignore the negative element he brings to the book. Alex is a son of Loki. Loki is the god of deception and trickery, and one of his things is that he changes gender.

Not the “I am male but I identify as female” nonsense of today; he actually physically changes gender. And Alex inherited this trait from his mother (Loki). Now, that’s weird, but I can see how it is valid because that was taken from the ancient myths of the Vikings.

However, that doesn’t mean you have to read about it. That is a decision you will have to make for yourself. But keep in mind that Alex is turned into a love interest of Magnus’, and they do kiss once while Alex is male.

Norse mythology is messed up.

Other negative elements include the drinking of mead, an old Norse alcoholic beverage. A couple members of the crew of the Big Banana are underage, but those that are are immortal or not human, so their age is no longer valid, really. There is also violence and death.

One of the crew, Samirah al-Abbas, is Muslim, and she offers a unique insight into the life of an ordinary teenage Muslim girl. Well, as ordinary as you can get when you’re a daughter of Loki who spends her days at school, tutoring, and spending time with (but not touching) her fiance and the odd part of the day retrieving the souls of brave warriors and bringing them to Valhalla. So maybe not so normal. XD

Overall, I have to give The Ship of the Dead three out of five stars for violence, gore, and the whole Alex Fierro deal.

“I figured something out. You can’t hold onto hate forever. It won’t do a thing to the person you hate, but it’ll poison you, sure enough.”
― Rick Riordan, The Ship of the Dead

“You’re a strange person.”

“I prefer the term fabulously weird.”
― Rick Riordan, The Ship of the Dead

“Sometimes you lie to deceive people. Sometimes you lie because you need the lie to become the truth.”
― Rick Riordan, The Ship of the Dead