“Lesson learned: If you take a Valkyrie out for coffee, you’ll get stuck with the check and a dead body.”

From Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor.

In a short time, Magnus Chase has gone from being a homeless orphan to a sorta-dead warrior in training for the gods of Norse mythology.  He has discovered that his cousin (Annabeth) has a similar secret and his homeless best friends are actually an elf (Hearth) and a dwarf (Blitz) that were protecting him long before he knew the truth about his family history.  As a carryover from his first adventure as a norse warrior of Odin, Magnus has been tasked with finding and retrieving Thor’s hammer in order to help fight off the end of the world that is quickly approaching.  When Magnus learns of a plan that Loki has for Magnus’ human guardian (Valkyrie) Samirah, he is left with no other choice but to set off in search of the hammer with the help of Blitz and Hearth to stop Loki’s plan and save Sam.  So while they originally expected to find Thor’s hammer, the group instead find a dangerously powerful sword that, unless they can find a way to outsmart him, will give Loki a strong advantage in the coming war.

The second book in the series again features Riordan’s classic humor and sarcastic wit, while also presenting an action-filled lesson of Norse mythology.  While the original characters are present in this next book, there are also a few new characters introduced that will have an important role in the series as a whole; the biggest addition is the gender-fluid character Alex who seems to act only as device to help allow a pre-planned storyline and push an agenda.  Overall, The Hammer of Thor is a fun, thrilling adventure that sheds light on a more accurate retelling of Norse mythology.