“My einherjar have a saying: Some days you are the ax, some days you are the decapitated head.”

From Rick Riordan’s Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: 9 from the Nine Worlds.

After putting a stop to a Valkyrie food fight at Hotel Valhalla, Odin realizes that he must pick a new captain for the Valkyries to help keep them in line… while the oblivious Thor prepares to jog through the nine realms.  Meanwhile in Midgard, Amir is out shopping for a new suit to please the fashion requirement of his Valkyrie fiancé, Samirah, when he quickly finds himself trapped in a deadly pair of pants.  At the same time in Nidavellir, Blitzen the dwarf finds himself secretly tasked by his former employer, Mimir to save the jogging Thor from an ambush.  When Hearthstone the elf learns that Inge is in trouble in Alfheim, he rushes to her aid and instantly finds himself facing off against a terrible troll.  Meanwhile, Odin sends Samirah to Jotunheim to find out if a dangerous, prophetic rooster has hatched under the control of the wicked giants.  Einherji T.J. has been summoned to the world of Helheim to find the deadly pet hellhound of the evil Hel, who has threatened to destroy T.J.’s mother if he doesn’t comply.  Meanwhile T.J.’s fellow einherji, Mallory, storms through a door at Hotel Valhalla and finds herself transported to the ice realm of Niflheim, where she has to give the world’s greatest insult to a dragon if she wants to escape.  As a centuries-old warrior Mallory’s boyfriend, Halfborn, is accustomed to the horror of battle, but what he finds on his quest in Vanaheim is far worse than anything he’s ever experienced.  Finally, when the shapeshifting einherji Alex learns of a dangerous plot by Surt, he heads off to the realm of Muspellheim to stop a meeting of deities by any means necessary.

Definitely written for fans of the Magnus Chase series, this book offers a fun, albeit very short, return to the stories.  Riordan has no trouble creating nine action-packed stories in such a short book.  9 from the Nine Worlds is the perfect quick fix for fantasy and adventure.