The final book in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard trilogy by Rick Riordan was just released at the beginning of October. Sometimes it’s nice to start a series when you know the final book has already been published, so you don’t have to wait so long in between installments. But this is another one of Riordan’s series that I love so much and am recommending to you if you like action, mythology, humor, and adventure.
The first book, The Sword of Summer, begins with Magnus’s death on his sixteenth birthday. Strange events have always happened in Magnus’s life and were magnified two years ago, when strange wolves attacked his apartment, killing his mother. Magnus has been living on the streets of Boston ever since, when his estranged Uncle Randolph finds him and reveals that his father is actually a Norse god. Now Magnus must claim his birthright, a fabled sword that belonged to his father. After Magnus’s death, a whole world is unlocked to him and now he must figure out how to save it from Ragnarok.
The premise of Riordan’s series for younger people are all very much the same, and yet the adventures and characters are all diverse and distinct. They each stand out to me that makes me want to keep going back to these books to read more. Also, the cross-references to Riordan’s other works is always awesome to see; in this series, you’ll get a lot of references to the Greek gods because Magnus is first cousins with Annabeth Chase, from the Percy Jackson universe.
You can find physical copies of this series on the shelves throughout the Aurora Public Library District, or you can check them out digitally from the Indiana Digital Download Center.
Happy Reading!
Deep in the stacks of Oxford’s Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery, so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks, but her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries–and she’s the only creature who can break its spell. ~ Goodreads.com
Deborah Harkness, magical history scholar and professor, invites us into a world where vampires, witches, and daemons have coexisted with humans without raising the suspicions of humans, but only because of the covenant. The covenant is an ancient pact between vampires, witches, and daemons to never interfere in human religion or politics, as well as, never allowing the species to intermix. When Diana Bishop comes in contact with the manuscript, Ashmole 782, the entire community of creatures take notice. Most significantly Matthew Clairmont, geneticist scholar, professor, and antiquated vampire, is determined to discover the secrets Ashmole 782 has been hiding. His determination is diverted by his surprising curiosity and attraction to Diana. When Diana is then threatened by another witch over the whereabouts of Ashmole 782, Matthew’s protective instincts are activated and the epic saga of Matthew and Diana’s alliance begins.
