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

I seem to have the same overall opinion of any Riordan book: I really strongly care about like five characters, but not much about the plot. All three books in this trilogy were a solid 4-star read for me. I'm still not that as interested in Norse mythology as Greek mythology, but Magnus and his friends are all amazing and I love them. Especially Alex.

This book also had a wonderful, slow-burn queer romance. I loved the little hints to Magnus totally having a crush, even though he was oblivious.

I can't speak for the accuracy of the Muslim rep, but it was awesome to see a Muslim character being observant and respected, and seeing how her fate works together with her quest and her job.

I also really, really loved Magnus's decision in the show more end, and that Alex was there with him to carry it out. show less

This is a terrific conclusion to the Magnus Chase and the Guards of Asgard trilogy. Magnus Chase and his allies must stop Loki from bringing about Ragnarok. To accomplish this, they sail on a banana-colored ship to various locales including the court of the ocean god Aegir, York, England, the frozen lands of Norway, and the palace of the winter goddess Skadi.

Magnus is once again joined by the Islamic Valkyrie Samirah (who is fasting for Ramadan), the elf Hearthstone, the dwarf Blitz, and the genderfluid child of Loki, Alex Fiero. In fact, Magnus takes a romantic interest in Alex which I think is wonderful for the children reading this, both children learning about their own gender expression as well as cisgender children who get to see show more a positive representation of a transgender character in a book. Three more characters who had smaller roles in previous books join the team and play a bigger part in the finale: Thomas Jefferson Jr., a young Black soldier who died fighting in the American Civil War, Mallory Keen, who died attempting to defuse a bomb in Belfast during The Troubles, and a Norse mercenary berserker Halfborn Gunderson. Each member of the team ends up having a task that leads them to their final confrontation with Loki. And Magnus draws upon their teamwork in his battle of words, or flyting, with Loki that serves as the novel's terrific climax.

I highly recommend all three of these books to readers of any age. show less

I laughed, I cried, I almost threw my book against the wall. So, just another Rick Riordan book, to be honest. This was a pretty okay ending. I'm okay with this only being a trilogy instead of quintet. I'm going to miss the whole crew of these stories, but I have a feeling they'll show up in other books that are written in the future. I loved learning about all the Norse Mythology and the pronunciation guide at the end was a god send. If you haven't read this trilogy yet, you should. It's very, very worth it. 5 out 5 stars. I'd give it more if I could.

Recensione sul blog: http://thereadingpal.blogspot.it/2018/01/recensione-157-la-nave-degli-scomparsi....

"Non puoi nasconderti da te stesso, Loki" dissi. "Qualunque
form tu assuma, sarai sempre tu... asolo, disprezzato,
astioso, infedele. I tuoi insulti sono falsi e disperati.
Non hai possibilità contro di noi, perché tu non hai
un 'noi'. Tu sei Loki, sei sempre solo!"


Magnus e i suoi amici devono salpare verso Niflheim, per raggiungere Naglfar, la Nave dei Morti, ed impedire che Loki attui il suoi piano e dia inizio al Ragnarok.
I libri di Riordan sono ottimi per staccare un po' la spina e farsi due risate, come che mi serviva. Anche neimomenti un pochino più tragici, Riordan trova il modo per farci ridere o comunque strapparci un show more sorriso. E dire che questo libro dovrebbe essere il più "serio" dei tre, perché il Ragnarok è imminente e fino alla fine non siamo sicuri se Magnus riuscirà o meno ad impedirlo.
Il mio ragazzuolo Percy ha fatto una capatina, come già sapevamo dall'inizio, e devo dire che mi manca. Le mie avventure sono cominciate con lui, e Percy ha un posticino speciale nel mio cuore. Ma Magnus non è da meno, assolutamente. In questi tre libri l'ho visto evolversi, accettare la sua natura di guerriero vichingo e trovare una famiglia tra gli atri membre die Valhalla. È una gran differenza rispetto al primo libro, dove era un senzatetto solo e poco affettivo. Ho desiderato tanto che si mettesse con Alex, e in questo libro la loro relazione avanza di parecchio, anche se non tanto quanto vorrei.
Alex è un personaggio complesso ed è un* dei miei preferiti in assoluto! Anche con una famiglia così disastrata, riesce a farsi una vita propria e ad essere se stess*. In questo terzo volume il suo background viene esplorato molto di più, e una scena specifica mi ha fatto venire una tale rabbia... Sono ancora più contenta che abbia trovato Magnus e gli altri.
Samirah è in pieno Ramadan, e questo dovrebbe rallentarla. Invece la sua fede diventa la sua forza, la fa andare avanti anche nei momenti più ardui. È stato rinfrescante vedere un personaggio musulmano praticanete che sia estremamente positivo e dalla parte dei buoni, una ragazza eroica e non una terrorista.
T.J. e Halfborn mi sono piaciuti di più, in particolare il secondo. Entrambi mostrano il loro coraggio, ed era ora che sapessimo di più del loro passato e di come sono diventati einherjar.
E poi Mallory! Finalmente la sua importanza si rende davvero visible, e in questo volume sono riuscita ad apprezzarla molto di più. La sua storia è davvero triste, è anche il suo risentimento, ma è coraggiosa e intelligente.
Forse quello che mi ha dato un po' fastidio è che Riordan anche in questa serie (e in questo libro in particolare) ha calcato la mano sui semidei norenni, che non sono mica tanti nelle storie antiche e che qui invece paiono spuntare come funghi.
Nel complesso però ho trovato la storia molto intrigante. Forse troppi momenti comici (alla Riordan) che se nei libri precedenti di Percy, Apollo, Carter e Sady, e anche Magnus, mi piacevano abbastanza, ora a volte mi stanno a noia. Li trovo fuori posto. Ma forse sono solo i miei gusti che si stanno evolvendo, non lo so. Lo stile è sempre quello di Riordan, un po' semplice, si segue bene e velocemente.
C'è una scena che ho amato (e da cui ho preso la citazione) e che non mi sarei aspettata. Pensavo che si sarebbe svolta diversamente, e invece mi ha sorpresa. Alla fine questi personaggi mi sono entrati dentro, e non li dimenticherò facilmente. show less

Magnus dosen't want to sail on a ship to Niflheim to stop Loki, but he does not want to be that guy who unleashes Ragnarok. So with his friends he gets sucked underwater with ten angry sea gods, makes a living pottery weapon, and kills his friends dad who turned into a dragon just to get a sip of mead that consists of blood made of spit. Using this mead he has to become more poetic than Loki himself and beat the insult god in a contest of insults. Will Magnus be able to stop Loki or will he end up starting Ragnarok? Find out in " Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, The Ship of the Dead".

This book is so funny it is impossible not to laugh at least once in it. If you like humor, myths, and the ocasional bloodbath Rick Riordan is your show more guy. Check me into Hotel Valhalla please. show less

I laughed, I cried, I almost threw my book against the wall. So, just another Rick Riordan book, to be honest. This was a pretty okay ending. I'm okay with this only being a trilogy instead of quintet. I'm going to miss the whole crew of these stories, but I have a feeling they'll show up in other books that are written in the future. I loved learning about all the Norse Mythology and the pronunciation guide at the end was a god send. If you haven't read this trilogy yet, you should. It's very, very worth it. 5 out 5 stars. I'd give it more if I could.

Y'all I am going to fucking go nuts. Disclaimer: when I am excited about a book, I can be careless about tossing out the spoilers, so read with discretion.

The Ship of the Dead, for the most part, was a wonderful and satisfying conclusion to the Magnus Chase series. I've just reread the series, and I really do love these books a lot; they're wonderful and packed with your usual Riordan-like adventure formula, and the characters are all solid and well-developed. While the plot follows more-or-less the same plotline that literally every other Riordan book has, it still remains relatively fresh.

I think for this book what really stood out to me was the characters. Previous books focused on the empty cups gang: Hearthstone, Blitzen, and show more Samirah. This shifts the focus to Magnus's einherjar friends from floor 19: Thomas Jefferson Jr., Mallory Keen, Halfborn Gunderson, and Alex Fierro. The Empty Cups/Floor 19 gang really steal the show and are perhaps the most precious gang to ever appear in literature (rivalling Riordan's other precious gang, The Seven ( Reyna and Nico). The Ship of the Dead tells their stories, signalling how close they've become since Magnus has arrived on the scene. And I loved the focus on them: hearing about all the stories of Floor 19 was great, because we know them, but we didn't really know them until this book.

They all had their stories, which tied into each other, made them closer, and developed their characters even more. I think T.J. emerged as one of my favourite characters? He's so precious and happy, and he cares so, so so much. Mallory and Halfborn were also so good, and all of them had pasts that made my heart ache and feel warm and fuzzy. And of course, Alex Fierro continues to be a complete standout in pink and green. We got more insight into her character, and who she is, which I loved. I would have wanted to know more about the rest of Floor 19, because all their stories were so interesting. Halfborn and his invasion with Ivan the Boneless; Mallory Keen and what she experienced in the 1970s with the IRA; T.J. and his experience in the Civil War. There is so much I want to hear about their pasts, and I really wish we got more. I also want to know who Adrian is; Alex mentions that they committed suicide, and we got no follow-up on that. I know we can't get everything about all the Floor 19 crew, but dammit, I LOVE THEM.

As for the romance: before I start on my favourite, let me talk about Percabeth - which, okay, listen, I read this a couple weeks ago and I shit you not I was in tears over how cute they are; Percabeth is LITERALLY EVERYTHING TO ME. (I love how Alex mentions how cute they are. I'm with you, Alex.) Sam and Amir. I loved them as well; they were adorable as well. (Alex also mentions he has been chaperoning the two, and that they are cute. I am with him on this one as well.) Amir said "I love you," and I may have squealed a bit. And now, the Fierrochase. HOLY MOTHER OF ODIN, OR WHATEVER NORSE CURSES. THEY WERE SO FUCKING ADORABLE. Like, they spent so much time flirting? Magnus kept getting flustered around her and it was so cute I think my teeth fucking eroded away. And I may have screamed a bit when Alex kissed him because she didn't want to die without doing that? I am so happy about the Fierrochase. I love them. So much. That I'm sort of incoherent. And yay, Magnus is confirmed pansexual I love this song.

Some miscellaneous things I want to talk about:
- Hearth and the scene with his brother made me cry. I admit it. I actually cried. Hearth makes me cry. All these fucking characters make me cry. Like I said, precious.
- Magnus is ... such a dork. Yeah, he has a dry sense of humor, but he's an absolute softie and gets beaten around by his friends in such a loving way. The dynamic with Magnus and the rest of his friends is so hilarious - yes, it's vicious, and they bicker a lot, but it's friendly, and they all realy love each other.
- The non-binary, two-faced, ceramic giant named Pottery Barn that used they/them pronouns. That's all.
- Actually, that's not all. It was a hoot. Pottery Barn stole the scene; they were hilarious, and they kicked ass, and their name was POTTERY BARN. It's so fucking Riordan - outlandish, funny, borderline embarrassing, and wholly endearing.
- You know how I made fun of Magnus being an atheist last time? Apparently, being in a pagan afterlife made him even more cemented in his atheism ... which I found ... quite hilarious (but understandable). You are literally. In a pagan. Afterlife. How. Are. You. An. Atheist.
- On the other hand, it's balanced out by Sam and how devout she is - like Magnus, I admire her so, so much, and wish I had that much conviction in my faith (though I consider myself to be a Christian, or at least I want to be). Also, is it bad that one of the few times I really felt conviction in my own faith in God to be spoken by a Muslim in a book about pagan gods? Is it? ("God is greater than whatever you are facing - your fears, your problems, your thirst, your hunger, your anger.")
- The characters ski. This isn't really of any importance to anyone, except for the fact that I am a skiier and skiing is one of the few things that make me feel alive, and I really love skiing.
- The whole climax of the book made me hurt so much for Magnus, and then it made me almost cry again, because guys, MAGNUS LOVES HIS FRIENDS SO MUCH. These guys. Precious.
- Rick Riordan has referenced memes before and if he referenced a Shrek meme I will personally challenge him to a fucking flyting
- If I do not see more of Magnus Chase in the future ... it's flyting time.
- I have said this, but. They are all precious and I love this crew so, so much.


Some disappointments (I have disappointments in a Riordan book? GASP):
- Okay, the big one: I have to admit I feel cheated and a bit angry (not just har har I hate him so much for ruining my life, these fucking cliffhangers, but real angry) that Blitzstone was never confirmed. It honestly feels like queerbaiting to me, which is really disappointing because I trusted him. And yeah, they're practically married, neither of them have love interests and indeed seem to reject people who come onto them except for each other, but still? Blitz wore a green carnation in the first book which is a symbol of homosexuality? They're suuuper queer coded? And it just makes me confused and disappointed because, like, Rick normally has no qualms with queer characters? Hey Rick, WHY?
- Percy Jackson being the cliffhanger of the last book but literally only appearing in two chapters this book. Gonna be honest, it felt super, super cheap to me, like he was using Percy as bait to get readers to the book (which he did not need, because goddammit, some of us are fucking whipped for him - I have FIVE COPIES of The Lightning Thief, and by this time next year, I will probably have seven. I really don't mind Percy and Annabeth appearing in these books - I'm a sucker for more Percy, but I'm pissed that he ended with a cliffhanger for Percy and literally. Two. Chapters. I mean. He does this *cough Grover and Leo in ToA* but this was particularly bait-y.
- That ending. What the fuck Rick. I don't know if it's a "disappointment" per se but I'm including it here because WHAT THE FUCK RICK? WHAT WAS THAT? WHY???????? Part of this is related to the above - this is Magnus's series, why did you have to drag a cliffhanger from ToA here? The other part of this is just I'M FUCKING ANGRY, THESE FUCKING CLIFFHANGERS, WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME, YOU ARE RUINING MY LIFE, I STILL HAVEN'T FORGIVEN HIM FOR MARK OF ATHENA ETC ETC. MOTHERFUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Anyway. These are a series of disjointed, jumbled, frantic thoughts that do not claim to be a proper review. All in all, I think this was a wonderful series and I loved reading about Magnus Chase, his friends, and his adventures as an einherji. Rick Riordan is truly a myth master, and now it is time for me to go into hibernation until the next book. show less