The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #1)

by Rick Riordan

well, there are a lot of ways to Boston, since Boston is the center of Midgard.” I glanced around the table. Nobody was laughing. “It is?” “Sure,” T.J. said. “It’s right at the trunk of the World Tree, the easiest spot from which to access the other worlds. Why do you think Boston is called the Hub of the Universe?” “Wishful thinking?” “No. Mortals have always known there was something about that location, even if they couldn’t put their finger on what it was. The Vikings searched for the center of the world for years. They knew the entrance to Asgard was in the west. That’s one reason they kept exploring into North America. When they met the Native Americans—” “We called them the skraelings,” Halfborn said. “Vicious fighters. I liked them.” “—the natives had all sorts of stories about how strong the spirit world was in this area. Later, when the Puritans settled, well…John Winthrop’s vision of a shining ‘City on a Hill’? That wasn’t just a metaphor. He had a vision of Asgard, a glimpse into the other worlds. And the Salem witch trials? Hysteria caused by magic seeping into Midgard. Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston. It’s no accident his most famous poem was about a raven, one of Odin’s sacred animals.”