Jayson’s Reviews > The Hammer of Thor > Status Update

Jayson
Jayson is starting
Notes:
(1) The biggest thing I'm looking forward to with this is that they've changed the narrator!
- Hopefully Kieran Culkin is a better fit than Christopher Guetig, though that wouldn't be hard.
- You don't really see Hollywood actors narrating books. Maybe he's just a big Riordan fan?
(2) As with the first book, I don't remember a thing about this one. Riordan's non-Greco-Roman books seem to blend into each other.
Oct 08, 2023 05:05PM
The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #2)

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Jayson’s Previous Updates

Jayson
Jayson is finished
Notes:
(1) This book makes lots of references to the TV show "Cheers."
- Why? As a YA series, most of its readership was born after the show ended.
(2) Magnus: "What is G-R-R-M, anyway?"
Thor: "An acronym for God Rapid Response Mobilization."
- Whew! I thought it meant George R.R. Martin.
(3) Annabeth: "A god fell to earth as a human. These evil Roman emperors are back, causing trouble."
- Yup. Been there, done that.
Oct 16, 2023 11:15PM
The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #2)


Jayson
Jayson is 80% done
Notes:
(1) As has been the trend, Riordan's pop culture references here are almost exclusively pre-1990s.
- In the last few chapters we get references to Prince, "The Princess Bride," and "Pinball Wizard" by The Who.
- The only exceptions are Kurt Cobain and Taylor Swift.
(2) I always though Sif, wife of Thor, rhymed with GIF, but here it rhymes with sleeve.
- Thank goodness no one's pronouncing GIF like geeve/jeeve.
Oct 15, 2023 04:30AM
The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #2)


Jayson
Jayson is 67% done
Notes:
(1) "'Wedding is tomorrow,' said my brain.
'Get out of my head.' My brain refused to get out of my head. Inconsiderate brain."
- I'd be careful about speaking commands in magic realms. Someone might take you literally.
(2) I swear, I'm trying to see Alex's appeal, but he/she's making it awfully difficult.
- Alex and Magnus' dynamic seems to be Alex insulting Magnus and Magnus being terrified of insulting Alex.
Oct 14, 2023 02:45AM
The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #2)


Jayson
Jayson is 55% done
Notes:
(1) Amir: "Your horn is a phone?"
Heimdall: "I think technically it’s a phablet. But yes, this is Gjallar, the Horn and/or Phablet of Doomsday!"
- Was phablet ever a term that gained traction? I've never heard it IRL.
(2) Heimdall pronounces GIF with a hard G. I do too.
- I'd hate to wade into the GIF pronunciation war, but there's already an image file called a JIF, and if anything a hard G lessens confusion.
Oct 12, 2023 08:55PM
The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #2)


Jayson
Jayson is 41% done
Notes:
(1) Gellir: "It's the tradition of the Thing."
Magnus: "What thing?"
Gellir: "You know, the Thing ... from the word thingvellir, meaning field of the assembly. The Norse voting council."
Samira: "Ah ... I’ve heard of the Thing."
- This Thing isn't as good as dam but better than bull or schist.
(2) Hearthstone: "Too dangerous ... Death. The prophecy."
- Yeah, I feel like that's the case with every Riordan book.
Oct 11, 2023 10:30PM
The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #2)


Jayson
Jayson is 19% done
Notes:
(1) First of all, Kieran Culkin's a breath of fresh air as narrator. Not particularly good, just a big improvement over his predecessor.
- He speaks at normal speed, for example! I had to crank my speed up to 1.75x to listen to Christopher Guetig.
(2) My first impression of Alex Fierro is that he/she is terribly unpleasant.
- Moody and standoffish stick out in a series that's been decidedly quirky and chipper.
Oct 09, 2023 02:40AM
The Hammer of Thor (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, #2)


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Mwanamali I really enjoyed the introduction of Alex in this one.


Jayson Mwanamali wrote: "I really enjoyed the introduction of Alex in this one."

Happy to hear that! I'm sort of on the fence about Alex, myself. Not making the best first impression on me right now, rubbing me the wrong way I guess. But, we'll see. There's still a whole book ahead for me to warm up to them :)


Mwanamali Oh I love stubborn characters who are also not stupidly or absurdly so. They keep the story interesting. I also love how she could keep Magnus on his toes. He's probably the wittiest character but Alex left him tonguetied


Jayson Mwanamali wrote: "Oh I love stubborn characters who are also not stupidly or absurdly so. They keep the story interesting. I also love how she could keep Magnus on his toes. He's probably the wittiest character but ..."

Still early days for me. I'm sure I'll see a lot of that positive side later in the book. Right now, at the beginning, Alex seems pretty standoffish and moody. Possibly that's part of their character arc. In my first read of the series, I remember having a fairly positive opinion of Alex by the end.


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