The Sword of Summer

Magnus’s change of heart about keeping Jack in Chapter 68 shows the effect of loss and grief on responsibility. Before the battle with Fenris, Magnus had a goal he needed to achieve: Protect the Nine Worlds and delay Ragnarok. Following his success, Gunilla and two other Valkyries are dead, and Halfborn, a close friend, is gravely injured. Rather than a triumphant victory, Magnus’s success came at a terrible cost. In response, he doesn’t feel worthy of wielding Jack and fighting another day. Frey’s encouragement helps Magnus come to terms with his insecurity. By the end of the chapter, Magnus knows he must continue the battle, even if he doesn’t yet feel ready to do so.

Riordan modernizes Odin by making the god obsessed with new Midgard technology. Odin’s lecture pokes fun at boring PowerPoint presentations while being amusing. The content of the presentation directly conflicts Fenris Wolf’s claim that he controlled events surrounding Sam and Magnus over the last two years. The true influencer is not identified by the end of the book, but it can be assumed, given how Fenris lies, that Odin was in control the entire time. Odin also explains the Norns’ prophesy about Magnus. By doing so, Odin absolves Sam of responsibility regarding Magnus’s death and paints Loki as a villain, a perception that matches how Loki is portrayed and punished.

Magnus’s choice to remain in Valhalla completes his character arc. At the beginning of the book, Magnus felt his death was not heroic and that he did not belong in Valhalla. After defeating Fenris and Surt, delaying Ragnarok, and surviving to tell the tale, he understands heroes can be made. Perhaps his partial victory against Surt in Chapter 7 was a mistake, but now, Magnus is a hero and will stay among his friends and fellow einherjar because he belongs there.