The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan
Might contain spoilers.
Another great ending from Rick Riordan. This isn’t a conclusion that tries to awe you with incredible moments, though those are present as well. Instead, much of its strength lies in simply learning more about the characters through their natural interactions, which are easily compelling enough to make that fascinating and satisfying. It’s so nice to see Alex and Magnus together in the end. I enjoyed learning more about T.J., Halfborn, and Mallory.
The book begins with Percy! I’m thrilled to see him again, even if it’s just for a chapter. Annabeth and he are so good together. But as far as the real story goes, what an amazing job Magnus does at the flyting, reducing Loki to two inches simply by singing everyone’s praises. The giants’ reactions are hilarious. So is Njord’s preoccupation with his feet. Aegir is a precise portrayal of a certain kind of hipster. The scene with Frigg on the train is gripping. The story of Hearthstone’s father turning into a dragon, and how they free him from the ring’s curse, is very black. As I said of the first book, Hotel Valhalla is quite depressing, so staying away from it as much as possible was a clever decision.
The ending has to mean we’ll see more of Magnus’s world, considering all the possibilities it presents. I wonder what the interactions with the other pantheons will be like. I imagine the confusion over the term ‘giant’ alone would merit a chapter or two.