The Sea of Trolls. Nancy Farmer. 2004. Simon & Schuster. 480 pages.
Jack woke before dawn and listened to the cold February wind lash the walls of the house. He sighed. It was going to be another rotten day.
IF Jack thinks his life is rotten before the Vikings (or the Northmen) come, I'd hate to see how he'd describe it after. Jack, our young hero, and Lucy, Jack's little sister, are about to be in for quite an adventure. Not that Lucy is present for the adventure really--she's on a mind trip of her own at the time--but Jack, well, Jack is about to be in for the adventure of his life. These two youngsters are kidnapped by the invading Northmen, the berserkers. Jack is Olaf's slave (thrall). And Lucy is Thorgil's slave (or thrall). (Thorgil is a girl, by the way.) They are off to pay their respects to Ivar the Boneless (he's king) and his wife Frith (she's a half-troll). Much adventure is to be had. Great danger to be faced. And if victory is won, Jack may just be able to save both his life and that of his sister.
I really enjoyed this one. It had its slower moments (though that could have just been me), but it was definitely worth it! The ending was great. There are two more books in the series and I will definitely be continuing on!
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
7 comments:
Sounds like a great adventure, I'm a little weak for books with elements of Norse mythology and Vikings :)
I loved the first two books in this trilogy, and I'm looking forward to reading the third one. I enjoy fantasies based on Norse mythology anyway, and these stories were so well told and the characters so intriguing that I found it very hard to stop reading!
A friend tells me that Nancy Farmer's THE EAR, THE EYE AND THE ARM, a 1994 Newbery Honor Book, is an especially good one of hers. It's a futuristic tale of adventure and suspense. Have you read it?
This is neither here nor there, but every time I see the title of this book I assume that it's about All Those Nasty People On The Internet. I need to actually read it so I can get that reaction out of my head!
Just found your blog, Becky! And I was interested to read this review - I love Nancy Farmer's books. A Girl Named Disaster, and The Ear, The Eye and The Arm are also brilliant books.
I write Norse-based fantasy myself, in case anyone feels like checking them out - again with Trolls in the title (Troll Fell, Troll Mill, Troll Blood)- I've been wondering for some time if that was a wise decision... and we are actually thinking of re-titling them for next year!
Farmer and I do not get along, but a student suggested I purchase the other two in the series, so I will have to read them soon.
I read all three and really enjoyed them. I knew nothing of Norse Mythology so this enlightend me also
Hi! I have just discovered this blog, and I became interested in it because I do reviews, too, except I review pretty much anything. Anyway, I was so excited when I saw this post because I reviewed this book also! I read the other two books, and I like the last one best. Visit my blog, if you like.
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