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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
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Published On: Apr 26, 2006 10:02 PM
Book Report: Nancy Farmer's The Sea of Trolls
I have a confession to make.
I really enjoy some books for young adults. My mother and I have both been following the Harry Potter series (like many other adults), but it doesn't end there. Many of the Newberry Award winners and honorees positively rock.
There's a particular category of juvenile literature, best named by describing it, which really appeals to me. Normally it involves more than one child or young adult who, through circumstances beyond their control, gets sucked into a mad adventure or quest. During this quest they are subjected to experiences which teach them about their own personalities and strengths.
Nowhere is that theme more masterfully woven than in Nancy Farmer's The Sea of Trolls. Jack is a young Saxon boy, the son of a farmer, with a younger sister named Lucy, who lives partly in a world of imagination. Jack is chosen as apprentice by a bard who has taken up residence in the local area, and begins to learn the craft of words, along with the use of the life force, a mysterious capricious power that can be used to work magic.
This idyllic world comes to an end when a Viking raiding party, after destroying the monastery on the Holy Isle, raid Jack's village and take he and his sister prisoner. Along with his companion, a crow named Bold Heart, Jack gets to know his captors, particularly the one who holds him in thrall, Olaf, and a young shield maiden who delights in tormenting him, Thorgill. Olaf appreciates Jack's abilities as a skald, and has Jack compose a poem of praise about him.
However, when presented before King Ivar the Boneless and his half-giantess wife Queen Frith, ill luck befalls Jack as his attempt at praising the queen backfires in an inadvertent act of magic with horrifying consequences. To make amends he must brave Jotunheim and journey to the very foot of Yggdrasil to drink from Mimir's well, thereby gaining the power to undo the spell. The price should he fail -- the death of his sister Lucy. To succeed Jack must learn to work with Thorgill and survive a land of horrible monsters.
Complex characters and difficult situations abound. Prepare to change your opinion about many characters throughout the story, as Jack learns that things are not as simple as "those people who like me and those people who don't like me."
So it's a great story, but that's not the only reason I'm blogging it. The big deal is that, in addition to actual historic events (she cites the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as a reference), Farmer uses the Lore in the story.
It starts with Jack's skald-mentor telling him the story of Beowulf (which he, in the story, experienced and wrote). After Jack is captured by the Vikings, he impresses them by quoting the runic spells from the Havamal. Those are two of the most blatant, but examples of lore-inspired events are extant throughout the story.
Understand, though, that this is a work of fiction. The author is not, to my knowledge, heathen, and is not trying to write a religious book. It is, however, a good read for adults, and might inspire more of an interest in the Lore among kids. I highly recommend it for anyone who's mentally 13 or above (your mileage may vary on that age thing; I'd recommend reading it before giving it to any kids younger, since there are deaths, issues such as slavery, violence, and monsters).
The Sea of Trolls is available through bn.com, currently in hardcover for $12.56, or as a CD set for $23.99.
I really enjoy some books for young adults. My mother and I have both been following the Harry Potter series (like many other adults), but it doesn't end there. Many of the Newberry Award winners and honorees positively rock.
There's a particular category of juvenile literature, best named by describing it, which really appeals to me. Normally it involves more than one child or young adult who, through circumstances beyond their control, gets sucked into a mad adventure or quest. During this quest they are subjected to experiences which teach them about their own personalities and strengths.
Nowhere is that theme more masterfully woven than in Nancy Farmer's The Sea of Trolls. Jack is a young Saxon boy, the son of a farmer, with a younger sister named Lucy, who lives partly in a world of imagination. Jack is chosen as apprentice by a bard who has taken up residence in the local area, and begins to learn the craft of words, along with the use of the life force, a mysterious capricious power that can be used to work magic.
This idyllic world comes to an end when a Viking raiding party, after destroying the monastery on the Holy Isle, raid Jack's village and take he and his sister prisoner. Along with his companion, a crow named Bold Heart, Jack gets to know his captors, particularly the one who holds him in thrall, Olaf, and a young shield maiden who delights in tormenting him, Thorgill. Olaf appreciates Jack's abilities as a skald, and has Jack compose a poem of praise about him.
However, when presented before King Ivar the Boneless and his half-giantess wife Queen Frith, ill luck befalls Jack as his attempt at praising the queen backfires in an inadvertent act of magic with horrifying consequences. To make amends he must brave Jotunheim and journey to the very foot of Yggdrasil to drink from Mimir's well, thereby gaining the power to undo the spell. The price should he fail -- the death of his sister Lucy. To succeed Jack must learn to work with Thorgill and survive a land of horrible monsters.
Complex characters and difficult situations abound. Prepare to change your opinion about many characters throughout the story, as Jack learns that things are not as simple as "those people who like me and those people who don't like me."
So it's a great story, but that's not the only reason I'm blogging it. The big deal is that, in addition to actual historic events (she cites the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as a reference), Farmer uses the Lore in the story.
It starts with Jack's skald-mentor telling him the story of Beowulf (which he, in the story, experienced and wrote). After Jack is captured by the Vikings, he impresses them by quoting the runic spells from the Havamal. Those are two of the most blatant, but examples of lore-inspired events are extant throughout the story.
Understand, though, that this is a work of fiction. The author is not, to my knowledge, heathen, and is not trying to write a religious book. It is, however, a good read for adults, and might inspire more of an interest in the Lore among kids. I highly recommend it for anyone who's mentally 13 or above (your mileage may vary on that age thing; I'd recommend reading it before giving it to any kids younger, since there are deaths, issues such as slavery, violence, and monsters).
The Sea of Trolls is available through bn.com, currently in hardcover for $12.56, or as a CD set for $23.99.
Posted: Sun - October 17, 2004 at 09:04 PM