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   Summary and Book Reviews

The Sea of Trolls: Summary and book reviews of The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer, plus links to an excerpt from The Sea of Trolls and a biography of Nancy Farmer.

The Sea of Trolls The Sea of Trolls
by Nancy Farmer
Hardcover: Sep 2004,
480 pages.
Paperback: May 2006,
480 pages.

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Book Summary

Jack was eleven when the berserkers loomed out of the fog and nabbed him. "It seems that things are stirring across the water," the Bard had warned. "Ships are being built, swords are being forged."

"Is that bad?" Jack had asked, for his Saxon village had never before seen berserkers.

"Of course. People don't make ships and swords unless they intend to use them."

The year is A.D. 793. In the next months, Jack and his little sister, Lucy, are enslaved by Olaf One-Brow and his fierce young shipmate, Thorgil. With a crow named Bold Heart for mysterious company, they are swept up into an adventure-quest that follows in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings.

Other threats include a willful mother Dragon, a giant spider, and a troll-boar with a surprising personality -- to say nothing of Ivar the Boneless and his wife, Queen Frith, a shape-shifting half-troll, and several eight foot tall, orange-haired, full-time trolls. But in stories by award-winner Nancy Farmer, appearances do deceive. She has never told a richer, funnier tale, nor offered more timeless encouragement to young seekers than "Just say no to pillaging."

Book Reviews


 Roger Sutton - The Horn Book Magazine
Drawing upon history, Norse and Celtic myth, and Farmer's own abundant imagination, the story is long but engrossing, a cruel tale with a merry heart about a Saxon boy named Jack and what befell him upon his and his younger sister's capture by marauding Northmen (and, later, trolls).... The book is effectively sparing in its use of fantasy elements, but when Farmer pulls out all the stops such as Jack's encounter with the three Norns - she does so with aplomb and assurance.

 Publishers Weekly
Starred review. Plotting and incidental players such as dragons and giant spiders in Jotunheim take precedence over character development here. But if the relationships are not as fully fleshed out as in Farmer's previous books, fans of Viking and adventure tales will still be up late nights to discover Jack's fate. Ages 10-13.

 Paula Rohrlick - KLIATT
Farmer, author of the National Book Award winner The House of the Scorpion as well as other notable books for YAs, has outdone herself in this rich and satisfying fantasy based on Norse mythology.

 Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Starred review....adroit worldbuilding and dead-on characterization combine with faultless plotting and an irresistible mixture of historical truth and mythological invention to create a tale of high adventure and exploration that reads with unexpected sensitivity, warmth, and humor. Maps, a cast of characters, a series of short explanatory appendices, and a list of sources are included.

 Rebecca Hogue Wojahn - VOYA
Lighter in tone and subject than The House of the Scorpion, this novel is nevertheless deceptively complex. There is enough magic, history, and mythology to keep fantasy lovers enthralled, yet the humor, modern speech (Jack is warned to just say no to pillaging), and nonstop adventure will pull in reluctant readers as well--if they are not daunted by the number of pages. All will come to love the distinctive characters--especially the brash, bloodthirsty Northmen--just as Jack does on his quest. Ages 11 to 15.

 Steven Englefried - School Library Journal
Starred Review. Gr 5-9-Farmer draws upon Scandinavian mythology and medieval history to create an engaging tale.....Geographical and mythological elements are revealed through conversations, rather than narrative description. Despite the legendary tone of some of the events, there are plenty of lighthearted moments, and the characters never seem stiff or contrived. This exciting and original fantasy will capture the hearts and imaginations of readers.

 Kirkus Reviews
Starred Review. Jack is a friendly companion in this exciting story of sacrifices made, lessons learned, and friends lost and found, all told with grace and humor. Allusions to Beowulf, the destruction of the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, and the Norse legend of Jack and Jill offer a rich backdrop for a hugely entertaining story sure to appeal to fans of The Lord of the Rings. (appendix, sources) (Fiction. 10-13)

 Lawrence Downes - The New York Times
The Sea of Trolls conveys, more vividly than any textbook, the Vikings' storied fatalism, their devotion to heroic death and to a savage afterlife in Valhalla. Hearing the Northmen talk rapturously about the glories of being slaughtered in battle, the sensitive Jack can't understand it, but the reader will.

 Ayesha Court - Special for USA Today
Farmer brilliantly marries historic details about life in England, Scotland and Scandinavia in A.D. 793 with the magic of runes, trolls and bards. This story will send readers on a quest to read more about this bloody but fascinating era. Ages 10 and up.

 Amanda Craig - The Times (UK)
Despite the pot of gold supposedly waiting for every new author who writes a fantasy novel, the classics of children's literature remain pretty much the same. Why bother to read new ones when the old are so good? Yet every so often something comes along which should instantly be added to the list of those books which leave an indelible mark on the imagination....Nancy Farmer's The Sea of Trolls is such a book.... I have no hesitation in recommending Sea of Trolls as the best children's novel of 2004.


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