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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Sep 2004, 480 pages
Paperback:
May 2006, 480 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
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The year is A.D. 793; Jack and his sister have been kidnapped by Vikings and taken to the court of Ivar the Boneless and his terrifying half-troll wife; but things get even worse when Jack finds himself on a dangerous quest to find the magical Mimir's Well in a far-off land, with his sister's life forfeit if he fails.
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."
Chapter Three
The Shadow Across The Water
"No...no..."
Jack sat up abruptly. The wind was howling outside. The house held the deep
chill that seeped into it before dawn.
"No...I won't do it...it's evil..."
Jack threw back the covers and stumbled to the other end of the house. The
Bard's bed was shaking. He saw the old man thrust up his hand as though
warding something off. "Sir! Sir! Wake up! Everything's all right."
He caught the Bard's hand.
"You won't bend me to your will! I defy you, foul troll!"
Something -- some terrible force -- flung the boy back. His head banged
against the stone, and his ears rang as though a blacksmith were pounding on
an anvil. He tasted blood.
"Oh, my stars, child! I didn't know it was you."
Jack tried to speak, choked on blood, and coughed instead.
"You're alive, thank Freya! Stay here. I'll build up the fire and make
you a healing drink."
The ringing in Jack's ears ...
Nancy Farmer is the author of seven books for
children and and some short stories. She has written books for
almost all age groups of children, from 4 years right through to the
mid-teens, usually set in hot climates.
I first discovered her books on a Virgin
Airways flight some years ago. Each child was presented with a
substantial goody bag which included a copy of The Ear, The Eye, and the Arm (1994).
I assumed that anything offered for free was likely to be of low
quality but out of desperation for something to read I requisitioned
it from my then 3 year old son (who, unsurprisingly, had little
interest in it). I can still remember the story (set in
Zimbabwe in the year 2194) and will certainly be encouraging Tom,
now 11 years old, to read it in the next year or so. The next
book I read was The House of The Scorpion
(2002), another thought provoking, futuristic tale about a boy
cloned from a wealthy drug lord in order to guarantee the latter
'eternal life' (recommended for ages 11+).
The Sea of Trolls
is Farmer's first venture into historical fiction. Jack, a
Saxon farm boy, has recently been apprenticed to a druid who is
teaching him to do magic by drawing on the power of the life
force. Unfortunately for Jack, he's living in what is now the
North East coast of England in an historically interesting time
(remember the supposed Chinese curse 'may you live in interesting
times!*). Before his training is complete the Vikings invade
and kidnap Jack and his sister; they're taken to the Norse homeland,
to the court of Ivar the Boneless and his terrifying half-troll
wife, Queen Frith, who fancies Lucy as her next sacrificial
victim. Only Jack can prevent this terrible outcome - by
completing a dangerous quest across the Sea of Trolls to Mimir's
Well in Jotunheim, the heart of Troll-land.
All reviewers wax lyrical about Sea of Trolls, with at least 4 giving it
starred reviews. For example, Amanda Craig writing for The
Times (UK) says, '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 it as the best children's novel of
2004.'. If that isn't enough of an endorsement I can also add
the opinion of our eleven-year-old in house reviewer, who sums it up
quite simply saying, 'it's amazing!'
*In a speech in
South Africa in 1966, Robert F Kennedy said, 'There is a Chinese
curse which says, 'May he live in interesting times'....Journalists
picked up on the phrase and it has been re-quoted countless times
since. Ironically it appears that there is no such Chinese
curse. The closest Chinese variation is the proverb, "It's
better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic
period.'..continued
Full Review
(606 words)
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was originally compiled on the orders of King Alfred the Great in
approximately A.D. 890. It was subsequently maintained
and added to by generations of anonymous scribes until the
middle of the 12th Century. If you have any interest in British history it's
worth skimming the version at Project Guttenberg (which is
compiled from about 8 distinct versions of the Chronicle), if only to read the entries for such well
known dates as 1066.
Some people believe that the nursery rhyme, 'Jack and Jill
went up the hill to fetch a pail of water....' comes from a
Norse legend ...
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