My thoughts: After stumbling through Icarceron, I was really in the mood for something less ambiguous. I was looking for a fun, exciting but comprehendible read, and boy did I find one! Troll Fell, the first book in the Troll Trilogy by Katherine Langrish, has all the ingredients for being an awesome fantasy series. There’s a simple plot filled with exciting action, memorable characters (including two near-perfect MCs, Peer and Hilde) a good dose of mythology and folklore, and a great ending. I devoured this book easily and eagerly look forward to the two remaining books in the series, Troll Mill and Troll Blood. This book was very engaging from beginning to end. There were twists and turns, yes, but you know how some authors just love to keep readers on the edge of their seat to the point that their books start to get “plot-whiplash”? That doesn’t happen here. The story is exciting but easy to follow at the same time. So no whiplash! Both of the MCs, Peer and Hilde, are 12 years old. From what I understand, in the fashion of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Septimus Heap (to name a few), they age over the progression of the series. Adults, don’t feel silly reading about 12-year-olds – they’re gonna grow up! Heck, don’t feel silly reading about 12-year-olds at all! Kids are AWESOME! The villains of the book, Peer’s wicked, money-hungry uncles, are a little on the Stereotypical Villain side, but I think you kind of expect that in a YA/MG story. I don’t really care if villains are one-sided or anything, as long as they’re entertaining and (if it’s marketed to kids/teens) not too disturbing. I will say, though, that I was kind of expecting more troll action, so I was a bit surprised that I didn’t really see the trolls until close to the climax of the story – even though the books *is* called Troll Fell. I think that actually worked in this setup, because by not showing the trolls until later, the story builds up on the suspense, and you get to the point where you’re just expecting them to JUMP out at any moment! Oh, and here’s something you RARELY see in YA/MG: useful grownups! Yeah, what a concept! Parents who are 1) not dead, and 2) useful! I don’t want to get too specific, but there’s a point close to the end where the parent characters make themselves quite useful! So that was incredibly refreshing Amelialand Rating:V: Nothing really out of the ordinary. Peer gets smacked around by his uncles, but everything remains around PG-levelS: none whatsoever – G L: I don’t recall anything off the top of my head. That’s always nice! Hey authors, just don’t have your characters cuss, okay?! It’s not necessary! Final rating: 4.5/5. An awesome read for kids and grownups alike! Highly recommended! Next time you’re at your library, or surfing Amazon, or wherever else you turn to for your next reading material, I hope you’ll remember this fun series! :)
In Troll Fell, Katherine Langrish creates an ancient Norse setting that is both eerily familiar and strikingly strange. It is a sparsely populated world inhabited by human characters as varied as any we might find in our own lives, and by trolls and other beings from Norse legend and myth.Peer is a boy on the verge of manhood. He is alone in the world except for two hideous uncles. The degradations to which they submit Peer, and the courage and humility with which he faces them, make him a strong character. And there is Hilde, the equally strong female protagonist with a loving family and troubles of her own, troubles that match Peer's, in degree if not in kind.Troll Fell is a highly engaging fantasy, and readers who like a good plot will not be disappointed. But it is also rich with elegant, intelligent prose. The story opens with the recently orphaned Peer: "[He] stood miserably at his father's funeral pyre, watching the sparks whirl up like millions of shining spirits streaking away into the dark." The sparks illuminate what Peer has lost, and at the same time, they light the way to his new life.I recommend this book to lovers of fantasy and lovers of good literature, both.
What do You think about Troll Fell (2004)?
This novel opens at the funeral of Peer Ulfsson's father. Comforted by his friends and neighbours at Hammerhaven, where his father was a carpenter, Peer is shocked when his horrible uncle Baldur Grimsson turns up to take him to his mill at Troll Fell. At first Peer is ill treated and kept short of food as he does all the chores at the mill and farm, but then he finds that Baldur and his twin brother Grim, greedily obsessed with the trolls' gold, have a more sinister plan for Peer and his friend Hilde...This is a fantastic story, combining elements of Scandinavian (and Northern British) folklore with a classic adventure. Peer's sadness and feelings of lonliness after the death of his father and mistreatment by his uncles is realistically contrasted with Hilde's confidence and competence, coming from a loving family. This woulc be a great book to read aloud to Year 4+, and one to recommend to confident readers of 8 or 9+. I've already got the sequels ready to read, and my children's bookclub are reading Troll Blood next month.
—Alison
So I didn't exactly finish the book because it was overdue, but I didn't feel a need to. There were some good parts that I did like, but some things made it so I didn't really care for the book. For example, the main character, Peer, complained too much, and often acted out of character. I was given the impression that he was sort of quiet and a bunch of sad things were happening to him so he just sat there being sad. But then he'd make a cheeky remark or comeback to his Uncles that was totally out of character. Another thing I didn't like was that the dialogue between Peer and Hilde when they first met seemed too on the nose. They were just blurting out secrets and motives and personal stuff without much of a push. Other than that, there were some really good parts. I loved the descriptions and the Nis.
—Brooklynn Scott
Troll Fell is about a boy named Peer whos father just died, and his uncles take him to their mill in Troll Fell, a place full of trolls and other soon to be explained mysteries. The setting is in Troll Fell and the main character is Peer. Peer's main external conflict is him having to deal with his two mean uncles. They always bully him and they make him work all day with little food. Peer's main internal is, him being afraid that his uncles might take him to the Gaffer, a troll who is very scary and will eat Peer up.During reading this book, I made a text-to-self connection. When Peer was at the funeral when his father died, it reminded me when my uncle died and we had to go to his funeral. This connects to the book because when Peer's father died it made me feel how much I hated it when my uncle died. Peer also hated it when his father died.I would give this book five stars, because it showed alot of detailed setting, it had alot of plot, and it was suspenseful. I would recommend this book to anyone who read the Harry potter series and the Artemis Fowl series, for they have alot of suspense, action and adventure.
—Ron Bajrami
