library_mama (
library_mama) wrote2008-03-12 10:43 am
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Sea of Trolls

Once again, Nancy Farmer delivers with a tale of adventure stirring enough to keep indifferent readers hooked which nonetheless has deep levels of meaning. Jack learns to respect his captors, even as he is horrified at their violence, the pride they take in going berserk and their hope to die in battle. He was raised a Christian, yet trained as a Bard to do magic, and meets the deities of other religions over the course of his quest. Over and over again, Jack sees the beauty in all life – even life he's been taught to fear – and still knows that they must remain enemies. The book is also set firmly in period just following the historical destruction of the Island of Lindisfarne, and the fantasy elements are all drawn directly from the myths of the period. As a stranger, Jack is good at noticing the Northmen's ways, making it a good introduction to the period for anyone. It may not be straight history as we'd see it now, but it's certainly a tale that people from the time would have felt as true, which is even better.