The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer is a tale of a boy trying to find his place in the world. Jack, the main character, is nothing special. He is not the smartest or biggest or strongest boy in his medieval village. Nothing he does is good enough for his father. Still, he manages to catch the eye of the local Bard, who is looking for an apprentice.

While under the Bard’s tutelage, Jack begins to make something of himself. Before we have time to get comfortable though, trouble comes calling. The village is attacked by a Viking raiding crew led by Olaf One-Brow, and Jack and his little sister Lucy are captured.

While attending the king’s feast to honor the Viking warrior, Jack casts a spell on the wicked queen, causing her beautiful locks to fall out. In order to save his sister from being sacrificed as a result of this foolishness, he must successfully complete a quest across perilous territory to restore the queen’s hair. Even worse, his help comes in the form of Thorgil, the crew’s shield maiden, who is trying to prove her self manlier than then men. The trials he faces along this journey help to mature this young Bard, but will this be enough? Can he find the strength to beat the odds? Will he save his sister and find a way home?

Set in 793 A.D., this fantasy gives us a glimpse of what life might have looked like in both the Anglo-Saxon and the Viking society, while spicing it up a bit with trolls, enchantments, giant spiders, dragons, and other magical elements.

The story was inspired by the 9/11 attacks and deals heavily with cross-cultural interaction. Though the raiders have terrorized his home, Jack still manages to find some good qualities in the Viking kidnapper. He even manages to seemingly respect Olaf and to almost sympathize with this bloody man, though he doesn’t agree with him or his ways.

In my opinion, Jack seemed a little over-sensitive in contrast to Thorgil’s over-the-top brutish manners. I also thought that both Thorgil and Lucy could’ve been further developed, as Lucy seemed to be nothing more than a prop. I haven’t read the next book in the series, but I have a feeling that the author will develop Thorgil more then. As far as the reading level, I think most 5/6 graders could manage this book if they can handle the length and the pillaging scenes.

Probably due to the murky description and some distracting modern phrases, it took me almost halfway through the book to really be drawn into the story. Though I was entertained in the end, I think that there are other books better worth your time.

Kate

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer
© 2006 Atheneum Publisher
Publisher Reading level: Ages 9-12
ISBN: 0689867468
480 pages