The Sea of Trolls
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 The cover art from The Sea of Trolls first edition, 2004 |
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| Author | Nancy Farmer |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's literature and fantasy |
| Publisher | Atheneum Books |
| Released | September 2004 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover & paperback) |
| Pages | 480 pp (first edition, hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-0689867446 (first edition, hardcover) |
| Followed by | The Land of the Silver Apples (due November 2007) |
The Sea of Trolls is a 2004 fantasy novel by Newbery Honor winning author Nancy Farmer.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
The Sea of Trolls is a historical fantasy novel set in a fictional version of 793 A.D. in Anglo-Saxon England, Scandinavia, and Jotunheim. Jack, the protagonist, is a young Saxon boy who, with his younger sister, Lucy, is enslaved by Northmen and has to deal with the consequences.
[edit] Plot summary
The story is set in a fictional version of 793 A.D. It begins when Jack, a young Saxon boy, is accepted as the village bard's apprentice. Jack loves learning from the bard who teaches him to better see, hear, and sense the world around him. Jack is content until Northmen invade his village. With the help of the bard, the villagers are saved, but Jack and his younger sister Lucy are taken as slaves, or thralls, and the bard is left apparently insane and behaving like a crow.
While Jack and Lucy are on the Northmen's ship they meet a few potential allies: Olaf One-Brow, the ship's captain and leader of the berserkers; Thorgil, a young woman berserker; Rune, a sailor; and Bold-Heart, a crow. The Northmen intend to sell Jack and Lucy at market but they are kept because of Lucy's cuteness and Jack's abilities with poetry and magic. Olaf decides to keep Jack as his personal thrall and give Lucy as a present to King Ivar the Boneless and his half-troll wife, Queen Frith.
When they arrive at the court nothing goes as planned. Jack inadvertently destroys Queen Frith's magically maintained beauty and she threatens to kill Lucy unless it can be restored. Jack goes with his new-found allies on a quest to Jotunheim to seek the mythic Mimir's Well, a well with magical water which gives the drinker knowledge, at the roots of the equally mythic tree Yggdrassil.
On this quest, Jack learns that even people who initially seem cruel can have a deep sense of honor and be capable of love. Olaf gives his life to help Jack and so Jack gives him a worthy burial. He also develops a deep friendship with Thorgil, restores Rune's voice, and saves his sister. Jack and Lucy are eventually escorted home by the Northmen. The village bard is restored and the children are reunited with their family.
[edit] Characters in The Sea of Trolls
- Jack, a Saxon who is enslaved by Northmen
- Lucy, Jack's younger sister who is enslaved with him
- Thorgil, a young Northwoman and a berserker
- Olaf One-Brow, a Northman and a ship captain
- Ivar the Boneless, a weak Northman king
- Frith Half-Troll, a half-troll sorceress and Ivar's queen
- Bold-Heart is a bard in the body of a crow
[edit] Allusions and references to myth, literature and history
This book alludes and refers to Norse mythology including Jotuns, the pantheon of Norse gods, the Norns, Mimir's Well and Yggdrasil. It also references the legend of Beowulf. The story includes a fictional version of the historical character Ivar the Boneless and also fictionalised Druids. Farmer also references the nursery rhyme "Jack and Jill" but she incorrectly claims that story originated from Norse mythology when this supposed origin is in fact fakelore invented by Sabine Baring-Gould in the 19th century.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- 2005, Mythopoeic Awards, Children's Literature category, short list.[1]
- 2005, James Tiptree, Jr. Award, short list.[2]
- 2005, Locus Award, Young Adult Book category, 7th place.[3]
[edit] Release details
- 2004, U.S., Atheneum Books (Simon & Schuster), ISBN-10: 0689867441, ISBN-13: 978-0689867446, hardcover, September 2004
- 2004, UK, Simon & Schuster Children's Books, ISBN-10: 0689860439, ISBN-13: 978-0689860430, hardcover, 4 October 2004
- 2005, U.S., Thorndike Press (Thomson Gale), ISBN-10: 0786271515, ISBN-13: 978-0786271511, Large print hardcover, 10 January 2005
- 2006, El Mar de los Trolls (Spanish language translation), Planeta, ISBN-10: 8408065653, ISBN-13: 978-8408065654, paperback, 30 January 2006
[edit] Notes
- ^ Kelly, Mark R. (2000–2007). 2005 Mythopoeic Awards. Locus Index to SF Awards. Locus Publications. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ Kelly, Mark R. (2000–2007). 2005 James Tiptree Jr Memorial Award. Locus Index to SF Awards. Locus Publications. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
- ^ Kelly, Mark R. (2000–2007). 2005 Locus Awards. Locus Index to SF Awards. Locus Publications. Retrieved on 2007-03-21.
