The Troll's Grindstone

Rating:
Summary: A refreshingly different approach to fantasy
Review: I don't believe that justice has been done to Elizabeth Boyer's book "The Troll's Grindstone" by some of the reviews here, which prompts me to add my own opinion.

The tale has an interesting basis in Scandinavian mythology, some very nice plot twists and is overall a good read - highly recommended. I found it tough to put down - and an engaging tale.

I came to this web site seeking a sequel, or at least a similar book by the author.

Rating:
Summary: More support for Boyer
Review: I need to up the score here, I dont want anyone to skip over this book if Amazon finds copies still floating out there. I read this book in grade 7, so that must be about 12 years ago or so! wow! It hooked me on Fantasy, I have read all other books Boyer ever wrote, and even used to take the time to read them to my younger sibling. Troll's Grindstone had engaging characters and one of the greatest novel endings ever! Fabulous!

Rating:
Summary: More support for Boyer
Review: I need to up the score here, I dont want anyone to skip over this book if Amazon finds copies still floating out there. I read this book in grade 7, so that must be about 12 years ago or so! wow! It hooked me on Fantasy, I have read all other books Boyer ever wrote, and even used to take the time to read them to my younger sibling. Troll's Grindstone had engaging characters and one of the greatest novel endings ever! Fabulous!

Rating:
Summary: An OK read, but a cool Myth
Review: When I first read this book I really was a litle let down. It kind off avoided all of my expectations (which I had gotten from a review in Dragon Magazine). It had nice characters, but then it really played out exactly the way you thought it would. That kind of balanced it all out. It was a nice, but ultimately forgetable book.
But then I looked at it in a different way. After I pondered it, it hit me that this tale was very nearly a perfect replica of old tales of myth. Once I looked at it in that light I appreciated it a bit more. The tale is well crafted, and if it were sent back in time to compete with Beowulf I doubt we'd ever spot its modern roots.
That said, there are flaws. The most poignant of which is the fact that the "hero" of the tale is not the one doing all of what he is supposed to do. He gets all the credit while his companions do the work.
A man from our world (a Scipling) is decieved into entering the world of the Alfar (a land of magic) to retrieve a sword, mend a broken pentacle, and get a mystic grindstone in order to lift a curse and free the day people. To do so he must pose as the man who brought this plague of misery onto the day people. The viking reluctantly agrees to help, and eventually gets drawn into the action and desires to help. Liefr is the everyman of the tale, who is really a brave warrior, but it is his "relative" Thurid who does all the work of the novel. Read it, you'll see what I mean. This is a good starting point.

Rating:
Summary: An OK read, but a cool Myth
Review: When I first read this book I really was a litle let down. It kind off avoided all of my expectations (which I had gotten from a review in Dragon Magazine). It had nice characters, but then it really played out exactly the way you thought it would. That kind of balanced it all out. It was a nice, but ultimately forgetable book.
But then I looked at it in a different way. After I pondered it, it hit me that this tale was very nearly a perfect replica of old tales of myth. Once I looked at it in that light I appreciated it a bit more. The tale is well crafted, and if it were sent back in time to compete with Beowulf I doubt we'd ever spot its modern roots.
That said, there are flaws. The most poignant of which is the fact that the "hero" of the tale is not the one doing all of what he is supposed to do. He gets all the credit while his companions do the work.
A man from our world (a Scipling) is decieved into entering the world of the Alfar (a land of magic) to retrieve a sword, mend a broken pentacle, and get a mystic grindstone in order to lift a curse and free the day people. To do so he must pose as the man who brought this plague of misery onto the day people. The viking reluctantly agrees to help, and eventually gets drawn into the action and desires to help. Liefr is the everyman of the tale, who is really a brave warrior, but it is his "relative" Thurid who does all the work of the novel. Read it, you'll see what I mean. This is a good starting point.