Troll Fell

Rating:
Summary: Solid fantasy
Review: A Norse flavor is given to "Troll Fell," a solid and surprisingly imaginative fantasy starting off on a Cinderella note. Katherine Langrish's debut novel has a few dropped threads, but dips into traditional goblins and ghouls as its inspirations. And it's inspired indeed.

Peer's father has died, just after completing a new longship. Enter Baldur, his ogrish uncle, who takes all of Peer's money and drags him and his faithful dog away. Peer's new home is a miserable place, in a land surrounded by angry neighbors and mischief-making trolls. He's treated like a slave by his uncles Baldur and Grim, and his only solace is the Nis (a neglected house sprite) and a girl from the neighboring farm, Hilde.

But things take a nastier turn after Peer encounters the ghoulish Granny Green-teeth: She reveals that at a forthcoming double wedding for troll princes and princesses, the uncles are going to give him as a wedding present. What's worse, they also plan to kidnap Hilde and give HER as a gift too. Determined to save himself, Peer runs away from home -- only to end up right in the trolls' hands...

"Troll Fell" is a good example of what a fantasy should be -- not derivative, well-written, quick-faced and with enough quirks to keep it from being too grim. Langrish doesn't stoop to deus ex machinae, but keeps the plot simple and straightforward, while peppering it with plenty of northern ghoulies, ghosties and long-legged beasties.

Her writing is solid and descriptive, bringing to life everything from the bleak hills to the bizarre underground kingdom of the trolls. Langrish is particularly good at making the readers feel what the characters are feeling, such as Peer's almost crippling claustrophobia, or his horror at seeing faithful dog Loki thrown into a dogfight. A few threads -- such as Granny's threat to Peer -- are left unsatisfied, but a sequel might take care of those.

Peer and Hilde are a good hero and heroine, with their own flaws and squabbles and weaknesses. The supporting cast is equally good -- the scraggly, disgruntled Nis, the stupid lubbers, the grandmotherly yet homicidal pond-dweller Granny Greenteeth, feisty grandpa Eirek, and the greedy, scheming Baldur and Grim.

"Troll Fell" lives up to its promise as a suspenseful, well-written fantasy. Katherine Langrish does a good job, with plenty of promise for her future books.

Rating:
Summary: Great fantasy
Review: Peer Ulfsson stands at the funeral of his father, wondering what will happen to him when a big brutish man arrives claiming to be his Uncle Baldur Grimsson, the miller of Trollsvik. The twelve year old had no idea he had a relative, but Baldur with only a nasty word about his dead sibling grabs the lad to yank him back with him. The odious Baldur also takes any money Ulf left behind claiming a debt and even absconds with Peer's ring. Peer leaves with his uncle even while the funeral pyre still burns. When they reach Baldur's home, Peer meets his other uncle Grim, who lives up to his name.

Peer makes friends with the housekeeper Nis the gremlin and with Hilde, whose father is going on a sea voyage. Peer learns that his guardians intend to sell him and Hilde to the troll king who will use them as a wedding present as the trio knows that the finest gift in the land is young human slaves.

The Harry Potter crowd will enjoy this feature length fairy tale mindful of the relationship between the stepmother and Cinderella. The well-written story line hooks the audience who will wonder if the two children can find a way to trump the sneaky trolls and the nasty human adults. The trolls slyly use shadows to cause trouble while the uncles are an unpleasant pragmatic pair rivaling the cruelty of de Cruella. Still the tale belongs to two courageous children and a frightened goblin as they seek a happily ever ending.

Harriet Klausner