The Sea of Trolls

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Three time Newbery honor author Nancy Farmer's epic fantasy, The Sea of Trolls, is gigantic in every way. There are big Vikings and bigger trolls. There are big themes--hope, despair, life and death. At a substantial 450+ pages, the sheer size of this hefty tome is impressive. But, like all of Farmer's fine work, the large scale has room for enormous quantities of heart and humor. At the center of this massive adventure is a small Saxon boy named Jack, who's never been much good at anything until the Bard of his medieval village makes him an apprentice. Then, just as Jack is learning to tap into and control his power, he is kidnapped (along with his little sister, Lucy) and taken to the court of King Ivar the Boneless and his half troll queen Frith. When one of Jack's amateur spells causes the evil queen's beautiful hair to fall out, he is forced to undertake a dangerous quest across the Sea of Trolls to make things right, or suffer the consequences--the sacrifice of his beloved sister to Frith's patron goddess, Freya. Along the way Jack faces everything from giant golden troll-bears to man-eating spiders, yet each frightening encounter brings wisdom and understanding to the budding young Bard. No quester who enters these pages with Jack will go away unsatisfied. Farmer's skillful melding of history, mythology, and humor, is reminiscent of both Tamora Pierce and Terry Pratchett's medieval fantasies, and will no doubt be HUGELY enjoyed by fantasy readers of all ages. --Jennifer Hubert

Book Description

Jack was eleven when the berserkers loomed out of the fog and nabbed him. "It seems that things are stirring across the water," the Bard had warned. "Ships are being built, swords are being forged."

"Is that bad?" Jack had asked, for his Saxon village had never before seen berserkers.

"Of course. People don't make ships and swords unless they intend to use them."

The year is A.D. 793. In the next months, Jack and his little sister, Lucy, are enslaved by Olaf One-Brow and his fierce young shipmate, Thorgil. With a crow named Bold Heart for mysterious company, they are swept up into an adventure-quest in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings.

Award-winner Nancy Farmer has never told a richer, funnier tale, nor offered more timeless encouragement to young seekers than "Just say no to pillaging."

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"Jack was eleven when the berserkers loomed out of the fog and nabbed him. ""It seems that things are stirring across the water,"" the Bard had warned. ""Ships are being built, swords are being forged."" ""Is that bad?"" Jack had asked, for his Saxon village had never before seen berserkers. ""Of course. People don't make ships and swords unless they intend to use them."" The year is A.D. 793. In the next months, Jack and his little sister, Lucy, are enslaved by Olaf One-Brow and his fierce young shipmate, Thorgil. With a crow named Bold Heart for mysterious company, they are swept up into an adventure-quest that follows in the spirit of The Lord of the Rings. Other threats include a willful mother Dragon, a giant spider, and a troll-boar with a surprising personality -- to say nothing of Ivar the Boneless and his wife, Queen Frith, a shape-shifting half-troll, and several eight foot tall, orange-haired, full-time trolls. But in stories by award-winner Nancy Farmer, appearances do deceive. She has never told a richer, funnier tale, nor offered more timeless encouragement to young seekers than ""Just say no to pillaging."" "

Customer Reviews:

my favorite book.......2007-09-06

i am 13 and i have read a lot of books and this is my favorite one ever. i cant wait to read the land of the silver apples.

This is NOT a kids book--or shouldn't be, anyway.......2007-07-10

I enjoyed reading this book and thought it was imaginitive and fun, if not exactly bursting with originality. But I'm in my 30's and passages were too disturbing for me. Parents beware--it contains extreme violence, atrocities really, and I would not let any kid under 16 read it. Examples of the violence I'm talking about--a woman having her throat slit and her body casually thrown over the side of a boat. Monks being massacred, with the killings described in detail. Lots of gruesome descriptions of other killings, lots of blood. If I want my child to read about mass murder and casual violence, I'll let him watch the news.

Remarkable Reading.......2007-07-06

I first encountered Nancy Farmer's writing in the House of the Scorpion and then The Ear, The Eye and The Arm. Both of these books were amazingly inventive and told terrific stories. While I don't feel that The Sea of Trolls resonates as well as these books, I still think it displayed remarkable writing and gave a charming insight into the world of ancient Nordic culture. It's very easy to follow Jack on his travels across the water into the kingdom of trolls, and everything ties up in such a neat little package, I had to laugh out loud. It tells a great story without falling into melodramatics or taking on a condescending tone. I'd recommend this to any child, or any adult for that matter.

Not Harry Potter, but an engaging journey.......2007-06-20

I found Sea of Trolls fascinating. I have to preface this by saying I'm not a fantasy adventure or whatever this genre is fan. I wasn't too enthusiastic about reading it, but I was totally taken in by all the details about life in this time as well as the fantasy elements. Other readers of this genre may have anticipated a lot of the turns that were new to me. I agree with the one-star reveiwer who mentioned how violent it was. Certainly it is true to the era which I imagine was a great deal more violent than Farmer depicted. I was aware, especially at the beginning that the language was somewhat simplistic, but as I read I got accustomed to that. This does have a lot of the characteristics of Harry Potter, but this books is not as rich and imaginative as Potter. I've been reading a lot of young adult books this summer in preparation for a class I will teach. This was one of the most enjoyable and satisfying. If other novels by Nancy Farmer are better, I certainly would like to try those.

The Terrific Sea of Trolls.......2007-04-12

The Terrific Sea of Trolls

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer is an adventurous book that I would recommend to kids ten and up. Over the next few months Jack and his sister Lucy will be enslaved by a fierce warrior named Olaf one-brow and his adopted daughter Thorgil. Jack, Thorgil, and Olaf set off to Jotunheim and encounter a troll bear, a dragon, a troll boar, a crow named Bold Heart, a giant spider, a troll queen, and TROLLS! This book reminds me of a kid version of The lord of the Rings.
Thorgil was born from a thrall (servant) named Alison. Thorgil's father was the greatest berserker ever to live. When Thorgrim (thorgil's father) died he was put on his ship with his wife (that was still alive) and the ship sailed away while it was on fire. Before Thorgrim died he gave Thorgil to the second greatest warrior Olaf one-brow. Jack was born from a middle class family that lives on a farm. His family and the rest of the town has to take care of an old barb nicknamed the Dragon Tongue. The Dragon Tongue was thrown off a boat and floated 50 miles to Jack village.
You should read this book even if you are a slow reader because all in all, it is one of the best books I have ever read.

Planet Ocean: A Story of Life, the Sea, and Dancing to the Fossil Record

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A story of life, the sea...fossils...Planet Earth!
As good as palaeontology gets! Sagan would be proud! A+
Evolution gets its start
A beautiful, well-written view of past life in the ocean!

Planet Ocean: A Story of Life, the Sea, and Dancing to the Fossil Record
Bradford Matsen
Manufacturer: Ten Speed Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Evolution | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0898157781

Customer Reviews:

A story of life, the sea...fossils...Planet Earth!.......2006-07-22

I bought this book essentially to serve as additional curriculum support to my 'Science & The Art of Discovery' workshop designed for kids, 8-12. I have kept it in the office library where the kids can have ready access.

Participating kids often like to take out the book to browse. I often find them transfixed with awe.

The book is a wonderful visual & intellectual treat. The printed text integrates natural history, paleontology, geology, & biology into a wholistic narrative about the origins of all life on earth.

I like to conclude this review with a quotation from the book: "We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started. And know the place for the first time. (T S Elliot, 'Four Quartets')"

I would enthusiastically recommend this entertaining book to your kids, particularly when they have an interest in science.

As good as palaeontology gets! Sagan would be proud! A+.......2005-02-16

The late Carl Sagan thought that science should be "user-friendly," presented not in jargon but in regular English. He believed that the general public could -- and should -- have access to the latest scientific discoveries.

Sagan would be proud of _Planet Ocean._ The central theme of the book is stated clearly on page 1: "Nature is a workshop, not a temple." Matsen spends the rest of the book supporting this concept, explaining that life is not a stately, well-executed design where species climb a ladder of progress; rather, evolution is an inescapable and completely random condition. Animals and plants breed, have offspring that are slightly different, and continue to become slightly more different with each successive generation until the distant grandkids look nothing like the original parent. In addition, through totally weird, sometimes avoidable and sometimes unavoidable circumstances, the species as a whole will either do very well, or get pushed out of the scene. The environment works like the stock market -- fortunes are made, and fortunes are lost. (The metaphor of "rolling the dice" comes up more than once.)

Matsen's prose is engaging, entertaining, and extremely informative. In one of my favorite sections, he describes the success of the trilobites (who survived for 300 million years in Earth's oceans):

"They would eat anything and breed anywhere, and they made themselves as unattractive to predators as possible. We all have relatives like them. From [trilobites] and their success and longevity, an evolutionary rule of thumb has emerged: 'The more specialized a species, the less able to cope with change it will be once the inevitable happens and old habitats change beyond the point of recognition' [...]. In other words, generalists usually outlast specialists, and evolutionary progress is not necessarily a matter of refinement. [...] Ninety percent of success is just showing up. Ask an arthropod, like a trilobite or a cockroach. [...] Generalism won't get you to Carnegie Hall with your cello, but a cockroach doesn't need a cello." (p. 14).

This conversational tone is used throughout the book, and it really works. Matsen's prose reminds one of an after-class discussion with a very generous, patient biology teacher -- the kind you always wished you had, and didn't. Matsen takes otherwise very difficult subject matter and explains it in understandable terms that don't insult the intelligence of the reader. He even suggests amusing mnemonics to remember the order of epochs in the Palaezoic and Mesozoic eras ("Crying over sleeping dragons may puzzle people, terrify, (or) joyfully convert") as well as for the Cenozoic era ("Palaeontologists eat only murky plankton porridge hot").

Interwoven with the education that Matsen offers is the story of his and artist Ray Troll's voyage of discovery. Brad and Ray actually travelled to many of the sites discussed in the book, and the little personal touches -- Brad's vision of the Cretacious sea as they drove across Kansas, Ray's discovery and naming of a totally new species of pterasaur, and the fishing trips enjoyed by both -- really draw in the reader. One becomes intimate with the friendly voice, the casual, personal stories, and history of life on Earth.

Not to be missed, of course, is the wonderful art. Ray Troll is a meticulous artist, and his offbeat sense of humor is perfectly in place with the spirit of the book. For example, his illustration of a lungfish's hesitant voyage out of water is captioned, "Out of the ooze and born to cruise." Not to be missed are his "ads" for a wrist watch that measures geologic time; Burgess Brand Primordial Soup; and that great French wine, Chateau Mosasaur. Doodles, sketches, and highly detailed pastel paintings are strewn throughout, and they are worth the price of the book by themselves. (Interested readers can preview some of Ray's art at his homepage, www.trollart.com)

This book is an excellent introduction to evolution, palaeontology, marine biology, and/or marine science. Alternately light and serious, one is sorry to finish the book. It -- like the 650 million year history it encapsulates -- is such a joy to experience. Highly recommended.

Evolution gets its start.......2004-09-10

Brad Matsen and Ray Troll's "Planet Ocean" is a lively swim through the fossil record, beginning at the beginning 650 million years ago in the watery depths.

Troll's whimsical illustrations accompany Matsen's humorously accessible explanations of what we've learned - and think we've learned - from the earliest fossils. Matsen traces evolution from the primordial soup to the first colonies of multicellular organisms to the ubiquitous trilobytes - "the most diverse and successful animals on Planet Ocean until the Permian extinction claimed the last of them."

He discusses the engineering that went into chambers (the nautilus) and hard shells and the arrival of backbones and speculates (with the experts) on the role of extinctions in evolution, including our own.

Although he sometimes demolishes or supports theories without sufficient scientific explanation, Matsen's watery perspective is well-organized and refreshing and Troll's drawings and paintings are as likely to be detailed and informative as they are fanciful and quirky.

A beautiful, well-written view of past life in the ocean!.......1998-06-25

This book was a pleasure to read- even though it was mostly facts (and this is coming from a teenager)! Sure, I love learning about evolution and fossils, but I rarely sit down to read long, boring books about it. But this book is fresh, colorful, full of information, and INTERESTING!!! I congratulate the author and illustrator for putting out such a masterpiece! It is sure to recruit paleontologists for the next generation!

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea - Pbk (Ic) (Troll Illustrated Classics)

Average customer rating:

Super Reader
Awesome!
A great book
20,000 leagues under the boring
Wonderfully illustrated, very informative, kids love it!

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea - Pbk (Ic) (Troll Illustrated Classics)
Verne
Manufacturer: Troll Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0816718806

Book Description

Discover the classics! Beautifully designed and carefully abridged, Troll Illustrated Classics are the perfect introductions to the world's best-loved literature.

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An American frigate, tracking down a ship-sinking monster, faces not a living creature but an incredible invention -- a fantastic submarine commanded by the mysterious Captain Nemo. Suddenly a devastating explosion leaves just three survivors, who find themselves prisoners inside Nemo's death ship on an underwater odyssey around the world from the pearl-laden waters of Ceylon to the icy dangers of the South Pole . . .as Captain Nemo, one of the greatest villians ever created, takes his revenge on all society. More than a marvelously thrilling drama, this classic novel, written in 1870, foretells with uncanny accuracy the inventions and advanced technology of the twentieth century and has become a literary stepping-stone for generations of science fiction writers. From the Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-09-01

A group of men come to misfortune at sea. They have the dubious misfortune to come to the attention of Captain Nemo and his highly advanced submarine, Nautilus. While this prevents them from drowning, they do get caught up with some of the odd Captain's other pursuits. Ned and company do certainly get some education in oceanography and marine biology along the way.

They do have to worry about what the antiheroic supergenius Nemo is actually up to, though.

Awesome!.......2007-08-06

I purchased this book to read to my five year old son. It is a great adaptation and there are pictures on every three to four pages which keeps him interested in the book. Great illustrations! We are loving every minute of it and read 2-3 chapters a night!

A great book.......2007-06-05

Twenty Thousand Leagues under The Sea by Jules Verne is one of the best
science fiction books. I would recommend the movie starring James Mason
as Captain Nemo. It is well written as all of Jules Verne's books are.
Danny Fleming, author of How to Prove The Collatz Conjecture.

20,000 leagues under the boring.......2007-05-11

The good author believes the gentle reader is fascinated by detailed descriptions of underwater flora, fauna, and geology when, in reality, gentle reader is wondering when something is going to happen. Many is the retired gent who has come to me with his list of a kabillion classics he is supposed to read before he dies and I suggest he also check out maybe a cowboy and a mystery, but he does not and he never checks out anything again. Well, a "classic" is merely a book that is still in print, possibly because the publisher does not have to pay royalties on public domain titles. Now, this book is still in print; so, by golly, it indeed qualifies as a classic. And, it is just the thing to give to a reluctant reader to prevent him from ever checking out anything again. It is definitely not a fast read by modern standards. Not that TLUTS is not a great read, but it is hard work for an average reader and should not be required of the inexperienced reader. Thus the book deserves, perhaps, a 5 star for the experienced classic reader but only a 1 star for the novice.

Wonderfully illustrated, very informative, kids love it!.......2007-03-16

My husband bought this book for our son at a visit to an aquarium, even though I thought it was too advanced for him because he's only four and half. I was wrong - my son LOVES this book! I know the age range on it is 9 to 12 and I have no doubt those ages would also enjoy reading the book themselves, but my son is constantly wanting me to read this to him and is always begging for me to read one more chapter because we usually only read one or two at a time (I will admit, I tone down the scarier parts just a bit for him because he's only four). The illustrated pages help hold his attention while I read to him even though there is a significant amount of text per page, and even my two and half year old can manage to sit through a chapter most days. I love the combination of illustration and text that allows me to read my sons more involved and advanced stories without them becoming bored because there isn't enough to hold their attention to the story. My older son loves asking questions about the pictures, especially the ones in the inserts that have information related to different aspects of the story, and I have learned a lot from those too! I definitely recommend this book and am currently looking into buying my son some more books from the DK/Eyewitness Classics series.

Adventures at Sea (Troll Classroom Themes)

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Adventures at Sea (Troll Classroom Themes)
Marianne Tully
Manufacturer: Troll
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000P8FXD6

Product Description

Learning Through Literature Themes Grades 1-2

Atheneum/Simon-Schuster/McElderry.(Lovingly Alice)(The Sea Of Trolls)(Wintering Well)(My Scrumptious Scottish Dumplings)(Bunnicula)(Bound)(House On The ... An article from: Children's Bookwatch

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Atheneum/Simon-Schuster/McElderry.(Lovingly Alice)(The Sea Of Trolls)(Wintering Well)(My Scrumptious Scottish Dumplings)(Bunnicula)(Bound)(House On The ... An article from: Children's Bookwatch

Manufacturer: Midwest Book Review
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Online Books | Books & Reading | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Children's Bookwatch, published by Midwest Book Review on February 1, 2005. The length of the article is 456 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Atheneum/Simon-Schuster/McElderry.(Lovingly Alice)(The Sea Of Trolls)(Wintering Well)(My Scrumptious Scottish Dumplings)(Bunnicula)(Bound)(House On The Gulf)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
Publication: Children's Bookwatch (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2005
Publisher: Midwest Book Review
Page: NA

Article Type: Book Review, Brief Article, Children's Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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El Mar De Los Trolls/the Sea of Trolls
Gemma Gallart
Manufacturer: Planeta
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Spanish | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Magic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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Kingdom of the Sea (Pk156)
Troll Books
Manufacturer: Troll Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0816712956

The Land of the Silver Apples (Unabridged)

Average customer rating:

The rare, wonderful middle book.
A wonderful sequel to a great book.

The Land of the Silver Apples (Unabridged)
Nancy Farmer
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
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ASIN: B000W56RJ6

Customer Reviews:

The rare, wonderful middle book........2007-10-01

I love this woman. I love every single thing she's written, albeit some more than others, so I am admittedly very biased when it comes to her works.

The book takes place after The Sea of Trolls when, among other things, Jack's sister Lucy is taken by elves and he has to travel underground to their lands to get her back.

The Land of the Silver Apples is such a good middle book. The story moves along at a great pace, and not once did I want to put it down. She has a delicate touch with the religious issues inherent in writing in this time period (Christian vs. Druidic vs. Nordic), and writes each in such a way that none of them are put down. It's quite lovely to not have to put up with an author hammering their beliefs down my throat.

I also adored her take on elves. I've never seen anything like it. Very refreshing and original, things quite lacking in the general portrayal of elves.

All her vivid, distinct characters are what really what give this book it's umph, though. Jack has matured, though he still has a lot of growing up to do, and seeing the great variety of characters through is alternately wise, sympathetic, jealous, and juvenile-ly hateful perspectives is just wonderful. A great amount of the cast from the Sea of Trolls returns, and the new additions to the cast are fully-fleshed and original.

The only disappointment I had was that there wasn't a greater role for the Picts. Or, rather, the Pictish Beast. ...it just seemed odd that one of the chapter headers was a Pictish Beast, it's mentioned once in a chapter, it's in the glossary, but... there's nothing else on it. Well, I guess it's such an indistinct beastie that I can say I wouldn't have wanted to tackle it myself.

All in all, another amazing book from an amazing author. I'm waiting on the edge of my seat for the next book!

A wonderful sequel to a great book........2007-09-04

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and didn't want it to end. The characters were very lifelike and had me thinking about them long after I put the book down. I did not like this quite as much as The Sea of Trolls but that is because of the wonderful Vikings. I loved the Vikings and the honesty with which they were written.

I am an adult and I read these books at the recommendation of my 12 year old son. I think girls would enjoy it too with the strong female characters.

Average customer rating:

Great Way to Get the Story Basics
Moby Dick- The undoubtful classic of American Literature

Moby Dick (Troll Illustrated Classics)
Gary Gianni , and Herman Melville
Manufacturer: Troll Communications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

The Secret Garden (Troll Illustrated Classics)

ASIN: 0816712085

Book Description

Discover the classics! Beautifully designed and carefully abridged, Troll Illustrated Classics are the perfect introductions to the world's best-loved literature.

Customer Reviews:

Great Way to Get the Story Basics.......2002-06-25

If you have to read this book for class but need something to give you a head start, this is a good one because you get pictures and simpler language. Then you can read the harder one!

Moby Dick- The undoubtful classic of American Literature.......1997-03-24

Moby Dick is truly a masterpiece. For those who only skim the surface we find an enticing tale of a man driven mad by injury and forced to revenge on his assailant, but if we dare to look past the mask, we find the book not only to contain this, but the struggle between man and God in the universe. Ahab, the mad captain, sets out on a ship representative of the world, in a quest to ultimately destroy Moby Dick, an untamable Spermaceti, in an effort to free himself from the restraints of nature imposed upon man. The book also addresses racism, the human soul, and evil among other issues. Fantastic

Sea of Mystery (Tunnels & Trolls Solo #14)

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Sea of Mystery (Tunnels & Trolls Solo #14)

Manufacturer: Flying Buffalo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0940244144

Product Description

"When you were small, your elders warned you that the Sea witches would come and take you away if you were bad. As you grew older, you heard a thousand different voices curse the pirates and slavers of the Sea. Your fellows told scary tales of carnivorous plants, the dreaded Mesgegra vampire-demon, and islands of beautiful amazons waiting for lost males. On the coast below you sprawls one of the port cities on the Sea of Mystery. As you travelled here, you heard of the desert Yajna tribes and their raiding of the Iderian coast; of the Sardur raiders and their attacks upon Merchant ships; but this has not daunted you. You've always felt the lure of the ocean; now you can realize a dream. You shoulder your bag and march towards the port ... to take ship on the Sea of Mystery."

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