Customer Reviews

The Prodigal Troll

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2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Charles Coleman Finlay's writing in his first novel is strong and does a great job showing the complexities of his characters, human and troll alike (well, perhaps only one troll). However, I feel that Finlay looks too far ahead toward describing Maggot's future adventures as a troll-reared man dealing with the various corruptions of civilization, instead of focusing on this one story. Although each scene is carefully crafted, the book taken as a whole doesn't have much continuity or momentum. It left me asking myself "Why do I care?" after I finished, particularly after the rather abrupt and slightly cliched ending.

With that in mind, I still look forward to Finlay's future stories about Maggot because of Finlay's insight and characterizations of places and people. I just rather wish he didn't write this book first.

Charles Coleman Finlay is a master at the art of the short story, producing diverse and creative stories which have made him a regular contributor to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

"The Prodigal Troll," based on a previously published short story, is the tale of a boy who winds up living amongst trolls, growing up knowing only troll ways and trying to overcome the obstacles he faces due to his frailties in comparison to his massive peers. The book combines elements of adventure, fantasy, and politics, all delivered with a wry wit that adds uniqueness to the tale.

There are things about the story I'd like to have been elaborated upon further, like the troll society itself, where the interaction between the boy (dubbed Maggot) does everything he can to truly become one of them, but ultimately fails. In fantasy, I most look for the elements of worldbuilding and characterization to drive the tale, and Finley delivers these very well, although I wish there were even more. I particularly wanted more insight into the three gods who rule over the world, and the magic through which humans can manipulate their powers. The one time when it seemed that the secrets of this were about to be revealed to Maggot, the wizard about to educate him is murdered in mid-sentence. And later on, Maggot manipulates this very magic through charms worn around his neck. By committing a simple act, the charms perform their magic all on their own. Like the book as a whole, it was an interesting and entertaining twist, but still left me wanting to know more.

I think it's safe to say that there will likely be a sequel, and I'm very much looking forward to it. I just hope that the author builds on the foundation he's laid here, and takes us deeper into this mysterious and fun new world.

- Gregory Bernard Banks, author of "Phoenix Tales: Stories of Death & Life"

This book has many parallels with Tarzan but the characterization is much more complex. If for no other reason, this book should be read for the trolls -- their actions and reactions are delightfully direct yet they have a complex society. They are vivid; they jump off the page.

Maggot's struggle may be similar to Tarzan's, but his motivations are darker, more selfish (even if he himself is not aware of it), as are the motivations of all the humans. As I was reading, I found myself drawn futher and further along by a desire to find out more about both the trolls and the humans in this story. Their actions were puzzling at times, and it was a thrill to discover why, in later parts of the story, after learning what kinds of forces shaped their societies, they came to the conclusions they did and why they acted as they did. They did what any good character or group of characters do by the end of the book: they kept my sympathy.

All in all, this book is well done and I'm hoping there is more to come from this insightful author.

Charles Coleman Finlay's debut fantasy novel, The Prodigal Troll, shines in its compelling and powerfully imaginative treatment of dissonant cultures in conflict. Finlay manages to do well in a single piece what so many fantasy authors cannot, even in the multiple-volume sagas currently in vogue: weave a rich tapestry of hitherto unknown cultures and tell a damn good story to boot. Prodigal Troll neither takes on the creation of all the minutiae of an entire world, nor does it expound at excruciating length on the politics and economics of numerous kingdoms and empires with unpronounceable names.

An empire expanding its borders invades a wide and fertile valley, the territory of a tribal people. Technologically and militarily advanced, the empire inevitably pushes the tribes to the fringes of the mountains beyond the valley. However, the conquest completed, the center of the empire now seeks to curb the autonomy of the periphery, in particular the conquering hero Lord Gruethrist. Knowing that he cannot resist directly, Gruethrist plans to take to the hills as a rebel, hoping eventually to force a favorable settlement. There is one problem with this plan; Gruethrist's infant son, Claye.

With imperial forces besieging his castle, Gruethrist entrusts Claye to a knight and a nursemaid. These guardians slip away in the night with the infant, but before they can reach safety, they meet their deaths in the wild hills. A mother troll, grieving over the death of her infant daughter, finds Claye and adopts him as her own child. Claye grows into manhood among the mountain-dwelling trolls. When he desires to take a mate, however, his otherness leads him down from the mountains toward the settlements of men, just as the tribes begin to chafe again at the ascendancy of the invaders.

Jacket blurbs compare Prodigal Troll to LeGuin's The Left Hand of Darkness and Burrough's Tarzan stories. Perhaps these are apt comparisons, perhaps not, given some similar themes and plot devices; but Finlay brings his own strong, confident style to bear upon these themes. The fan of LeGuin and the fan of Burroughs should not expect to find a merely concurrent voice in Finlay. The Prodigal Troll works well enough on its own merits.

Although The Prodigal Troll is Finlay's debut novel, he can hardly be considered a newcomer. Finlay has contributed numerous short stories to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Accordingly, this novel-length work demonstrates a mastery of style and composition too often lacking in freshmen authors. At times, it is true, the prose becomes somewhat heavy-handed, with metaphors hitting the reader over the head like a giant hammer wielded by a giant hammering the reader over the head. These instances come few and far between. More often, thankfully, Finlay's writing approaches beauty, sometimes inspired, sometimes inspiring.

If there is a serious weakness in Prodigal Troll, it would be found at the ending. Without spoiling the book, it must suffice to say that Finlay concludes the book in an abrupt manner. The actions and motivations of the characters at this point do not entirely make sense. However, the ending works better by remembering that the opening scene of the novel belongs, chronologically, at the conclusion, and by assuming that Finlay sets up a sequel by ending The Prodigal Troll in this way.

Rescued by a female troll, the infant Claye is raised as a troll, learning their language, customs, and way of life. Since this is all he's ever known, Claye (or "Maggot" as he is named by the trolls) finds it hard to relate to humans on his first ventures in meeting others of his own kind.

This is a humorous and moving tale in the vein of such classics as The Jungle Book and Tarzan. With characterization as the strength of this novel, Finlay has created a fantastic world for this tragic circumstance. Seeing the human world from Maggot's troll mindset, invokes times of humor as well as drama in a realistic way. Well, as realistic as a world where trolls and magic are the norm.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel. And I look forward to the next, in which the ending of The Prodigal Troll leaves wide open for a sequel.

Charles Coleman Finlay's The Prodigal Troll is expanded from some previously published short stories. A couple appeared in F&SF, and one interesting one appeared in Black Gate. This last, "The Nursemaid's Suitor", is actually the first part of the novel, but slightly -- though very significantly -- changed. As Finlay notes, it's the story that he would have told if the story was meant to be about the nursemaid and her suitor, rather than about Claye/Maggot, the actual protagonist of the novel.

In a fairly standard (but nicely presented) medievaloid fantasy world, Lord Gruethrist's domains are, at the open, taken over by an ambitious rival. Or, I should say, Lady Gruethrist -- in this world, all land is owned by women. Men fight wars and otherwise act for their wives, but only women can own property. Well, women and eunuchs (who are addressed as "she" and "her".) Lord and Lady Gruethrist have an infant son, Claye, and he has detailed one of his best warriors to help the child's nursemaid to escape to safety. The warrior in question, it turns out, has an unrequited passion for the nursemaind. But on their escape they learn that the situation is more dire than they expected -- it seems the political winds blow entirely against Lord Gruethrist, and all his allies are either dead or subverted. They try to make a home in an deserted cottage, but come to grief -- however, the child survives, because he is adopted by a troll.

Trolls, it seems, are an endangered humanoid species, living in the mountains. Claye, now called Maggot, is raised as a troll, but his differences soon become apparent. His good heart and intelligence serve him in good stead, against the suspicions of the dwindling bands of trolls -- victims of human incursion and their own inflexibility. Eventually Maggot comes out of the mountains, where he sees a woman who completely entrances him. Much of the rest of the novel concerns his fumbling attempts to attract her attention, leading to involvement in a human war, and eventually in corrupt human politics. The resolution involves some expected but satisfying coincidences, and an honest and not standard conclusion -- which quite effectively closes the novel's story but leaves open the possibility (but not necessity) of sequels.

Most of the other reviewers have compared this book to Tarzan, but I'll compare it with Tanith Lee's The Birthgrave, which also has a quasi-human central character alone and isolated, searching for her true identity amid a series of decadent and violent human societies. The difference is that The Birthgrave conveys both sadness and power; the mysterious guilt of the heroine is more interesting than the Troll-boy's innocence.

This book is a Tarzan-like story of Claye, a 9 month old heir to a Barony who is spirited away from a burning castle by two loyal retainers, only to end up adopted by mountain trolls and given a new name, Maggot.

Years later, as an adult he finds his way back to the lands of Man - only to find he has little in common with the people living there, despite physical appearances. The lands of Man he finds are lands of war, and in social processes have no advantage over that of the Trolls.

Although I liked Maggot and found him an intelligent character, in the end this book did not really appeal to me. Too derivative in some ways of the old Noble Savage ideas. While it is true that many hunter gatherer societies are often more truly democratic than our own, an empire with its attendant beaucracy is not always inherently an evil thing either - and this book seems to play heavily to those themes. I liked the ending to this novel, but I know its not a book I'd read again.

The versatile Charles Coleman Finlay has written a book that made me think of Kipling's Mowgli stories - and of the movie "Little Big Man." Very different, and after reading THE PRODIGAL TROLL you'll never think of trolls the same way again! The magic that weaves in and out of the book is in two equal parts: that which arises out of the mysteries of life and that which comes from a world steeped in magical creatures and processes, processes the author makes as natural as the seasons.
- Wendy S. Delmater, Asssociate Editor, Abyss & Apex

For me, the mark of a good fantasy novel is if I leave it wanting more. I wasn't expecting the end of this book to surprise me the way it did. It gave me at once a compelling insight into Maggot's character that made me like him so much more than I already did, and an intense desire to find out what happens next. The writing is skillfully handled and I'm sorry I have to wait as long as I invariably will for the sequel.