Troll Fell 1 (Troll Trilogy) [Paperback]

Katherine Langrish (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 4, 2005 | Series: Troll Trilogy

Bearing all the markings of a truely classic novel, Troll Fell, is an exciting adventure-filled tale of Peer, his evil uncles, treasure and wicked trolls. Peer Ulfsson stood miserably at his father's funeral pyre, watching the sparks whirl up like millions of shining spirits streaking away into the dark. But someone else is also at the funeral. Peer's half-uncle, Baldur Grimsson. Peer watches helplessly as Uncle Baldur sells his father's property and pockets the money. Peer is then forced to move away from the world he knows in Hammerhaven, and live with his two half-uncles at their mill near Troll Fell. Peer hopes his other uncle will be more welcoming and less ferocious than Baldur, but Baldur is an identical twin, and Grim Grimsson is just as mean-spirited and greedy as his brother. Peer lives a life of servitude, with only the company of his faithful dog, Loki, until he meets spirited Hilde, whose family farm on Troll Fell, and Nis, his uncles' house spirit. Between them, they must foil a plot by the Grimsson brothers to sell one boy and one girl to the trolls who live on Troll Fell. But the Grimssons want riches, and they will do anything to get them. And as everyone knows, trolls are rich! but they are also cunning.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–Written in the tradition of an old Scandinavian fairy tale and filled with fantastic creatures, Viking ships, and some extremely loathsome humans, this is an exciting adventure story. When Peer Ulfsson's father dies, the boy is forced to live with his disgusting and greedy twin uncles. Peer soon discovers that they plan to sell him to the local troll king; he will be a wedding present to the king's son and will serve the newlyweds as a slave. Meanwhile, Peer makes friends with Hilde, a girl from a neighboring farm, and she tries to help him find a way to escape his fate. Then the uncles' plans change, and they abduct Hilde's twin siblings to sell to the trolls instead. As events unfold, Hilde and Peer begin to see a way to rescue the youngsters, escape, and rid themselves forever of the horrible uncles. Other magical beings inhabit this land, such as the Nis, a truculent and ill-treated household spirit, and Granny Green-teeth, a fearsome creature that lurks in a millpond. Peer and Hilde are easy to like and identify with. The troll kingdom is well and cleverly described. Readers will love to hate the uncles, who get exactly what they deserve in the end. This fast-paced novel maintains suspense and has a nice twist at the conclusion. All in all, this is great fun.–Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 5-7. Well-populated with menacing or mischievous creatures from Nordic folklore, this tale of an orphaned lad, and a spirited age-mate whose father has gone a-viking, offers full measures of danger, suspense, heroism, magic, and just deserts. His father's funeral pyre still alight, Peer Ulfsson is snatched away into servitude by his brutish twin uncles Grim and Baldur Grimsson. Along with encountering a sullen house elf and deadly Granny Greenteeth, who lives in the nearby pond, Peer meets Hilde, daughter of an absent farmer--and gets wind of his uncles' intent to sell human children for a golden reward to the king of the trolls dwelling under towering Troll Fell. But which children? Climaxed by a well-set-up twist and a splendidly trollish subterranean wedding feast, Langrish's tense, quick-paced story will keep readers glued to the page, cheering the determined young folk on as they muster the wit and courage to face challenges both natural and supernatural. A rousing debut, steeped in Scandinavian lore and history. John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins Childs (July 4, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007170726
• ISBN-13: 978-0007170722
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,411,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine Langrish grew up in Yorkshire, England and has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. She graduated from London University with a degree in English, and worked in an assortment of odd jobs including waitressing, teaching riding, and several years as Information Officer for Lloyd's Register of Ships in London. This last was an entertaining post dealing with an assortment of the ship-crazed public, including a man who claimed he could see shipwrecks with his 'magic eye.'

Married with two daughters, Katherine moved to France with her family and became involved in a storytelling group providing weekly stories, drama and activities for children. And the storytelling continued when the family relocated again, this time to the small town of Corning in New York State.

Returning to England in 1999, Katherine began writing 'Troll Fell', a folklore-based fantasy novel for children set in the Viking age. It was sold at auction to HarperCollins for a six-figure sum and was followed by the sequels, 'Troll Mill' and 'Troll Blood'. The books follow the fortunes of young Peer Ulfsson and his friend Hilde in a richly-imagined Scandinavian world. Katherine says, 'I don't do heroes with swords, rings and other magical gadgets, so my characters have to work out their problems by their own efforts.' The final book in the series takes the pair across the Atlantic in a Viking ship to the coasts of 'Vinland' (Nova Scotia). As part of her research she spent time learning to sail a replica Viking ship on Roskilde fjord, Denmark. Katherine approaches her fantasies as 'history with the beliefs put back in' - incorporating the beliefs of people of the past who took for granted the existence of trolls, ghosts, and other spirits.

Her fourth book for HarperCollins is a medieval fantasy called 'The Shadow Hunt' (UK title 'Dark Angels') which has been chosen as a Junior Library Guild Choice (Spring 2010), selected by Kirkus as one of the 2010 Best Books for Children, and nominated for the ALA's Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011.

The three Troll titles will be republished in one volume in March 2011 under the title 'West of the Moon'. Katherine is currently working on a new dystopian fantasy. You can visit her website at www.katherinelangrish.com - and you can catch up with her at her weekly blog 'Seven Miles of Steel Thistles' (voted 4th of the United Kingdom's YA fantasy blogs) at www.steelthistles.blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid fantasy, July 19, 2004

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Troll Fell (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Entirely Entertaining Book, February 4, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Troll Fell (Hardcover)

I would really recommend this book because it is about a boy who is in a desperate situation and still manages to find hope. He is forced to live with his two uncles who have stolen everything he owns, including his only remembrances of his father. There he must clean their boots and do other work including work in their mill. They are widely hated, for when they grind people's flour, they often intentionally throw in dirt and other yucky substances. What upsets me most is the fact that they nearly get their dog to kill the boy's dog.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adventure, Gold & Troublesome Trolls!, October 31, 2004

By 

Chrestomanci (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Troll Fell (Hardcover)

This book was recommended to me by two different people. At first I wondered whether a book about trolls would be something I'd like. However, I was pleasantly surprised - and found I enjoyed it thoroughly. The fantastical creatures of Norse mythology are a refreshing change from the characters found in most contemporary fantasy. Troll Fell is set in a world where trolls are as common as mice - though considerably more dangerous!

The story begins with young Peer Ulfsson at his beloved father's funeral. Finding himself now the obligatory orphan required for most children's fiction, he goes to live with his two unpleasant uncles: Baldur and Grim. They live in an old watermill at the foot of Troll Fell - and soon put Peer to work, treating him like an unpaid slave. Fortunately, Peer has his faithful dog, Loki, with him - and soon makes friends with Hilde from a neighboring farm, whose father has just sailed off on a Viking ship. He also befriends a Nis - a mysterious little creature who cleans the mill, (badly), in return for a daily bowl of groute, (a sort of Norse porridge). Peer also makes the acquaintance of Granny Greenteeth who lives in the millpond, waiting to drag the unwary down to the bottom.

As if slaving for Grim and Baldur isn't bad enough, Peer soon discovers his uncles have more sinister plans for him; plans that involve making a nefarious deal with the trolls of Troll fell. I'll say no more - leaving you to enjoy this beautifully crafted tale for yourself. Suffice to say it all ends well, with a twist or two along the way. An excellent first novel - hopefully the first of many.