The Land of the Silver Apples (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Rick Sardinha (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: holy isle, hobgoblin king, knucker hole, Father Severus, The Land of the Silver Apples, Brother Aiden (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Safely returned from his perilous stint among Northmen, 12-year-old Jack reflects, "That's the nature of adventures. . . . They're nasty while they're happening and only fun later." For readers, though, there's satisfaction in both the nasty and the fun, and this sequel to The Sea of Trolls (2004) offers full measures of both. After Jack learns that his often-bratty little sis is a changeling (and that his real sister likely dwells with hobgoblins), a misguided exorcism results in Lucy's disappearance. Then the young bard must descend into the out-of-time Land of the Silver Apples to retrieve both of his lost siblings. In that richly imagined realm, surprises include a reunion with shield-maiden Thorgil as well as creatures whose appearances deceive—shape-shifting knuckers; hideous yet likable hobgoblins; and lovely, soulless elves, whose inability to grow or age tinges their existence with tragedy. Occasionally, one wishes for a greater range of emotional tone to the predicaments, which plunge Jack into deep despair perhaps too consistently, but Farmer beautifully balances pell-mell action and quieter thematic points, especially the drawbacks of immortality and the wild tangle of Christian and pagan traditions in eighth-century Britain. Like the druidic life force Jack taps, this hearty adventure, as personal as it is epic, will cradle readers in the "hollow of its hand." Mattson, Jennifer

Review

"Jack, Pega, and Thorgil prove strong and capable in ways they themselves never suspected, and readers will look forward to the final installment."-- Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416907351
• ISBN-13: 978-1416907350
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful sequel to a great book., September 3, 2007

By	S. James (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The rare, wonderful middle book., October 1, 2007

By	C. Mangone (Kansas City, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars the land of the silver apples kcs, December 9, 2007

A Kid's Review

The lady held out her arms, and Lucy ran. Jack tried to catch her and so did Father, but he was too injured to stand. The elf lady swept Lucy up and, with a triumphant cry, leaped into the waters. The last of the stream slithered over the edge like the tail of a snake and disappeared.
Jack is a 13 year old boy, who is getting trained by the Bard. He has done miraculous things in his young life, and has been on great adventures. When Jack performs an earthquake out of rage, Lucy who is Jack's sister gets taken by the Lady of the Lake. Lucy is stolen from Jack for the second time in his life. Jack once again has a mission to save his little sister and to get water back to King Yffi's kingdom. The blame was on Jack when all the water has been taken by the Lady of the Lake, and King Yffi sent Jack down the trail to Elfland, to somehow get the water back from her. He never knew that he would encounter many more adventures involving elves, hobgoblins, kelpies and more. Will Jack save his sister, even with the surprising information he received about her? And will he be able to restore the water to King Yffi's Kingdom?
The title is another name for Elfland, which is where Jack is for a while in this book. He also is in the Hobgoblin's home and King Yffi's kingdom. Jack is always on the move or trying to escape in this book, so he's in a lot of places traveling to fulfill his missions. The time was a while ago, in about 790 AD. It is written in a debate about Christianity. Jack's family is all Christian, but the Bard doesn't believe in it. Jack is still trying to figure out where he lays as far as religion. The pacing is at a steady pace throughout the book.
Nancy Farmer is a great author. I loved all of her books, and think that she has great writing technique. She's good at details of how people look, and how people feel. I wasn't sure if the sequel to The Sea of Trolls would be as good as the original book, but I was surprised. She wrote a great book, and I would recommend this book to people who like Nancy Farmer's writing and to people who have read The Sea of Trolls.