The Sea of Trolls (Sea of Trolls Trilogy (Paperback))

This was a great read for most anybody. The heroes are more unpredictable than the villans and it made for a work of genious. You'd have to read it to understand what I mean.

The main character is a average joe named Jack. Jack becomes the apprentice to a looney bard that can cast spells and mess with the force of nature, but Jack's not that good at it. Anyway it turns out the bard was wanted by a troll queen and soon Jack's village is invaded by a bunch of berzerk vikings under the queen's rule.Vikings, who love their job by the way, destroy and kill anyone who hasn't run away. Jack is made a slave of trying to protect his sister and the bard ends up becoming a vegitible.

Now, on his own. Jack must work his way out of the land of vikings and save his sister from being sacrificed. The odd thing is he gets help from two happy go lucky vikings who are determined to die in battle. Jack isn't sure whether that's a good or bad thing, but he has to try.

In this story, Jack seems like the only one who has his head screwed one right. It's hilarious. The vikings all seem to be totally nuts and illogical, but their all Jack has to work with after one bad situation leads to another. Are the vikings good? bad? More than a little of both? I doubt anyone will ever truly know...but they make awsome characters in this adventure story.

I liked House of the Scorpion quite a bit (although I wasn't crazy about the ending.) Even so, I was reluctant to read this book. It sounded as though it was written for a younger audience and I thought it would be too "cutsy."

I was wrong! I thought the author did a great job in writing a fast-paced story with interesting, fairly well-rounded characters. I enjoy 3-D characters who are neither good nor bad, and this book contained a number of them. This book also contains enough serious danger and violence to interest adult readers -- it's not "cute" at all.

All in all, a fun book that read strangely like fact, even with the mythology thrown in. Another reviewer commented that this book wasn't up to par with Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain. I won't argue with that: the Prydain books are classics and a favorite of mine. It's not likely that this book would reach *that* level. Even so, it's quite entertaining and enjoyable. Recommended!

I commend Nancy for writting a young adult novel with a Viking theme. Certainly she did her research and I would say was about 90% accurate for most of the book. Some historical facts were embellished on for drama. One has to keep in mind that this book focuses on a very narrow aspect of the Viking culture, the Berserkers. And in that does not represent the whole sum of the Vikings (who were not all a bunch of mindless brutes).

I'm 28 and I enjoyed the book. It flowed fairly well and was an easy read. I sometimes I had to stretch my imagination to visualize a place Nancy was describing, as it could be a little vague.

It is worth reading.

I commend Nancy for writting a young adult novel with a Viking theme. Certainly she did her research and I would say was about 90% accurate for most of the book. Some historical facts were embellished on for drama. One has to keep in mind that this book focuses on a very narrow aspect of the Viking culture, the Berserkers. And in that does not represent the whole sum of the Vikings (who were not all a bunch of mindless brutes).

I'm 28 and I enjoyed the book. It flowed fairly well and was an easy read. I sometimes I had to stretch my imagination to visualize a place Nancy was describing, as it could be a little vague.

It is worth reading.

Jack is a youthful apprentice who is being taught by the village bard. When Jack and Lucy are looking for food and they here berserkers and hide. Lucy is his little sister, his only sibling. Lucy thinks they are knights taking her to her castle. They are captured by Olaf and his crew. They are put on a slave ship to sell. But then Thorgil a shield maiden wants to keep Lucy to give her to Frith. Frith is an evil half troll shape shifter, wife of King Ivar the Boneless. Jack is not sold because Olaf finds out he is a bard. When Jack meets Frith and he makes her hair fall out. She gets terribly mad and sends Jack, Olaf, and Thorgil on a quest to get song mead. They meet a dragon, giant owls, trolls, norms, and a giant spider. Will he get through the quest or will he fail or die? Read the book to find out!

This book introduces a Saxon boy, Jack, who falls into a series of remarkable adventures after he becomes apprenticed to a bard. It is the first book in a series, and after reading this book, you'll want to follow Jack in the next two. Viking and Saxon folklore, history, and first-rate storytelling are flawlessly interwoven by Farmer here. The characters are compelling, particularly Jack himself, the Bard, and Thorgil, a half-Viking shield maiden. Their story has a pure and beautiful heart, yet is not at all pedantic. This cannot be said of many books for the age-range.

Hmmm. This is one of those books where you should ignore the star ratings and find a reviewer with similar tastes to try and determine if you should give it a try. Which is to say that while I only gave "Sea of Trolls" 3-Stars that I can see why other people, especially younger readers, would love it. The story is interesting and there's lots of adventure. Plus the writing is decent... so what's not love, right?

Well, I found a couple of things that detracted from my reading experience. The first was that the plot could have been tighter. There were times, for example, when whole scenes could have been deleted without any harm. And certainly towards the end I began to skim because the 'adventure' was more tedious than exciting; and it felt like 'good deeds' were being done so that these points could be spent in the next book.

The second detraction was that the book seemed to flip-flop between being a book for a younger audience versus being one for Young Adults. I noticed this most in the conversations and place descriptions. Sometimes they'd seem less serious and more playful and goofy.

Overall, the best part was how the facts were woven into the story. The secondary characters were far more interesting than Jack who suffered from just having 'stuff happen to him'. He was basically the same at the beginning of the book as at the end. Plot-wise there was nothing terribly innovative. Farmer writes well though and I'm hoping book II will be better.

Pam T~
mom/blogger

Nancy Farmer is truly amazing. It shows real talent when the same person can give us The Sea of Trolls, House of the Scorpion, and A Girl Named Disaster; each one a work of art and each one so different from the others.

I've never gotten so caught up in a fantasy-adventure book before. I couldn't put it down and was sad when it was over. Jack is the kind of character you care about. I have recommended this book to several people in the 10 to 14 age group, and even to adults.

Nancy Farmer writes in great detail, but the story is never bogged down by it. It's always just enough. She can even make you care about the ruthless Berzerkers, and see them as people who are surviving the only way they know how. I was very disappointed that this book did not receive a Newbery Honor, especially when one realizes which books did win in 2005. Sea of Trolls is at least as good as any of those.

Unless you hate longish books, this book is probably the best for any hard-core fantasy readers. IT has an intresting cast of characters that include some trolls, dragons, and barbarians. Did I mention the bit of action thrown in too?

This book is about a boy named Jack that befriends a bard in a Saxon village as a farmer's brat, and captured by beserkers. This story seems to take place around the eigth century, maybe.

This book deserves five stars, because it has a backround that will most definetly hold it up in further reviews.

The Sea of Trolls is warm-hearted, funny and unputdownable. I read it through practically non-stop. It begins in England (in the 8th century) when the Vikings sack the Holy Isle and kidnap Jack, an apprentice Bard, and his spoiled sister, Lucy, and drive Jack's master, the Bard, out of his wits. From then on, Jack faces one ordeal after another, all the time trying to protect Lucy. He is taken to the court of King Ivar the Boneless, recklessly causes the Queen's hair to fall out by magic, and is then given a choice. Either he travels to Jotunheim, home of the human-eating Trolls, and finds a spell to put the Queen's hair back, or else his sister is sacrificed to the goddess Freya. Jack bravely chooses to search for the spell and he sets out for Jotunheim with the crow Boldheart and with two dangerous companions, Olaf OneBrow the Viking who captured him, and the bloodthirsty young beserker, Thorgil. The trip is as bad as it sounds. A Troll Bear, a brood of dragons and giant spiders nearly devour Jack and Thorgil, and the Trolls have to be approached with great care. But Jack and Thorgil, after an encounter with the mysterious Norns, find the Well and restore the Queen's hair. Much, much more happens in this long and exciting tale, and I don't want to spoil your fun by giving away the ending.
What struck me as so unusual about this book was that, unlike Harry Potter's magic, Jack's is believable. Nancy Farmer shows how Jack's magic depends on his ability to summon the life force, a skill he learns from the Bard. Jack's whole journey to the far north is a kind of spiritual quest. He comes closer and closer to the life force as he enters Jotunheim until, with the aid of the Norns, he reaches its source at the Well of Mimir beside the great tree Yggdrasil. Under the deceptively simple adventure story, this book has a depth that is unmatched in contemporary children's literature, except by Farmer herself in A Girl Named Disaster. But Farmer never preaches, is endlessly inventive, and often very funny. Language is handled beautifully and the world of the Northmen is evoked in arresting detail.
It's also worth pointing out that this book is upbeat. It's about triumphant courage, and tenderness and loyalty that finally win out.

This book was probably the entire opposite of House of the Scorpion. Nancy Farmer has a billion tricks up her sleves. I was surprised because The sea of trolls was ridiculously funny, and lacked the solemn seriousness of her other books. The title may have sounded a little corny at first, but the good humor and mostly light-hearted story made up for it.

11 year old Jack is a saxon boy growing up in scandanavia. (in 793 A.D.) His parents dont pay attention to him, and he is in the shadow of his LITTLE sister. His father dreams of the "holy isle" and will not shut up about it. His sister fantasizes about being a princess, and actually believes that her real mother and father are not actually her birth parents. He also a scrawny little kid without many friends. All these problems go away when he befriends the village bard,(magician) and becomes his apprentice.

*Cue Mickey Mouse teaching a broom to carry water*

But then the bard has a nightmare, and is litterally scared silly. With the bard gone crazy, there is nobody to protect the village. To make things worse, once the Berserkers come, they kidnap Jack and his sister Lucy and enslave them.

I'm not going to reveal anymore of the plot. The book might be a little bit long a complex for a reader under 9 years old, although it has big print and the words are not difficult. The berserkers do talk about violence and gore as if it were holy, but they do it such a happy way, it doesn't really bother anyone.

The Sea of Trolls, with its lively characters, beautiful writing, and solid story, it is a sure fire winner. This may be Nancy Farmer's best book yet.

Goods:

The beggining wasn't that good but then when jack gets captured it went uphill from there. And when I went camping i'm usually bored what with this around I never got bored. Seriously i couldn't put it down. Plus I love how it wss historically correct with the vikings and all.

Bads:

I would have made it first-person (I think it's called) because I think that it just sounds better.

?'s:

Why does Thorgil have to be such a brat? Why don't the Vikings just rebel against queen Frith if she if so bad?

As an author and avid reader of young-adult fantasy novels, I was thrilled with the plot and characters of this wonderful book. And I disagree with those who thought the violence of the berserkers was excessive. It gave the reader a chance to see such acts from the eyes of the young hero, Jack, who was horrified by all things cruel and mindless. There are other positive messages here for readers as well, such as the need to think before you act, drugs (like those used by the berserkers) will make you do things that are irrational and regretful, and characters like Thorgil can rise above their unhappy beginnings. But it's all wrapped up in a clever, well written, and imaginative story that will delight fantasy readers of all ages. If you like your novels with just the right blend of suspense, adventure, humor, and believeable characters (and who doesn't?), then this book is for you. I recommend it for readers age ten and above with my thanks to Nancy Farmer for writing such an engaging novel.

Great story. The Sea of Trolls is a Viking fantasy story. Nancy Farmer manages to take some Norse legends and some historical facts and work the plot around them. There is plenty of action and plenty of humor.
The main character, Jack is very likable. You find yourself rooting for him all along.
I can't wait to start The Land of the Silver Apples to see what kind of trouble finds Jack next.

The Sea of Trolls was an amazing book!Nancy Farmer manages to bring dozens of old fairy tales into one magnificent book.There were two characters I wanted to murder: Lucy, who was a spoiled little bratt and Father, who spends all his time moping about his wish to have the dullest job around-a monk! Thorgal was also trying, though in a good way. And I suppose your suppose to hate Father and Lucy. Anyhow, I absloutely loved the book, and hope for a sequal!

This book was vary interesting i enjoyed it quite a bit. It is an good read goof for any time and age. Sea of Trolls is a good length making for a good time passer. Farmer dose a great job explaining the characters though some parts are a little had to understand at first. It has some parts that relate to now-day occurrences which make for interesting twists. Over all you will find yourself loving it and enjoying mostly every page. I must say for a little bit is goes a little slow but other than that it is great. I give it 4 1/2 stars.

I picked up this book because first, it was written by Nancy Farmer who was the author of House of Scorpion (an extremely good book!) and second because it had good reviews. I was disappointed in this book because of the characters. The storyline was all right, Jack's adventure across the sea with the vikings was moderately exciting. I liked the story of trolls, vikings, and Beowulf but thats about the only aspects of the book that kept me reading 'till the end. Jack is an average, not very complex character. His little sister, his dad, and the girl viking are beyond annoying and completely transparent. I hate it when the character traits ruin a good story and thats what basically happened.

I recommend to just skip this book and read House of scorpion, but if you are curious, by all means check it out. Maybe you'll like it, hopefully the storyline will intrigue you enough to forgive the stupid cast.

Best Children's Novel for the year 2004 because (1) research and craftsmanship are evident, (2) cultural and mythological allusions are effectively used for the narrative, (3) will make mythology and history bearable for kids, (4) kids will love the classic hero(es) and the mythic journey, (5) short chapters are readable and may stand like a short story, (6) excellent for read aloud sessions, (7) use of lucid imagery, (8)will make kids read 'serious' novels like "the lord of the rings" series, (9) excellent word choice, and (10) outstanding sense of time and place, and some bits of humour. Definitely, one of the best books of Nancy Farmer!

This book captured my heart and my imagination from the first sentence. I particularly enjoyed the author's talent with description. She made me feel like I was there with her characters.

Exciting and original with absolutely believable characters. I set sail on The Sea of Trolls fully expecting a "swimmingly" good reading experience, and that's what I got!

Nancy Farmer is a huge talent!

I read a good amount of young adult fiction, simply because it's "mental popcorn." The story is simple, easy to follow, and enjoyable without much depth. "The Sea of Trolls" by Nancy Farmer hit on all of those points - except the last. I found myself actually caring about the characters and wanted to know their fate with each turn of the page. An excellent novel and one that I highly recommend.

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.

After much consideration, I decided to write a review for this book. I read a lot of the reviews and had refrained from writing anything, but I thought that some of the reviews didn't take into consideration this: The Sea of Trolls is no Harry Potter, but then again, it's not meant to be. I do agree, some of the scenes move a little too swiftly, but you have to take into consideration that Harry Potter is being stretched out over a bunch of books. The author has the time to develop characters, especially such complex ones as Harry Potter. Granted, it's not an excuse for The Sea of Trolls, but it's something to think about. The subject of Norse mythology is a complicated one, and the scenes, characters, and storyline were fairly well executed. It has a certain amount of adventure, a certain amount of character development, and a certain amount of mysticsm that was intended to capture the audience. I think what may have been Farmer's failing was the imbalance between all of those elements. Sometimes we got a little too much of one thing and not enough of another, which made reading the book a little bit stagnant. And though the page count can seem a bit daunting--well more than 300 pages--it was a quick read.

All in all, I liked this book a lot and felt that Farmer did a fine job. I will say that it not exactly on par with her other books; The House of the Scorpion was phenomonal. But it's well worth the money and effort to give this a read.

this awesome adventure could only be made better by the last two books: the land of the silver apples and the islands of the blessed. after you read this book make sure to read on. you will not be disappointed.

I came across this book while searching for stories set in the medieval period and I was unsure if I'd like it or not, since I'm not much of a fantasy book reader. But after reading the entire book through, it's now one of my favorites! Nancy Farmer did an incredible job at keeping this story believable yet filled with adventure. I was so sad to arrive at the last chapter that I held off reading it for days!

I would strongly recommend this book to those who enjoy books of adventure and trial, even if fantasy isn't your favorite subject to read!

This book was origonal and unique. I found it very interesting.

I borrowed it from a friend because I was interested in Norse Mythology. I got more then i barganed for! The plot was always turning and giving you a new thought. It was a great book and even though it is 450 pages, it is worth reading every one of them. There is white space (like harry potter) so it is not as long as it seems. YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An excellent adventure for kids! This is a real page turner. Jack's prospects in life change very quickly when he's apprenticed to the local bard, and just as quickly when he and his younger sister Lucy are captured by marauding Viking who are looting the English coast. Survival is a constant theme which gives the story a looming darkness, but it's also very entertaining. A great introduction to Norse mythology. Almost epic. I highly recommend this!

I found the book very refreshing. It was an opportunity to escape from reality. This book was given to my husband and I by our Granddaughter as a Christmas gift. Because we drive in the car a lot, she gave us the audio version. She picked this book because it is one of her favorite books. The character development was awesome. The story took many unexpected directions. The characters were very resourceful. There was magic, dragons, large spiders, etc. to escape from. It was a fun book to read and/or listen to!

I came across this book while searching for stories set in the medieval period and I was unsure if I'd like it or not, since I'm not much of a fantasy book reader. But after reading the entire book through, it's now one of my favorites! Nancy Farmer did an incredible job at keeping this story believable yet filled with adventure. I was so sad to arrive at the last chapter that I held off reading it for days!

I would strongly recommend this book to those who enjoy books of adventure and trial, even if fantasy isn't your favorite subject to read!

This book was origonal and unique. I found it very interesting.

I borrowed it from a friend because I was interested in Norse Mythology. I got more then i barganed for! The plot was always turning and giving you a new thought. It was a great book and even though it is 450 pages, it is worth reading every one of them. There is white space (like harry potter) so it is not as long as it seems. YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An excellent adventure for kids! This is a real page turner. Jack's prospects in life change very quickly when he's apprenticed to the local bard, and just as quickly when he and his younger sister Lucy are captured by marauding Viking who are looting the English coast. Survival is a constant theme which gives the story a looming darkness, but it's also very entertaining. A great introduction to Norse mythology. Almost epic. I highly recommend this!

I found the book very refreshing. It was an opportunity to escape from reality. This book was given to my husband and I by our Granddaughter as a Christmas gift. Because we drive in the car a lot, she gave us the audio version. She picked this book because it is one of her favorite books. The character development was awesome. The story took many unexpected directions. The characters were very resourceful. There was magic, dragons, large spiders, etc. to escape from. It was a fun book to read and/or listen to!

this is one of my favorite books (out the thousands I've read) not only is this a exciding and magical book but it teaches you a thing or two about celtic and viking history. I would reccemend this book to anyone but parents if you have a child under the age of 10 due to colorful languge

As all of remowned auther nacy farmer this book cobines humor, adventure,and fantasy.Such as just say no to pillaging,I know how exiting it is but just say no to pillaging.As I in the title this book is a good read for all ages.Nacy Farmer deserves an award for this book!

This is a great book. Wonderful characters, exciting plot. (My daughter's favorite character is Thorgil.) All around good storytelling. She read this in seven days and wants to find more books by this author.

An amazing, wonderful book. In the beginning it's hard to get caught up in it, but once you do, you are incredibly caught up in it! The story, though obviously fantasy in some parts (Trolls, dragons, and eight-legged frost horses anyone?), is very believable and well-written. You fall in love with Jack, Thorgil, and Olaf, and feel (and agree with) Jack's every opinion and emotion.

The Sea of Trolls

This book is very adventurous. The journeys and trips in this book are exsiting and fulfilling. They keep you reading and enjoying it.

The book is about a boy named Jack. And he is an adventure, but it's more like he got kidnapped and has to go on and complete the adventure to get home. He meets all sorts of creatures and animals on this adventure, and the adventure is long and hard and he must do a lot to get home.

But the book is fine to read, it keeps you wanting to read more and more. It's full of adventure and heroism, but still had some tragedy. I think the book is a good book. It has a lot of imagery and keeps you thinking about what is going to happen next. The Book "the Sea of Trolls" by Nancy Farmer, is a really good book. It is for the creative and imaginative. And for people twelve and older I think. It has a great story line and has a great variety of characters. I like it a lot.

This enchanting saga, a thrilling amalgam of history and Norse mythology, can be enjoyed equally by middle-graders, teens and adults. It has it all: nonstop adventure, fantasy, vividly portrayed characters, lighthearted moments, humor, and an engaging young protagonist named Jack, a Saxon farm boy and bardic apprentice.

After Jack and his younger sister, Lucy, are captured and enslaved by berserker Northmen, we meet such distinctive characters as Olaf One-Brow, the alternately disgusting and likable leader of a crew of berserkers; Rune, a skald, or Norse bard, who can no longer sing; Thorgil, a fierce, bloodthirsty girl whose greatest desire is to become a berserker and die gloriously in battle; a troll queen named Glamdis; and shape-shifting half-trolls. And there are lots of birds and beasts, including a noble crow called Bold Heart, Irish wolfhounds, a troll-boar, Freya's cats, and a mother dragon and her dragonlets.

And as if this marvelous story and assortment of fascinating characters weren't enough, there's a wonderful, life-affirming message in this book, nothing heavy-handed, but arising clearly from the story itself: that we should all enjoy life while it lasts and not bemoan the fact that one day we will die. It's stated most clearly by the troll queen (and also by Rune the skald, who learned it from her): "To ignore joy while it lasts, in favor of lamenting one's fate, is a great crime."

Have you ever been on a wild, life threatening adventure? I know I haven't and I also know that there is not one quite like this one. In The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer, Jack, brother of Lucy, is taken in as The Bard's apprentice in his teachings of magic. Along the way Jack learns many knew spells and all sorts of magic powers, but before he can master these skills him and his 5-year-old sister Lucy get captured by the Northmen. After getting captured Jack and Lucy are later treated as part of this Northmen crew and are forced to go along with their sailings. Along their adventures the crew come across some problems and are forced to make a journey to Mirmirs Well in Jotunhiem, there they will across many strange creatures such as a toll-boar and a dragon. This adventure story is one of two in its series and is recommended to all people looking for an action filled story with a little fantasy along the way. If I should say so myself, this book is a great choice. Jack's adventure is very action filled and interesting, read it to find out how exactly Jack's adventure ends.

Unlike most of the reviewers I found this book on the boring side. I think it could have been half the length, too. A lot of it was unnecessary and should have been edited better. I enjoyed The House Of Scorpion, but not this one. This book was average, nothing special and written with a lot of passive voice. It wasn't unique. It read like many other similar books.

To use this for homeschool or for extra enrichment, try reading this book with "D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths" and Michael Morpurgo's "Beowolf."

This is a full novel, and interesting for adults down to early teens. No sex; some violence (in battle, the streets run with blood, villagers are burned, one young mother is decapitated and her baby thrown into the fire, limbs are lost, warriors are killed and mourned, Jack grows to admire people whom he knows are vicious killers); wrestling with philosophical issues and character issues.

I liked it very well. Nancy Farmer created an entire world, complete with sights, sounds, smells, and a rolling ocean. The Norse mythology of the berserker raiders is portrayed very clearly; the Saxon beliefs are a bit murkier and less well-defined, since only Jack, his mother, and the Bard are in tune with them. Jack's father practices some sort of vengeance-based religion that is called Christianity but bears no resemblance to real Christianity. The other characters roll their eyes and mouth "amens" and basically ignore the father's version of religion.

As a bonus, the Beowolf story is woven into this book - definitely pick up an illustrated Beowolf to go with this as you read it.