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Heroes of the Valley

by Jonathan Stroud



      Halli Sveinsson loves to listen to tales of the old hero days, when his mighty ancestor Svein won honor and glory in his battles against outlaws, rival houses and the terrible trows. Now he sits in state in his cairn, keeping the Sveinsson lands trow-free, so the people are free to live their ordered lives. But Halli does not want that, and yearns for the old days back again. When it is his family's turn to host the festival he finally gets to meet some of the other clans, and sets in motion a chain of events that will ensure that nothing is quite the same again.

Trust the author of the Bartimaeus trilogy to come up with something unusual and compelling. Nothing is ever quite what it seems in this page-turner, that celebrates the full-blooded sagas of the Norse lands while adding something uniquely its own and that will appeal to modern readers. These would be readers of various ages and both sexes, there being plenty to enjoy on more than one level and much which will stay in the mind long after... that sort of book! Stroud has created a hero and heroine who are easy to identify with, and a robust story that does not hold back from confronting the hard truths of growing up as well as the joys of youth. There is even a surprise or two at the end, and I loved the way in which each chapter begins with part of one of the cycle of stories about the clan's hero Svein. I can imagine classes doing projects about the Vikings reading this book, but then I can also imagine adults like myself enjoying it just as much. One not to miss this spring.

The Book

Random House Children's Books
1 January 2009
Hardback
0385614012/ 9780385614016
YA / Adult Fantasy / Fantastic setting similar to Viking age Norway
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Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Rachel A Hyde
Reviewed 2009
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