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"The
Islands of the Blessed (Sea of Trolls Trilogy Series No.
3)" by
Nancy Farmer
; Simon and Schuster Children's Books (
$18.99
, 496 pages).
———
Five
years have passed since Jack the apprentice bard and
Thorgil the shieldmaiden first made their appearance in
Nancy Farmer's
"The Sea of Trolls," a thoroughly entertaining
adventure set in eighth century
Britain
. The young Saxon boy and the feisty North girl went on
a quest to the very source of life, the tree Yggdrassil,
to save Jack's sister Lucy.
The two
unlikely friends were back two years ago for "The
Land of the Silver Apples," the middle book in
Farmer's trilogy. That tale took the pair underground,
to the lands of the elves and the hobgloblins.
Now their
adventure's complete with publication of "The
Islands of the Blessed," a satisfying tale that
brings back some of the best elements of
"Trolls": the wild sea around
Britain
, the berserking Northmen and the trolls (or at least a
half-troll).
Farmer in
all three books clashes and blends the various beliefs
of the time: Early Christianity exists side by side with
veneration of the Northmen's gods and the old Celtic
worship of nature. Mermaids and priests and Valhalla all
are in the same story. Thorgil can talk to birds, and
Jack (when he's really angry) can call up an earthquake.
Their
quest this outing involves righting a wrong done to a
mermaid by a monk. (His duplicity led to her becoming a
draugr, an undead spirit who is now dangerously haunting
the mainland).
Leading
the way is the Bard, to whom Jack is still apprenticed.
The memorable characters who join or meet them include:
—Schlaup,
the half-troll, who is related to Thorgil through her
(adoptive) father, the late Northman chief
Olaf One-Brow
.
—Mrs.
Tanner, a woman from Jack's village, who becomes the
object of Schlaup's affections – and returns them when
she discovers how easy it is to order around the
lovesick 7-foot lug. (Her bratty daughters, Ymma and
Ythla, also steal the pure gold bell that's crucial to
the quest.)
—Seafarer,
an albatross that has flown far off course and joins the
quest in hope of finding a mate.
—
Little Half, a dwarf and one of a pair of entertainers
(the other is Big Half, his much taller brother) that
the group meets on
Horse Island
.
In the
best tradition of mythology and legend, "The
Islands of the Blessed" is finally a coming-of-age
story, for Thorgil as well as Jack, with all the
inherent surprises and disappointments — echoing
innumerable yarns, including "Star Wars" and
"
Harry Potter
."
And it
is, in the end, truly satisfying
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