The Land of the Silver Apples (Sea of Trolls Trilogy Series #2)
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THE CHILDREN FROM THE SEA OF TROLLS BRAVE THEIR WORST NIGHTMARES — UNDERGROUND. Jack is amazed to have caused an earthquake. He is thirteen, after all, and only a bard-in-training. But his sister, Lucy, has been stolen by the Lady of the Lake; stolen a second time in her young life, as he learns to his terror. Caught between belief in the old gods and Christianity (790 AD, Britain), Jack calls upon his ash wood staff to subdue a passel of unruly monks, and, for his daring, ends up in a knucker hole. It is unforgettable — for the boy and for readers — as are the magical reappearance of the berserker Thorgil from a burial by moss; new characters Pega, a slave girl from Jack's village, and the eager-to-marry-her Bugaboo (a hobgoblin king); kelpies; yarthkins; and elves (not the enchanted sprites one would expect but the fallen angels of legend). Rarely does a sequel enlarge so brilliantly the world of the first story. Look for the conclusion in The Islands of the Blessed in 2009.VOYAThis sequel to The Sea of Trolls (Atheneum/S & S, 2004/VOYA October 2004) lives up to the expectations set by the first novel. This Newbery Honor author delivers an exciting blend of Norse and Celtic mythology and early Christianity to create a fascinating world in which thirteen-year-old Jack must learn to control his magical powers. Jack is a bard's apprentice who is slowly improving his skills. His younger and bratty sister is stolen by otherworldly creatures (again), but this time she does not want to come home. Lucy is part elf, which explains her selfishness, but Jack's search for her develops into a quest. Thorgil returns in this novel, and her Northwoman fighting skills help the traveling assemblage. Pega, an ugly servant girl, has a beautiful singing voice that awakens the ancient yarthkins and causes the hobgoblin king to fall in love with her. Jack's friends travel from world to world, meeting all kinds of goblins, kelpies, elves, Picts, and more. In this middle book of a trilogy, the ending is slightly disappointing because readers must wait two years to discover what happens to Jack and his friends. But this fantasy is truly remarkable with the blending of the myths and ancient Christian tales. Farmer has an eight-page appendix describing the religion of the time period and Pictish symbols, along with a three page bibliography. The third book in the Islands of the Blessed trilogy should be published in 2009.
