Line #18 Literature/TheSeaOfTrolls


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6	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sea_of_trolls.png]]
7	A novel by author Creator/NancyFarmer combining historical fiction with {{fantasy}} about a Bard's apprentice living in a village on the coast of England in TheLowMiddleAges. Ten chapters in, [[DoomedHometown said village is invaded]] by Vikings, who capture him as a slave. He survives captivity by demonstrating his recently-developed magical bard powers and making himself useful to the Vikings.
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9	In the Norse town where he ends up, events transpire which lead him to accompanying several warriors on a quest into Jotunheim, the land of the [[AllTrollsAreDifferent Trolls.]]
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11	Nancy Farmer later wrote two sequels, ''Land of the Silver Apples'' and ''The Islands of the Blessed''.
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13	Despite the title, no apparent connection to Website/FourChan and Website/SomethingAwful.
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15	!! ''The Sea of Trolls'' and its sequels provide examples of the following tropes:
16	%%* AllMythsAreTrue
17	%%* AllTrollsAreDifferent
18	* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Specifically subverted with Pega and Thorgil, as Jack notes that even though Pega is hideous she has a good heart and beautiful voice, and Thorgil's bad temper negates her natural beauty.
19	* BelligerentSexualTension: Thorgil and Jack, by the third book.
20	* TheBerserker: Lots of literal berserkers (actual Vikings) appear in these books.
21	* BigOlUnibrow: Olaf One-Brow, Jack's master in the first book, is named as such [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin because he has one brow]].
22	* BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: [[spoiler: In the second book, Thorgil [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome punches Satan in the face]], but her hand becomes paralyzed because of it.]]
23	* ConfusionFu / InsanityImmunity: {{Berserker}}s are immune to trolls' mind-reading powers because their mindless, frenzied style of fighting is impossible for the trolls to decipher.
24	%%* TheDeterminator: Thorgil. Full stop.
25	%%* DoomedHometown
26	* EldritchAbomination: A few appear, including one who appears to be {{Satan}}. (At least, that's what a Christian would call him. People from other religions see him differently; for example, Thorgil sees him as the HellHound Garm.)
27	%%* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep: The Bard.
28	* TheFairFolk: Elves in general, but they ''are'' capable of doing a HeelFaceTurn and gaining a soul.
29	%%* FishPeople: Mature fin folk.
30	%%* HellHound: How Thorgil sees {{Satan}}.
31	%%* TheHeroDies
32	%%* HeroicFantasy
33	* HereThereWereDragons: In Jotunheim, however, they're still thriving.
34	%%* HistoricalDomainCharacter: King Olaf.
35	* LadyLooksLikeADude: Deconstructed right down to the bone with one character.
36	* TheLowMiddleAges: The first book takes place circa 793 C.E., when the Vikings started raiding.
37	%%* MadeASlave
38	* MentorOccupationalHazard: [[spoiler:Seemingly played straight, then averted in a TwistEnding. The Bard was not dead. He was actually disguised as a bird all along.]]
39	** [[spoiler:He actually does die in Book 3.]]
40	* NakedPeopleAreFunny: Freya's cats naked and Frith naked. Also counts as {{Squick}}. Averted with Rune, whose nudity in his introduction is described tragically.
41	%%* NorseByNorsewest
42	%%* OurDemonsAreDifferent
43	* OurElvesAreDifferent: They're of TheFairFolk variety. They're also way different from other fictional elves in that [[spoiler:they look monstrous under all that glamour.]]
44	* OurDragonsAreDifferent: They live in cliffside caves and raise their young like birds. Their blood can even give you the ability to understand bird-language, as per the myth of [[Literature/VolsungaSaga Sigurd and Fafnir.]]
45	* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: Young merfolk look like the classic "beautiful-human-with-a-fish-tail" variety, but as they mature they turn into grotesque FishPeople. They can only avoid this fate by marrying a human.
46	* PsychicPowers: Lots of characters have PsychicPowers, including trolls.
47	* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler:Olaf in ''The Sea of Trolls'', who is slain by a massive bear.]]
48	* {{Satan}}: He makes an appearance near the end of ''The Land of the Silver Apples.''
49	* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Halfway through ''Sea of Trolls'', Thorgil [[IncrediblyLamePun swallows]] dragon blood, giving her the ability to speak bird.
50	* SpoiledBrat: Lucy, and it gets much, much worse in book two--to the point where everyone around her is convinced it's the result of demonic possession. The first thing she does in book two is try to get away with secretly wearing an iron necklace during a ritual meant to celebrate Winter Solstice despite it being forbidden. For this, she loses her role in the ceremony and then demands that her father buy her a slave--specifically, the girl who took her place during the ceremony.
51	%%* TheTimeOfMyths
52	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Erik Broad-Shoulders and Erik the Rash are both afraid of the dark, which is why Olaf has them guard the ship while the rest of the Vikings raid a village.
53	%%* TheWorldTree

Context Literature / TheSeaOfTrolls