A novel by Nancy Farmer
combining historical fiction with
fantasy.
Jack is a Bard's apprentice living in a village on the coast of England in
The Low Middle Ages. One day
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.
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
Trolls.Nancy Farmer later wrote two sequels,
Land of the Silver Apples and
The Islands of the Blessed.
(Wait a minute... were you actually looking for the pages on
4Chan and
Something Awful?)
Sea of Trolls and Land of the Silver Apples provide examples of the following tropes:
- All Trolls Are Different
- Beauty Equals Goodness: 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.
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Thorgil and Jack, by the third book.
- Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: In the second book, Thorgil punches what she believes to be Garm, the dog that gaurds Hel, in the face. Her hand becomes paralyzed because of it.
- Doomed Hometown
- Everyone Calls Him Barkeep: The Bard.
- The Fair Folk: Elves in general, but they are capable of doing a Heel Face Turn and gaining a soul.
- Heroic Fantasy
- Here There Were Dragons: In Jotunheim, however, they're still thriving.
- Historical Domain Character: King Olaf.
- The Low Middle Ages
- Made a Slave
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Seemingly played straight, then averted in a Twist Ending. The Bard was not dead. He was actually disguised as a bird all along.
- He actually does die in Book 3.
- Norse Mythology
- The Obi-Wan: The Bard
- Our Dragons Are Different: 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 Sigurd and Fafnir.
- Speaks Fluent Animal: Halfway through Sea of Trolls, Thorgil swallows dragon blood, giving her the ability to speak bird.
- The Time of Myths
- What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: Despite the violence, death, and disturbing imagery throughout the series, it's ostensibly written for young adolescents.
- The World Tree
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