Heroes of the valley

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Listen then, and I'll tell you again of the Battle of the Rock. But none of your usual wriggling, or I'll stop before I've begun . . .

Halli loves the old stories from when the valley was a wild and dangerous place - when the twelve legendary heroes stood together to defeat the ancient enemy, the bloodthirsty Trows.

Halli longs for adventure but these days the most dangerous thing in the valley is boredom. He tries to liven things up by playing practical jokes. But when one of his jokes goes too far, he reawakens an old blood feud and finds himself on a hero's quest after all. Along the way he meets a ruthless thief, a murderous rival, and a girl who may just be as fearless as he is . . .

Jonathan Stroud has created an epic saga with a funny, unique spin, and an unforgettable anti-hero.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Witty and cinematic storytelling propels Stroud's engrossing novel, set in a medieval world that recalls Norse epics--no gods, but plenty of heroes to go around. Twelve Houses control sections of a valley. Halli Sveinsson--at 15, the youngest child of the rulers of the House of Svein--goes against tradition when he sets out to avenge the death of his murdered uncle, and his actions result in warfare among Houses for the first time in generations. Halli, "a cumbersome stump of a boy," is a quick-witted, appealing underdog and troublemaker ("Leif needs no sabotage from me," he quips. "If he manages two sentences without tripping over his trailing knuckles he will have exceeded my expectations"). Smart, funny dialogue and prose, revealing passages about the exploits of the hero Svein, bouts of action and a touch of romance briskly move the story along. Offering more than just a grand adventure (which the tale certainly is), Stroud (the Bartimaeus Trilogy) explores the consequences behind legend-worthy acts of glory and the power and peril of blind faith and hero-worship. Ages 10-up. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5 Up-Jonathan Stroud's fantasy (Hyperion, 2009) tells of young Halli Sveinsson who longs for the heroic life he hears about in sagas. Short, homely, and a misfit in his well-ordered society, Halli takes revenge for his uncle's murder. Then, with the help of Aud, a girl who is equally out of place but who doubts the old legends, tests and ultimately confronts the truth about the heroic exploits of his ancestor, Sven, who defeated the flesh-eating Trows. British narrator David Thorn makes clear the distinction between the introductory passages which recount the ancient saga of Sven and Halli's story by using distinct pitch, cadence, and tone. However, Thorn does not clearly distinguish the voices of Halli and Aud as well as those of some of the minor characters so that it is often difficult to know who is speaking. There are a few sentences in the audiobook version that differ slightly from the print version. Stroud's many fans will enjoy this tale.-Louise L. Sherman, formerly Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* This refreshingly stand-alone adventure from the author of the Bartimaeus trilogy is a world apart from most contemporary fantasies, built akin to a double-layered Norse heroic epic. An unnamed valley is home to 12 houses descended from different heroes who long ago banded together to drive the monstrous Trows from their homeland. Now the valley is mostly peaceful, and the residents' sole affiliation with adventure is in retelling and arguing over the finer points of their namesake heroes' exploits. Young Halli Sveinsson (a likable prankster whose dominant characteristic is stubby-leggedness) of the House of Svein embarks on what he dreams will be a quest for vengeance and glory equal to those of his ancestor, but he quickly comes to realize that legend and lore have little relation to reality. Alongside the leisurely yet assured pacing and lively touches of humor, Stroud has crafted a credible and absorbing cultural construct folkloric hero worship with masterful prose that evokes two very different epochs in the valley, each with a distinct flavor of high adventure. The chasm that separates Halli from Svein becomes manifestly evident when Halli's moment of heroism arrives, and Stroud earns each and every gasp and cheer he'll garner from this very different sort of fantasy. Funny, exciting, thoughtful, and, most of all, timeless in the way of all tales worth spinning again and again.--Chipman, Ian Copyright 2008 Booklist

Horn Book Review

(Middle School, High School) Will the descendants of the "heroes" -- long memorialized in bloodthirsty legend -- abandon their peaceable recent traditions to turn their ploughshares into swords? Will protagonist Halli, the short, stumpy younger son of Svein's House, survive nonstop action to realize his true nature? To Stroud's credit, he keeps readers guessing -- about plot turns, character revelations, and the novel's philosophical implications -- through many a deftly choreographed conflict. Counterpointing the main narrative are legends of progenitor hero Svein, a Beowulfian figure known for harshly subduing his own people as well as the fearsome, feared (but not seen for generations), troll-like Trows. Despite the valley's long-ago decision to eschew weaponry and abide by the decisions of peace-preaching women, it's Svein who inspires Halli's journey to avenge a murdered uncle. Halli's actions, clever and well-meaning though they are, tend to have unintended consequences, causing commotion all over the valley and propelling the plot. Pursued, he takes refuge at Arne's House, where Aud -- equally intelligent and rebellious -- hides him, becomes his valiant friend and bickering partner, and shares her family's thought-provokingly different versions of the legends. She assumes a key role in a well-earned denouement, first during a siege involving some nicely inventive improvisation and again when the question of the Trows' existence finally comes into play -- with surprising results. Much fun. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

This action-packed adventure shrewdly subverts the epic-hero genre even while reaffirming it. Cocky second son Halli Sveinsson runs wild, playing pranks on servants, his older brother and other members of Svein's House. Svein's House is the greatest House in the valley because, as the story goes, Svein was the most renowned of the heroes from founding days. When Halli spikes a guest's ale with noxious tannery fluid, it reawakens a feud and spurs a deadly chain of vengeance. Stroud peppers the prose with wit, sometimes with ironically elevated language (sheep exhibit "ovine caprice," a frowning face "corrugates sensually"), sometimes with the idioms of a tall tale (warriors "had the satisfaction of hearing several heads go bouncing down upon the rock"). Chapter upon chapter ends with high periland each time, a Svein tale interrupts before Halli's thread picks back up. This hinders the flow but emphasizes the profound cultural permeation of these tales; when Halli confronts not just enemies and monsters but a dead legendary hero, readers will find a provocative examination of religion buried underneath the excitement. (Fantasy. 10-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.