The Troll's Grindstone

Of all of Elizabeth Boyer's books, this has been and always will be my favorite of them all. When I was an impressionable teenager, I stole a copy from my father's book stash and read it so much that it fell apart.

There was and always will be something alluring to a young thief on the run who, forced into a chance, finds himself rising to become a better man. Or elf as it were.

When it comes to Boyer's books, there's always something a little formulaic about them: wizards all act the same, the heroes all have the same brazen stance, and yet the blend and the fact that the stories don't always *follow* the same old story formula makes the rest more than alright. I've always felt her books stood a little apart from the rest and don't get show more the recognition they deserve. This book is definitely at the top of them. show less

The Troll's Grindstone is the 5th in the 'World of Alfar' novels; the other side of the human country of Skarpsey, a world where Ljosalfar battle Dokkalfar (light and dark elves).

Leifr, the hero, is taken from the land of Skarpsey to the Alfar realm to impersonate one of the Alfar, break an alog that keeps all metal edges within its influence dull, and defeat the Dokkalfar wizard who cast the curse.

A lot of the action takes place after nightfall, or in swamps, or underground (as a consequence of attempting to reverse the Dokkalfar curse), and I felt the author conveyed the gloomy atmosphere well. Though I found some of the phrasing a bit old-fashioned, the action flows along nicely as our hero gathers his friends in a race against the show more dark wizard to clear a powerful pentacle (5 significant landmarks) of his malign influence, in spite of being handicapped by not knowing everything about the Alfar he is impersonating.

(April 2010)
3.5 stars show less