Heroes of the Valley

Halli is dark and short, as unlike his family, the descendants of the hero Svein, as it is possible to be. The second son of the Arbiter is not expected to do much besides farm a bit of land while his older brother, Lief, will someday become Arbiter and his sister Gudny will make a good marriage. But Halli longs for adventures like those of the twelve heroes, maybe fighting off some Trows. All he seems capable of, however, is mischief and getting into trouble.

Each chapter begins with a story about Svein, one of the twelve heroes and founders of the valley. The interplay between fact and fiction in legend, and how stories dictated what the people of the valley did was a really fun part of this story. I enjoyed getting to know Halli, and show more was sorry when his story ended. show less

I feel really torn about this book. On the one hand, it's a brilliant contemporary Icelandic saga -- one that uses all the traditional tropes (even the old nurses' warnings!), that sets up the Hero's journey in just the same way, that contrasts the present-day action with traditional stories as a foil -- it's incredibly well done, and a feat of storytelling. Also, the audio book reader is tremendous.

On the other hand, partly because it's a historical form, the pacing is terrible. Frankly, it's boring. Deeply, deeply boring. And way, way, way too long. I'm leaving off at the end of part 4? or 5? out of 11, and the idea of spending the requisite 6-7 hours more to finish it fills me with anxiety. If I was passing the evening in a dark and show more smoky hall and this was the entertainment over a week or two, I would be riveted and the pacing would be perfect. Alas for the terrible influence of modern life. show less

Stroud's best book.

This a fantasy set in an isolated valley above a fjord where farming and feuding are the primary occupations. The culture is based on what can be found in Icelandic sagas, complete with a heavy emphasis on legal disputes. The protagonist, a boy with a quick wit and a way with words, is fascinated by the legends of the Heroes who settled the valley and made it safe from the monsters that lived underground and preyed on the new-comers. He hopes for a more exciting life than being a tenant farmer and has a talent for making mischeif and a set of ideals that eventually leads him away from home and into an adventure like and yet unlike those in the tales of the Heroes.

Stroud brings the humour of the Bartimaeus books and show more the seriousness of The Last Siege together and blends them excellently to give us a sympathetic yet flawed protagonist, whose dialogue is a delight and whose journey is as much about self-discovery as learning the true nature of the society he lives in. The story is unpredictable, with an ending I would never have guessed and is about stories themselves: how legends form and our relationship to them. Excellently realised, thought-provoking and fun. show less

Summary: Halli Sveinsson has spent his whole life hearing tales of the Heroes, the men who chased the Trows (subterranean man-eating beasts with giant claws) from the valley, giants among men, and none more so than Svein, the Founder of his own House. Halli, a second son, longs for adventure, but is about as far from the heroes of yore as you can get: short, squat, stumpy-legged. Anyways, adventure is hard to find in the valley, where arbitration rules over any conflict, and swords are outlawed... and none dare venture past the cairns that guard the valley, for to do so would mean to set foot onto Trow-lands, and thus a certain and painful death.

And so Halli lives discontented, stuck within the boundaries of Svein's lands, with nothing show more to do but play pranks on his kith and kin. However, at a gathering of all of the Houses, one of Halli's pranks goes too far, and rekindles an old feud which threatens the peaceful life in the valley... and forces Halli to try his hand at being a hero, and to face up to the old legends - however much truth they may or may not hold.

Review: Jonathan Stroud's probably best known for The Bartimaeus Trilogy, which I really enjoyed, in part because they rejected the normal confines of what YA fantasy was, and instead built a world entirely of their own, a world grounded in the traditional roots but branching out into a place unlike any other fantasy I'd read. Stroud repeats that feat with Heroes of the Valley - it's a little more traditional (it does prominently feature a hero's quest, after all), but its themes and setting are an interesting change from the standard fantasy fare. Most medieval fantasy is drawn from a British/Western Europe medieval background, while Heroes of the Valley has a decidedly Scandanavian feel to it. And while the idea of confronting the truth of the myths and legends of the past is hardly original to Stroud (indeed, it's an essential element of pretty much any coming-of-age story), his treatment of it here makes it feel fresh.

Technically, I thought the writing was great, but the pacing could use some work. Stroud's great with humor - the snippets of the old legends that head each chapter frequently made me chuckle, and there's definitely a hint of Bartimaeus's snarky cynicism that peeks out between the lines. He's equally good with action, however, and can write suspenseful and creepy with flair... I found myself literally shivering during some of the descriptions of the Trows, which I don't think has ever happened before with a YA novel.

This book was a bit of a slow starter for me, however. While the beginning is not uninteresting, it does spend a long time introducing the characters and world. Things don't get started until about page 100, and they don't really get going until almost the halfway point. After that point, however, the action moves at a quick pace, and the last hundred and fifty pages practically flew by. Overall verdict: Not quite a slam-dunk, due to the pacing problems, but thoroughly enjoyable, and an interesting change of pace from a lot of the other fantasy out there. 4 out of 5 stars.

Recommendation: Fans of Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy should definitely check this one out, as should fantasy fans of both sexes (and all ages - if they can handle the length and the creepiness, they should be able to handle the plot and the writing level) who are looking for a not-too-serious read that's a bit off the beaten path. show less

I didn't quite know what to expect from this novel, since I had previously only read Stroud's (admittedly excellent) Bartimaeus trilogy, but I figured that seeing him tackle a story set in Viking times was worth a try. Stroud sets the story ina valley settlement that was established by a group of twelve viking heroes in ages past, eaching setting up a house to lead sections of the valley's people and working cooperatively together to maintain peace. Yet, life in the valley is dull for our protagonist Halli, the second son of the one of the valley's chiefs, and his inquisitive nature does nothing but get him into trouble. As much as we can see that Halli needs to find a better way to channel his intellect and energym causing problems for show more his family comes to a head when he and his equally ne-er do well uncle provoke one of the other families to the point where they murder his uncle. When diplomatic justice fails Halli is forced by his own determination to attempt vengeance, but because he's kind of an idiot and clearly not meant to be a cold-blooded murderer like the "heroes" of old, everything ends up in an even bigger mess. The whole situation just goes to show that not everyone can abide by living in confinement, and testing the boundaries of the known world is a far better way to channel energy than to turn it inwards. The final climax of the novel really underscores this idea, as Halli discovers that he and his people are trapped in the valley by their own superstitions which have become manifest in the supernatural trows. It was definitely an unexpected turn in the story, but I wouldn't expect anything less from Stroud's complex storytelling! show less

I very much enjoyed this book. In style, it reminded me quite a lot of books by Howard Pyle and retellings of Viking legends that I read as a child. However, this book is much more morally and ethically ambiguous. It provides the reader with a lot of food for thought without handing out predigested pap on a platter. For a more contemporary comparison, it also brought to mind Ursula LeGuin's 'Gifts.'
Long ages ago, the titular valley was settled by a group of legendary heroes. Each founded a House, and over time each house has become an insular community within the larger insular community of the Valley, which no one leaves - ever - for fear of the Trows, whom, legend has it, will attack and curse anyone who crosses the border. The houses show more squabble amongst themselves and think ill of each other, but are ruled in a civilized manner by a council. However, young Halli Sveinsson harks back to the age of heroes, when brave deeds were done and men still carried swords. All around him can see that his violent streak is bound to get him into trouble. Of course, it does.
As a protagonist, Halli is a surprisingly not-very-nice person. He's not quite bad - or is he? (His sidekick, Aud, a girl from a neighboring House, is purely delightful as a character, however.) Stroud very much enjoys taking a reader's expectations for this sort of book and turning them on their heads. The 'messages' that one might presume will be delivered, aren't.
However, in order to appreciate this, the reader needs to have developed those expectations to start with, which is part of why I find this very peculiar that this book is marketed for "10-and-up." I'm not saying that 10-yr-olds shouldn't read this, but I'm sure that at ten, I would have missed a lot of it. It's a lot more subtle and complex than many books I've read that were aimed at 'adults.' show less

Hallie is a wonderfully flawed character who grows significantly in the course of the book, even though he lives in a world where people never act on curiosity, never take risks. With a sense of humor and incredibly well-developed characters, this book treats on the myths that guide our lives and decisions, and how they may or may not be serving us.