Heroes of the Valley

Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud is truly a tale of epic proportions, reminiscent of the Norse Sagas of feats of extraordinary strength and bravery.  The Valley in this book was populated centuries ago by twelve families (Houses), each one carving out its own niche.  After a time of constant feuding, the Houses banded together to fight the Trows, ogres that come out at night to feed upon humans.  Showing true bravery, the heads of the twelve families died in battle protecting the Valley.  A cairn was prepared containing their bodies, forever protecting the Valley by warding off the Trows.  If any person wanders beyond the Trow wall, their lives are at risk.  Stories abound about the Heroes, each story geared towards making its House the bravest of all. 

In the aftermath of this battle, peace has settled into the Valley and aggression is virtually unknown.  Halli was born into the House of Svein.  He did not look like a Sveinsson, being short and stocky.  As such, and because he is the second son, he was not looked kindly upon by both his parents and villagers.  A midwinter baby, he is destined to a short and danger filled life.  He believes all the heroic stories and imagines himself involved in equal adventures.  His favorite uncle, Brodir, is also black sheep of the family, having been in trouble in his youth.  When is he killed by Hord the Hakonsson during a feast at the Sveinssons, Halli vows revenge.  This sets off a series of events pitting the Sveinssons and Haksonssons that will have a dramatic impact on the entire Valley.

Stroud, author of the Bartimaeus Trilogy, a group of books definitely worth reading if you like fantasy and magic (which I do), has done a wonderful job in Heroes of the Valley.  The characters are marvelous, the action non-stop and the descriptive writing puts you in the middle of everything.  Halli has marvelous adventures, meets friends and foes and even has a love interest in Aud of the House of Arne.  His wanderings in the Valley and beyond are exciting and scary.  He and Aud make a wonderful duo, both having wanderlust and desiring to escape the Valley.  Readers will hate Hord and his family and while the Sveinssons arent perfect, readers will align themselves with them.  Heroes of the Valley is a wonderful saga and a coming of age story.