Heroes of the Valley
Encyclopedia
Heroes of the Valley is a 2009 fantasy
/adventure
book by Jonathan Stroud
, known for his Bartimaeus Trilogy
. The protagonist of the series is Halli Sveinsson, a boy from a village nestled atop a mountain.
. But when a practical joke
rekindles an old blood feud
, he sees a chance for a daring quest
of his own.
The Story starts with the Battle of the Rock being told to a child. This is where twelve heroes of the valley join together to fight the ruthless Trows that devastate the land. They go to a rock and are attacked by Trows which they fend off all night. In the morning when the people check to see what happened all are dead including the main hero Svien.
Many years later Halli is born, he is a young headstrong boy who is, unlike his family, short and stout. He looks very much like his uncle, Brodir, whom he adores. He is the third and last child in his family. His family are Arnkel, his father and Arbiter of Svien's House, Astrid, his mother and Law-Giver of Svien's House, Lief, his older brother who is immediately in line for the Arbiter after Arnkel, Gudny, his sister and Brodir his uncle, who is the only member of his family that seems to get along with him.
When his uncle is murdered by a rival house, the house of Hakon, Halli sets off to avenge his uncle.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
/adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
book by Jonathan Stroud
Jonathan Stroud
Jonathan Anthony Stroud is an author of fantasy books, mainly for children and young adults.-Biography:Born in 1970 in Bedford, England, Stroud began to write stories at a very young age. He grew up in St Albans where he enjoyed reading books, drawing pictures, and writing stories...
, known for his Bartimaeus Trilogy
Bartimaeus Trilogy
Bartimaeus is a fantasy series by Jonathan Stroud consisting of a trilogy published from 2003 to 2005 and a prequel novel published in 2010. The titular character, Bartimaeus, is a five-thousand-year-old djinni, a spirit of approximately mid-level power...
. The protagonist of the series is Halli Sveinsson, a boy from a village nestled atop a mountain.
Development
Development for the book began in 2006, following the end of the Bartimaeus Trilogy.
I’ve always liked reading Norse myths and legends, and the Icelandic Sagas, written in the Middle Ages by the descendents of Vikings. The Sagas are interesting because they mix ordinary domestic stories about farms and families with sudden bits of supernatural stuff, featuring ghosts and trolls. The fantasy never takes over, but it never goes away either; it’s just taken for granted by the people as something on the margin of their lives. I was keen to try a saga of my own, which would explore themes of story-telling and family life, and began jotting down a few fragments of story.
Plot
Halli loves to hear stories from the days when the valley was a wild and dangerous place, besieged by the bloodthirsty Trow. Now farming has taken over from fighting Trows,and to Halli's disappointment heroics seem a thing of the pastPast
Most generally, the past is a term used to indicate the totality of events which occurred before a given point in time. The past is contrasted with and defined by the present and the future. The concept of the past is derived from the linear fashion in which human observers experience time, and is...
. But when a practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
rekindles an old blood feud
Blood Feud
"Blood Feud" is the twenty-second and final episode of The Simpsons second season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on July 11, 1991. In the episode, Mr. Burns falls ill and desperately needs a blood transfusion. Homer discovers Bart has Burns' rare blood type and urges...
, he sees a chance for a daring quest
Quest
In mythology and literature, a quest, a journey towards a goal, serves as a plot device and as a symbol. Quests appear in the folklore of every nation and also figure prominently in non-national cultures. In literature, the objects of quests require great exertion on the part of the hero, and...
of his own.
The Story starts with the Battle of the Rock being told to a child. This is where twelve heroes of the valley join together to fight the ruthless Trows that devastate the land. They go to a rock and are attacked by Trows which they fend off all night. In the morning when the people check to see what happened all are dead including the main hero Svien.
Many years later Halli is born, he is a young headstrong boy who is, unlike his family, short and stout. He looks very much like his uncle, Brodir, whom he adores. He is the third and last child in his family. His family are Arnkel, his father and Arbiter of Svien's House, Astrid, his mother and Law-Giver of Svien's House, Lief, his older brother who is immediately in line for the Arbiter after Arnkel, Gudny, his sister and Brodir his uncle, who is the only member of his family that seems to get along with him.
When his uncle is murdered by a rival house, the house of Hakon, Halli sets off to avenge his uncle.