I first read this book in 2004. Since then I have constantly revisited it every few years. The tale of young Peer whose shipbuilder father dies leaving him to the care of two wicked uncles resonates with both young and old readers alike as it acts as the catalyst for reshaping and strengthening our protagonist. His innocent love with Hilde, his faithful dog Loki and the clever spirit Nis all strike at the reader's heartstrings. The serpentine Granny Green-Teeth, the hellish trolls and Hilde's father's final return set a captivating pace which avoids all the makings of a Harry Potter knock-off while delivering the same punch. ( )

I picked this up by chance at the library-never even heard of it before-and it turned out to be great! This is about a boy (Peer) whose father dies in the first pages, and his terrible uncle takes him as his property to work at his mill. Peer is treated as a slave to his uncles (turns out the first one has a twin), and his only comfort is in the few friends he has-his dog, Loki, the Nis who lives in the barn rafters, and the girl who lives on the next farm over. The characters were very real, and the story was interesting- I love how different the trolls are to what we usually think of them as! ( )

The book opens at a funeral. Peer's father has just died after completing a new longboat. Before the funeral is even over, Peer's uncle shows up to claim Peer and any money or valuables left to take off with him to Troll Fell. Peer has no choice but to move in with his two cruel uncles, who treat him as a servant, sometimes remember to feed him, and hit him whenever they feel like it. Peer's only friend on the place, and it's a unpredictable friend too, is a sort of house spirit called a Nis. In time he meets the family who live in the farm below theirs and becomes friends with Hilde. Her father sails off for adventure in the longboat Peer's father build, leaving them to fend for themselves against the rotten Grimssons and the trolls.

The trolls - they live in the hill nearby, when they aren't coming out and trying to steal things, and they have a huge treasure trove buried under the hill. Peer's uncles are much too friendly with them for his taste, and he soon learns about a deal that will put him and Hilde in a lot of danger.

I liked this book, but I felt it took too long to get to the action. Everyone seemed to accept living that close to the trolls and then when trouble erupted, they were still too slow to act. I don't think the actions of most of the characters are very believable. I understand this is the first in a trilogy. I don't think I'll make a special effort to look for the next books, but I wouldn't mind reading them if I found them. 3 stars. ( )

My thoughts: After stumbling through Icarceron, I was really in the mood for something less ambiguous. I was looking for a fun, exciting but comprehendible read, and boy did I find one! Troll Fell, the first book in the Troll Trilogy by Katherine Langrish, has all the ingredients for being an awesome fantasy series. There’s a simple plot filled with exciting action, memorable characters (including two near-perfect MCs, Peer and Hilde) a good dose of mythology and folklore, and a great ending. I devoured this book easily and eagerly look forward to the two remaining books in the series, Troll Mill and Troll Blood. This book was very engaging from beginning to end. There were twists and turns, yes, but you know how some authors just love to keep readers on the edge of their seat to the point that their books start to get “plot-whiplash”? That doesn’t happen here. The story is exciting but easy to follow at the same time. So no whiplash! Both of the MCs, Peer and Hilde, are 12 years old. From what I understand, in the fashion of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Septimus Heap (to name a few), they age over the progression of the series. Adults, don’t feel silly reading about 12-year-olds – they’re gonna grow up! Heck, don’t feel silly reading about 12-year-olds at all! Kids are AWESOME! The villains of the book, Peer’s wicked, money-hungry uncles, are a little on the Stereotypical Villain side, but I think you kind of expect that in a YA/MG story. I don’t really care if villains are one-sided or anything, as long as they’re entertaining and (if it’s marketed to kids/teens) not too disturbing. I will say, though, that I was kind of expecting more troll action, so I was a bit surprised that I didn’t really see the trolls until close to the climax of the story – even though the books *is* called Troll Fell. I think that actually worked in this setup, because by not showing the trolls until later, the story builds up on the suspense, and you get to the point where you’re just expecting them to JUMP out at any moment! Oh, and here’s something you RARELY see in YA/MG: useful grownups! Yeah, what a concept! Parents who are 1) not dead, and 2) useful! I don’t want to get too specific, but there’s a point close to the end where the parent characters make themselves quite useful! So that was incredibly refreshing Amelialand Rating:V: Nothing really out of the ordinary. Peer gets smacked around by his uncles, but everything remains around PG-levelS: none whatsoever – G L: I don’t recall anything off the top of my head. That’s always nice! Hey authors, just don’t have your characters cuss, okay?! It’s not necessary! Final rating: 4.5/5. An awesome read for kids and grownups alike! Highly recommended! Next time you’re at your library, or surfing Amazon, or wherever else you turn to for your next reading material, I hope you’ll remember this fun series! :) ( )

I couldn't get past the trolls. I don't know what it is about me and trolls, but I have an almost knee-jerk reaction against reading anything with trolls in it. That being said, I think I perhaps COULD have overcome that had I been more taken with the main character, but in the opening chapters he came across to me as Generic Helpless Victim and not particularly interesting, so I couldn't bring myself to continue.