I wish i had known sooner that this was a sequel to another book. I was unable to finish as I did not fully understand the plot.
Looking to pick up the Shapeshifters as soon as possible

Dual review with Swedish first and then English!

SWEDISH REVIEW

Stalpi är uppföljaren till Stallo som kom några år sedan. 10 år har gått sedan barnarövaren Lennart Brösth åkte fast i första boken, nu har han rymt från psyket och Gudrun är orolig att han kommer ge sig på Susso då hon var den som gjorde att hans sekt förintades. Susso däremot har dragit sig undan från världen och lever i en lite stuga lång från allt och alla. Men så stöter Gudrun på Sussos barndomskamrat Diana och Gudrun ber Diana att åka och checka Susso. Tyvärr lyckas Diana åka dit vi absolut fel tidpunkt...

Stalpi är en intressant om än komplex bok, Jag måste erkänna att trots att det bara var några månader sedan jag läste Stallo var början av boken en aning osammanhängande och det tog ett tag för mig att komma ihåg vilka alla dessa människor vad och vad som hände i Stallo. Det hjälpte inte att att de norska karaktärerna pratade norska i boken. Jag gillar språket, men läsa det hejdar tyvärr bokens flyt. Till skillnad från Stallo kändes dock denna bok mycket strukturerad utan en massa onödiga detaljer. Dock, var jag inte så intresserad av Anders berättelse i denna bok. Föredrog at läsa om vad som hände med Susso och Diana.

Stalpi läses bäst efter att man har läst Stallo, då har man en bakgrundsbild och det är lättare att hänga med i handlingen i denna bok. Jag tycker dock att man inte riktigt fick svar på allting i denna bok, fick en känsla av att detta är bara början...

Tack till Albert Bonniers Förlag för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

A wolf is captured and transported south. But, the car never reaches its destination and the men who come into contact with the animal will it end badly for. Anders is undergoing a transformation that scares away his family and one day is a strange woman is in his bed. She speaks of a village in northern Lapland, which has been devastated by lots of suicides. Now other people have moved in there and she wants them to go. But, of course, they can come empty-handed.

Susso and Diana were once close friends. Then, they drifted apart. Diana moved to the coast and became a doctor, Susso stayed and became nothing. Besides troll hunters of course. At least that was what the newspapers wrote. When Diana's travels to her old friend who has isolated herself outside of Vittangi doesn't she suspect that she gets into something she can never get out from and that it will have devastating consequences for those she loves.

Sussos mother Gudrun has for years know that the fragile peace will one day be broken and when she learns that child abductor Lennart Brösth has escaped and she is sure that he will come for Susso who was the one behind his arrest and the end of his sect.

Stalpi is one of the Sami languages, many words for wolf and it's on the tracks from this gray creature that plot revolves in Stefan Spjuts new novel. This stand-alone story is connected to Stallo and it's a second part of the Norrbotten legend of Susso Myrén and the curse that hangs over her family.

If you believe in trolls then you are just weird, but if you know that they exist, then you are cursed.

**********

Stalpi is the sequel to Stallo that came a few years ago. Ten years have passed since child kidnapper Lennart Brösth was caught in the first book, now he has escaped from and Gudrun is worried that he will attack Susso when she was the one that destroyed his sect and the one behind his capture. Susso however, has withdrawn from the world and lives in a little cottage far from everything and everyone. But, then Gudrun encounters Susso's childhood friend Diana and Gudrun asks Diana to go and check Susso. Unfortunately, Diana manages to get there in the worst time possible.

Stalpi is an interesting albeit complex book, I must admit that even though it was only a few months ago that I read Stallo was the beginning of the book a little disjointed, and it took a while for me to remember who all these people what and what happened in Stallo. It did not help that the Norwegian characters spoke Norwegian in the book. I like the language, but reading it stops, unfortunately, the books flow. However, contrary to Stallo did this book feel much more structured without a lot of unnecessary details. Nonetheless, I was not so interested in Anders story in this book. I much preferred Susso and Diana's storyline.

I think that Stalpi is best read after you have read Stallo, then you have the background, and it is easier to keep up with the plot of this book. However, I did feel that not everything was answered in this book and it feels like this is just the beginning...

Thanks to Albert Bonniers Förlag for the review copy! ( )

Dual review with Swedish first and then English!

SWEDISH REVIEW

Stalpi är uppföljaren till Stallo som kom några år sedan. 10 år har gått sedan barnarövaren Lennart Brösth åkte fast i första boken, nu har han rymt från psyket och Gudrun är orolig att han kommer ge sig på Susso då hon var den som gjorde att hans sekt förintades. Susso däremot har dragit sig undan från världen och lever i en lite stuga lång från allt och alla. Men så stöter Gudrun på Sussos barndomskamrat Diana och Gudrun ber Diana att åka och checka Susso. Tyvärr lyckas Diana åka dit vi absolut fel tidpunkt...

Stalpi är en intressant om än komplex bok, Jag måste erkänna att trots att det bara var några månader sedan jag läste Stallo var början av boken en aning osammanhängande och det tog ett tag för mig att komma ihåg vilka alla dessa människor vad och vad som hände i Stallo. Det hjälpte inte att att de norska karaktärerna pratade norska i boken. Jag gillar språket, men läsa det hejdar tyvärr bokens flyt. Till skillnad från Stallo kändes dock denna bok mycket strukturerad utan en massa onödiga detaljer. Dock, var jag inte så intresserad av Anders berättelse i denna bok. Föredrog at läsa om vad som hände med Susso och Diana.

Stalpi läses bäst efter att man har läst Stallo, då har man en bakgrundsbild och det är lättare att hänga med i handlingen i denna bok. Jag tycker dock att man inte riktigt fick svar på allting i denna bok, fick en känsla av att detta är bara början...

Tack till Albert Bonniers Förlag för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

A wolf is captured and transported south. But, the car never reaches its destination and the men who come into contact with the animal will it end badly for. Anders is undergoing a transformation that scares away his family and one day is a strange woman is in his bed. She speaks of a village in northern Lapland, which has been devastated by lots of suicides. Now other people have moved in there and she wants them to go. But, of course, they can come empty-handed.

Susso and Diana were once close friends. Then, they drifted apart. Diana moved to the coast and became a doctor, Susso stayed and became nothing. Besides troll hunters of course. At least that was what the newspapers wrote. When Diana's travels to her old friend who has isolated herself outside of Vittangi doesn't she suspect that she gets into something she can never get out from and that it will have devastating consequences for those she loves.

Sussos mother Gudrun has for years know that the fragile peace will one day be broken and when she learns that child abductor Lennart Brösth has escaped and she is sure that he will come for Susso who was the one behind his arrest and the end of his sect.

Stalpi is one of the Sami languages, many words for wolf and it's on the tracks from this gray creature that plot revolves in Stefan Spjuts new novel. This stand-alone story is connected to Stallo and it's a second part of the Norrbotten legend of Susso Myrén and the curse that hangs over her family.

If you believe in trolls then you are just weird, but if you know that they exist, then you are cursed.

**********

Stalpi is the sequel to Stallo that came a few years ago. Ten years have passed since child kidnapper Lennart Brösth was caught in the first book, now he has escaped from and Gudrun is worried that he will attack Susso when she was the one that destroyed his sect and the one behind his capture. Susso however, has withdrawn from the world and lives in a little cottage far from everything and everyone. But, then Gudrun encounters Susso's childhood friend Diana and Gudrun asks Diana to go and check Susso. Unfortunately, Diana manages to get there in the worst time possible.

Stalpi is an interesting albeit complex book, I must admit that even though it was only a few months ago that I read Stallo was the beginning of the book a little disjointed, and it took a while for me to remember who all these people what and what happened in Stallo. It did not help that the Norwegian characters spoke Norwegian in the book. I like the language, but reading it stops, unfortunately, the books flow. However, contrary to Stallo did this book feel much more structured without a lot of unnecessary details. Nonetheless, I was not so interested in Anders story in this book. I much preferred Susso and Diana's storyline.

I think that Stalpi is best read after you have read Stallo, then you have the background, and it is easier to keep up with the plot of this book. However, I did feel that not everything was answered in this book and it feels like this is just the beginning...

Thanks to Albert Bonniers Förlag for the review copy! ( )

I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something not quite right about the writing or grammar (possibly not a great translation?). It took me three tries before I could finish this book, and I only did so out of a sense of obligation. ( )

It is really unfortunate that this book did not live up to its promise. The basic idea of trolls living among us is fascinating, and the story within this book is really very good. However, there are still a number of problems that keep this book from reaching its potential.

Trolls comprises a large number of short chapters with each chapter following a different character (and there are a lot of characters). Unfortunately, it gets really confusing as to which character each chapter is describing. Sometimes it took me nearly a page to determine the point of view of a chapter. Also, the vast number of different characters, who are only marginally introduced, if at all, make it difficult to follow the thread of the story sometimes.

One character is written in a first person narrative, while the remaining characters are written in a third person narrative. This isn't necessarily bad, but didn't seem to serve any purpose.

Since the book jumps from character to character, and place to place so often it is hard to follow the basic thread of the story. However, Trolls succeeds in creating a very mysterious and creepy environment which I really enjoyed.

All-in-all, not a bad book. It just failed to reach its potential. (Also, I have to wonder if some of the difficulties were due to the translation.)

(Note: a copy of this book was provided to my by the publisher as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer.) ( )