Title: Heroes of the Valley
Author: Jonathan Stroud
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books (US)Rate: 3 and a half stars
Halli Sveinsson, second son of the House of Svein, growing up by listening to all heroic stories and tales of his ancestor and dreams to be like him. However heroic action and swords are no longer used in his era; and the most promising thing for his future is maintain a land.
One day he suddenly finds himself in the middle of adventure and a chance to become a hero after a trick to an heir of House of Hakon. Trick that leads to chain of events and change his life forever. But dreams and reality rarely goes along, and Halli discovered the things that weren't explained in tales and legend.
Like I've mentioned before, if I like books from an author, I will collect all his/her books. I'm a huge fan of Bartimaeus Trilogy; it's funny, it's smart, it's interesting and simply entertaining with a mind-blowing ending. So I tried Stroud's another book: Buried Fire, and I disappointed, it's not half as good as Bartimaeus. When I heard he released another book, Heroes of Valley, I'm a bit skeptical. It turned out it was good; not as good as Bartimaeus (hard to top that) but it's enjoyable and very nice. Unlike most of the fantasy series that revolves around 'The Chosen One' theme, Heroes of the Valley is about choosing what's right and facing the consequences.
Halli is a second son of House of Svein. Everyone in the House believes Svein was - and still - the greatest Hero ever and Halli dreams to be like him. In here we meet a delinquent boy who desperately trying to escape the mundane daily life by dreaming of adventures. But when he finally faced the adventure as a consequence of his own action, he realize that heroic action isn't just about swinging sword and killing bad guys. A very nice coming-out-of-age theme with a twist that became a signature in every Stroud's books.
Lynossa
Halli is a second son of House of Svein. Everyone in the House believes Svein was - and still - the greatest Hero ever and Halli dreams to be like him. In here we meet a delinquent boy who desperately trying to escape the mundane daily life by dreaming of adventures. But when he finally faced the adventure as a consequence of his own action, he realize that heroic action isn't just about swinging sword and killing bad guys. A very nice coming-out-of-age theme with a twist that became a signature in every Stroud's books.
Lynossa
5 comments:
Hi! Nice review! I've been seeing a lot of Jonathan's books but haven't read any of them. He looks like a good read. I also agree with you when it comes to liking an authors novels and collecting them one by one. I'm very addicted to series. i think it's really great to see characters develop their own stories. Cheerz!
@Ruperto, you should try his Bartimaeus Trilogy; awesome! If you like sarcasm and witty jokes, you'll love it!
I'll probably will review it someday if I have time to re-read the series again.
Great review! I loved the Bartimaeus Trilogy, those books were just plain awesome. I would like to read more of his books.
@Celine, there's a new Barti's book. Its actually a prequel toward Bartimaeus Trilogy. The title is The Ring of Solomon. I'm going to review it later ~
Oh I didn't know that! Thanks for pointing it out. Looking forward to your review (:
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