Troll Fell - Katherine Langrish

[Mark Robson]

Katherine Langrish has created a cold, bleak landscape for her debut novel. Her quirky style and colourful characters brighten what could easily be a depressing setting. This is the story of an orphan boy (OK, not such an original start, but it gets better) who is taken from his father's funeral by a monstrous uncle he has never heard of. It transpires that his uncle Baldur has a twin brother, Grim, who lives up to his name.

This is a story rich in the myths of Scandinavia. Trolls live under the hillside, hoarding great treasure. The brothers Baldur and Grim are hatching a plan to get their hands on some of it. Peer soon discovers that he is a part of this plan whether he likes it or not. It's not just Trolls that give this story its fantasy element. There is the evil Granny Greenteeth who lives at the bottom of the Mill pool, the mischievous Nis, who is a bit like a disaffected house elf, and the Lubbers who live in the pipes under the outside toilets - best not to ask!

I thoroughly enjoyed this YA story. It has a couple of good twists at the end that I didn't quite see coming, and has a strength of storyline that many more established authors would do well to emulate. This gets a big thumbs up.