Children's Book Review: Heroes of the Valley

Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud (Hyperion/Disney, $17.99, 9781423109662/142310966X, 480 pp., ages 10-up, January 2009)

The author of the Bartimaeus Trilogy proves his extraordinary versatility with this epic Viking tale for landlubbers. Although the heroes of the title are landlocked--indeed confined to a valley by age-old enemies--they operate from the same eye-for-an-eye, if-it's-not-bolted-down-it's-mine mentality as their waterlogged counterparts. Their growly names echo those of the Nordic folk: Svein, Hakon, Arne, Rurik.
 
Fourteen-year-old Halli Sveinsson and his descendents naturally believe Svein was the mightiest of the group. According to their family lore, Svein commanded that the heroes cease to war amongst themselves (over land and livestock) and unite against their common threat: the Trows. With a storyteller's lilt and command, author Stroud sets the scene: "Men walking late were snatched under within sight of home. Women and babies were dragged from their beds. . . . No one knew where the Trows' holes might open next, or what might be done." In the end, the stories go, the heroes sacrificed themselves to create an impenetrable barrier against the Trows: the cairns that contain the men's remains encircle the valley and keep it safe for all their kin and followers. The heroes' widows formed a counsel, banning all swords and armor, and an uneasy peace has ruled the valley for generations, with each hero's heirs ruling over their own House and lands. But this year, when the other residents of the valley journey to Svein's house for the annual Gathering, Halli Sveinsson meets Aud Arnesson, a feisty, independent-minded young woman who plants a seed of doubt in Halli regarding the old tales. After Olaf Hakonsson settles an old score by murdering Halli's drunk and defenseless uncle Brodir right in front of Halli, the teen embarks on a journey to Hakon's House to avenge his uncle's death.
 
At the start of the novel, Stroud characterizes Halli as a stunted, pompous and rash adolescent, "a midwinter's child," fated for an early end. Yet readers' sympathy for Halli will grow along with the teen's gradual maturation, as his exposure to the larger world gives him a more realistic sense of where he and his own family fit within it. His humbling experiences and his willingness to think about larger causes than his own transform him into an ordinary young man capable of extraordinary feats--the best kind of hero.--Jennifer M. Brown