February 24, 2010

The Islands of the Blessed


By Nancy Farmer
Rating: 4 stars


This is the sequel to The Land of Silver Apples and The Sea of Trolls. We join Jack, Thorgil and the Bard once more happily living in their small village after their many adventures. Then a storm tears through the village and a "draugr"--a sea hag wronged by Father Severus--is drawn to the village by the holy bell Fair Lamenting. She desires revenge on Severus, and so Jack, Thorgil and the Bard leave for Bebba's Town hoping to give the draugr satisfaction by dealing directly with Father Severus. But their task is not so straightforward, and will lead to many more adventures, including sailing with the Northmen, finding the home of the merpeople in Notland, discovering the hiding place of St. Columba, and much much more. Will Jack finally begin to take up the mantle as a bard in his own right? Will Thorgil ever be happy if she can't become a shield maiden? Will they even survive their adventures to make it back home again? Once again, Farmer creates many a fantastic tale and could easily return to this world to spin many more. Fans of the previous books will be satisfied with this final(?) entry.

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