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    The Prodigal Troll
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    The Prodigal Troll
    Unavailable
    The Prodigal Troll
    Ebook404 pages4 hours

    The Prodigal Troll

    By Charles Coleman Finlay

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The Prodigal Troll is a tale of a human child raised by a band of mythological creatures that is both hysterical and moving. When Lord Gruethrist's castle is laid under siege by an invading baron, he sends a trusted knight and nursemaid off with his infant son. Their escape across a wilderness landscape populated by fantastic creatures and torn by war takes unexpected turns until the baby is finally adopted by a mother troll grieving for her own lost child. Christened "Maggot" by a hostile stepfather, the human boy grows up amid the crude but democratic trolls until he leaves the band to rediscover the world of humankind. But the world of man is a complex and capricious place. Maggot must master its strange ways if he is to survive... let alone win the heart and hand of the Lady Portia. Finlay's society of trolls are unlike any you've ever read before, and his matriarchal medieval world, pitted as they are against an analog of Native American tribesmen, provides a rich setting for many poignant social and political insights. From the Trade Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPyr
    Release dateOct 4, 2010
    ISBN9781615926169
    Unavailable
    The Prodigal Troll

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    Reviews for The Prodigal Troll

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    • 3/5
      A great twist on the usual Tarzan trope, and a fun story in its own right.
    • 5/5
      Finlay’s exploration of the way humans interact with each other and the effect of war, love and the exotic on the human psyche is fun to read. Written in epic fantasy style, Finlay proves that epics do not have to take twelve volumes, or even a trilogy, to delve into the enigma that is humanity. Finlay writes with a wonderful cadence, inserting action at just the right moments, but allowing his characters time for introspection as well, but never so much has to slow the pace. The ebb and flow of the plot makes The Prodigal Troll a stay-up-all-night read. At times, in battle scenes, I got a little lost as to the placement of characters, as perhaps too much is happening at one time. There are some elements, like the magic and the “Old Ones” that aren’t really explained, but in a sense that actually enhances the feeling of Maggot’s bewilderment. It is a violent novel, gruesomely describing some the horrors of sword and bow warfare. Weak stomachs beware.Finlay writes entrancingly, and The Prodigal Troll, the first novel by this prolific short story writer, is a gem of the fantasy genre. Full Review at Grasping for the Wind