Heroes of the Valley
Jonathan Stroud (author)
Corgi, UK: 2009; 390pp
ISBN: 9780552557931 13+
Issues: family, identity, truth
Genres: legends, myths
Halli, the short and apparently ordinary second son of a clan leader, longs for the past - a time when his valley was a wild place peopled by great heroes and beset by terrible dangers. He loves to hear the stories of the bloodthirsty Trows and the legendary men who banded together to defeat them. But life is much quieter now and fighting of any kind is forbidden. The only swords are the rough ones made for the dead, sitting in their cairns on the valley wall, protecting the people from the dangers of Outside. Halli gets into constant trouble for his practical jokes and impatience with the boring demands of farming.
So when a joke goes wrong and kindles an old blood feud, Halli seizes on the chance to create his own great quest, to prove himself a hero like those of old, to have his own grand adventure, to be remembered in new tales around the fire. But the past is not what it seems and only with the help of a spirited girl as unconventional as he is can Halli find his to the truth about himself and his future.
Although very different in genre, content and context from his Bartimaeus books, Jonathon Stroud's polished writing is as readable and remarkable as ever. In a subtle satire of all those who believe the past is a better place, Stroud gently mocks the ease with which humans turn reality into myth, the way we remember only the strengths and not the weaknesses of those who went before. In Halli and Aud, Stroud has created protagonists who learn to prefer truth to dreams, but who also refuse to accept the limitations imposed on them by their communities. Stroud loves to play with reader's minds, setting them up for one kind of story/conclusion and providing another, repositioning their views and perspectives and thereby opening their minds to look at their own world in a slightly different way. Subtle, beautifully crafted writing make this a sophisticated novel that can be read on several levels. Gifted readers will therefore find it interesting, if not necessarily enjoyable, and possibly worth a second visit. Thought-provoking.
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