The Troll King

By John Vornholt

     Rollo is a troll who lives under a bridge in a swamp. He gets on fine with his family and friends, even if he is a little strange and likes un-trollike things such as flowers and going out at midday. But trolls are at the bottom of the pecking order in Bonespittle, and their ruler Stygius Rex has a new plan for them. They are to build a bridge to link their land with the one across the Great Chasm. Nobody has ever been to the Bonny Woods, but everybody knows fearsome fairies and elves inhabit them. It is up to Rollo to stand up to the bullying ogres and ghouls and score one for all trolls…

    Ostensibly for readers of ten and up, this ought to appeal to anybody who enjoyed "Shrek", and who has ever wondered what goes on amongst the darker elements in fantasy stories. There are lots of disgusting bits in here that will make younger readers (and older ones too) smile and which give Bonespittle some local color. Anybody who has ever been in a situation where they get put into groups and told to do some pointless task will laugh out loud, and the brave, thoughtful and intelligent Rollo makes a fine protagonist. Once in the Bonny Woods things get a bit predictable with the captured fairy and talking bird, and some of the villainous characters seem to be too easily won over by the persuasions of Rollo and Clipper, but at this stage it is wise to remember that this is aimed at juveniles. This aside, this book is both comical and a good page-turner. If it wants to remain so, Vornholt should wisely avoid getting too bogged down with fairies and pile on the humor and descriptions of life on the Dark Side.