Heroes of the Valley

Written by Jonathan Stroud

Narrated by Steven Pacey

Listen then, and I'll tell you again of the Battle of the Rock. But none of your usual wriggling, or I'll stop before I've begun . . .

Halli loves the old stories from when the valley was a wild and dangerous place - when the twelve legendary heroes, led by his ancestor Svein, stood together to defeat the ancient enemy, the bloodthirsty Trows.

Halli longs for adventure but it seems these days the most dangerous thing in the valley is boredom. He tries to liven things up by taunting his siblings and playing practical jokes. But when one of his jokes goes too far reawakening an old blood feud Halli finds himself on a hero's quest after all. Along the way he meets a ruthless thief, a murderous rival, and a girl who may just be as fearless as he is.

Halli may be about to make his own last stand and discover the truth about the legends, about his family, and about himself...

Jonathan Stroud has created an epic saga with a funny, unique spin, and an unforgettable anti-hero.

©2009 Jonathan Stroud; (P)2009 Random House Audiobooks

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House UK Audio
• Release date: Jan 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781407046426

Reviews for Heroes of the Valley

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Halli loves to listen to stories of the old days when adventure and heroism was the order of the day rather than farming. He's a younger son and short and he's searching for a purpose in life and not finding it easy. Along with Aud the two of them discover more about the valley and the legends than they thought was possible. Not my favourite read by this author.I loved the Bartimaeus trilogy but this one didn't grasp me as well. It came across as being a bit bitty and I found it quite hard to keep reading. It wasn't a bad story but I didn't enjoy it as much as previous books.

[bezoar44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This young adult fantasy adventure explores the tyranny the past can exercise over the present through tradition and social convention. The story is set in a valley of villages, each led by a hereditary chief, and dominated by their shared Norse-ish culture. Between the cultivated regions of the valley and the surrounding mountain ridges, a line of burial mounds houses the corpses of past heroes whose vigilance keeps evil monsters at bay. The feel of the book is (intentionally) claustrophobic, which, since it's a coming of age story, may resonate for teens feeling out of step with family or school. Although told in the third person, the narration hews closely to the perspective of the main character, Halli -- so closely, in fact, that the rare shift to a truly third person omniscient view of Halli is jarring. Just as a matter of personal taste, I found Halli's relationship with kindred-spirit Aud annoying -- too much bickering, and not enough genuine affection. The arc of the main character's growth has a distinctly Gen-X sensibility. Halli starts callow, having absorbed years of stories -- which sound like tall tales, except that everyone takes them as gospel truth -- about honor and manly violence. His experiences deepen and disillusion him, so that by the end of the book, Halli acts out of a combination of resignation and anger, and above all, renunciation. It's a different tone than the fantasy coming of age stories I recall reading as a kid, like Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain, where the proof of maturation is the ability to give of oneself to support love and community.

[brigitte64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

well writen book about heroes, and an old world full of legends and fearfull monsters. Little slow at the beginning but it gets good later.It`s different from the Bartimaeus Trilogy, but I also enjoyed it. It`s probably written for teenager.

[sunnysd_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Short, bandy-legged, dark and stubborn, Halli Sveinsson may not look much like the rest of his family, but he was weaned on tales of his heroic ancestor, founder of the valley and ridder of the trows, Svein. Unfortunately, a love of the heroic tales and a dislike for serious work have made Halli something of a trickster. But one prank to many played on someone important lands Halli in serious hot water - and changes to course of his life and his families forever.I'm not sure what I was expecting, but Halli's story was a pleasant surprise. Not only didn't it go where I thought it would, but I enjoyed the trip. Aud's a riot, and Halli's quite a character. It may be 500 pages, but it read much more quickly than its length would suggest.

[welkinscheek · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hallie is a wonderfully flawed character who grows significantly in the course of the book, even though he lives in a world where people never act on curiosity, never take risks. With a sense of humor and incredibly well-developed characters, this book treats on the myths that guide our lives and decisions, and how they may or may not be serving us.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Halli is dark and short, as unlike his family, the descendants of the hero Svein, as it is possible to be. The second son of the Arbiter is not expected to do much besides farm a bit of land while his older brother, Lief, will someday become Arbiter and his sister Gudny will make a good marriage. But Halli longs for adventures like those of the twelve heroes, maybe fighting off some Trows. All he seems capable of, however, is mischief and getting into trouble.Each chapter begins with a story about Svein, one of the twelve heroes and founders of the valley. The interplay between fact and fiction in legend, and how stories dictated what the people of the valley did was a really fun part of this story. I enjoyed getting to know Halli, and was sorry when his story ended.

[sirfurboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was a tad slow going to start with. I thought it might be the first book by this author that I would not like, but by page 60 I was thoroughly enjoying it again and it went from strength to strength.The hero of the story is Halli, a 15 year old boy in - presumably- a kind of alternate universe middle ages nordic fjord (Sweden perhaps). Halli has very short legs and is not comely, but he is born with wit and a mischievous streak that makes him an entertaining character, even if he makes an unlikely hero of legend. But through a series of circumstances he is thrust to the fore when a rival house in the valley reneges on an ancient treaty of non violence.Written with all the author's trade mark wit, and a good deal of passion, this book is a very good and enjoyable read. If it were not for the slow start I would give it 5 stars.

[bookworm135_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

marvellouss book lovin it so far will finish soon check back soon for my over all verdict