Long time gone

Well it has been a while since I wrote on the blog - being busy, busy and then being struck down by a mean little cold virus, which ended up becoming a nasty big cough. Anyway, everything has an upside, and the joy of being ill, once you are on the mend,  is having plenty of time for reading. This week I have had a wonderful time (apart from the coughing) reading Katherine Langrish's books, Dark Angels and West of the Moon. Dark Angels is described on Amazon:
        A gripping and wonderfully spooky standalone adventure from critically acclaimed author Katherine Langrish. When Wolf runs away from the monastery where he grew up, he finds himself lost on Devil's Edge -- a hill riddled with old mine shafts, said to be infested with ghosts, boggarts, elves, and perhaps even the Devil himself. Wolf meets a local knight out hunting, who offers him work and shelter in his castle -- a place inhabited by a host of unexpected characters -- a hearth hob, a ghostly white lady and a mysterious wandering juggler...Together Wolf and Nest, the knight's daughter, become embroiled in a mystery which leads Wolf into the very darkest depths of Devil's Edge...
It is a fantastic book filled with historical detail, myth, fantasy, wild weather, an evil monk, a brave but tortured knight, creatures from the Otherworld, hobs, wild wolves and youthful romance. Brilliant stuff! If you enjoyed reading Pat Walsh's Crowfield Curse, you'll love Dark Angels.


The second work of Katherine's that I read was the Troll Mill trilogy, West of the Moon. This is a great collection set in the Viking Norselands and featuring another fantastic cast of characters including lots of trolls. The books are sometimes funny, sometimes quite scary and always full of exciting adventure. 
In Book One a young lad called Peer is orphaned and sent to live with his appalling Uncles, who own Troll Mill. They are really awful characters, cruel, stupid and greedy. Peer's life is made bearable by the companionship of his doughty little dog, Loki and his blossoming friendship with Hilde, who lives with her family on a neighbouring farm. In Books One and Two Peer learns to outwit the trolls and his Uncles and find some contentment and security in his life. In Book Three he and Hilde embark on an amazing and dangerous adventure, taking a Viking ship to Vinland where they meet a whole new cast of human and fantastical characters.
The Troll Fell books are really good. Some of the characters come straight out of the myths and legends of the North, such as the evil water sprite, Granny Greenteeth, the disgusting child-eating Lubbers and of course the magical, ugly and cunning trolls. My favourite character is the Nis a small sprite or hobgoblin, who helps around the house in return for a nightly bowl of porridge. The Nis is a very mischievous, nervous, dear little character, who eventually plays a big and dramatic part in saving Peer's life. 
Alongside these characters is a wealth of historical information and speculation that gives the reader such an imaginative and interesting peek into what it might have been like to be a Viking, and what the daily experience and culture might have been like.
Perfect Wintertide reading, check out Dark Angels and West of the Moon from your local library and be prepared to curl up in the warm and take your imagination on a few wonderful adventures.