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May 22, 2011

Bunga Mawar rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

4 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 16, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it:

I read Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy and liked it pretty well, the writing and the originality of the book (especially the ending) impressed me. THIS BOOK I think I can sum up (at least in my humble opinion) in 3 words... "OH GOOD GRIEF".

Now I am tempted to let my one star rating and those three words sum up my feelings here and move on. I see many enjoyed this book (actually, predictably I think). I didn't, so to be fair to those who would like more detail let me add another More...

6 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 29, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

Jonathan Stroud simply is not a fan of innocent protagonists as pure as the newly driven snow. He has little patience for innocents as main characters. No time for guys like Harry Potter or Frodo, who find themselves thrust into dangerous situations that were not of their own making. Give Stroud a nicely corrupt kid or a wildly headstrong hero any day of the week. Having burst upon the juvenile writing scene with his breathtaking Bartimaeus trilogy, Stroud now scales himself back a little with a More...

1 comment like (9 people liked it)

Dec 11, 2009

Kitri rated it:

What a great read! Spanning the edges of several different genres, Heroes of the Valley is so delightfully Stroud-esque that I couldn't put it down.

Halli Sveinsson lives in a valley founded by 12 Heroes long ago, who fought the vicious Trows for mastery of the land. Now 17 generations later, Halli questions the Hero stories he grew up with, and seeks to know the truth. Through a strong friendship, revenge, and many adventures involving courage, quick thinking (and as always with S More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 25, 2011

El Templo de las Mil Puertas added it

"Mucho, mucho tiempo atrás, doce héroes unieron sus fuerzas para expulsar del valle a los malvados trows. Sus descendientes fundaron los doce clanes, que desde entonces han vivido más o menos en paz y armonía, pero que nunca han olvidado las historias épicas protagonizadas por sus antepasados, que se siguen contando de generación en generación. Halli, del Clan de Svein, es todo lo contrario al héroe que admira: feo, bajito, paticorto y una auténtica calamidad que no hace más que causar prob More...

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May 02, 2011

La Stamberga dei Lettori added it

Una tremenda incredibile delusione.

Jonathan Stroud è l'acclamato autore della Trilogia di Bartimeus, da me stesso osannato come il capolavoro che ha radicalmente sconvolto il genere fantasy. Ciò che brilla particolarmente in quei tre romanzi è lo stile, arguto e sarcasticamente critico, l'uso di personaggi che capovolgono il classico fantasy (il protagonista è, a tutti gli effetti, un anti-eroe, negativo per due libri su tre, mentre il vero protagonista, amato da tutti, è il cinico demone Bartim More...

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Jan 29, 2011

Tancredi rated it:

Una tremenda incredibile delusione.

Jonathan Stroud è l'acclamato autore della Trilogia di Bartimeus, da me stesso osannato come il capolavoro che ha radicalmente sconvolto il genere fantasy. Ciò che brilla particolarmente in quei tre romanzi è lo stile, arguto e sarcasticamente critico, l'uso di personaggi che capovolgono il classico fantasy (il protagonista è, a tutti gli effetti, un anti-eroe, negativo per due libri su tre, mentre il vero protagonista, amato da tutti, è il cinico demone Bart More...

0 comments like

Mar 23, 2009

Eva rated it:

Halli Sveinson, aged 14, is the second son in one of the 12 main houses in the Valley. Somewhat squat – his short legs are a running joke – and swarthy, he is a trickster and a trouble-maker from birth. Brought up on tales of the Heroes, including his own ancestor Svein, who rid the Valley of the man-eating Trows untold years ago, he chafes at his boring, placid, rural life.

When an annual Gathering of representatives from all the Houses is held at the House of Svein, previous bad b More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 14, 2009

Ryan rated it:

The Bartemius Trilogy was a very complex young adult series--morally, in plot, and in theme--and it is good to see Stroud sticking to high standards. While this novel is aimed at maybe a slightly younger audience than the trilogy, it has enough exploration of "gray areas" to be a worthy successor.
In an isolated valley--between mountains and descending to the sea--are twelve houses named for each of the twelve ancient heroes who settled the valley and drove off the Trows More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

David added it

I picked up this book understanding that Stroud had "conjured up an alluring viking world." Sweet! With that being said, I began this book, which had a VERY slow start. For some reason, I thought the story was going a certain direction, mainly that Halli would break out of the valley and explore the wider world. However, he only goes on a real quest within the valley, setting up the drama and climax pretty nicely.

The trows were an interesting concept, mainly being that you are never s More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 23, 2011

ZIMF rated it:

Heroes of the Valley was an excellent read. It was so involving and action-packed that I sat for hours, regardless of the time, and was late to an appointment. There is something about the characters that is just so attractive and engaging.
The sheer number of plot twists and revelations just make this book amazing. Are the Trows real or not? The way the myths are intersparsed with the rest of the story just gives it such an air of myth and reality intertwining, of time and wonder and so muc More...

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May 11, 2011

Yulibean rated it:

Masih inget dengan Jonathan Stroud dengan trilogy Bartimaeus-nya? Kali ini Stroud kembali lagi dengan novel fantasi terbarunya, Heroes of the Valley. Genre yang sama dengan rasa yang berbeda.

Buku-nya kali ini mengambil seting yg berbeda, tidak ada lagi mantra-mantra sihir, demon, imp, dan suasana kelam gothic kota London. Stroud membawa kita menyelami abad pertengahan (walaupun tidak dijelaskan dengan tegas di dalam buku ini) dan budaya Norse. Benteng, balairung, hutan, kapak, kuda, l More...

0 comments like

Feb 20, 2011

Seaniqa rated it:

This book displays a lot of ideals, and thoughts, supporting everything from botchery to bravery and everything in between. This book had a lot of running themes throughout the book, and thoughts. There are many questions awoken by this book like; what is bravery? What is loyalty? What is justice? What is honor? What is the limit?
I think a Viking world was very skillfully crafted by Jonathan Stroud, and made very viable and logical. He made Halli a very relatable person, (especially since More...

0 comments like

Jan 18, 2011

Kelly rated it:

This book was not what I thought. The hero is U-G-L-Y, he ain't got no alibi...sorry. My apologies. Halli Sveinsson was ugly, though, and not a great fighter. Set in a viking styled world, "Heroes of the Valley" is about a young man who has been raised on the exagerrated and conflicted stories of the Svein and the other heroes. He attempts to live his life by asking WWSD? (What would Svein do?) but his society is not actually interested in heroes. They've gotten quite comfortable in th More...

0 comments like

Dec 14, 2010

Bonnie at rated it:

The moment I first laid eyes on Heroes of the Valley, I wanted to read it. The first thing I noticed was the big, splashy blurb from Rick Riordan on the cover. That, combined with the summary on the back, made me think I was in for Vikings and Norse Mythology...Percy Jackson Style. Next, I realized that the author was Jonathan Stroud author of The Bartimaeus Trilogy. I've heard nothing but good things about the trilogy and bought bargain-priced hardcovers around Christmas last year, but have nev More...

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Aug 05, 2010

Bonnie rated it:

A great epic style action adventure novel for teens set in a sort of medieval Norse world by the author of the popular Bartimaeus Trilogy. The setting is a long valley inhabited by twelve settlements ruled by twelve "Houses" the descendants of the early warrior settlers. No one ever leaves the valley because they live in fear of the Trows, flesh eating underground creatures who used to pop up through the earth and grab and eat people. The heroes of the old days vanquished them to ou More...

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Aug 28, 2009

Cindy rated it:

A younger son, Halli Sveinsson rebels against his parents' and village's expectations through a series of endless (mostly harmless) pranks and escapades. But when his beloved uncle is murdered by a rival house, Halli sets out to avenge his uncle, a quest that will have startling repercussions for all of the residents of the valley.

I love Jonathan Stroud's books. He's the king of the snark, and he doesn't disappoint in this one. Halli has turned insult into an art. The dialogue broug More...

0 comments like

May 24, 2011

Althea rated it:

I very much enjoyed this book. In style, it reminded me quite a lot of books by Howard Pyle and retellings of Viking legends that I read as a child. However, this book is much more morally and ethically ambiguous. It provides the reader with a lot of food for thought without handing out predigested pap on a platter. For a more contemporary comparison, it also brought to mind Ursula LeGuin's 'Gifts.'
Long ages ago, the titular valley was settled by a group of legendary heroes. Each founded a More...

0 comments like

Apr 29, 2009

Chris rated it:

“They’re only stories,” he would say, “What do stories matter?” But he wasn’t stupid. He knew as well as Myrddin that in the end stories are all that matter.
--Here Lies Arthur

“The heroes, the Trows--the stories that bind us, Halli. The stories we live by, that dictate what we do and where we go. The stories that give us our names, our identities, the places we belong, the people we hate.”
--Heroes of the Valley

Story seems to be the theme of my reading latel More...

0 comments like

Sep 27, 2011

Patrice rated it:

I'm on a young adult fiction bender! It's partly in preparation for coaching the 8th grade Battle of the Books team at the middle school where I work.

I liked this book more than I thought I would. The valley is a strange Viking world, consisting of 12 houses united in some ways and at odds in others. The main character, Halli is an awkward and lovable antihero. I enjoyed the character Aud, a strong, smart, and beautiful woman warrior from an opposing house. Aud and Halli are an unlike More...

0 comments like

May 17, 2011

Yola rated it:

Jonathan Stroud emang slalu bikin kaget!

sebelumnya crta ttg bartimeus yg endingnya lumayan bikin hati tersayat2..

dan sekarang, certa ttg Halli Sveinsson, keturunan salah seorang dari 12 pahlawan, bikin emosiku naik turun..

Jonathan Stroud kayaknya bukan pengarang yg suka menjabarkan klo tokoh utama certanya itu sempurna, atau kuat, atau hebat. malah si Halli ini awalnya dia terkesan lemah banget.. kecuali fakta ttg dia yg suka berbuat onar dan nakal di kediaman More...

9 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 11, 2010

Hartsell rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Nov 09, 2009

Sarah rated it:

I absolutely adored Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy. The same witty dialogue, dry humor, action adventure, and layered character relationships with which I became enamored in Bartimaeus, shines through in Heroes of the Valley.
<a href="http://www.heroesofthevalley.co.uk/>Heroes of the Valley</a> references traditional epic fantasy form in an unlikely hero's journey to manhood and greatness, but Stroud adds an unusual tongue and cheek spin on the whole notion of heroe More...

2 comments like

Sep 29, 2011

Patricia rated it:

I need to stop creating expectations about books I happen across (and don't research on goodreads beforehand). In several different ways, this book wasn't what I expected. At this point, I am not quite sure what I expected the story to be--maybe a medieval tale of knights and kings. That doesn't make the story unlikeable, just different than I expected.

At the beginning of the book, I was actually forcing myself to continue reading--I was just not enjoying it. (At that point, it w More...

0 comments like

Feb 22, 2009

Alex rated it:

Halli, the second son of the House of Svein has grown up hearing the tales of his ancestor's great deeds and wishes to have adventures for himself, but instead finds himself living a quiet existence in a lonely mountain pass. But when his uncle is killed by the head of another House, Halli sets out on a quest to avenge his uncle. Through the events of the his quest, Halli begins to great up and find inner courage to face even the darkest of foul creatures.
Very enjoyable, I actually ignor More...

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Jul 27, 2010

Emi rated it:

Halli lives in a valley founded by 12 Heroes long ago who fought monsters, called Trows, for mastery of the land. As the second son in his family, he’s a bit of a prankster, seeking attention from a village that would rather see him remain quiet and out of the way than have fun. But when his uncle is murdered by the arbiter of another house, Halli embarks on a quest, seeking revenge for his fallen kin. Along the way he begins to question his family’s history, the legends of the Trows, and his fe More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 26, 2010

Michael rated it:

What i learn from this book is even if you have a friend ship with someone they always got your back not in a good way niether just to stab you in. What i'm saying is Olaf from Hakon's house should of never had killed Brodir frome the Svennsinon's house just because he said what he thougt was right. He was drunk any wway so at one point he didn't know what he was saying but nooo olaf had to slap him so of course even when your drunk your going to hit back and thats what brodir did. He didn't win More...

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Feb 24, 2009

Laura rated it:

So, halfway through this book I wasn't really sure I was enjoying it all that much. I could admit that it was probably a good book, but I was annoyed that it was so departed from the Bartimaeus trilogy, which I LOVED. Mostly, I think I was annoyed that it just wasn't funny. It wasn't supposed to be funny, but I wanted it to be.

The other problem was that I was having a hard time cheering for a main character that I didn't really like or relate to in any way, a foolish young boy who More...

0 comments like

Feb 23, 2009

Michael rated it:

Great ending! The first 200 pages could have been done in 50, but get through them. It's worth it.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 30, 2010

Christina rated it:

A Norse-style tale, set in a land where twelve heroes long ago fought off the "trows" (creatures who live underground) and established 12 "houses" (towns). Halli Sveinson is a descendant of one of these heroes, Svein, but he chafes at his everyday life; he wants to be a hero like his ancestor and his uncle Brodir but nothing ever happens in their small House. Until treachery occurs between Houses, and his beloved uncle is killed by a rival House member. Then Halli sets out on More...

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