Halli lives in Svein’s House, an ancient hall and farm high in a great valley winding through the mountains to the sea. As a young boy he learns the history of the House: his distant ancestor Svein was one of twelve legendary heroes who fought against the dreaded Trows – sinister, carnivorous creatures that originally inhabited the valley. The Trows were driven into the mountains and it is said they lurk there still. No one passes the heroes’ burial cairns on the fringes of the valley for fear of what the Trows will do.

The time of the heroes is long gone, much to Halli’s disgust. He is irreverent, energetic, imaginative and bored, and soon comes into conflict with his family over the tedium of rural life. But it isn’t long before his headstrong actions help awake an old blood-feud, leading to sudden violence, and Halli sets out on a quest to avenge the honour of his House. He soon discovers, however, that his preconceptions of the heroic life are not as accurate as he thought...

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

"Stroud earns each and every gasp and cheer he’ll garner from this very different sort of fantasy. Funny, exciting, thoughtful, and, most of all, timeless" BOOKLIST Starred Review

“Witty and cinematic storytelling propels Stroud’s engrossing novel”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Starred Review

“Quite simply stunning” GUARDIAN