Bera the One-Headed Troll: 09/12/16

Bera the One-Headed Troll by Eric Orchard is the story of the search for a hero. The funny thing about heroes, is that they are made in the process of deciding to do something about a problem, rather than letting it resolve itself. But our culture, and apparently Troll culture too, has set up a certain type of individual as hero material against all other options.

Bera the troll is a pumpkin grower by trade. She lives on an enchanted island. Her routine is built around the ebb and flow of the pumpkin patch and the turning of the seasons and the tides. When a human baby washes ashore, Bera decides to do something.

Deciding to do something puts Bera on the start of an adventure through Troll history and the lands far from her pumpkin patch. Trolls age slowly but they do age. Even hero trolls.

What Bera ultimate learns is twofold. First, anyone can be a hero. Second, family is what you make yourself. In her case, that means ultimately deciding to adopt her human charge.

The best part of Bera the One-Headed Troll is the diversity of Trolls. Trolls, while they all share the problem of turning to stone in direct sunlight, they have different jobs, different body types (including numbers of heads). Some are old and some are young.

Five stars

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