''The Islands of the Blessed'' is a
fantasy novel
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. Magic, the supernatural and magical creatures are common in many of these imaginary worlds. Fa ...
for children, written by
Nancy Farmer
Nancy Farmer is an American author of children's and young adult books and science fiction. She has written three Newbery Honor Books and won the U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature for ''The House of the Scorpion'', published ...
and published by Atheneum in 2009. It is the third, and so far the last, in the Sea of Trolls series, which is named for its first book (2004).
[.]
Content
Jack, the young Saxon
bard
In Celtic cultures, a bard is a professional story teller, verse-maker, music composer, oral historian and genealogist, employed by a patron (such as a monarch or chieftain) to commemorate one or more of the patron's ancestors and to praise t ...
, and Thorgil, the Viking
shield maiden, deal with the
draugr
The draugr or draug ( non, draugr, plural ; modern is, draugur, fo, dreygur and Danish language, Danish, Swedish language, Swedish, and no, draug) is an undead creature from the Scandinavian saga literature and folktale.
Commentators extend t ...
, an undead sea creature, who leaves a path of destruction around her in her quest for revenge on Father Severus. Their journey takes them to the mysterious realm of Notland and, ultimately, to the
Islands of the Blessed.
Sequel
In her blog Nancy Farmer mentions a possible sequel but says she is writing a sequel to ''
The House of the Scorpion
''The House of the Scorpion'' is a 2002 science fiction young adult novel by Nancy Farmer. It is set in the future and mostly takes place in Opium, a country which separates Aztlán (formerly Mexico) and the United States. The main character Matteo ...
'' first.
As of May 2015 no further information has surfaced.
Characters
Jack- Age thirteen; an apprentice bard.
Hazel- Jack's sister; age eight; stolen and raised by Hobgoblins.
Thorgil Silverhand-Jack's friend, a shield maiden crippled after an encounter with a demon, who now lives with his family
Lucy- Jack's foster sister; lost to elfland.
Aldiltha- Jack's mother; a wise woman.
Giles Crookleg- Jack's father.
The Bard- A druid from Ireland; also known as Dragon Tongue, who possesses great wisdom, and serves as Jack's teacher
Eithne- Daughter of the elf queen and The Bard.
Pega- An ex-slave girl; age fifteen.
Father Severus-A grim monk rescued from elfland
Brother Aiden-One of the few surviving monks from Lindisfarne, the Holy Isle
The Draugr-The malevolent spirit of a mermaid with a grudge against Father Severus
References
External links
Background and reviews of ''The Islands of the Blessed''*
2009 American novels
Children's fantasy novels
Novels by Nancy Farmer
Novels set in the Viking Age
The Sea of Trolls Trilogy
2009 children's books
American children's novels
Atheneum Books books
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