''Will Gallows and the Snake-Bellied Troll'' is a 2011 fantasy/western children's book by Northern Irish author Derek Keilty and the first book in the ongoing ''Will Gallows'' series. The book is illustrated by Jonny Duddle, who also illustrated the 2014 Bloomsbury editions of the ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'' series. The book was first published on 3 February 2011 through

Andersen Press Andersen Press is a British book publishing company. It was founded in 1976 by Klaus Flugge, and was named after Hans Christian Andersen "because it is easier to pronounce and spell than Flugge". Random House has a holding in the company and a s ...

and follows the adventures of Will Gallows, a young elfling sky cowboy. It was followed by three entries, ''Will Gallows and the Thunder Dragon’s Roar'' (2012), ''Will Gallows and the Rock Demon’s Blood'' (2013), and ''Will Gallows and the Wolfer’s Deadly Magic'' (2015). ''Will Gallows and the Snake Bellied Troll'' was selected to be part of the

Richard and Judy book club ''Richard & Judy'' (also known as ''Richard & Judy's New Position'') is a British television chat show presented by the married couple Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan. The show originally aired on Channel 4 from 26 November 2001 to 22 Augus ...

Synopsis

Will Gallows, a young elfling sky cowboy, rides out on a perilous quest to bring the evil snake-bellied troll bandit, Noose Wormworx, to justice. Noose is wanted for the murder of Will's pa - the former deputy sheriff of Oretown. Will's journey takes him deep into the heart of the West-Rock, to the dark underground city of Deadrock, where he soon uncovers a deadly secret that could spell disaster not only for Oretown, but for the whole of the West-Rock.

Reception

Critical reception for ''Will Gallows and the Snake Bellied Troll'' has been positive, and Richard and Judy have praised the book as "A well-written, fast-paced story that’s ‘wild west’ meets fantasy" and had "clever characters". A reviewer for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' also gave a favourable review for the work, which they deemed "Extremely funny and utterly bonkers”. ''

School Librarian ''School Librarian'' is a quarterly publication of the School Library Association (SLA) reviewing and discussing the latest children's books. History and profile ''School Librarian'' was started in 1937. Each issue contains articles, regular fea ...

'' also reviewed ''Will Gallows and the Snake Bellied Troll'' favourably, commenting that the book would appeal to "readers from about eight to twelve, particularly those who like their fiction quirky" and also praised the book for its "ingenious amalgam of western and fantasy with a whole lot of humour added in".

Awards

*''Children's Books Ireland Book of the Year'' (2012, shortlisted)

Film adaptation

Film rights to ''Will Gallows and the Snake Bellied Troll'' have been optioned by Elton John's

Rocket Pictures Rocket Pictures is a British film company founded in 1996 by Elton John to produce family and music-themed film and TV projects. The company was established in 1996 with a ten-year first-look deal with The Walt Disney Company, a three-year deal w ...

and ''

Shrek 2 ''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek'' (2001) and the seco ...

'' director

Kelly Asbury Kelly Adam Asbury (January 15, 1960 – June 26, 2020) was an American animated film director, writer, voice actor, and illustrator. He was best known for directing animated films, including ''Shrek 2'', '' Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'', '' ...

was set to both write and direct the film, which will be a mixture of live-action and CGI.

References

External links

* {{official website, http://www.andersenpress.co.uk/books/view/1849398976 2011 British novels Irish children's literature British fantasy novels British children's novels 2011 fantasy novels British Western novels Children's fantasy novels 2011 children's books Andersen Press books