Overview

This is a compulsive plot, fast-moving narrative, and lots of suspense and violence, will keep young readers mesmerised. Evil and danger rumbles under the earth. Follow the adventures of a group of contemporary teenagers who discover that their town, and ultimately the entire world, is under attack by fierce creatures from deep beneath the earth. These creatures were known to the earliest humans as trolls or goblins, but they are much more dangerous than their fairy-tale versions. The teens make unlikely allies along the way, including a half-man, half-troll, as well as some legendary constellations that quite literally come to life. The young heroes will also discover their own untapped celestial abilities in an epic battle between good versus evil.

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9781434245908

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Reviews

"...full of thrills, chills and spooky mystery. I thought that both Troll Hunters and Hocus Pocus Hotel were fun and entertaining reads that I would recommend for middle grade to young adult readers. Both boys and girls alike will enjoy the engaging characters, mystery and intriguing plots.-- ""Mom Loves 2 Read & blog"" ""Beneath the vast volcanic lakes / Beneath the fiery core, / An ancient, ageless Evil wakes / And starts to rise once more."" This poem sets the tone for a horror tale that offers middle-graders a fast, compelling read."" This poem sets the tone for a horror tale that offers middle-graders a fast, compelling read. On the night of the Draconid meteor shower, trolls hungry for human flesh invade the rural town of Zion Falls. Four youngsters--Louise, Pablo, Zak and Thora--are saved by a three-armed man, Dr. Hoo, who predicts that they have magical powers that will save the world. The story mixes trolls from the Norse tradition with constellations from Greco-Roman mythology. Atmosphere builds with changing landscapes: Peaceful countryside morphs to menacing, while the trolls' underground home is a terrifying inferno. The four kids chosen as heroes have distinct characters and magical powers; other people merely serve the plot. The climax provides surprises and a bittersweet ending. Black-and-white illustrations add to the horror and mood of the story. Compulsive plot, non-stop action and the battle between modern-day good over ancient evil attract boys and girls alike, and the fast-moving narrative, lots of suspense and cumulating violence will keep them reading. A page-turner.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" Both of these books are spooktacular in their own right as middle grade spooky books. The would make perfect reads for your young readers who like a little scare to their books.-- ""Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! blog"" Great dark fantasy that was very fun to read.-- ""NetGalley Review"" I enjoyed Troll Hunters by Michael Dahl. It is a good story filled with constant action, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. The plot is strong and really exciting. The black and white illustrations by Ben Kovar are fantastic and really add to the story. The presentation of this book is on par with the other books I've read from Capstone. In a word, fantastic.-- ""Sher a Hart: My Written Art blog"" I have to say that Troll Hunters is on an epic scale and the author did a marvelous job creating the troll mythology. Fans of the Harry Potter series will enjoy reading this fantasy tale. I can easily see this book becoming a blockbuster feature film with dazzling special effects. Troll Hunters is a fast-paced, action-packed read that I recommend to everyone.-- ""Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer blog"" In the small town of Zion Falls, on the night of the spectacular Draconids meteor shower, four children are chosen to defend their homes and families from the coming of the gathool, a race of evil subterranean trolls. The children discover that they each have a secret power, and they are helped by mysterious Doctor Hoo, but will they be strong enough to save the world from death and destruction... or worse? Troll Hunters starts out promisingly, with strong Lovecraftian overtones, but it never really accelerates beyond that and stays basically on one level throughout. The premise is pretty basic: a group of people assemble to fight a heretofore unknown but deadly menace, and a sense of dread appropriately permeates the story. However, some of the characters are more fleshed out than others, even though they all have a moment in which they shine (sometimes literally). The book is divided into four chapters representing four consecutive nights, but the action is constant and readers never get a sense that much time has passed at all. Troll Hunters is pretty heavy throughout and at times inconsistent but it reads quickly and there is enough action for reluctant readers.-- ""School Library Journal"" Perfect for Halloween - a group of average teens discover that the world isn't what they once believed. The story itself is clearly aimed at late elementary or early middle school. The text has some difficult vocabulary words, but the story and context is generally strong enough to help the students struggling with comprehension to make some logical inferences.-- ""NetGalley Review"" Remarkably good; think middle grade Lovecraft. I'm not quite sure what I expected when I first opened this book, but I surely didn't expect a book this good. Each teen hero character is nicely created, established, described and developed. The trolls have the ancient fearful presence of Lovecraftian monsters. The plot is clever, twisty, imaginative and in places inspired. The writing is restrained, (except when action or horror require some excess), and sometimes almost lyrically apt. The story tears along at a feverish pace. As a bonus, even secondary characters have some presence, and there is always a new development, a new character, or a new plot twist around the next corner. . . .At the middle grade level and maybe even early YA I would expect this book to be well received by readers who like a more literary, more engaging and less graphic horror experience.-- ""NetGalley Review"" The four-part Troll Hunters series, which began with Skyfall (2012), is collected here in finished form. All is well in Zion Falls until the night of the Draconid meteor shower. Monstrous creatures arrive to swipe humans before our four teen heroes--Pablo, Zak, Thora, and Louise--find themselves in league with a wild-haired man named Dr. Hoo. Yes, these are trolls--or gathool, if you want to get technical--and they are out to enslave humanity. To find their missing families, the young friends head out to stop this insurmountable foe, armed with an array of magical powers they never knew they had. As it turns out, they are ""the children of the stars"" as predicted by the ancients. Pablo O'Ryan is actually Orion (get it?), and so forth. Dahl fills this noisy middle-grade actioner with plenty of fun, if not always logical, ideas, roping in everything from Lovecraftian mythos to an explanation for the infamous word Croatoan. Kovar's plentiful, dramatic illustrations are absolutely key in lending spectacle to action scenes that are otherwise a bit confusing.-- ""Booklist Online"" This book is filled with some very interesting characters. Dahl did a great job with keeping up suspense and suspicion. The book has high adventure and action. It also has great illustrations that complement the story. I think this book would be great for kids that like a lot of action.-- ""To Read or Not To Read blog"" This is definitely plot driven and the tension is all about what is going to happen next. Which I have to admit would appeal to many middle grade readers, especially boys. There is rarely a moment to catch your breath before another scary situation begins.-- ""So I'm Fifty blog"" Trolls are heavily abundant in ""Troll Hunters"" (Stone Arch Books, $12.95) by Michael Dahl, due on shelves in August. That's good for the hunters and the readers, not so good for the trolls.-- ""Asbury Park Press, Beach book bingo: There's no good reason to take a vacation"""

...full of thrills, chills and spooky mystery. I thought that both Troll Hunters and Hocus Pocus Hotel were fun and entertaining reads that I would recommend for middle grade to young adult readers. Both boys and girls alike will enjoy the engaging characters, mystery and intriguing plots.-- Mom Loves 2 Read & blog Beneath the vast volcanic lakes / Beneath the fiery core, / An ancient, ageless Evil wakes / And starts to rise once more. This poem sets the tone for a horror tale that offers middle-graders a fast, compelling read. This poem sets the tone for a horror tale that offers middle-graders a fast, compelling read. On the night of the Draconid meteor shower, trolls hungry for human flesh invade the rural town of Zion Falls. Four youngsters--Louise, Pablo, Zak and Thora--are saved by a three-armed man, Dr. Hoo, who predicts that they have magical powers that will save the world. The story mixes trolls from the Norse tradition with constellations from Greco-Roman mythology. Atmosphere builds with changing landscapes: Peaceful countryside morphs to menacing, while the trolls' underground home is a terrifying inferno. The four kids chosen as heroes have distinct characters and magical powers; other people merely serve the plot. The climax provides surprises and a bittersweet ending. Black-and-white illustrations add to the horror and mood of the story. Compulsive plot, non-stop action and the battle between modern-day good over ancient evil attract boys and girls alike, and the fast-moving narrative, lots of suspense and cumulating violence will keep them reading. A page-turner.-- Kirkus Reviews Both of these books are spooktacular in their own right as middle grade spooky books. The would make perfect reads for your young readers who like a little scare to their books.-- Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! blog Great dark fantasy that was very fun to read.-- NetGalley Review I enjoyed Troll Hunters by Michael Dahl. It is a good story filled with constant action, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. The plot is strong and really exciting. The black and white illustrations by Ben Kovar are fantastic and really add to the story. The presentation of this book is on par with the other books I've read from Capstone. In a word, fantastic.-- Sher a Hart: My Written Art blog I have to say that Troll Hunters is on an epic scale and the author did a marvelous job creating the troll mythology. Fans of the Harry Potter series will enjoy reading this fantasy tale. I can easily see this book becoming a blockbuster feature film with dazzling special effects. Troll Hunters is a fast-paced, action-packed read that I recommend to everyone.-- Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer blog In the small town of Zion Falls, on the night of the spectacular Draconids meteor shower, four children are chosen to defend their homes and families from the coming of the gathool, a race of evil subterranean trolls. The children discover that they each have a secret power, and they are helped by mysterious Doctor Hoo, but will they be strong enough to save the world from death and destruction... or worse? Troll Hunters starts out promisingly, with strong Lovecraftian overtones, but it never really accelerates beyond that and stays basically on one level throughout. The premise is pretty basic: a group of people assemble to fight a heretofore unknown but deadly menace, and a sense of dread appropriately permeates the story. However, some of the characters are more fleshed out than others, even though they all have a moment in which they shine (sometimes literally). The book is divided into four chapters representing four consecutive nights, but the action is constant and readers never get a sense that much time has passed at all. Troll Hunters is pretty heavy throughout and at times inconsistent but it reads quickly and there is enough action for reluctant readers.-- School Library Journal Perfect for Halloween - a group of average teens discover that the world isn't what they once believed. The story itself is clearly aimed at late elementary or early middle school. The text has some difficult vocabulary words, but the story and context is generally strong enough to help the students struggling with comprehension to make some logical inferences.-- NetGalley Review Remarkably good; think middle grade Lovecraft. I'm not quite sure what I expected when I first opened this book, but I surely didn't expect a book this good. Each teen hero character is nicely created, established, described and developed. The trolls have the ancient fearful presence of Lovecraftian monsters. The plot is clever, twisty, imaginative and in places inspired. The writing is restrained, (except when action or horror require some excess), and sometimes almost lyrically apt. The story tears along at a feverish pace. As a bonus, even secondary characters have some presence, and there is always a new development, a new character, or a new plot twist around the next corner. . . .At the middle grade level and maybe even early YA I would expect this book to be well received by readers who like a more literary, more engaging and less graphic horror experience.-- NetGalley Review The four-part Troll Hunters series, which began with Skyfall (2012), is collected here in finished form. All is well in Zion Falls until the night of the Draconid meteor shower. Monstrous creatures arrive to swipe humans before our four teen heroes--Pablo, Zak, Thora, and Louise--find themselves in league with a wild-haired man named Dr. Hoo. Yes, these are trolls--or gathool, if you want to get technical--and they are out to enslave humanity. To find their missing families, the young friends head out to stop this insurmountable foe, armed with an array of magical powers they never knew they had. As it turns out, they are the children of the stars as predicted by the ancients. Pablo O'Ryan is actually Orion (get it?), and so forth. Dahl fills this noisy middle-grade actioner with plenty of fun, if not always logical, ideas, roping in everything from Lovecraftian mythos to an explanation for the infamous word Croatoan. Kovar's plentiful, dramatic illustrations are absolutely key in lending spectacle to action scenes that are otherwise a bit confusing.-- Booklist Online This book is filled with some very interesting characters. Dahl did a great job with keeping up suspense and suspicion. The book has high adventure and action. It also has great illustrations that complement the story. I think this book would be great for kids that like a lot of action.-- To Read or Not To Read blog This is definitely plot driven and the tension is all about what is going to happen next. Which I have to admit would appeal to many middle grade readers, especially boys. There is rarely a moment to catch your breath before another scary situation begins.-- So I'm Fifty blog Trolls are heavily abundant in Troll Hunters (Stone Arch Books, $12.95) by Michael Dahl, due on shelves in August. That's good for the hunters and the readers, not so good for the trolls.-- Asbury Park Press, Beach book bingo: There's no good reason to take a vacation

Author Information

Michael Dahl is the author of more than 200 books for children and young adults and is best-known for his Library of Doom and Dragonblood books.

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