THE LAST VIKINGS by S.P. Grey, Peter Randall (Illus) ( 9780955822001 )

Item Details

Title:

THE LAST VIKINGS

By:

Format:

Paperback

List price:	£7.99
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ISBN 10:

0955822009

ISBN 13:

9780955822001

Publisher:

HALL PUBLISHING

Pub. date:

22 March, 2008

Pages:

210

Synopsis:

Schoolboy Peter comes to York for the first time with his mother when his parents separate. During his first night in the city he is woken by the sound of deep voices singing. As he peers through his bedroom window, he is shocked to see a dozen ghostly Vikings appear in the misty night. They make their way to an ancient churchyard and lay their swords around a tall gravestone before disappearing back into the mist, their voices gradually fading. The following morning Peter races down to the churchyard but can find no trace of the Vikings, but the tall gravestone has a strange inscription: 'Here lies Sigurd the Dragon Slayer Viking King of Kings'. Peter is about to leave when an old man appears. He tells Peter that he is a simple gardener but it soon becomes apparent that he is Sigurd himself. "I am Sigurd, though I have not been called that for over a thousand years. I have come here to speak with you, Peter. Will you listen to me?" Sigurd tells Peter that the Vikings are still living in the city in their hidden halls beneath the cathedral where the root of Yggdrasil, the tree of life, lies deep beneath the ground.Anyone who drinks the sap of Yggdrasil gains great strength and power, and the Vikings used the sap to understand magic. But long ago the powerful Necormancer Maledict destroyed the tree and drank all the sap before stealing the Viking Stone - the only seed of Yggdrasil - which contains the concentrated power of the tree. Over the centuries, the Vikings have slowly died out as Maledict hunted them. Only a few remain, hidden in their Halls, unknown to the modern inhabitants of the city. Sigurd warns Peter that Maledict is returning to destroy the last Vikings and asks Peter to help them. He tells Peter to return to the graveyard as midnight. That night, Peter waits in the freezing graveyard as the distant Cathedral bells toll out the midnight hour. Finally he hears a strange voice and watches in amazement as a short bald man appears, seemingly stepping out of the church wall. He identifies himself as Dunstable, a Viking scout. Clearly terrified, he tells Peter that he has seen Maledict's troll army beyond the city walls and is urgently trying to find his was back to the Viking Halls to warn the Viking Queen and Prince.Dunstable takes Peter through the magic snickelways to the Viking Halls beneath the Cathedral. After entering the enormous Debating Hall, Peter stands nervously beside Dunstable as he tells the Vikings what he has seen. The plight of the Vikings seems hopeless. They are vastly outnumbered by Maledict's army and there seems no hope of victory. But when Peter tells thenm about Sigurd, he learns that Sigurd was the greatest Viking warrior who vowed to return to the Vikings when their need was greatest. The Viking Queen decides that a Quest should be launched to find Mimir's Well. Mimir lives in a cavern in the desolate mountains. Anyone who looks into the water from the Well will obtain the wisest answer to any question. Only then can they hope to defeat Maledict. But Mimir's Cavern is guarded by ferocious Frost Giants and it is a dangerous journey. The arrogant Princess, the young daughter of the Queen, volunteers to go; Peter and Dunstable reluctantly agree to go with her. The following morning the tree travellers embark upon their Quest. Dodging the troll army, they are attacked by Wolves in the forest of Ironwood.Peter fights the enormous Wolf Chieftain but, with the help of the Princess, they manage to escape. Escaping from the attack of the Frost Giants, they finally reach Mimir's Well but Mimir is nowehere to be seen. As the Princess and Dunstable are distracted by the diamonds in the cavern wals, Peter lowers a wooden pan into the Well and gazes into the water. He sees three visions: Maledict watching over an enormous troll army in York, dragons circling in a blood red sky above a stormy sea and a strange figure betraying the Vikings to Maledict. Confused by the second and third visions, Peter finally understands that the only way to defeat Maledict is to steal the Viking Stone from his crown! Despite the seeming impossibility of the task, the Princess is undeterred and they race back to York. But as they approach the city, Maledict's vast army lies between them and the city walls. The Princess boldly steals troll uniforms and leads them through the troll army disguised as trolls but they are discovered. As they race for the safety of the city walls, they are overtaken by trolls. Fighting for their lives, Peter is struck down and descends into darkness...

Reader Age:

8-14

Illustrations:

6 illustrations

Publication:

Imprint:

Hall Publishing

Returns:

Returnable

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