The Islands of the Blessed

De: Nancy Farmer

Narrado por: Gerard Doyle

“Jack, Thorgil, and the Bard are off on a new quest in this immensely satisfying conclusion of the trilogy that began with The Sea of Trolls and continued in The Land of the Silver Apples” in this “beautifully written tale” (Kirkus Reviews).

It begins with a vicious tornado. (Odin on a Wild Hunt, as the young berserker Thorgil sees it.) The fields of Jack’s home village are devastated, the winter ahead looks bleak, and a monster—a draugr—has invaded the forest outside of town.

Soon, Jack, Thorgil, and the Bard are off to right the wrong of a death caused by Father Severus. Their destination is Notland, realm of the fin folk, though they will face plenty of challenges and enemies before get they get there. Impeccably researched and blending the lore of Christian, Pagan, and Norse traditions, this expertly woven tale is beguilingly suspenseful and, ultimately, a testament to love.

The concluding volume of the heroic Sea of Trolls trilogy from National Book Award winner Nancy Farmer finds Jack and his companions on a journey that may end up righting old wrongs—if they survive.©2009 Nancy Farmer; (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

The story

Easily one of the absolute best historical fantasy novels of all time. Impeccable story and characters. Amazing for all ages.

The Islands of the Blessed

I enjoyed the adventures that all the characters have to overcome and finally succeed at the end.

A Good Closer to a Trilogy

I began reading the "Sea of Trolls" trilogy in 2017. I was drawn in by the elements of Fantasy in the setting of Viking age Britain/Norway, and ended up staying for the story. Each book follows the epic-like adventures of an apprentice to a druid wizard and a brutish shield maiden.

I enjoyed this installment for the worldly lore and character development in the story, but the narrative itself felt a little weak compared to the first two books. The story definitely took it's time unfolding, and as a result had a bit of a slower pace.

Gerard Doyle did a great job narrating and voicing the characters. The breadth of different speaking patterns he could do gave life to the dialogue. It also helps that his accent is vaguely English enough for me to believe that's how people talked in and around that time.

If your looking for a lite mystical adventure capping off a three part story line, this will do.

My Favorite narrator & characters

I love this book as it is book 3 in a trilogy. I have listened to this over and over. I can’t count how many times.
This is not just for kids or young adults, I read these books before my kids.
Absolutely memorable!

Rich with mythology and vivid descriptions!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Islands of the Blessed to be better than the print version?

Haven't read print version but I love Gerard Doyle's voice in his reading of the book. So many different characters he finds a new voice for each!

What other book might you compare The Islands of the Blessed to and why?

The Ranger's Apprentice series. Both are geared toward youth or young adult, I'm 50 and really enjoy them. Characters have intellegence, bravery and values.

Have you listened to any of Gerard Doyle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Just in this one series. (3 books) I love his narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No, just couldn't wait to get back to it and very sa it was over in the end.

Any additional comments?

From the books I've listened to, the narrator makes such a impact on the story. The ability to change voices for different characters is amazing!