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Trollhunters
"You are food. Those muscles you flex to walk, lift, and talk? They're patties of meat topped with chewy tendon. That skin you've paid so much attention to in mirrors? It's delicious to the right tongues, a casserole of succulent tissue. And those bones that give you the strength to make your way in the world? They rattle between teeth as the marrow is sucked down slobbering throats. These facts are unpleasant but useful. There are things out there, you see, that don't cower in holes to be captured by us and cooked over our fires. These things have their own ways of trapping their kills, their own fires, their own appetites."
Jim Sturges is your typical teen in suburban San Bernardino—one with an embarrassingly overprotective dad, a best friend named "Tubby" who shares his hatred of all things torturous (like gym class), and a crush on a girl who doesn't know he exists. But everything changes for Jim when a 45-year old mystery resurfaces, threatening the lives of everyone in his seemingly sleepy town. Soon Jim has to team up with a band of unlikely (and some un-human) heroes to battle the monsters he never knew existed.
From the minds of horror geniuses Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus comes a new illustrated novel about the fears that move in unseen places.
Jim Sturges is your typical teen in suburban San Bernardino—one with an embarrassingly overprotective dad, a best friend named "Tubby" who shares his hatred of all things torturous (like gym class), and a crush on a girl who doesn't know he exists. But everything changes for Jim when a 45-year old mystery resurfaces, threatening the lives of everyone in his seemingly sleepy town. Soon Jim has to team up with a band of unlikely (and some un-human) heroes to battle the monsters he never knew existed.
From the minds of horror geniuses Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus comes a new illustrated novel about the fears that move in unseen places.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 30, 2015
441 people are currently reading
5078 people want to read
About the author
Guillermo del Toro
155 books5,046 followersGuillermo del Toro is a Mexican director mostly known for his acclaimed films Pan's Labyrinth, The Devils Backbone, Crimson Peak and the Hellboy film franchise. His films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction, fantasy, horror, and war. In 2009, Del Toro released his debut novel, The Strain, co-authored with Chuck Hogan, as the first part of The Strain Trilogy, an apocalyptic horror series featuring vampires. The series continued with The Fall in 2010 and concluded with The Night Eternal in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 610 reviews
January 2, 2017
After watching the Netflix series and becoming somewhat obsessed, I grabbed this book at the earliest opportunity. It didn't disappoint.
WARNING: Do NOT read this book if all you want is the Trollhunters Netflix series in book form. Because the differences are enormous, albeit well-reasoned on del Toro's part. They are two different beasts that share a common blood.
Reading Trollhunters is like taking a decadent, sobering trip into the 9th circle of Dante's Inferno. It's dark. It's gritty. The trolls (especially the Gumm-Gumms) are absolutely disgusting, revolting monsters, illuminated in a way only del Toro could achieve. The descriptions in this book might actually be difficult for the faint-of-heart or queasy to power through.
The writing is gorgeous - the prose feels wonderfully atypical at times; even the simplest sentences can germinate from a place of pure originality, like a breath of fresh air.
You grow to know and love the characters.
The twists keep readers on the edges of their seats until the bittersweet end.
My singular complaint, is that this novel does read like it was meant to be an ornamented movie script. Scenes that could be more powerful in fewer words are dragged out longer than they need to be, especially action scenes; I felt that the strength of the fight scenes floundered under their own verbosity. Also, some of the smaller scenes added in near the end felt as if pulled straight from film. I've had these same feelings before while reading works from other directors, and while I enjoyed those books as well, it seems to be a common thought that nags at me.
BUT overall, I'm really glad I decided to visit the slimey underbelly that is the novel version of Trollhunters. It was vile, heartwarming, intense, and funny. And I loved it.
WARNING: Do NOT read this book if all you want is the Trollhunters Netflix series in book form. Because the differences are enormous, albeit well-reasoned on del Toro's part. They are two different beasts that share a common blood.
Reading Trollhunters is like taking a decadent, sobering trip into the 9th circle of Dante's Inferno. It's dark. It's gritty. The trolls (especially the Gumm-Gumms) are absolutely disgusting, revolting monsters, illuminated in a way only del Toro could achieve. The descriptions in this book might actually be difficult for the faint-of-heart or queasy to power through.
The writing is gorgeous - the prose feels wonderfully atypical at times; even the simplest sentences can germinate from a place of pure originality, like a breath of fresh air.
You grow to know and love the characters.
The twists keep readers on the edges of their seats until the bittersweet end.
My singular complaint, is that this novel does read like it was meant to be an ornamented movie script. Scenes that could be more powerful in fewer words are dragged out longer than they need to be, especially action scenes; I felt that the strength of the fight scenes floundered under their own verbosity. Also, some of the smaller scenes added in near the end felt as if pulled straight from film. I've had these same feelings before while reading works from other directors, and while I enjoyed those books as well, it seems to be a common thought that nags at me.
BUT overall, I'm really glad I decided to visit the slimey underbelly that is the novel version of Trollhunters. It was vile, heartwarming, intense, and funny. And I loved it.
December 4, 2025
“It’s a terrible thing, isn’t it? To be dragged under?”
In San Bernadino in the late 1960s, almost 200 hundred children went missing in what became known as The Milk Carton Epidemic. Children weren’t allowed on the streets past sunset, but on the day of Jack Sturges birthday, he and his little brother Jim were having too much fun on their bicycles to notice the sun was slowly making its exit. When Jack raced ahead towards the Holland Transit Bridge, Jim quickly lost sight of him. From the shadow of the bridge came a sight so terrifying that Jim could only run away in fear. Black fur, horns, claws, and massive teeth chased him home that day and while he managed to survive, he never saw his older brother Jack again.
Years later, Jim’s son, Jim Sturges Jr. is fifteen years old and lives alone with his paranoid father. Ever since he lost his older brother, his father has been terrified of the dark. Steel shutters cover their windows, ten locks secure their front door, and the flood lights and security cameras pick up anything that lurks outside. Jim never quite understands his father's paranoia, that is until the day that he’s dragged through a hole beneath his bed and sees his first troll. And his lost Uncle Jack who is somehow just as young as he was the day he went missing. He’s told that the Sturges family belongs to a line of trollhunters, that the battle between humans and trolls has been going on for ages, and that he’s the next in line to step up to the task. Jim’s life is never quite the same again.
“This is the only thing I’m good at. There are times when you have to do the right thing, no matter how scary. […] If I don’t fight now, right now, when am I supposed to fight?”
Trollhunters will appeal to fans of Percy Jackson, The Blackwell Pages, The Kane Chronicles and the multitude of series’ that center around kids/teenagers burdened with the task of saving the world. Trollhunters is tagged as YA but the goofiness that is typically present in Middle-Grade fiction is flying high in this one. But there are also several instances of profanity (asshole and bastard are two I remember off the top of my head) so it’s clear this author-duo was possibly trying to entice an audience of various ages. I’m just not sure the way they went about it is necessarily a recipe for success. The fact that it’s marketed as horror doesn’t necessarily help either, especially since it’s really not. Children stolen from their beds at night (by monsters nonetheless) should be straight nightmare fuel but it never quite reached the level of terror I would have expected since the intensity was constantly lessened by the presence of goofy humor.
I’m a huge fan of del Toro, so this became an immediate addition to my TBR, but what most intrigued me about this one is the difference in the fantasy focus: trolls. I’ve read plenty of vampire, werewolf, and faerie stories but a troll story? Can’t recall a single one. But these aren’t the trolls of my generation either.
Oh, no. These trolls are nasty, ugly things that like to snack on humans like they were tasty kernels of popcorn. While the horror was somewhat lacking (except for that bit about the troll fetus that takes up residence inside humans for the night? oh. my. god. Wire my mouth shut, I’ll just breathe through my nose, thank you very much), the gruesomeness is actually pretty intense. For a glimpse of what these disgusting trolls actually look like, check out some of the artwork by Sean A. Murray. One thing I have to note about the artwork, and due to the fact that I read an ARC I can’t be certain this is necessarily the case in the finished copy, but the artwork never coincided with what was occurring in the story. A certain scenes artwork would be shown 20 pages later which kind of threw you off from the scene that was currently happening.
Naturally, this is a start to a new series since various questions were left unanswered. I hope that some thought is put into future installments because at this point I can’t see how they can be anything but repetitive. Trolls try to take over, battles happen, people die, good wins. The story often dragged at times and lacked any twists that would have helped keep me (or any reader) engaged. Less goofiness, more horror, and much more excitement are all I’d like to ask for in the next installment. Still worth the read, but not nearly as thrilling as I had hoped for from an author duo like this.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
In San Bernadino in the late 1960s, almost 200 hundred children went missing in what became known as The Milk Carton Epidemic. Children weren’t allowed on the streets past sunset, but on the day of Jack Sturges birthday, he and his little brother Jim were having too much fun on their bicycles to notice the sun was slowly making its exit. When Jack raced ahead towards the Holland Transit Bridge, Jim quickly lost sight of him. From the shadow of the bridge came a sight so terrifying that Jim could only run away in fear. Black fur, horns, claws, and massive teeth chased him home that day and while he managed to survive, he never saw his older brother Jack again.
Years later, Jim’s son, Jim Sturges Jr. is fifteen years old and lives alone with his paranoid father. Ever since he lost his older brother, his father has been terrified of the dark. Steel shutters cover their windows, ten locks secure their front door, and the flood lights and security cameras pick up anything that lurks outside. Jim never quite understands his father's paranoia, that is until the day that he’s dragged through a hole beneath his bed and sees his first troll. And his lost Uncle Jack who is somehow just as young as he was the day he went missing. He’s told that the Sturges family belongs to a line of trollhunters, that the battle between humans and trolls has been going on for ages, and that he’s the next in line to step up to the task. Jim’s life is never quite the same again.
“This is the only thing I’m good at. There are times when you have to do the right thing, no matter how scary. […] If I don’t fight now, right now, when am I supposed to fight?”
Trollhunters will appeal to fans of Percy Jackson, The Blackwell Pages, The Kane Chronicles and the multitude of series’ that center around kids/teenagers burdened with the task of saving the world. Trollhunters is tagged as YA but the goofiness that is typically present in Middle-Grade fiction is flying high in this one. But there are also several instances of profanity (asshole and bastard are two I remember off the top of my head) so it’s clear this author-duo was possibly trying to entice an audience of various ages. I’m just not sure the way they went about it is necessarily a recipe for success. The fact that it’s marketed as horror doesn’t necessarily help either, especially since it’s really not. Children stolen from their beds at night (by monsters nonetheless) should be straight nightmare fuel but it never quite reached the level of terror I would have expected since the intensity was constantly lessened by the presence of goofy humor.
I’m a huge fan of del Toro, so this became an immediate addition to my TBR, but what most intrigued me about this one is the difference in the fantasy focus: trolls. I’ve read plenty of vampire, werewolf, and faerie stories but a troll story? Can’t recall a single one. But these aren’t the trolls of my generation either.
Oh, no. These trolls are nasty, ugly things that like to snack on humans like they were tasty kernels of popcorn. While the horror was somewhat lacking (except for that bit about the troll fetus that takes up residence inside humans for the night? oh. my. god. Wire my mouth shut, I’ll just breathe through my nose, thank you very much), the gruesomeness is actually pretty intense. For a glimpse of what these disgusting trolls actually look like, check out some of the artwork by Sean A. Murray. One thing I have to note about the artwork, and due to the fact that I read an ARC I can’t be certain this is necessarily the case in the finished copy, but the artwork never coincided with what was occurring in the story. A certain scenes artwork would be shown 20 pages later which kind of threw you off from the scene that was currently happening.
Naturally, this is a start to a new series since various questions were left unanswered. I hope that some thought is put into future installments because at this point I can’t see how they can be anything but repetitive. Trolls try to take over, battles happen, people die, good wins. The story often dragged at times and lacked any twists that would have helped keep me (or any reader) engaged. Less goofiness, more horror, and much more excitement are all I’d like to ask for in the next installment. Still worth the read, but not nearly as thrilling as I had hoped for from an author duo like this.
I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
August 7, 2015
Written for a YA audience by the incredibly talented Guillermo del Toro this was an interesting fantasy adventure which I felt took a while to get going but was original and interesting.
Read
August 25, 2015Guillermo’s grimy world is perfectly paired with Kraus’ gruesome text making for a fantastic adventure in an underground kingdom that’s just as dangerous as the trials and tribulations of middle school. I’m never looking underneath my bed again.
February 12, 2016
Jim Sturges Jr. nos cuenta la historia del día en que su tío Jack Sturges —al igual que muchos otros niños— desapareció de forma misteriosa una tarde después de caer el sol mientras jugaba con su hermanito (el papá de Jim). Éste suceso convirtió a Jim Sturges Sr en un obseso de la precaución y la seguridad, así que convirtió su hogar en un búnker seguro para crecer a su hijo Jim. Jim quería a su papá, pero su obsesión por la seguridad era sofocante, al punto que hasta su madre los abandonó al sentirse como una prisionera en su propia casa. Nadie comprendía el por qué de ese miedo irracional de que algo malo fuera a pasar.
Jim no es un chico popular, y por culpa de su padre lleva una vida familiar bastante excéntrica y solitaria. Su mejor amigo es un gordo llamado Toby al cual llaman "Gordi" y que es receptor de bullying en una dosis diaria. O sea, eran un par de perdedores. Pero ésta vida solitaria, monótona, sofocante y llena de tipos malos e intimidantes cambia cuando Jim se topa cara a cara con eso que traumó tanto a su padre cuando aún era un niño.
El libro es un poco lento al principio, no voy a decir que lo adoré desde el inicio porque no fue así, fue un enamoramiento lento y por un momento llegué a temer que el libro no me gustara para nada. Pero esa lentitud es parte de su encanto, porque desde un principio te crean un trasfondo de los personajes para que uno los vea crecer y cambiar, y hasta agarrarles cariño.
A pesar de ser un libro de fantasía juvenil, no tiene esa narración simple de letra enorme y con doble espacio que muchos libros juveniles tienen (de esos que 'se leen rápido'). Tiene una narración exquisita, para nada simplona y con un sentido del humor un tanto negro. Sin caer en la comedia, la historia tiene sus partes cómicas que me sacaron un par de sonrisas (una vez de plano me sacó una carcajada) pero en ningún momento pierde la seriedad. El toque está en la forma en que es descrito todo, sin caer en lo simple describen todo de una forma bastante amena.
Los personajes crecen dentro del lector, al inicio algunos pueden no tener ni chiste ni gracia, pero conforme avanza la lectura se les va agarrando cariño, o al menos a mi eso me sucedió. Hay un personaje en particular que se llama Ojitranco que fue mi favorito. Es un personaje divertido, excéntrico, muy hablador, pero que se ganó mi corazón desde la primera vez que lo mencionan.
Cuando brinqué la parte lenta, el resto de la lectura se me hizo fluida e interesante. Nos describen a seres fantásticos de tal manera que se pintan en la memoria mejor que una fotografía, la descripción es magnífica. La historia tiene su toque de misterio, de suspenso, acción y como ya dije, hasta de comedia. Todos los personajes tienen un porqué, un inicio y un elaborado desarrollo. Les recomiendo prestar atención hasta a los más pequeños detalles.
Y en conclusión, me gustó muchísimo y lo recomendaría a todo lector. Es una historia que tiene como objetivo llegar a los jóvenes, pero siento que la disfrutarían todas las edades. No se van a arrepentir.
January 12, 2026
Según yo, iba a leer esto inmediatamente después de terminar de ver toda la franquicia Tales of Arcadia (lo cual sucedió el año pasado) para superar lo terrible, horrible, muy malo y nada bueno que fue su final (siempre que lo recuerdo, lo odio tanto o más de lo que alguna vez odié el libro 2 de Simon Snow)
Según el destino, los dioses, la vida o lo que sea, "no", porque aparentemente esos tiempos en los que podía sentarme durante horas y horas a leer un libro completo ya han quedado muy, muy atrás. Ah, aquellos sí que eran buenos tiempos…
En una nota no relacionada, al fin tengo Netflix. ¡Ya no me siento tan pobre!
Este libro fue atrapante. Captó mi atención desde el primer párrafo —para aterrorizarme, claro, pero lo hizo— y, a partir de ahí, no recuerdo que haya tenido ningún momento lo suficientemente lento como para llegar a resultar tedioso. Además, la exploración de diversos temas —el acoso escolar y sus efectos en la autoestima de quienes lo sufren, las variedades de trolls,los lugares por donde se extendieron, su migración a Estados Unidos y el efecto adictivo y potencialmente dañino que la señal televisiva tiene en criaturas que, como ellos, no pueden estar bajo la luz del sol, la mención de las legendarias hazañas de los antiguos guerreros de la familia Sturgeon/Sturges, etc, etc— no solo fue distinta a la de la serie, sino que, al menos a mi parecer, llegó a ser algo más profunda.
Si de algo tendría que quejarme, sería de lo corto que fue pues considero que podría haberse extendido más, aunque en realidad no afectó al ritmo ni a la coherencia durante la mayor parte, mas la llegada a la conclusión sí que se sintió ligeramente apresurada. Ah, bueno. Nada puede ser totalmente perfecto, supongo.
Escenas y demás:
*"Eres comida. ¿Esos músculos que flexionas para caminar, levantar objetos y hablar? Son hamburguesas de carne cubiertas de tendones masticables. ¿Esa piel a la que tanto has prestado atención en los espejos? Es deliciosa para las lenguas adecuadas, un guiso de tejido suculento. ¿Y esos huesos que te dan la fuerza para abrirte camino en el mundo? Crujen entre los dientes mientras la médula es succionada por gargantas babeantes. Estos hechos son desagradables, pero útiles".
Oh por los dioses, yo no quería leer eso nomás iniciar libro alguno, ¡y definitivamente no quería hacerlo casi a 8:00am!
*La desaparición de Jack es tan… repentina e impactante: en un momento, Jim se está esforzando por seguirlo, por no quedarse atrás… y, al siguiente, todo lo que logra ver es la bicicleta de Jack bajo Holland Transit Bridge, bicicleta que se halla abandonada y sin rastro de su dueño por ningún lado mientras una canción de amor se reproduce por la radio atada al manillar.
Y luego, por supuesto y porque el panorama actual no es lo suficientemente malo aún, una… cosa monstruosa aparece y persigue al que, en el futuro, será James Sturges Sr.
*"Me incorporé y lo observé sujetar las contraventanas de acero de mi ventana. Sacó sus gafas del bolsillo, rotas como siempre y sujetas con una tirita, y entrecerró los ojos para leer el código. Tras marcar el número de siete dígitos, tiró hacia arriba y los paneles de acero se plegaron como un acordeón, revelando un día soleado".
…Alto, ¿qué? ¿contraventanas de acero con un código? ¿qué?
¿Y saben qué es lo peor, gente? que existen. Esas cosas realmente existen. Sí, lo investigué. Existen. Sí, desconocía que existieran fuera de la ficción… hasta hoy. No, este descubrimiento reciente no me ha hecho feliz.
*"Solo cuando estuve a su lado, papá empezó a abrir la puerta. Era un ritual que me sabía de memoria. La puerta tenía diez cerraduras, cada una más impresionante que la anterior. Mientras él cambiaba cerrojos, giraba llaves y deslizaba cadenas…"
¿Qué carajo?
Antes de leer esto, solía creer que mi casa era segura. No extremadamente segura —soy realista, sé lo que tengo—, pero sí segura; ahora, sin embargo, creo que debo volver a dormir con un cuchillo bajo la almohada porque, francamente y en comparación con esas contraventanas y esa puerta, la "seguridad" de mi hogar es un mal chiste.
*¿"Tubby"? ¿es en serio, "Tubby"? acá también se llama Tobias, por dios, ¿por qué no podía apodarse "Toby"?
Sí, ya sé que el libro fue primero y luego vino la serie, pero de todos modos.
*Los trolls no pueden hablar… o, bueno, no un lenguaje comprensible. Esto es raro, tan raro como que a Jim prácticamente tratan de obligarlo a ponerse lo que, si no me equivoco, es en este contexto algo un tanto similar al amuleto de la serie… no, ¿a quién engaño? no se parece en nada, la cosa esa: no necesita de determinadas palabras para activarse, no produce una armadura mágica ni una espada, estoy bastante, bastante segura de que no lo forjó Merlín y Tobias definitivamente, definitivamente acaba deseando tener uno para poder entender a los trolls sin necesidad de que Jim traduzca, no tengo pruebas pero tampoco dudas.
*¿Alguien extraña Trollmarket? porque yo extraño Trollmarket. ¿Troll City? pfft, Trollmarket era mejor.
Sí, también extraño al señor Strickler, déjenme en paz.
*Jim nombra a sus armas, sus armas de batalla, sus armas con las que deberá matar trolls, Claireblade y Cat #6.
¿Dónde han quedado los nombres legendarios, aquellos dignos de figurar en leyendas y cantos épicos?
En su defensa, Jack lo estaba apresurando y le dijo que las nombrara en honor a algo importante para él… pero en serio, ¿como un gato que ni siquiera era suyo? y, además, imaginen que la relación entre Claire y él no llegara a superar la etapa de compañeros de escuela no hostiles… o que, de hacerlo, las circunstancias los llevaran a cortar lazos y no de buena manera.
*¿Recuerdan cuando yo pedía más "descripciones sangrientas"? bueno…
"Me obligué a acercarme a los diez sacos. Latían sobre el césped oscuro como suaves embriones mutantes. Me incliné sobre el más cercano. Pulmones morados se hinchaban contra la película translúcida; un estómago viscoso se acumulaba sobre ellos como una ola roja y viscosa; cerca del fondo se acumulaba un montón blanco de intestinos retorciéndose. Todo flotaba en una masa viscosa…
Coloqué la punta del machete contra el saco y empujé suavemente. Atravesó la piel con un sonido flatulento y un líquido color mostaza me salpicó el brazo. Olía a carne podrida y mis ojos comenzaron a lagrimear. Por un momento consideré simplemente alejarme, pero entonces, antes de saber qué hacía, aplasté la espada con tanta fuerza que se incrustó en la tierra. La bolsa se partió por la mitad con el agudo chirrido de un globo perforado y los órganos se derramaron en una maraña multicolor. En cuanto la piel translúcida tocó la hierba, se derritió en un gel fétido. Los intestinos fueron los que más viajaron, expandiéndose alrededor de mis zapatos…
Respiré hondo y hundí ambas manos en las vísceras calientes. A las entrañas no les gustaba que las tocara. Escupían jugos ácidos que me quemaban la piel. Las cuchillas de la caja torácica cercenaban las yemas de mis dedos. Una red de vasos sanguíneos se enroscaba en mi antebrazo y me agarraba con dolorosa ferocidad. Cada órgano gritaba con una voz pequeña y enojada. Y aun así, escarbaba con dedos furiosos, amasando cada resbaladizo trozo de carne en busca de una sorpresa oculta. Supe que había encontrado la vesícula en cuanto la toqué. Estaba hirviendo. La saqué de la inmundicia con un sonoro sorbo. Los vasos sanguíneos que me rodeaban la mano se rompieron y el resto de las entrañas se aflojaron, gimiendo en tonos bajos de pérdida.Levanté la vesícula en un puño victorioso. Era del tamaño de una pelota de golf y de la textura de las espinacas mojadas. Se revolvía en mi mano como si estuviera llena de gusanos…"
¡no me refería a eso, lo juro!
*Con respecto a las reacciones iniciales:
En mi opinión, las diferencias entre J. Lake y J. Sturges acerca de comenzar a cazar trolls son fáciles de percibir: Lake parece impresionado, sorprendido y hasta algo asustado por haberse convertido en "el elegido", sí, pero está dispuesto a asumir el puesto. Sí, necesita ser convencido, mas no creo que haya opuesto mucha resistencia y sí, luego tiene todo ese viaje del héroe para convertirse en uno, pero ya desde el principio no es tan renuente a serlo; Sturges, sin embargo, no quiere estar involucrado en ese desastre infernal, no se siente feliz de que su tío esté arrastrándolo a eso y le gustaría poder desentenderse de todo lo de asesinar trolls y participar en una guerra que está por estallar. Vaya, incluso se lo dice a Tobias: ""No puedo hacer esto, Tub", le dice, y antes de hacerlo hasta llega a pensar que su amigo estará, al igual que él, disgustado con la situación y con ganas de hacer lo que sea necesario para mantener a los trollhunters muy, muy lejos. Y sí, hay veces en las que llega a sentirse dispuesto a luchar para eliminar a sus oponentes y mantener el mundo a salvo, pero ese es otro tema.
Otras diferencias notables radican en las actitudes de T. Domzalski y T. Dershowitz. Sí, los 2 se asustan la primera vez que ven trolls —una reacción muy comprensible—, pero de ahí en más… bien: sí, Domzalski está impresionado al saber que su amigo ha sido elegido por un amuleto mágico y sí, en cierto punto él también quiere tener un arma propia y luchar como todo un guerrero, mas su motivación principal para involucrarse con los trolls y no huir hacia las colinas es la de acompañar y ayudar a Lake. Había una frase que los 2 decían en referencia a que siempre habían estado juntos, algo sobre cómo eran ambos al principio y serían ambos al final, y creo que eso resume adecuadamente la motivación de Domzalski, la lealtad; Dershowitz, no obstante, desea participar en cazar trolls no tanto por apoyar a Sturges —aunque sí, quizá haya algo de eso—, sino porque lo ve como poder tener un propósito más grande en la vida y al fin dejar de ser un perdedor. Hay un punto en el que le insiste a Sturges para que acepte ser un trollhunter, aun a pesar de que a él mismo ya se le ha dicho que no es uno, solo porque sin su amigo no podrá estar metido en el asunto, y lo sabe perfectamente.
Obviamente, las diversas reacciones de cada personaje están influenciadas por sus diferentes circunstancias en la vida, así que eso también ha de tomarse en cuenta.
*Vaya, esta Claire sabe esgrima y no parece que vaya a necesitar de una Vara de las Sombras para ser capaz de luchar. Qué sorpresa tan maravillosa, esa. Ya me cae bien la chica, y ese modo de hablar suyo… eh.
*Ese desgarrador, desgarrador momento en el que James Sturges Sr. le pide a Jack que no se vaya, que se quede con él —"todavía tengo cajas de tu ropa. Puedo comprar bicicletas para los dos, las mejores que se vendan: rojas para ti y amarillas para mí. Todavía tengo tu radio. Podemos montar en bici y escuchar música, Jack. Podemos disparar nuestros láseres. Podemos pedalear tan rápido que no tendremos tiempo de recordar nada de lo malo que pasó. ¡Podemos crecer juntos después de todo! ¿No te parece un sueño?"— o que no lo deje, que lo lleve con él —“Donde tú vayas, yo iré; ¡es lo que debería haber hecho hace años!”—… solo para que Jack le diga que "No puedo crecer, Jimbo. Ni contigo. Ni con nadie"… y que ya es demasiado viejo.
Y encima, tras eso James se ve obligado a ver cómo su hermano se lleva a su hijo directo hacia el peligro, a ver cómo ambos lo dejan atrás…
*En el libro: Tobias, hipnotizando a los Gumm-Gumms con la estática proveniente de la pantalla gigante y logrando que se detengan.
En la realidad: yo, agradeciendo mentalmente no haber hablado tan mal de él.
*Hubo una batalla, surgieron héroes, hubieron triunfadores y todo estuvo bien… salvo por esto:
"Mientras cerraba los ojos y me hundía en un oscuro gozo, dos pensamientos aleatorios me picaron como un mosquito molesto. ¿Alguien se ocupó de la vesícula biliar de Gunmar después de que la arrojé al campo? Y, pensándolo bien, ¿dónde se había metido el profesor Lempke?"
No, ¿qué? ¿qué?
Arcadia Oaks es… no, ciudad equivocada. Vamos otra vez.
San Bernardino es una ciudad tranquila. Claro, hace años hubieron muchas, muchas desapariciones, pero ocurrieron hace literalmente décadas, y cesaron tras la lamentable desaparición de Jack Sturges, por lo que en la actualidad es un sitio tan tranquilo como cualquier otro en el que no suceden acontecimientos inusuales. Ahí, vive James Lak… err… digo… James Sturges Jr., un chico normal con una vida normal… o, bueno, tan normal como puede ser la vida de alguien cuyo padre, a raíz de la desaparición de su hermano mayor, está obsesionado con intentar prevenir todos y cualquier peligro potencial—y cuya salud mental se deteriora día tras día y que prácticamente ha convertido su casa en una prisión de alta seguridad—, cuya madre abandonó a la familia, que sufre acoso en la escuela y que no tiene ningún otro amigo aparte de Tobias Dershowitz.
Así que sí, su vida es normal. No magnífica ni perfecta, no, mas sí normal… y, entonces, se topa con algo que no logra ver bien, pero que parece tener hombros encorvados y brazos gruesos, pero como evidentemente eso solo fue producto de su imaginación, él sigue con su vida normal, aun pese a sentirse conmocionado por lo ocurrido… y, entonces, le toca huir de Steve —literalmente arrastrándose bajo algunos autos— junto a Tobias, pero como eso no es nada que, digamos, lo ponga en peligro mortal y además un golpe de suerte acaba desviando la atención del acosador, continúa con su vida normal… procurando ignorar el recuerdo de la cosa que, unos instantes atrás, estaba emergiendo de la alcantarilla, sí… y, entonces, se retraza en llegar a casa y para cuando se da cuenta de su gran, gran error ya es demasiado tarde, o demasiado tarde a ojos de su padre, de todas formas, por lo cual este último llama a la policía… pero bueno, bueno, ni siquiera es la primera vez que el paranoico hombre hace eso, así que no es nada fuera de lo común, y Jim puede seguir viviendo su vida normal… cargando con la vergüenza de haber sido llevado a casa por alguien que es básicamente un héroe local, claro… y, entonces, una cosa de varios ojos —o quizá más de una, quién sabe— logra, de alguna forma, invadir la cárcel ultrasegura que es su casa y sacarlo de ella… y, desde ahí, su "vida normal" empieza a volverse todo menos normal…
Según el destino, los dioses, la vida o lo que sea, "no", porque aparentemente esos tiempos en los que podía sentarme durante horas y horas a leer un libro completo ya han quedado muy, muy atrás. Ah, aquellos sí que eran buenos tiempos…
En una nota no relacionada, al fin tengo Netflix. ¡Ya no me siento tan pobre!
Este libro fue atrapante. Captó mi atención desde el primer párrafo —para aterrorizarme, claro, pero lo hizo— y, a partir de ahí, no recuerdo que haya tenido ningún momento lo suficientemente lento como para llegar a resultar tedioso. Además, la exploración de diversos temas —el acoso escolar y sus efectos en la autoestima de quienes lo sufren, las variedades de trolls,los lugares por donde se extendieron, su migración a Estados Unidos y el efecto adictivo y potencialmente dañino que la señal televisiva tiene en criaturas que, como ellos, no pueden estar bajo la luz del sol, la mención de las legendarias hazañas de los antiguos guerreros de la familia Sturgeon/Sturges, etc, etc— no solo fue distinta a la de la serie, sino que, al menos a mi parecer, llegó a ser algo más profunda.
Si de algo tendría que quejarme, sería de lo corto que fue pues considero que podría haberse extendido más, aunque en realidad no afectó al ritmo ni a la coherencia durante la mayor parte, mas la llegada a la conclusión sí que se sintió ligeramente apresurada. Ah, bueno. Nada puede ser totalmente perfecto, supongo.
Escenas y demás:
*"Eres comida. ¿Esos músculos que flexionas para caminar, levantar objetos y hablar? Son hamburguesas de carne cubiertas de tendones masticables. ¿Esa piel a la que tanto has prestado atención en los espejos? Es deliciosa para las lenguas adecuadas, un guiso de tejido suculento. ¿Y esos huesos que te dan la fuerza para abrirte camino en el mundo? Crujen entre los dientes mientras la médula es succionada por gargantas babeantes. Estos hechos son desagradables, pero útiles".
Oh por los dioses, yo no quería leer eso nomás iniciar libro alguno, ¡y definitivamente no quería hacerlo casi a 8:00am!
*La desaparición de Jack es tan… repentina e impactante: en un momento, Jim se está esforzando por seguirlo, por no quedarse atrás… y, al siguiente, todo lo que logra ver es la bicicleta de Jack bajo Holland Transit Bridge, bicicleta que se halla abandonada y sin rastro de su dueño por ningún lado mientras una canción de amor se reproduce por la radio atada al manillar.
Y luego, por supuesto y porque el panorama actual no es lo suficientemente malo aún, una… cosa monstruosa aparece y persigue al que, en el futuro, será James Sturges Sr.
*"Me incorporé y lo observé sujetar las contraventanas de acero de mi ventana. Sacó sus gafas del bolsillo, rotas como siempre y sujetas con una tirita, y entrecerró los ojos para leer el código. Tras marcar el número de siete dígitos, tiró hacia arriba y los paneles de acero se plegaron como un acordeón, revelando un día soleado".
…Alto, ¿qué? ¿contraventanas de acero con un código? ¿qué?
¿Y saben qué es lo peor, gente? que existen. Esas cosas realmente existen. Sí, lo investigué. Existen. Sí, desconocía que existieran fuera de la ficción… hasta hoy. No, este descubrimiento reciente no me ha hecho feliz.
*"Solo cuando estuve a su lado, papá empezó a abrir la puerta. Era un ritual que me sabía de memoria. La puerta tenía diez cerraduras, cada una más impresionante que la anterior. Mientras él cambiaba cerrojos, giraba llaves y deslizaba cadenas…"
¿Qué carajo?
Antes de leer esto, solía creer que mi casa era segura. No extremadamente segura —soy realista, sé lo que tengo—, pero sí segura; ahora, sin embargo, creo que debo volver a dormir con un cuchillo bajo la almohada porque, francamente y en comparación con esas contraventanas y esa puerta, la "seguridad" de mi hogar es un mal chiste.
*¿"Tubby"? ¿es en serio, "Tubby"? acá también se llama Tobias, por dios, ¿por qué no podía apodarse "Toby"?
Sí, ya sé que el libro fue primero y luego vino la serie, pero de todos modos.
*Los trolls no pueden hablar… o, bueno, no un lenguaje comprensible. Esto es raro, tan raro como que a Jim prácticamente tratan de obligarlo a ponerse lo que, si no me equivoco, es en este contexto algo un tanto similar al amuleto de la serie… no, ¿a quién engaño? no se parece en nada, la cosa esa: no necesita de determinadas palabras para activarse, no produce una armadura mágica ni una espada, estoy bastante, bastante segura de que no lo forjó Merlín y Tobias definitivamente, definitivamente acaba deseando tener uno para poder entender a los trolls sin necesidad de que Jim traduzca, no tengo pruebas pero tampoco dudas.
*¿Alguien extraña Trollmarket? porque yo extraño Trollmarket. ¿Troll City? pfft, Trollmarket era mejor.
Sí, también extraño al señor Strickler, déjenme en paz.
*Jim nombra a sus armas, sus armas de batalla, sus armas con las que deberá matar trolls, Claireblade y Cat #6.
¿Dónde han quedado los nombres legendarios, aquellos dignos de figurar en leyendas y cantos épicos?
En su defensa, Jack lo estaba apresurando y le dijo que las nombrara en honor a algo importante para él… pero en serio, ¿como un gato que ni siquiera era suyo? y, además, imaginen que la relación entre Claire y él no llegara a superar la etapa de compañeros de escuela no hostiles… o que, de hacerlo, las circunstancias los llevaran a cortar lazos y no de buena manera.
*¿Recuerdan cuando yo pedía más "descripciones sangrientas"? bueno…
"Me obligué a acercarme a los diez sacos. Latían sobre el césped oscuro como suaves embriones mutantes. Me incliné sobre el más cercano. Pulmones morados se hinchaban contra la película translúcida; un estómago viscoso se acumulaba sobre ellos como una ola roja y viscosa; cerca del fondo se acumulaba un montón blanco de intestinos retorciéndose. Todo flotaba en una masa viscosa…
Coloqué la punta del machete contra el saco y empujé suavemente. Atravesó la piel con un sonido flatulento y un líquido color mostaza me salpicó el brazo. Olía a carne podrida y mis ojos comenzaron a lagrimear. Por un momento consideré simplemente alejarme, pero entonces, antes de saber qué hacía, aplasté la espada con tanta fuerza que se incrustó en la tierra. La bolsa se partió por la mitad con el agudo chirrido de un globo perforado y los órganos se derramaron en una maraña multicolor. En cuanto la piel translúcida tocó la hierba, se derritió en un gel fétido. Los intestinos fueron los que más viajaron, expandiéndose alrededor de mis zapatos…
Respiré hondo y hundí ambas manos en las vísceras calientes. A las entrañas no les gustaba que las tocara. Escupían jugos ácidos que me quemaban la piel. Las cuchillas de la caja torácica cercenaban las yemas de mis dedos. Una red de vasos sanguíneos se enroscaba en mi antebrazo y me agarraba con dolorosa ferocidad. Cada órgano gritaba con una voz pequeña y enojada. Y aun así, escarbaba con dedos furiosos, amasando cada resbaladizo trozo de carne en busca de una sorpresa oculta. Supe que había encontrado la vesícula en cuanto la toqué. Estaba hirviendo. La saqué de la inmundicia con un sonoro sorbo. Los vasos sanguíneos que me rodeaban la mano se rompieron y el resto de las entrañas se aflojaron, gimiendo en tonos bajos de pérdida.Levanté la vesícula en un puño victorioso. Era del tamaño de una pelota de golf y de la textura de las espinacas mojadas. Se revolvía en mi mano como si estuviera llena de gusanos…"
¡no me refería a eso, lo juro!
*Con respecto a las reacciones iniciales:
En mi opinión, las diferencias entre J. Lake y J. Sturges acerca de comenzar a cazar trolls son fáciles de percibir: Lake parece impresionado, sorprendido y hasta algo asustado por haberse convertido en "el elegido", sí, pero está dispuesto a asumir el puesto. Sí, necesita ser convencido, mas no creo que haya opuesto mucha resistencia y sí, luego tiene todo ese viaje del héroe para convertirse en uno, pero ya desde el principio no es tan renuente a serlo; Sturges, sin embargo, no quiere estar involucrado en ese desastre infernal, no se siente feliz de que su tío esté arrastrándolo a eso y le gustaría poder desentenderse de todo lo de asesinar trolls y participar en una guerra que está por estallar. Vaya, incluso se lo dice a Tobias: ""No puedo hacer esto, Tub", le dice, y antes de hacerlo hasta llega a pensar que su amigo estará, al igual que él, disgustado con la situación y con ganas de hacer lo que sea necesario para mantener a los trollhunters muy, muy lejos. Y sí, hay veces en las que llega a sentirse dispuesto a luchar para eliminar a sus oponentes y mantener el mundo a salvo, pero ese es otro tema.
Otras diferencias notables radican en las actitudes de T. Domzalski y T. Dershowitz. Sí, los 2 se asustan la primera vez que ven trolls —una reacción muy comprensible—, pero de ahí en más… bien: sí, Domzalski está impresionado al saber que su amigo ha sido elegido por un amuleto mágico y sí, en cierto punto él también quiere tener un arma propia y luchar como todo un guerrero, mas su motivación principal para involucrarse con los trolls y no huir hacia las colinas es la de acompañar y ayudar a Lake. Había una frase que los 2 decían en referencia a que siempre habían estado juntos, algo sobre cómo eran ambos al principio y serían ambos al final, y creo que eso resume adecuadamente la motivación de Domzalski, la lealtad; Dershowitz, no obstante, desea participar en cazar trolls no tanto por apoyar a Sturges —aunque sí, quizá haya algo de eso—, sino porque lo ve como poder tener un propósito más grande en la vida y al fin dejar de ser un perdedor. Hay un punto en el que le insiste a Sturges para que acepte ser un trollhunter, aun a pesar de que a él mismo ya se le ha dicho que no es uno, solo porque sin su amigo no podrá estar metido en el asunto, y lo sabe perfectamente.
Obviamente, las diversas reacciones de cada personaje están influenciadas por sus diferentes circunstancias en la vida, así que eso también ha de tomarse en cuenta.
*Vaya, esta Claire sabe esgrima y no parece que vaya a necesitar de una Vara de las Sombras para ser capaz de luchar. Qué sorpresa tan maravillosa, esa. Ya me cae bien la chica, y ese modo de hablar suyo… eh.
*Ese desgarrador, desgarrador momento en el que James Sturges Sr. le pide a Jack que no se vaya, que se quede con él —"todavía tengo cajas de tu ropa. Puedo comprar bicicletas para los dos, las mejores que se vendan: rojas para ti y amarillas para mí. Todavía tengo tu radio. Podemos montar en bici y escuchar música, Jack. Podemos disparar nuestros láseres. Podemos pedalear tan rápido que no tendremos tiempo de recordar nada de lo malo que pasó. ¡Podemos crecer juntos después de todo! ¿No te parece un sueño?"— o que no lo deje, que lo lleve con él —“Donde tú vayas, yo iré; ¡es lo que debería haber hecho hace años!”—… solo para que Jack le diga que "No puedo crecer, Jimbo. Ni contigo. Ni con nadie"… y que ya es demasiado viejo.
Y encima, tras eso James se ve obligado a ver cómo su hermano se lleva a su hijo directo hacia el peligro, a ver cómo ambos lo dejan atrás…
*En el libro: Tobias, hipnotizando a los Gumm-Gumms con la estática proveniente de la pantalla gigante y logrando que se detengan.
En la realidad: yo, agradeciendo mentalmente no haber hablado tan mal de él.
*Hubo una batalla, surgieron héroes, hubieron triunfadores y todo estuvo bien… salvo por esto:
"Mientras cerraba los ojos y me hundía en un oscuro gozo, dos pensamientos aleatorios me picaron como un mosquito molesto. ¿Alguien se ocupó de la vesícula biliar de Gunmar después de que la arrojé al campo? Y, pensándolo bien, ¿dónde se había metido el profesor Lempke?"
No, ¿qué? ¿qué?
Arcadia Oaks es… no, ciudad equivocada. Vamos otra vez.
San Bernardino es una ciudad tranquila. Claro, hace años hubieron muchas, muchas desapariciones, pero ocurrieron hace literalmente décadas, y cesaron tras la lamentable desaparición de Jack Sturges, por lo que en la actualidad es un sitio tan tranquilo como cualquier otro en el que no suceden acontecimientos inusuales. Ahí, vive James Lak… err… digo… James Sturges Jr., un chico normal con una vida normal… o, bueno, tan normal como puede ser la vida de alguien cuyo padre, a raíz de la desaparición de su hermano mayor, está obsesionado con intentar prevenir todos y cualquier peligro potencial—y cuya salud mental se deteriora día tras día y que prácticamente ha convertido su casa en una prisión de alta seguridad—, cuya madre abandonó a la familia, que sufre acoso en la escuela y que no tiene ningún otro amigo aparte de Tobias Dershowitz.
Así que sí, su vida es normal. No magnífica ni perfecta, no, mas sí normal… y, entonces, se topa con algo que no logra ver bien, pero que parece tener hombros encorvados y brazos gruesos, pero como evidentemente eso solo fue producto de su imaginación, él sigue con su vida normal, aun pese a sentirse conmocionado por lo ocurrido… y, entonces, le toca huir de Steve —literalmente arrastrándose bajo algunos autos— junto a Tobias, pero como eso no es nada que, digamos, lo ponga en peligro mortal y además un golpe de suerte acaba desviando la atención del acosador, continúa con su vida normal… procurando ignorar el recuerdo de la cosa que, unos instantes atrás, estaba emergiendo de la alcantarilla, sí… y, entonces, se retraza en llegar a casa y para cuando se da cuenta de su gran, gran error ya es demasiado tarde, o demasiado tarde a ojos de su padre, de todas formas, por lo cual este último llama a la policía… pero bueno, bueno, ni siquiera es la primera vez que el paranoico hombre hace eso, así que no es nada fuera de lo común, y Jim puede seguir viviendo su vida normal… cargando con la vergüenza de haber sido llevado a casa por alguien que es básicamente un héroe local, claro… y, entonces, una cosa de varios ojos —o quizá más de una, quién sabe— logra, de alguna forma, invadir la cárcel ultrasegura que es su casa y sacarlo de ella… y, desde ahí, su "vida normal" empieza a volverse todo menos normal…
June 30, 2015
Closer to a 2.5.
I enjoy Guillermo Del Toro. I thought the first bits of The Strain were solid, I've enjoyed many of his movies, and so a foray into children's books really seemed like it should have been down my alley. Why, then, didn't this work for me?
The idea behind the story is a kid who is dragged into a multigenerational conflict regarding underground trolls and prophecies and such. The kid is quickly trained to be part of the war and start working to end the conflict.
this book is tough because it can't really decide who its geared toward from an age level standpoint, and can't decide whether it's creepy or campy in the meantime. Del Toro is an expert in both, which might be part of the problem in any regard, but that expectation only further muddies the water. Worse, it's hard to buy the antagonists as a true threat at any real time, which is a pretty big problem considering the impacts we expect them to have and how they're affected others in the story.
It's just a hot mess in a lot of ways. I can see a lot of appeal, and it's not terrible, it's just something I expected a lot more from than what I ended up getting. Kids would benefit from a campy monster book at this age level, or a creepy one, or even one that walks the line in a successful way. Trollhunters, sadly, is none of those things.
I enjoy Guillermo Del Toro. I thought the first bits of The Strain were solid, I've enjoyed many of his movies, and so a foray into children's books really seemed like it should have been down my alley. Why, then, didn't this work for me?
The idea behind the story is a kid who is dragged into a multigenerational conflict regarding underground trolls and prophecies and such. The kid is quickly trained to be part of the war and start working to end the conflict.
this book is tough because it can't really decide who its geared toward from an age level standpoint, and can't decide whether it's creepy or campy in the meantime. Del Toro is an expert in both, which might be part of the problem in any regard, but that expectation only further muddies the water. Worse, it's hard to buy the antagonists as a true threat at any real time, which is a pretty big problem considering the impacts we expect them to have and how they're affected others in the story.
It's just a hot mess in a lot of ways. I can see a lot of appeal, and it's not terrible, it's just something I expected a lot more from than what I ended up getting. Kids would benefit from a campy monster book at this age level, or a creepy one, or even one that walks the line in a successful way. Trollhunters, sadly, is none of those things.
November 17, 2017
Moram da priznam da kada čitam horor knjige namenjene mlađoj populaciji uvek budem iznenađen nivoom ...brutalnosti... određenih scena. Nema ih puno ovde ali to samo povećava njihovu efektivnost kada se dese. Mada ne bi trebalo da me iznenadi kada se samo setimo kakve su neke bajke koje čitamo našoj deci (Ivica i Marica, Tri praseta, itd.).
Glavni problem koji sam imao ovde je da su sami likovi suviše jednodimenzionalni, klišeirizani, dosadni. Jasno mi je da nije tolko bitno pošto je ovo knjiga za mlađu populaciju ali ne slažem se da da to opravdava ignorisanje kvaliteta.
Sama priča je interesantna, sa finom istorijom i mitovima pozajmljenih iz raznih legendi (ili samo jedne, nisam ekspert za trolove :) ), ima fin tempo i kada se završi ostavlja odličnu podlošku za serijal knjiga, ili u ovom slučaju, crtani serijal. Isto tako kvalitet pisanja je više nego adetvatan ali na kraju imamo knjigu koja niti smrdi niti miriše i najverovatnije ću brzo zaboraviti na nju.
Šteta pošto sam od lika koji smislio Panov Lavirint nekako očekivao više originalnosti.
Glavni problem koji sam imao ovde je da su sami likovi suviše jednodimenzionalni, klišeirizani, dosadni. Jasno mi je da nije tolko bitno pošto je ovo knjiga za mlađu populaciju ali ne slažem se da da to opravdava ignorisanje kvaliteta.
Sama priča je interesantna, sa finom istorijom i mitovima pozajmljenih iz raznih legendi (ili samo jedne, nisam ekspert za trolove :) ), ima fin tempo i kada se završi ostavlja odličnu podlošku za serijal knjiga, ili u ovom slučaju, crtani serijal. Isto tako kvalitet pisanja je više nego adetvatan ali na kraju imamo knjigu koja niti smrdi niti miriše i najverovatnije ću brzo zaboraviti na nju.
Šteta pošto sam od lika koji smislio Panov Lavirint nekako očekivao više originalnosti.
June 19, 2015
Despite a promising beginning and a premise that seemed fun, this book failed to deliver. It might just not be for me, but I found it dull and frustrating. The strong narrative voice of this novel feels like it belongs on a reddit thread, and the character development is similarly oddly-shaped. Plot beats that might work in a film just fail to charm on the page. I've got to agree with other reviewers: this one is a bust.
January 15, 2016
3.5 estrellas! Me gustó pero se tarda mucho en levantar. El final fue lo mejor definitivamente *se limpia la lágrima* Pronto habrá reseña.
January 16, 2016
El libro está bien. Es un poco lento pero entretenido. Me faltó un gancho que me lleve mas arriba, se mantiene en una historia bien llevada pero sin altos ni bajos, siempre en una misma línea. No es de terror, tiene algunos elementos sangrientos muy buenos, pero se basa en el género fantástico y además con un plus de humor que entretiene. Algunos detalles argumentales me parecieron un poco forzados y tomados de los pelos. Los personajes son carismáticos y entrañables, aunque el protagonista principal me resultó un poco vacio y carente de personalidad. Aún así es un libro que me gustó y creo que si se sigue un camino similar tendremos lecturas entretenidas en un futuro.
March 15, 2016
El prólogo sin duda alguna es muy oscuro incitando al lector a querer leer más y dejándolo con mucha incertidumbre. Sin embargo, el ritmo del libro disminuye mucho en el resto de los capítulos, (capítulos que por cierto son muy cortos), es casi a la mitad del libro cuando los sucesos comienzan a ser más interesantes.
Algo que destaca mucho es que se nota la esencia de Guillermo del Toro cuando de seres sobrenaturales se trata, en este caso los trolls. Y el toque de fantasía en la pluma de Daniel Kraus.
Los Autores han sabido explotar y desarrollar perfectamente cada detalle de esta mitología troll, las leyendas y mitos que rondan a través de los años sobre estos seres.
RESEÑA COMPLETA: http://www.elplacerliterario.com/2016...
Algo que destaca mucho es que se nota la esencia de Guillermo del Toro cuando de seres sobrenaturales se trata, en este caso los trolls. Y el toque de fantasía en la pluma de Daniel Kraus.
Los Autores han sabido explotar y desarrollar perfectamente cada detalle de esta mitología troll, las leyendas y mitos que rondan a través de los años sobre estos seres.
RESEÑA COMPLETA: http://www.elplacerliterario.com/2016...
October 26, 2020
Si tienes la intención de leer este libro porque amaste la serie en Netflix (como yo) déjame decirte que aquí vas a encontrar una historia COMPLETAMENTE DIFERENTE. En serio no se parecen en casi nada. El libro es su propia historia, así que es como tener otra versión de los hechos.
Se lee rápido y es muy simple y aunque tiene elementos y escenas más oscuras y crudas, el libro se siente mucho más infantil que la serie. (No quisiera compararlos pero pues ni modo, es lo que hay xd) pero es entretenido y fue bonito reencontrarme con algunos de los personajes que tanto quiero. Digo algunos porque en serio, es muy diferente, hay personajes que en la serie no existen y que son los que llevan la historia de manera súper distinta, y también hay personajes que en la serie existen y aquí no y otros que aunque existan en ambas, no son para nada iguales.
Personalmente me quedo con la serie.
Por un momento me aburrió y dudé entre dejarlo en 3 o ponerle 2.5, pero bueno, dejémoslo así.
Se lee rápido y es muy simple y aunque tiene elementos y escenas más oscuras y crudas, el libro se siente mucho más infantil que la serie. (No quisiera compararlos pero pues ni modo, es lo que hay xd) pero es entretenido y fue bonito reencontrarme con algunos de los personajes que tanto quiero. Digo algunos porque en serio, es muy diferente, hay personajes que en la serie no existen y que son los que llevan la historia de manera súper distinta, y también hay personajes que en la serie existen y aquí no y otros que aunque existan en ambas, no son para nada iguales.
Personalmente me quedo con la serie.
Por un momento me aburrió y dudé entre dejarlo en 3 o ponerle 2.5, pero bueno, dejémoslo así.
February 27, 2017
Trollhunters is being classified as a YA read, but I think I would recommend this book more toward the Middle Grade age children, 10-15, whichTrollhuntersIll01 makes sense as that’s the age range of the characters in the story. The co-author’s did a spectacular job of not talking down to their target audience, while also not writing a story that spoke over young teen heads. The pacing was action packed, and humorous. In fact, if I were going to critique the flow at all, I could say that the writing was so fast paced that at times I felt like I was missing something important, or only absorbing 80% of the story because everything just kept barreling forward.
That would be my only thought that could be considered on the negative side. Surprisingly, because I was nervous about it, I actually found that I liked Trollhunters more than I thought I would. It starts off in 1969 with Jimbo and Jack, Doctor X and Victor Power as they call themselves. The prologue sets up the story, gives us a quick dip into the underworld that Del Toro and Kraus have created, then moves on to present day and picks back up with Jim Jr. Reading about Jim and his best friend Tub takes us back to high school, bullies, and the struggles of just not fitting in without turning it into a serious book. Don’t go into this thinking that it’s about serious real world topics. The story is lighter than that. It’s funnier. The characters are exaggerations of real world types, which really fit with the fantastical troll storyTrollhuntersIll05.
Another aspect of Trollhunters that I really liked was the inclusion of a strong female character. There weren’t many girls, only one actually, but Claire was pretty spectacular. She was smarter, stronger, more assertive, unafraid and unapologetic. She could be charmed by snakes, because nobody is perfect, but once she realized that she was being manipulated she wasn’t afraid to stick up for herself and for her friends. I applaud the authors for giving little Jim a spectacular yin to his yang. I also applaud them for writing a unique female character, down to her style of clothing, her accent, her physical appearance… and then letting you see how all of her strangeness was beautiful. I hope as our children grow up, the next generation of readers, these types of women/girls become the norm because this is who I hope my daughter emulates.
Lastly, I am such a fan of illustrated fictional books. I don’t mean like Charlotte’s Web, or typical young child chapter books. Those are wonderful too, come on. Who doesn’t love Charlotte’s Web… but I mean the books with true artwork. Glossy pages, serious attention to detail, true TrollhuntersIll03beautiful artwork. Probably my absolute favorite representation of exactly what I mean is A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Illustrated by Jim Kay. Trollhunters contained such amazing full color artwork. You couldn’t help but pause each time one came up and stare at them, there was such detail. Each troll looked different, just as they should, and the images are as vibrant as described inside the pages. They are the perfect accompaniment to the story.
Basically, Trollhunters contained a cast of crazy characters as unique as those from Goonies with a plot that felt like a throwback to the 80’s Little Monsters (Howie Mandel, Fred & Ben Savage, monsters under your bed…). The trolls, one in particular, was as sweet and lovable as Ludo from Labyrinth. Trollhunters may be, in my opinion, targeted for that Middle Grade crowd but I think anyone who enjoys as fast, fun, magical read (either by yourself or with your kids) will be surprised by how much they enjoy this story, even if they’re (like me) hesitant to start it at first.
Thank you to Dysney-Hyperion for offering an advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
If you like this review, check out others like it at Badass Book Reviews.
That would be my only thought that could be considered on the negative side. Surprisingly, because I was nervous about it, I actually found that I liked Trollhunters more than I thought I would. It starts off in 1969 with Jimbo and Jack, Doctor X and Victor Power as they call themselves. The prologue sets up the story, gives us a quick dip into the underworld that Del Toro and Kraus have created, then moves on to present day and picks back up with Jim Jr. Reading about Jim and his best friend Tub takes us back to high school, bullies, and the struggles of just not fitting in without turning it into a serious book. Don’t go into this thinking that it’s about serious real world topics. The story is lighter than that. It’s funnier. The characters are exaggerations of real world types, which really fit with the fantastical troll storyTrollhuntersIll05.
Another aspect of Trollhunters that I really liked was the inclusion of a strong female character. There weren’t many girls, only one actually, but Claire was pretty spectacular. She was smarter, stronger, more assertive, unafraid and unapologetic. She could be charmed by snakes, because nobody is perfect, but once she realized that she was being manipulated she wasn’t afraid to stick up for herself and for her friends. I applaud the authors for giving little Jim a spectacular yin to his yang. I also applaud them for writing a unique female character, down to her style of clothing, her accent, her physical appearance… and then letting you see how all of her strangeness was beautiful. I hope as our children grow up, the next generation of readers, these types of women/girls become the norm because this is who I hope my daughter emulates.
Lastly, I am such a fan of illustrated fictional books. I don’t mean like Charlotte’s Web, or typical young child chapter books. Those are wonderful too, come on. Who doesn’t love Charlotte’s Web… but I mean the books with true artwork. Glossy pages, serious attention to detail, true TrollhuntersIll03beautiful artwork. Probably my absolute favorite representation of exactly what I mean is A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Illustrated by Jim Kay. Trollhunters contained such amazing full color artwork. You couldn’t help but pause each time one came up and stare at them, there was such detail. Each troll looked different, just as they should, and the images are as vibrant as described inside the pages. They are the perfect accompaniment to the story.
Basically, Trollhunters contained a cast of crazy characters as unique as those from Goonies with a plot that felt like a throwback to the 80’s Little Monsters (Howie Mandel, Fred & Ben Savage, monsters under your bed…). The trolls, one in particular, was as sweet and lovable as Ludo from Labyrinth. Trollhunters may be, in my opinion, targeted for that Middle Grade crowd but I think anyone who enjoys as fast, fun, magical read (either by yourself or with your kids) will be surprised by how much they enjoy this story, even if they’re (like me) hesitant to start it at first.
Thank you to Dysney-Hyperion for offering an advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
If you like this review, check out others like it at Badass Book Reviews.
November 26, 2015
Es un 3,5 en realidad, pero con Goodreads ya se sabe ;)
La novela nos narra como un adolescente de San Bernardino llamado Jim Sturges, el típico niño pringadillo del colegio que vive con su padre, el cual es muy sobreprotector debido a un suceso de hace 45 años, su hermano Jack desapareció misteriosamente. Jim se verá envuelto en una misión en la que debe salvar al mundo de un mal que asola la ciudad, los trolls Gum-Gums capitaneados por el malísimo Gunnar El Negro. Junto a un equipo formado por dos trolls y su fiel amigo, se enfrentará a esta temible misión.
Co-escrita entre el famoso director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pacific Rim, La Cumbre Escarlata) y Daniel Kraus, nos llega esta middle grade pasa páginas de manual. Es una historia llena de los típicos tópicos de este tipo de historias: el protagonista es un marginado, por alguna razón es el elegido para salvar el mundo, tiene un amigo muy fiel, se enamora de una chica de clase, pasa de ser un niño miedoso a todo un valiente héroe y un largo etcétera; pero tengo que reconocer que es una historia igualmente entretenida y genial para pasar el rato.
Una narración fresca, amena y sorprendentemente llena de detalles (sobre todo en cuanto a la cultura troll) que ayuda a que tenga ese ritmo imparable. Además trata algunos temas como el abuso o la soledad, que le aportan cierto toque interesante y no lo dejan en una mera historia de aventuras, aunque son tratados de forma muy ligera y siempre buscando el tono divertido.
Tengo un par de punto negativos en cuanto a la novela: el primero de ellos es en cuanto a una escena de índole un tanto sexual que no me encaja en el tono de la historia y me hizo chirriar los dientes. La segunda, es en cuanto a la edición española, y es que aunque la edición de Puck por fuera es genial con esa sobrecubierta con relieve y la edición interna tiene muchos detalles, no tiene las ilustraciones del artista Sean A.Murray que tiene la original, y que yo creo que le hubieran dado un plus de gran calidad al libro.
La novela nos narra como un adolescente de San Bernardino llamado Jim Sturges, el típico niño pringadillo del colegio que vive con su padre, el cual es muy sobreprotector debido a un suceso de hace 45 años, su hermano Jack desapareció misteriosamente. Jim se verá envuelto en una misión en la que debe salvar al mundo de un mal que asola la ciudad, los trolls Gum-Gums capitaneados por el malísimo Gunnar El Negro. Junto a un equipo formado por dos trolls y su fiel amigo, se enfrentará a esta temible misión.
Co-escrita entre el famoso director Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pacific Rim, La Cumbre Escarlata) y Daniel Kraus, nos llega esta middle grade pasa páginas de manual. Es una historia llena de los típicos tópicos de este tipo de historias: el protagonista es un marginado, por alguna razón es el elegido para salvar el mundo, tiene un amigo muy fiel, se enamora de una chica de clase, pasa de ser un niño miedoso a todo un valiente héroe y un largo etcétera; pero tengo que reconocer que es una historia igualmente entretenida y genial para pasar el rato.
Una narración fresca, amena y sorprendentemente llena de detalles (sobre todo en cuanto a la cultura troll) que ayuda a que tenga ese ritmo imparable. Además trata algunos temas como el abuso o la soledad, que le aportan cierto toque interesante y no lo dejan en una mera historia de aventuras, aunque son tratados de forma muy ligera y siempre buscando el tono divertido.
Tengo un par de punto negativos en cuanto a la novela: el primero de ellos es en cuanto a una escena de índole un tanto sexual que no me encaja en el tono de la historia y me hizo chirriar los dientes. La segunda, es en cuanto a la edición española, y es que aunque la edición de Puck por fuera es genial con esa sobrecubierta con relieve y la edición interna tiene muchos detalles, no tiene las ilustraciones del artista Sean A.Murray que tiene la original, y que yo creo que le hubieran dado un plus de gran calidad al libro.
August 25, 2016
2,5 ......
Quem me conhece, sabe que Guillermo Del Toro é um dos meus realizadores preferidos. Já vi quase todos os seus filmes e, inclusive, já li o primeiro volume da trilogia Estirpe (tenho de ler os restantes). Assim sendo, quando saiu este livro quis logo lê-lo.
O livro começa com um prólogo promissor. Passado em 1969, durante uma onda de desaparecimentos de crianças, Jack Sturges desaparece sem deixar rasto e a última pessoa que o viu foi o seu irmão Jim Sturges. Passados quarenta e cinco anos Jim Sturges é um pai de meia-idade que vive atormentado pelo desaparecimento do seu irmão.
ler mais em : http://saboreiaoslivros.blogspot.pt/2...
Quem me conhece, sabe que Guillermo Del Toro é um dos meus realizadores preferidos. Já vi quase todos os seus filmes e, inclusive, já li o primeiro volume da trilogia Estirpe (tenho de ler os restantes). Assim sendo, quando saiu este livro quis logo lê-lo.
O livro começa com um prólogo promissor. Passado em 1969, durante uma onda de desaparecimentos de crianças, Jack Sturges desaparece sem deixar rasto e a última pessoa que o viu foi o seu irmão Jim Sturges. Passados quarenta e cinco anos Jim Sturges é um pai de meia-idade que vive atormentado pelo desaparecimento do seu irmão.
ler mais em : http://saboreiaoslivros.blogspot.pt/2...
February 23, 2016
2.5 estrellas
July 1, 2015
Trollhunters
Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus
Disney Book Group Pub Date: Jul 14 2015
I received this as an eGalley through Netgalley free in exchange for an honest review.
What a perfect, creepy, gory, wonderful book for middle-schoolers. Especially middle-school boys. I was a little leery when I saw Guillermo del Toro' name as one of the authors since his movies are by no means kid friendly. However, He and Mr, Kraus did a fantastic job of blending in just enough horror to make Goosebumps proud, but infuse enough humor and fun to keep the story from becoming too much nightmare. I called our head librarian as soon as I finished this story and told her to put it on our purchase list. Our boys are going to love this novel and I think some of our adventure reading girls will as well. There is a wonderful female lead character who in some ways is stronger and better prepared than Jim.
The story is about Jim Sturges, son of a hard working, highly paranoid mechanic who was left scarred after his brother was taken during the great Milk Carton epidemic in a small sunny California town in the 60s. Now kids are disappearing again, and it is up to Jim and his friends to find within themselves the courage to stand up and fight. There are good guys, bad guys, slime, and a whole host of creepy crawlers that go bump in the night. I love great Middle school horror novels. I would not recommend this to a sensitive reader or one prone to nightmares, but it has a great good triumph over evil message and a kick butt ending.
Parental note: This is a horror novel. While appropriate for Middle schoolers please be aware that it is dark. It is even grisly in places, and it is not until the half way point that we get to see some light at the end of the tunnel. There is a bully, and he is physically abusive of the main characters. A lot of cats die, people are killed, and the final battle involves mowing down tiny bad trolls with a lawnmower.
Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus
Disney Book Group Pub Date: Jul 14 2015
I received this as an eGalley through Netgalley free in exchange for an honest review.
What a perfect, creepy, gory, wonderful book for middle-schoolers. Especially middle-school boys. I was a little leery when I saw Guillermo del Toro' name as one of the authors since his movies are by no means kid friendly. However, He and Mr, Kraus did a fantastic job of blending in just enough horror to make Goosebumps proud, but infuse enough humor and fun to keep the story from becoming too much nightmare. I called our head librarian as soon as I finished this story and told her to put it on our purchase list. Our boys are going to love this novel and I think some of our adventure reading girls will as well. There is a wonderful female lead character who in some ways is stronger and better prepared than Jim.
The story is about Jim Sturges, son of a hard working, highly paranoid mechanic who was left scarred after his brother was taken during the great Milk Carton epidemic in a small sunny California town in the 60s. Now kids are disappearing again, and it is up to Jim and his friends to find within themselves the courage to stand up and fight. There are good guys, bad guys, slime, and a whole host of creepy crawlers that go bump in the night. I love great Middle school horror novels. I would not recommend this to a sensitive reader or one prone to nightmares, but it has a great good triumph over evil message and a kick butt ending.
Parental note: This is a horror novel. While appropriate for Middle schoolers please be aware that it is dark. It is even grisly in places, and it is not until the half way point that we get to see some light at the end of the tunnel. There is a bully, and he is physically abusive of the main characters. A lot of cats die, people are killed, and the final battle involves mowing down tiny bad trolls with a lawnmower.
January 12, 2018
What can I say... as much as I loved the beginning and the ending, I couldn't really enjoy the middle part much. I don't know how but I found all the description a bit too gore for me. I like the characters but not the monsters (that's probably intentional on the writers' part) because of their really weird physique and habits. Also, they eat human children. Not cool!
To be honest, I am already feeling like I am writing one of my worst reviews so far but that's probably the reflection of what I feel about this novel. 3 stars for the plot, amazing character portrayal and storyline. 2 stars are missing because of the monsters (I simply can't get over how awfully they were portrayed here)
To be honest, I am already feeling like I am writing one of my worst reviews so far but that's probably the reflection of what I feel about this novel. 3 stars for the plot, amazing character portrayal and storyline. 2 stars are missing because of the monsters (I simply can't get over how awfully they were portrayed here)
July 9, 2015
This is the kind of story I enjoyed reading as a kid. Though there is some slightly gory things (trolls being what they are), I think a middle school kid can handle it. It may not be Halloween or October, but this is a summer dark fantasy read not only teenagers and middle schools kids will enjoy, but adults too. Just be sure to check beneath your bed or couch before you do.
Read the rest of the review at http://www.ismellsheep.com/2015/07/bo...
Read the rest of the review at http://www.ismellsheep.com/2015/07/bo...
January 27, 2018
Tub was right. Under beds, that's where the monsters live.
Jim Sturges is a short, scrawny fifteen-year-old who's never been any good in school, any good at sports or any good at.... Well, anything.
To top off the fact he's kind of a loser, Jim's dad, Jim Sr., is uber-protective, mostly due to the disappearance of his older brother when he was a little boy. Because of this deep-rooted paranoia, Jim's father puts ten locks on their front door, metal shutters on their windows, and calls the local police if Jim is out even five minutes after dark. Jim's on a first-name basis with the most famous cop in town, a stuttering Sargeant who was shot point-blank in the head saving children during a domestic disturbance (might be an over-explanation but I liked him a lot, okay?).
Jim Sturges can't speak to the girl he likes, he's failing math, the most popular kid in school beats the crap out of him and his best friend, Tub, every single day and gets away with it, AND he's the only child of a super-paranoid single dad. What could be worse?
Tentacles threaded the air. Eight eyes hovered over my field of vision. I braced for desetruction.
Abducted by a hole underneath his bed, of all things, after finding a strange medallion and catching glimpses of furred, tentacled beasts that make him sure he's losing his mind, Jim finds himself in-
It was an entire city of trolls.
An underground world, accessible by ours through sewers, vents and, yes, bridges, existing outside of it somehow, the world of trolls is rust, dirt, trash and filth. Not every troll is malevolent, Jim is told by a fellow human in trollworld cased in metal, but the ones that are bad are eeeeevil.
The worst of them all?
The Hungry One. He Who Sups Of Blood.
Gunmar The Black.
The legendary troll warlord has slept for decades, weak from an ugly defeat at the hands of a troll Trollhunter, but now, as a bridge known as the Killaheed nears completion at a local museum, his strength returns.
The trolls Jim saw, the medallion finding its way to him, the reason he sucks at everything?
This was the lot of the Trollhunters.
(Trollhunters. I couldn't help smiling a little. I liked the sound of it.)
Sturges is a bloodline lousy with Trollhunters. The name revered through the Scottish Highlands all the way to California, where the first American ones settled. They're the only thing Gunmar The Black is known to fear.
Jim is on the cusp of being too old to enter the world of the trolls, and aided by metal-man Jack, Trollhunter trolls Blinky and ARRRGH!!!, and his man-at-arms, Tub, he'll have to put his life as a loser behind him and be the hero the world of the trolls needs him to be.
"We're going hunting."
But, as his ties to the troll world grow stronger, Jim feels a dark, sick presence. A killing urge. This exists is all Trollhunters, and may be the reason they become them in the first place.
Jim was born for this.
But he wasn't the only one.
"It's a terrible thing, isn't it? To be dragged under?"
HahahahaHA! Holy frak. I can't believe the same dude who made me almost physically ILL with Rotters (in a good way. Like The Jungle) wrote this hilarious, magical story.
Her nipples were mismatched buttons.
Okay, yes I can.
Daniel Kraus, aided by Guillermo del Toro, managed to tone down his dark literary voice with Trollhunters. It wasn't as bleak and outright gorey, at least humanwise. Most of the gore was troll viscera. Gross, but easier to accept and visualize than some of the shit in Rotters.
The characters were also not quite so droll. Joey and Foley (Foley less so. But he was supposed to be a metalhead and we're notoriously more energetic than goths) were listless and dry, not in a bad sense, but Jim, Tub, Claire, Blinky, ARRRGH!!! (I just loved her, especially <333) and Jack were full of life, sarcasm and personality.
Jim and Tub had some awesome back-and-forths, and some of Jim's monologues were priceless.
"Cheers, Mr. Sturges." she said.
That accent never failed to turn my body parts traitor. This time, it was Mr. Right Hand who betrayed me. It shot up in an overzealous wave, as if Claire were a mile away, and Senor Stupid Mouth got in on the act, too: "Cheers to you, Claire!"
It hasn't been THAT long since I was fifteen. 'Senor Stupid Mouth' and I have a long history.
And some character traits were just too good to be true. Clair was, in Jim's own words, what 'society would view as not skinny enough' and yet she has a gaggle of friends, is at least semi-popular (definitely not a loser) and even the bully, the sportsball star, has eyes for her. That's how you write body positive-minded without being a preacher. Major props.
I was surprised to actually see so much of del Toro's influence in the story. I guess I thought he wrote some dialogue or something in order to get a name boost. But the troll world scenes actually REALLY brought to mind Pan's Labyrinth. It was obvious del Toro did contribute to the story. I'm sorry for accusing otherwise.
On influence, I think I spotted a few references to another story about children being the only ones able to fight evil.
To paint you a picture, the book opens to a scene of a child being taken by an unseen monster by the local canal, and children are going missing by the handfuls when things really start getting troll-y.
NOT a ripoff. No way. I'm just proud of myself for spotting the shoutouts.
On a final ramble, Trollhunters is a straight-up illustrated novel. I LOVE that. Always have. I was so excited whenever we ran into another of Sean Murray's drawings.
Beautiful. Trollhunters, alas, appears to be a standalone. But I think I head something about comic tie-ins to the Netflix series? I'm game.
Trollhunters, stupid-fun and real adventure with great characters, amazing world-building and fun for all, is a shining example of how sad it is Daniel Kraus is so underrated. Fans of Christopher Moore or R.L Stine would eat this with a spoon. It makes me happy to see his work be adapted into an animated series as popular as Trollhunters is, though. And The Shape of Water, another co-write with del Toro, was a successful film. There's hope yet.
My first read of the year. An undisputed winner.
We all might be headed to our deaths, but this right here was a family, no matter how unusual it might be.
Jim Sturges is a short, scrawny fifteen-year-old who's never been any good in school, any good at sports or any good at.... Well, anything.
To top off the fact he's kind of a loser, Jim's dad, Jim Sr., is uber-protective, mostly due to the disappearance of his older brother when he was a little boy. Because of this deep-rooted paranoia, Jim's father puts ten locks on their front door, metal shutters on their windows, and calls the local police if Jim is out even five minutes after dark. Jim's on a first-name basis with the most famous cop in town, a stuttering Sargeant who was shot point-blank in the head saving children during a domestic disturbance (might be an over-explanation but I liked him a lot, okay?).
Jim Sturges can't speak to the girl he likes, he's failing math, the most popular kid in school beats the crap out of him and his best friend, Tub, every single day and gets away with it, AND he's the only child of a super-paranoid single dad. What could be worse?
Tentacles threaded the air. Eight eyes hovered over my field of vision. I braced for desetruction.
Abducted by a hole underneath his bed, of all things, after finding a strange medallion and catching glimpses of furred, tentacled beasts that make him sure he's losing his mind, Jim finds himself in-
It was an entire city of trolls.
An underground world, accessible by ours through sewers, vents and, yes, bridges, existing outside of it somehow, the world of trolls is rust, dirt, trash and filth. Not every troll is malevolent, Jim is told by a fellow human in trollworld cased in metal, but the ones that are bad are eeeeevil.
The worst of them all?
The Hungry One. He Who Sups Of Blood.
Gunmar The Black.
The legendary troll warlord has slept for decades, weak from an ugly defeat at the hands of a troll Trollhunter, but now, as a bridge known as the Killaheed nears completion at a local museum, his strength returns.
The trolls Jim saw, the medallion finding its way to him, the reason he sucks at everything?
This was the lot of the Trollhunters.
(Trollhunters. I couldn't help smiling a little. I liked the sound of it.)
Sturges is a bloodline lousy with Trollhunters. The name revered through the Scottish Highlands all the way to California, where the first American ones settled. They're the only thing Gunmar The Black is known to fear.
Jim is on the cusp of being too old to enter the world of the trolls, and aided by metal-man Jack, Trollhunter trolls Blinky and ARRRGH!!!, and his man-at-arms, Tub, he'll have to put his life as a loser behind him and be the hero the world of the trolls needs him to be.
"We're going hunting."
But, as his ties to the troll world grow stronger, Jim feels a dark, sick presence. A killing urge. This exists is all Trollhunters, and may be the reason they become them in the first place.
Jim was born for this.
But he wasn't the only one.
"It's a terrible thing, isn't it? To be dragged under?"
HahahahaHA! Holy frak. I can't believe the same dude who made me almost physically ILL with Rotters (in a good way. Like The Jungle) wrote this hilarious, magical story.
Her nipples were mismatched buttons.
Okay, yes I can.
Daniel Kraus, aided by Guillermo del Toro, managed to tone down his dark literary voice with Trollhunters. It wasn't as bleak and outright gorey, at least humanwise. Most of the gore was troll viscera. Gross, but easier to accept and visualize than some of the shit in Rotters.
The characters were also not quite so droll. Joey and Foley (Foley less so. But he was supposed to be a metalhead and we're notoriously more energetic than goths) were listless and dry, not in a bad sense, but Jim, Tub, Claire, Blinky, ARRRGH!!! (I just loved her, especially <333) and Jack were full of life, sarcasm and personality.
Jim and Tub had some awesome back-and-forths, and some of Jim's monologues were priceless.
"Cheers, Mr. Sturges." she said.
That accent never failed to turn my body parts traitor. This time, it was Mr. Right Hand who betrayed me. It shot up in an overzealous wave, as if Claire were a mile away, and Senor Stupid Mouth got in on the act, too: "Cheers to you, Claire!"
It hasn't been THAT long since I was fifteen. 'Senor Stupid Mouth' and I have a long history.
And some character traits were just too good to be true. Clair was, in Jim's own words, what 'society would view as not skinny enough' and yet she has a gaggle of friends, is at least semi-popular (definitely not a loser) and even the bully, the sportsball star, has eyes for her. That's how you write body positive-minded without being a preacher. Major props.
I was surprised to actually see so much of del Toro's influence in the story. I guess I thought he wrote some dialogue or something in order to get a name boost. But the troll world scenes actually REALLY brought to mind Pan's Labyrinth. It was obvious del Toro did contribute to the story. I'm sorry for accusing otherwise.
On influence, I think I spotted a few references to another story about children being the only ones able to fight evil.
To paint you a picture, the book opens to a scene of a child being taken by an unseen monster by the local canal, and children are going missing by the handfuls when things really start getting troll-y.
NOT a ripoff. No way. I'm just proud of myself for spotting the shoutouts.
On a final ramble, Trollhunters is a straight-up illustrated novel. I LOVE that. Always have. I was so excited whenever we ran into another of Sean Murray's drawings.
Beautiful. Trollhunters, alas, appears to be a standalone. But I think I head something about comic tie-ins to the Netflix series? I'm game.
Trollhunters, stupid-fun and real adventure with great characters, amazing world-building and fun for all, is a shining example of how sad it is Daniel Kraus is so underrated. Fans of Christopher Moore or R.L Stine would eat this with a spoon. It makes me happy to see his work be adapted into an animated series as popular as Trollhunters is, though. And The Shape of Water, another co-write with del Toro, was a successful film. There's hope yet.
My first read of the year. An undisputed winner.
We all might be headed to our deaths, but this right here was a family, no matter how unusual it might be.
July 22, 2015
What if all the folklore from around the world detailing the various sorts of trolls were a litany of species and their characteristics, one handed down to remind us of times when what bumped in the night found us to be tasty treats. Once upon a time is no longer for stories, it is the beginning of a tale of a beast who is intent on revenge against the humans and trolls who defeated him in battle. He has been waiting, gathering his strength, chewing his tongue while waiting for the day that everything falls into place and he will be powerful enough to confront his enemies and destroy them.
While his army grows in the dark, the Paladins, his human enemies, have dwindled across the ages, scattered across the world. Some families have died out and some are clueless to the heritage they own. Jim Sturges is one of the clueless until the night he confronts two trolls and a roboman, he is just a teenage boy who gets bullied at school and lives with a father scarred by his brother's disappearance as a child. By the end of this night however Jim will learn that the rash of disappearances that ended with his uncle are beginning again and this time they are the last sign that the end of humanity is in sight. Jim is a Sturges Paladin descendant but is he up to the task if he can't even face down the school bully or kiss the girl of his dreams?
While his army grows in the dark, the Paladins, his human enemies, have dwindled across the ages, scattered across the world. Some families have died out and some are clueless to the heritage they own. Jim Sturges is one of the clueless until the night he confronts two trolls and a roboman, he is just a teenage boy who gets bullied at school and lives with a father scarred by his brother's disappearance as a child. By the end of this night however Jim will learn that the rash of disappearances that ended with his uncle are beginning again and this time they are the last sign that the end of humanity is in sight. Jim is a Sturges Paladin descendant but is he up to the task if he can't even face down the school bully or kiss the girl of his dreams?
February 26, 2015
I wanted to like this so much more than I did. There's a couple of great horror beats in here, with some particularly visceral gross-out moments, but it's a pale imitation of Percy Jackson that reads like the first draft of the (hopefully) better film. I love you, Guillermo, but not this much.
March 18, 2016
1.5 / 5
Se nota que es un libro al cual se le invirtió tiempo y esfuerzo, pero realmente no creo que haya servido de mucho. Aburrido y tedioso a la máxima potencia.´
Reseña: http://www.eternamenteentiniebla.com/...
Se nota que es un libro al cual se le invirtió tiempo y esfuerzo, pero realmente no creo que haya servido de mucho. Aburrido y tedioso a la máxima potencia.´
Reseña: http://www.eternamenteentiniebla.com/...
August 29, 2020
I read this because I finished watching the Netflix series by the same name and I was missing the characters so badly.
The book is far darker than the series but makes for a wonderful read and the characters are still as wholesome and loveable.
The book is far darker than the series but makes for a wonderful read and the characters are still as wholesome and loveable.
December 14, 2015
Pronto reseña...
January 5, 2016
Estuvo bueno pero esperaba mas, creo que tenia las expectativas muy altas y ese fue el problema. 3.5 estrellas
September 11, 2018
This book is really witty, reads well, has some great illustrations, and is really imaginative. My partner and I read this one out loud (pretty challenging on Blinky's lines, his vocabulary is immense) It was really enjoyable, the level of detail and the smooth writing made it an enjoyable read.
The 1st chapter got me hooked, I think the very beginning of this book would be excellent to read around the camp fire...then be pleasantly surprised on the adventure to come! Great read, I would totally recommend this book and the show Trollhunters! ~Ashley
The 1st chapter got me hooked, I think the very beginning of this book would be excellent to read around the camp fire...then be pleasantly surprised on the adventure to come! Great read, I would totally recommend this book and the show Trollhunters! ~Ashley
November 14, 2020
Decepcionante. La serie es mil veces mejor
June 27, 2017
Gooey and yucky and at the same time cute, scary sweet and funny. Definitely readable but there's something lacking which makes it 4 stars and not 5.
I think it's a book that will get lots of 12-15 years old boys into reading. My 10 years old son told me that it's a series on Netflix as well and he seemed really curious about the book. And that coming from a child who still prefers children's picture books is huge.
I think it's a book that will get lots of 12-15 years old boys into reading. My 10 years old son told me that it's a series on Netflix as well and he seemed really curious about the book. And that coming from a child who still prefers children's picture books is huge.
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