The trolls

Die Trolle is a German fantasy novel by Christoph Hardebusch that was published by Heyne Verlag in spring 2006 .

The novel is described in numerous reviews as exciting and rousing. Despite the fact that this is his first novel publication, the author manages to place The Trolls in the successful series of The Orcs , The Dwarfs , The Dragons and The Elves . This series is often viewed as the new bloom of German high fantasy , with the initiating novel trilogy Die Orks by the English author Stan Nicholls . There are now translations of the books in the Troll series into Italian , Dutch , Russian and Czech .

Despite the title The Trolls , the protagonist is human. Trolls play a crucial role in the book, even if most of the characters are human. In the first volume none of the chapters or sections of the novel is presented from the perspective of a troll. The latter only happens in the second volume, The Battle of the Trolls , in which some chapters are told from the perspective of the troll characters Kerr or Anda .

Awards

In October 2007 the novel Die Trolle was awarded the “German Fantastic Prize”, which is awarded annually by the website phantastik-news.de, as “Best Debut”.

action

The land of Wlachkis , which is bordered by the surrounding mountain range of the Sorkaten , is hotly contested: The native Wlachaks are oppressed by the warlike people of the Masrids who invaded two hundred years ago . The Mardew plateau is the last free part of Wlachkis and is defended by Ionna cal Sares . Most of the conquered Wlachki, however, is ruled with an iron hand by the Masrid tyrant Zorpad Dîmminu . Zorpad strives for the title of king and rule over the whole country. However, he is denied both, as two other Masrid princes rule in the east of Wlachkis and also lay claim to the throne. Wlachk rebels fight for the freedom of their country in the oppressed areas and are persecuted and killed without mercy. Since there is a fragile peace between the Masrids and the free Wlachaken of Mardew at the beginning of the story, Ionna officially condemns the deeds of the rebels, but supports them in secret.

One of these rebels is Şten cal Dabrân , a young Wlachk nobleman whose parents were killed by the Masrids. After a long life as a rebel, he was finally caught by Zorpad's captors, locked in a narrow cage and hung from a branch deep in the forest, where he would now wait for his death. But already in the following night five trolls find him, which Şten is able to convince them to be able to help them, so that they take him with them in the cage. The trolls, which usually live underground, are unsafe and disoriented on the surface, so they need a guide. In addition, the trolls fall into a deep sleep at sunrise. Şten finally uses this opportunity to free himself from his cage. But he decides to stay with the trolls and lead them through the country, as he fears that the giant creatures would otherwise wreak havoc among the people. He also feels obliged to them for giving them his word to help them.

The trolls have different opinions about how to deal with Şten, but their leader Druan finally prevails against the hostile Pard who would like to kill and eat Şten. Şten learns that the trolls are looking for the Albus Sunas , a religious order that once came to the country with the Masrids and worships the sun as a deity. The trolls blame the order for the earthquakes in their caves, which have already cost the lives of numerous trolls and weaken them in the war against their mortal enemies, the dwarves.

At the same time, the human spy Sargan Vulpon fights his way through the dwarf fortress Tesharak , which oversees the underground trade link between Wlachkis and the eastern Dyrian Empire. Sargan's job is to scout out the trade route, as the Dwarf trade monopoly at Wlachkis is a thorn in the side of his Dyrian clients. Sargan escapes from the fortress and arrives at Teremi , the capital of Zorpad. There he hides in the cart of dwarf traders.

The dwarves discover Sargan at the same time that the trolls encounter the dwarven traders. In a brief, bloody skirmish, all the dwarves are killed and Şten learns from Sargan that the small people seem to be engaged in active trade with Zorpad, but without receiving direct payment for the weapons they delivered. Şten also suspects that Zorpad is preparing for a new war against the free Wlachaken.

In Teremi, Şten and a few other rebels manage to free some Wlachak hostages from Zorpad's fortress with the help of the trolls, Sargan and Şten's twin sister Flores cal Dabrân , despite a betrayal in their ranks . Among the hostages is Ionna's sister, Viçinia cal Sareş , who is secretly loved by Şten. During the escape, however, Şten's long-time friend Natiole and the troll Zdam are killed. After overhearing two priests of Albus Sunas, Şten suspects the source of the trolls' problems in the Starig Jazek monastery . The trolls also find that the priests of Albus Sunas are able to conjure up sunlight even at night, which incapacitates them.

On their escape, the trolls, Wlachaken and Sargan find refuge with the spirit seer Vangeliu . The followers of this old religion of the Wlachaks are persecuted by Albus Sunas, which is why the old man lives secluded in a lonely hut. Şten learns from him that there is a well in the Starik Jazek monastery, the shaft of which extends into the bowels of the earth and at the bottom of which a dark spirit rests, which was previously calmed by the prayers of the spirit seers. In the meantime, however, the dark spirit is tormented by the Albus Sunas in order to collapse the dwellings of the trolls. The fight against the trolls by the order of the sun mages seems to have been commissioned by Zorpad, while the dwarves want this as payment for their goods.

After staying with the old spirit seer, the tour group separates. Flores and the fleeing hostages return to the Mardew. Şten, Sargan and the trolls, on the other hand, make their way to the monastery. They are attacked by werewolf-like creatures and the troll Roch is killed. When they finally arrived at the monastery, the group managed to penetrate the fountain shaft unnoticed and kill the seven priests who were performing a ritual there. The trolls see their task as fulfilled and climb back through the shaft into their subterranean world. Şten and Sargan flee, with Sargan falling down a slope and is therefore believed to be dead by Şten.

Meanwhile the Wlachaken prepare for war. Inventories are increased and strategies are discussed. Ionna would like to wait for Zorpad's army in her castle, while Şten, who has returned from the monastery, pleads for an open war. Finally, Şten and three other warriors are sent as scouts to Zorpad's army, which is already on the advance.

Meanwhile, Sargan is cared for by a Masridic healer and partly gains Zorpad's trust through his status as a representative of the Dyrian empire.

On his return from Zorpad's encampment, Şten meets 70 trolls, led by the tribal leaders Pard and Turk, who have decided to help the Wlachaks in their war, as the Masrids have formed an alliance with the dwarves. The dwarves, in turn, send a detachment of 300 warriors to Zorpad's side. Zorpad is convinced of his victory because he trusts the Albus Sunas priests, who can incapacitate the trolls with their sunlight magic even at night.

When night falls, the Wlachak army attacks the Masrids. The priests' sunlight instantly makes the trolls fall asleep, but this is what Ionna expected: A suicide squad under Şten tries to push through to the side of the priests, but they are intercepted by the masrids. At first Şten's efforts threaten to fail, but with Sargan's help, he and his colleagues finally succeed in killing the sun priests. The violence of the re-awakened trolls seals the outcome of the battle. Zorpad himself dies at Ionna's blade.

Şten and Viçinia eventually became a couple. The former rebel has also reconciled with his sister Flores, who already gave up in her youth in the fight against the Masridians and was hostile to the rebellion. The trolls are now finally returning underground, the Wlachaks celebrate their victory over Zorpad and are now hoping for the final liberation of Wlachkis from the two remaining Masrid princes.

Sequels

The battle of the trolls

The sequel The Battle of the Trolls takes place about a year after the events described in the previous volume.

Peace seems to have returned to the land of Wlachkis, but underground, in the realm of the trolls, a war has broken out between two different groups of trolls. Anda, a troll woman already known from the first part, leads a brutal and almost immortal pack of trolls who have set themselves the goal of killing all living beings on the surface of the earth and also every troll that does not support their goals. In doing so, she and her followers violate the basic rule that applies to all trolls never to kill another troll. The other group is led by the troll warriors Pard and Turk. Among them is Kerr , the pupil of Druan, who is killed by Anda at the beginning of the story. On Druan's advice, Pard leads a group of surviving trolls to the surface to seek help from the Şten people and to find out the reason for Anda's abnormal behavior. Together they go to Teremi, where Şten intends to ask a spirit seer for advice.

Meanwhile, Ionna asked Viçinia to travel to Turduj to begin peace negotiations with Gyula Békésar , the country's Marczeg. When Viçinia arrives in Turduj with Flores, Şten's sister, they are accused of being responsible for the devastation in the north of the country, which was actually caused by Anda's trolls. Viçinia and Flores are therefore being held in Turduj. The castle was attacked after just a few days by the army of Laszlar Szilas , the second Marczeg of the Masrids in Wlachkis. Marczeg Gyula, with whom Viçinia was supposed to negotiate, dies and his son Tamár becomes his successor. A short time later, the castle is captured by the attackers. Viçinia, Flores, some soldiers and the new Marczeg Tamár can escape through a secret tunnel. However, the tunnel collapses and spills Viçinia. Flores now accompanies Tamár and his remaining warriors on their flight. When they reached the area of the free Wlachaken, Tamár finally allied with the Wlachkian Voivodin Ionna against Marczeg Laszlar.

When Şten in Ionna's camp learns of the conquest of Turduj and Viçini's death, a world collapses for him. He hands over his duties as Baron von Dabrân to his sister Flores and travels with the trolls to Vangeliu, the old spirit seer who is dying. From him they learn that the dark spirit, also known as the white bear , is responsible for Anda's trolls possessing powers that are far superior to those of ordinary trolls. Şten sets out with the trolls and an elf on their way underground to the dark spirit.

Viçinia is rescued from the rubble of the escape tunnel in Turduj by soldiers from Marczeg Laszlar Szilas and held by the warriors. However, she is saved by Sciloi Kaszón , the former right hand of Zorpad. The Szarkin Sciloi is now in the service of Sargan and stays with Marczeg Laszlar as envoy of the Dyrian Empire. She manages Viçinia out of the castle and gives her a boat to go downstream, bypassing Marczeg Laszlar's troops, and then to flee to Teremi. However, Viçinia is so worn out and emaciated from her injuries that she fails to row to the bank on the other side of the river. Instead, she eventually finds herself in the eastern mountains that the river passes. There she discovers the deserted dwarven harbor and meets a group of trolls led by Turk. Turks tribe are also on the run from Anda and her trolls. Turk decides to take Viçinia with him and together they make their way to the Dark Spirit.

The allied armies of the Wlachaks and the Masrids under the command of Tamár set off for a battle with Szilas, who accuses Tamar of betraying the Masrids against the Wlachaks and who himself claims the royal dignity over Ardoly . Despite the numerical superiority of the Wlachaks and the Masrid Tamars, Szilas wins thanks to a ruse. The allied armies suffer heavy losses and the Voivodin Ionna falls in battle. Because of Iona's death and the apparent extinction of the house of cal Sareş , Flores is proposed to succeed Ionna. Wlachakin, who was actually always concerned about her independence, initially refuses, but then declares she is ready to take over the voivode dignity during the war. Since Laszlar Szilas has also succeeded in cutting off his opponents' way to the capital Teremi, Flores and Tamár decide to entrench themselves in the city of Désa, in the inaccessible Mardew. On the way there, the army is cut off and they have to flee to the old Starig Jazek monastery, where they prepare their position for battle.

The tribe of Pard are attacked by Anda's trolls just before they reach the Dark Spirit. Only with the help of Turks tribe, who appears at the right moment, is it possible for them to defeat the bloodthirsty attackers. Şten and Viçinia are also meeting again now. Together the two troll tribes, the humans and the elf now reach the cave of the dark spirit, where they are attacked personally by other trolls and Anda. Kerr, who learned from the elf to shield himself against the breath of the dark spirit, heals the dark spirit from its anger for a moment, whereupon Anda and her trolls lose their newfound strength and increased regeneration ability. The tribes fight each other and Pard's side wins. However, Pard was badly wounded in the fight with Anda. Pard sacrifices his life to protect the trolls of his own and Turk's tribe as well as Şten and Viçinia.

Exactly above them the armies of the Wlachkisch-Masridischen alliance and the army of Laszlar Szilas get ready for battle. When the fight begins, the trolls and Şten come to the surface through a large shaft and defeat the opponents of the free Wlachaken. Kerr, who has changed since his contact with the Dark Spirit, now goes underground as an advisor to Turks, the new leader of the trolls. The Marczeg and Wlachak troops are brought to Désa, where they spend the following winter.

In the following spring, Viçinia, as the rightful Voivodin, took control of the Wlachaks. Viçinias and Şten's son is now born and bears the name Natiole after Şten's deceased friend and comrade in arms. Şten himself keeps in touch with Kerr and the trolls. The former war voivodin Flores, in turn, turns her back on Wlachkis and accompanies Sargan to the Dyrian empire.

The wrath of the trolls

In September 2008 the third part called The Wrath of the Trolls : The story is set 20 years after The Battle of the Trolls . The most important character from the ranks of the trolls is, as in the immediate predecessor band, the now grown-up Kerr. The main human roles are no longer played by the old heroes, like Şten, Flores or Sargan, but by their children. Nevertheless, it is again a matter of appeasing or healing the dark spirit.

Two decades after the battle against Laszlar Szilas, the land between the mountains is only divided into two domains. While in the west the Voivode Şten cal Dabrân rules over the free Wlachaken, the east is still ruled by Tamár Békésar , the only remaining Masrid Marczeg.

Şten is now the father of two adult sons, Natiole and Ionnis , who have a tense relationship due to their different mentalities and attitudes. Flores is now the leader of a mercenary force in the Dyrian Empire. Their love affair with Marczeg Tamár is the result of their daughter Ana , who also lives in the Dyrian Empire and followed in her mother's footsteps. Over time, the troll Kerr managed to establish contact with the surviving trolls from Anda's followers. Since Kerr, like Anda's children , has been touched by the Dark Spirit, he is respected by them. Since then there has been a fragile peace between the common trolls and Anda's trolls. However, since Kerr realizes that he is the only link between the two troll tribes and thus the peace with the so-called deep trolls can only be temporary, he again decides to go to the surface and seek advice from the people.

Together with Zran , the new leader of Kerr's troll tribe and the deep troll Wrag , Kerr seeks out his human friend Şten. In the legends of the Wlachaks, the wounding of the dark spirit and its associated change into an angry, suffering spirit is reported. With the help of Şten and the spirit seer Vintila, Kerr hopes to find a way to heal the dark spirit and end its anger and pain. Kerr hopes that his goal will transform the deep trolls associated with the dark spirit back into ordinary trolls, which would ensure a permanent coexistence of the various troll tribes. From Artaynis Vulpon , the daughter Sargans the trolls know that the gun that had once violated the dark spirit, probably is in dyrischen empire. Vintila is of the opinion that only the spear of the Dyrian prince, who wounded the white bear, can heal him again, whereupon Kerr decides to break into the empire and look for the weapon. Since the trolls need a guide, Ionnis, the younger son of Şten, offers to accompany them. However, when a fire breaks out shortly afterwards in the Feste Remis , Ionnis almost dies in the flames. Only through the courageous intervention of Kerr and Natiole can the young prince be saved. Natiole now decides to take Ionnis' place and lead the trolls.

Flores cal Dabrân and Marczeg Tamár Békésar have had a secret love affair for two decades. Tamár is reluctant to keep secret, but Flores fears that the discovery of her liaison would stir up the resentment of the Masrids and that, as Wlachakin, she would never be recognized as the wife of Marczeg. For this reason, the lovers have met sporadically in a mountain hut for years. Their meetings initially go unnoticed, until a gang of hit men ambush the two. The Marczeg and the mercenary manage to kill some of the attackers, but ultimately both fall under their blades. Since Tamár has renounced the marriage to a Masridian woman out of love and loyalty to Flores and therefore no legitimate descendants can follow the throne, the question now arises about the new Marczeg by Ardoly . Three of Tamár's cousins are now claiming the successor to the deceased Marczeg. The belligerent Sziglos Békésar are opposed to the more moderate contenders Tiradar Békésar and Vikolyi Arkos . However, the latter falls victim to an ambush by Sziglos after a short time. Şten, in turn, who is badly hit by the news of Flores' death, favors his niece Ana as the future ruler of Ardoly, as she is Tamár's biological daughter and, as a half-Wlachakin, could keep the peace between the Wlachaks and Masrids. Since Tiradar is keen to continue the policy of his cousin Tamars and to keep the peace with Wlachkis, he offers Şten an alliance against Sziglos. Nevertheless, the charismatic Sziglos seems to prevail and a new war is beginning between Masrids and Wlachaken, which prompts Artaynis to follow Natiole into the Dyrian empire to warn him not to return via the Erköl Pass, as the latter leads to Masridian territory.

Arrived in the capital of the golden empire , Natiole and the trolls meet Sargan and Ana. In order to get to the legendary spear, which was once the doom of the Wlachkis Guardian Spirit, the trolls need an audience with the Dyrian Emperor. Since this is not approved for the time being, Wrag demands to pass the time fighting in the arena of Colchas , which he and the other two trolls are also allowed to do. When the trolls are finally asked for an audience, they, Natiole and his Wlachkish companions are ambushed. Although they manage to defeat all of the attackers, the majority of the Wlachaks and the troll Zran are killed in the process. Since they are now being hunted by the soldiers of the empire, Kerr, Wrag, Natiole and the surviving Wlachaks finally steal the spear of the Dyrian prince from his mausoleum. Since the trolls and Wlachaks are now wanted as criminals, Sargan grants them refuge. When Artaynis returned to her father's house after a while, she reported about the murder of Flores and Marczeg Tamár and about the impending war between Masriden and Wlachaken. Sargan also warns Natiole that the Empire is planning a military strike against Wlachkis. When Ana learns of the death of her parents, she swears revenge on the murderers and decides to accompany Natiole and the trolls on their way home. Supported by Sargan's long-time confidante Sciloi, the companions manage to leave Dyrien safely and return to the land between the mountains. Arrived in Turduji, Ana now lays claim to her father's throne. While Tiradar is now withdrawing his candidate status, Sziglos engages in a duel with Ana. The warmonger is defeated and is killed by Ana, so that the Masrids accept her as the new Marczeg.

Kerr pledges Natiole to support the trolls in the event of a war against Wlachkis. When he later confronts the dark spirit with the weapon that once wounded them, however, he realizes that it does not have the desired effect on the spirit being.

Together with the sun priest Cornel , Ionnis succeeds in exposing the murderers of Flores and Tamár. The mastermind behind the assassinations admits to having done this so that the peace with the Masrids could end and the Wlachaks could conquer the eastern part of their country.

When the Dyrian army attacks the following spring, it is confronted by the combined armies of the Wlachaks, Masrids and Szarken. However, the allies are severely decimated in this battle. Both the Voivode Şten and the sun priest Cornel are killed in battle against the armies of the Empire. Ana is also betrayed by some of her supposed allies. Only through the intervention of Kerr and his trolls is it possible to put a stop to the numerically far superior Dyrians. When finally the white bear, cured by the deep troll Azot , appears on the battlefield, the allies draw new hope and succeed in driving the Dyrians away.

After the victorious battle and the funeral of his father, Natiole cal Dabrân becomes the new Voivode of Wlachkis. Ionnis and Artaynis have now become a couple and announce that they are going on a tour of Wlachkis. Natiole also made his brother boyar of Mardev. Sargan, tries to improve the Empire's relations with Wlachkis. Kerr now maintains contact with Natiole, but has returned to his subterranean realm, where he enjoys being a troll.

literature

Novels

Christoph Hardebusch: Die Trolle (April 2006), 766 pages, Heyne Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 3-453-53237-6
Christoph Hardebusch: The Battle of the Trolls (April 2007), 850 pages, Heyne Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 3-453-53270-8
Christoph Hardebusch: Der Zorn der Trolle (September 2008), 557 pages, Heyne Verlag (Munich) - ISBN 3-453-52421-7

Adventure game book

Christoph Hardebusch, Casjen Klosterhuis, Lydia Schuchmann: Trollblut (February 2008), 256 pages, Pegasus Spiele - ISBN 3-939794-09-0

Dubbing

The Trolls (2007) - read by Michael Pan , Publisher: Audible GmbH (unabridged)
The Battle of the Trolls (2008) - read by Michael Pan, Publisher: Audible GmbH (unabridged)
The Wrath of the Trolls (2008) - read by Michael Pan, Publisher: Audible GmbH (unabridged)

Web links

Individual evidence

[1] Translations of books in the Troll series

[2] ttp://www.deutscher-phantastik-preis.de