Our very own Michael Dahl has truly outdone himself this time. His epic fantasy tale involving trolls, teens, and the stars isn’t set to run wild until August 1st, but I thought I’d give our blog’s readers a sneak peek at what’s to come.
First off, we’ve already received a handful of glowing reviews, including this testimonial from School Library Journal. Kirkus Reviews cited the story's “Compulsive plot, non-stop action … fast-moving narrative [with] lots of suspense ... A page-turner.”
Another review compared the book to a younger version of the His Dark Materials series of books by Phillip Pullman (The Golden Compass, The Amber Spyglass, etc.). Good company, to say the least.
Last but definitely not least, nearly every review thus far has mentioned the amazing illustrations done by Ben Kovar. But don’t take my word for it, or theirs—judge for yourselves.
Make sure to mark August 1st on your calendars! In the meantime, keep your eyes on the skies!
Sean Tulien, Editor
This week, I asked the fiction crew what they like to listen to as they write, design, edit, and work in general. The answers were surprisingly detailed and varied. So I thought, "Why not make this a reoccurring feature?" It is interesting to consider how one art form influences another.
First up is our editorial director and in-house writer, Michael Dahl. Michael recently created a whole new world for his upcoming series Troll Hunters. And this is what he listened to while he was there....
I needed to get my mind into a new universe, a world of light versus darkness, good versus evil, epic battles, close escapes, and otherworldly creatures. Sounds like Beethoven to me. I love big, sweeping, emotional, orchestral music, and Beethoven is perfect for that. I can put on his 5th or 6th or 9th Symphony. What power! And the music changes so much, just like a battle, first one side gains power, then the other, back and forth like ocean waves.
For some specific sections of the story:
The ending of Book 3, I listened to Widor’s Toccata from his 5th Organ Symphony. Turn out the lights and listen to this at night! It sounds like something swirling and rising and soaring into the heavens. Inspiring and triumphant. Perfect for the action at the end of the final chapter.
For the encroaching battle in that same book, I listened to the weird, war-like song O Fortune! from the eerie and dramatic Carmina Burana by Orff.
And when I was writing the chase scene at the end of Book 1, I put on John Williams’ soundtrack for The Empire Strikes Back and selected The Asteroid Field. One of the coolest, most exciting pieces of music ever written, not to mention that it’s pure fun. You can see the asteroids rolling toward you, or in this case, the giant trolls at your heels! Run!
-Michael Dahl
Wow. Just... wow. That art is incredible. The monsters have a Frank Frazetta quality to them that is VERY impressive. I can't wait to read this adventure.