The Sea of Trolls is a bit of a mixture. The first half is essentially a historical novel set somewhere on the coast of England or Scotland during the period of Viking raids. Jack lives in a small rural village, tending sheep and listening to stories from the Bard. Many of the Bard’s stories feature the Vikings- terrifying berserkers who kill and raid everywhere they go. When the Vikings attack Jack’s village, he is able to save his friends and neighbors but he and his sister Lucy are taken by the Vikings. This is where the book takes a rather sudden turn into fantasy when Jack takes on a quest into Jottenheim, the land of trolls. I liked the book very much, but the first half was stronger than the second half. I couldn’t help thinking the author felt a historical novel about being captured by Vikings wasn’t exciting enough without throwing in a bunch of magic at the end- but I thought the Vikings were awesome, and would have liked more about them!

Husbands is a comic book companion to Jane Espensen and Brad Bell’s Youtube series of the same name. The book transports the three main characters (newlyweds Brady and Cheeks and the tipsy best friend Haley) into a handful of alternate universes, including a medieval story, a space adventure, a Sherlock Holmes style mystery and more. Great fun.