Trollhunters

Rock ’ n’ Troll High School

Release Date: 7 July

322 pages | Hardback/ ebook Authors: Guillermo del Toro, Daniel Kraus Publisher: Hot Key Books

This YA novel shares

common ground with its co- author’s film Pan’s Labyrinth – a young person stumbles upon an underworld filled with grotesque creatures from myth – but could hardly be more different in tone. It’s filtered through American high- school comedy and Monty Python – one central character is a troll historian with a British accent who this reviewer immediately imagined voiced by Eric Idle.

The plot’s a little slow to get going, taking its time over introducing us to shortarse teenage loser Jim Sturges and his world: then, when Jim discovers it’s his destiny to be a trollhunter, he slots into the role rather too quickly and conveniently. There are some good gags and neat twists, but this is standard zero- to- hero fare. Eddie Robson