Troll Bridge

Troll Bridge defied my expectations. I clicked its link on the spec lit resource page anticipating a fantasy story. I’ve never been particularly fond of the fantasy genre to be honest, I don’t see the appeal of reading literature focused on unimaginative make believe creatures. I’ve fantasy story or film I’ve encountered has more or less rehashed the same story with the same classes of creatures. Elves and dwarves and goblins and trolls clash or form alliances. In the end, I’m rarely surprised by a work of fantasy; the stories all feel a bit formulaic.

Troll Bridge, however, seems to satirize the convention of fantasy. While it satirizes fantasy elements, it also utilizes fantasy to communicate themes complete unnasociated with the genre. The major theme prevalent in Toll Bridge is the notion that the world is constantly in flux, and when we age we may not recognize the land of tomorrow.

Terry Pratchett tells the story of a Hero, and his talking horse, and a Troll. I was expecting a formulaic battle between the heroic humanoid and the evil Troll, but thankfully Pratchett took this story in a new direction. We learn that the Troll is not evil, but down on his luck, working a dead end job with a wife who does not support him and a son that doesn’t respect his traditions. Instead of clashing with the hero, the troll is excited that Cohen the Barbarian (a pun of Conan the Barbarian perhaps?) would choose him to slaughter. The Troll quickly realizes, that the hero no longer slays trolls to make the world a safer place, but instead robs them of their treasure to sustain himself.

As both the hero and troll realize the way that times have changed, the two halt their confrontation to conversate on the state of the modern world. We find out that the old ways by which the hero and troll still live are antiquated, and the land of magic and danger is being commercialized. It’s a sad realization for both, the two characters lament on the loss of tradition. The story concludes with the hero, much closer to death than youth, pays the Troll for the whereabouts of several other creatures who have abandoned and bastardized their heritage. We are left with a sentiment of steadfast determination as the aging hero sets off to slay a few more trolls, not due to their threat to humanity, but for their threat to tradition.