The Game of Sunken Places, by M.T. Anderson, 2004

Gregory Buchanan and Brian Thatz think they're going to spend a leisurely October holiday in Vermont with Gregory's eccentric uncle Max and cousin Prudence in their rambling Victorian mansion. Instead, they find themselves plunged into a game of mythical stakes and origins, in which figures from Nordic legend are their hunters and allies, and a gruesome death awaits any slipup. Their enigmatic host is no help, but behaves suspiciously at every turn. Schoolboy adventure fantasy reminiscent of, and written in tribute to, a lurid style of fiction of yesteryear. Imaginative, a memorable troll and lots of spine-tingling danger. However, a confusing text that galloped too quickly leaving setting fuzzy and too many questions unanswered. Still, for those who throw caution to the wind, recommended.