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Wolfskin
 
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Wolfskin (Paperback)

by Juliet Marillier (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Wolfskin + Foxmask + The Well of Shades (Bridei Chronicles 3)
Price For All Three: £23.85

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Product details

  • Paperback: 736 pages
  • Publisher: Tor; New edition edition (5 Mar 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 033049354X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0330493543
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11.2 x 4.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 60,504 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #37 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Historical

Product Description

Product Description

Eyvind can think of no more glorious future than becoming a Wolfskin, a warrior devoted to the service of the mighty war-god Thor. His closest friend, Somerled, a strange and lonely boy, has his own very different ambitions - yet a childhood oath, sworn in blood, binds these two in life-long loyalty. Eyvind and Somerled seem set to follow very different paths: one becoming a fearless servant of the Warfather, the other a scholarly courtier. Then a voyage of discovery, led by Somerled's brother Ulf, brings the two friends together again accompanying a group of settlers to some beautiful islands rumoured to lie across the western sea.

Ulf's new settlement begins in harmony with the native islanders, led by King Engus. But one day, on a trip to a holy place of the Folk, a brutal murder occurs and that peace is shattered. It is now that Eyvind begins to feel the restraining ties of his boyhood oath, and to realize what sort of future Somerled had in mind for himself all those years ago.

'Juliet Marillier is a fine new fantasy writer' Anne McCaffrey

‘An engrossing and enjoyable tale’ Starburst

‘A powerful narrative…a truly rewarding experience’ SFX Magazine



About the Author

Juliet Marillier holds advanced degrees in music and languages, and has had a lifelong passion for both Celtic music and Irish folklore. She resides with her family in Perth, Western Australia.


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16 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (6)
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 (2)
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the better books I have read in a long time, 17 Mar 2005
Wolfskin is the first of a now complete duet; the other book is called Foxmask. It tells the story of Eyvind, a Wolfskin, or berserker, warrior and his friendship with Somerled. The two swear an oath of blood brotherhood as boys, and this oath affects both boys, and the others they encounter, significantly.

This book is some 700 pages long but I found it flowed past easily. Marillier's writing is easily readable, and does an excellent job of bringing the world to life. She manages to imbue certain, quite small lines with a lot of depth and impact, for example "He was not gentle with me." tells you everything you need to know and a whole lot more about both event and characters involved, and the simplicity makes it all the more powerful. To say even one word more would spoil the impact.

This is a book which benefits from being read slowly and with attention, rather than while half asleep or in a rush. This is partly because of some nice, subtle touches here and there, but also because it is a book set in the Viking world. The characters of Wolfskin explain how their world works, and the reader should listen and view the world as they do. These are not modern characters with modern values transplanted to an older setting, and Marillier should be praised for this. Not every author writing in a historical setting manages to do this, and anachronistic characters are a pet hate of mine. To modern eyes certain things characters do or say seem inexplicable, but those same things fit perfectly into the world. Blood brothers are sworn for life; breaking that bond is unthinkable.

Wolfskin managed to do something which none of the many other books I have read recently has done - it actually made me care. Normally when I read I'm very objective; the characters and story do not touch me at all. Books do not provoke emotion in me at all, with a very few exceptions. Tales of people crying, laughing or having to put a book down because of the emotional weight are almost entirely alien to me. However this book I did put down at two points, and I was astonished to find I actually felt slightly angry and upset on behalf of my favourite character (Margaret) quite frequently. No book has promoted any emotional effect from me in ... years. I also find the book is lingering on in my mind long after I put it down, and that is also rare.

Somerled is an interesting villain. Scenes where his better side shine through are quite touching because they show would could have been. The scene where Somerled teaches Eyvind to write his own name is, in particular, one of my favourites. I found it was quite clear Somerled could have been very different, if only ...

The book is not perfect by any means, and as I write fiction myself I am a very picky reader. I find far less to nitpick about with Wolfskin than with the other books I have read recently. Eyvind and Nessa, the two main characters, felt less compelling to me than Margaret. Margaret is a character who gets relatively little space, perhaps only appearing in 1/8th of the book total, and yet she really did grab my imagination, and has continued to hold my attention several days after I closed the book. I found both her story and her character to be more engaging to those of the main duo. I wish she had been given a lot more pages. Nessa, in particular, had no real effect or interest for me, and I found her parts of the book to be my least favourite parts, except when her path crossed with Eyvind or Margaret.

There are certain moments where characters actions become a little hard to believe. At some points, even reading with the Viking viewpoint instead of a modern one, I found myself asking why Eyvind never even said anything about certain of Somerled's actions, or tried to explain why his friend was wrong. At first Eyvind does try, but he is always quickly rebuffed and made to seem stupid, and from there seems to give up. But I still find it hard to believe Eyvind, who is undoubtedly a good man, did not keep trying, especially when Somerled went from smaller evils to increasingly greater ones. He does finally start trying again in the end, but not before letting many things go.

Marillier manages something which both frustrates and delights me - she has her characters acting like real people, and at some points this gets rather unfair. It hurts when characters I like get the short end of the stick, but at the same time it's brilliant to see characters behaving just like real people, who do have selective memories and can be painfully unfair.

The book is not a pure historical novel; it does feature some magic. I would not say it is a fantasy story through, just a good story which needs certain parts of Dark Age mythology to be 'real' so it can tell the tale it wishes to. Indeed, this approach does lend the story a certain feeling of kinship to the old Viking sagas.

I am currently reading the second in this duet, and I feel that the two books should be read together. Marillier is doing an excellent job of adding new depth and insight into her original characters, even if the second books mostly concerns their children. Somerled in particular is becoming more and more sympathetic to me as I go. A re-read of Wolfskin will follow once I have finished Foxmask. I do not usually re-read books so soon after finishing them, but I feel I am learning such a lot I will gain more from both books.

In closing I would recommend both books.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a must read for sevenwaters fans, 21 Aug 2004
By A Customer
This review is from: Wolfskin (Hardcover)
i thought this was yet another excellent book from a fantastic author. I had read the sevenwaters trilogy and so as soon as it came out had to buy it. i was hooked, i took it everywhere with me and read it whenever and wherever i could.

i definately equals or exceeds the storylines in sevenwaters. the main characters seem so real and she has thought of everything; all the threads are wrapped up in an excellent fashion. as soon as i read it i could not wait for foxmask so i had something else to sink my teeth into.

one friend i have has also read sevenwaters and recommmended melanie rawn to me. if you enjoy juliet marillier books then that is definately another author who you should investigate. i flows in the same way and, again, i was totally hooked

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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Wolfskin, 27 Aug 2006
By Clare "Bookaholic" (England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
Set in Norway & Orkney at the time of the Vikings is Eyvind, all he has ever wanted to be is a Wolfskin, his friend, Somerled only ever wants to be a King.

It is as a small child Eyvind's brother, brings home another child called Somerled and is Eyvind's job to teach him. Somerled, is not an easy person to teach he is in fact almost the opposite of Eyvind but, teach Somerled he does which comes at a cost to Eyvind.

They both take part in an expedition sailing roughened waters, unknown to them and eventually find themselves on the Light Isles (known to us today as the Faroe Islands) and here is discovered the young Priestess, Nessa. The new settlement begins all too well until a brutal murder shatters the tranquility ....

Having read (and loved!) the Sevenwaters Trilogy I was apprehensive about this one and it took me such a long time to get round to reading it, I love Juliet's style of writing but, was scared for want of a better word that this would never match up to Sevenwaters and I would be left feeling disappointed.

I need not have been, this was a fantastic story of friendship, betrayal , the character of Eyvind and nessa were for me the highpoints of the story, once again a beautifully written story that draws you in, I loved it!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Loved the characters
I picked up Wolfskin whilst on holiday, and soon found myself so hooked that I managed to finish all 700 and some pages over just two days. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Anna <3

4.0 out of 5 stars First Book in the Children of the Light Series

Juliet Marillier was born in New Zealand and brought up in Dunedin, the 'Edinburgh of the South'. Read more
Published 22 months ago by J. Chippindale

4.0 out of 5 stars First Book in the Children of the Light Series

Juliet Marillier was born in New Zealand and brought up in Dunedin, the 'Edinburgh of the South'. Read more
Published 22 months ago by J. Chippindale

4.0 out of 5 stars First Book in the Children of the Light Series
Juliet Marillier was born in New Zealand and brought up in Dunedin, the 'Edinburgh of the South'. She has written a number of novels that have been extremely successful, including... Read more
Published 23 months ago by J. Chippindale

2.0 out of 5 stars Much ado about nothing !
Yes, the background is great and the two main characters interesting. But the pace is so slow, the plot so predictable and the story so full of "clichés" (especially concerning... Read more
Published on 13 May 2005 by Salvek

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! As Ever....
I just love Juliet Marillier! Her method of writing is gripping and full of ancient mythology and a sense of magic that leaves you never wanting to put it down. Read more
Published on 7 Feb 2005

5.0 out of 5 stars Wolfskin - a trip into the Viking past
This is a book I just couldn't put down! The story tells of two boys, Eyvind, who is ambitious to become a Wolfskin (a kind of berserker warrior) and Somerled, puny but crafty,... Read more
Published on 18 May 2004 by A. Mary Lord

4.0 out of 5 stars Marillier's done it again
After setting herself a hard act to follow with the outstanding "seven waters " trilogy, Juliet Marillier has nevertheless managed to maintain her high standard. Read more
Published on 19 May 2003 by Harbinger

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchantment revisited
After reading the Sevenwaters trilogy I was more than ready to welcome something new from Juliet Marillier. Read more
Published on 25 April 2003 by Gisele

5.0 out of 5 stars Feels like the telling of an ancient legend
A quite beautifully written book. The prose is extraordinarily vivid and the author effortlessly conjures up her settings of Norway and the Orkney Islands. Read more
Published on 12 April 2003 by Mr. M. Richards

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