Wolfskin

Written by Juliet Marillier

Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

All young Eyvind ever wanted was to become a great Viking warrior--a Wolfskin--and perform honorable deeds out in the name of his War fathergod, Thor. He can think of no future more glorious. And the chance to make it happen is his when his older brother Ulf is brought the tale of a magical land across the sea, a place where men with courage could go to conquer a land and bring glory to themselves. They set out to find this fabled land and discover a windswept and barren place, but one filled with unexpected beauty and hidden treasures... and a people who are willing to share their bounty. Ulf's new settlement begins in harmony with the natives of the isles led by the gentle king Engus. And Eyvind finds a treasure of his own in the young Nessa, niece of the king, seer, and princess. His life will change forever as she claims his heart for her own. But someone has come along to this new land who is not what he seems. Eyvind's heartfriend, Somerled, the strange and lonely boy Eyvind befriended so long ago has a secret--and his own plans for the future. The blood oath that they swore in childhood binds them in lifelong loyalty, and Somerled is calling in the debt of honor. What he asks might just doom Evyind to kill the only thing that he has ever truly loved. Will the price of honor create the destruction of all that Eyvind holds dear? Critically acclaimed fantasist Juliet Marillier returns with the start of a new fantasy saga, a wonderful love story set amidst high adventure. Wolfskin, the first book in The Light Isles series, is a lush tale of the clash between the warlike Norsemen and the mysterious and magical people who live at the top of the world in the land that will become Scotland--and it is the story of the man and woman who forge a bond that will remake their world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9781501992117

Juliet Marillier

Juliet Marillier was born in New Zealand and brought up in Dunedin, the ‘Edinburgh of the South’. She has a passionate interest in Celtic music and Irish folklore. A mother of two daughters and two sons, she lives in a rural area outside Perth in Western Australia.

Reviews for Wolfskin

[impayal · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

More like 2.5 Stars. Very slow pacing and quite long

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Marillier has fast become one of my favorite fantasy authors. Her works are sweeping, her prose masterful, and her characters impossible to ignore. In fact, her characters feel just so real and sympathetic that it's impossible not to care about them and be pulled into her stories. As with the last series I read from her, this series starts with a view into childhood, and moves from there in a careful epic of gorgeous, fluid prose and twists. I absolutely adored it, and I can't wait to read the next in the series.

[threadnsong · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In her lyrical style, Juliet Marillier has now opened up the exploration of the Light Isles and the world of the Viking warrior. While their culture is viewed by the British and the Irish as the conquered peoples, the other side of these strong warriors is explored. Their spring and summer raidings, the growing up as a young boy with an eye to joining the men on their raids, and finally the effort to colonize the Light Isles (now Orkney Isles) forms the nexus of this book. And yes, there is a strong woman who is easily a match for the strong male figure at the beginning of the book, and her training as a Priestess is every bit as necessary and rigorous in the eyes of her people.

[thebooknerd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely adore Marillier's work, but this particular book didn't spark my interest. I can't really pinpoint why I didn't like it, except that I didn't care much for the characters. If you're a devote Marillier fan, you should probably give this one a try despite my own lackluster response, However, readers new to this author should try her 'Sevenwaters' series, instead.

[deltaqueen50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Wolfskin, Juliet Marillier weaves us a wonderful story. One of magic and conquest, a tale of the Vikings coming to the Light Isles (Orkney Islands), of brothers turning against brothers with murder and revenge, including a sweeping love story. By reworking an old Norse tale called The Bone Harp, and infusing touches of Celtic mythology, she has created a story that is hauntingly beautiful. Hauntingly beautiful, yes, but also a very wordy book that takes a very long time for the story to unfold. I am a big fan of this writer, but I feel this particular book could have used an editor with a firm hand. I believe this story would have benefited if this book had been cut back by at least 50 to 60 pages. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this reading experience, and, as Wolfskin is the first of two books, I look forward to continuing with this story. If you are, like me, a fan of historical fantasy, then I am sure you would love this book as well.

[ameliaiif · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is my first time reading Juliet Marillier, and overall I really enjoyed the experience. There was only one time that I really, really got annoyed with the story and characters, and it was close to the beginning, so I got over it pretty quickly. The writing was just beautiful: yes, she is very wordy and she takes the time to set up each character, each scene, each part of the story, so her books therefore are pretty lengthy. For the most part, I thought she handled her "wordiness" very well, and only close to the end did the story seem to ramble on. - The story itself is wonderfully crafted and simple at its core: two friends who share a deep bond grow older and embark down very different paths: one good, one evil and destructive. Rooted in the story are issues of love, loyalty, betrayal, and courage. On the whole, I loved all the characters and greatly enjoyed their story. - The historical and geographic elements were also fun to read about, too. The settings are Norway and the Orkney Islands of Scotland (called the Light Isles here) and the timeplace is the 800s. That's quite a feat, to be able to craft a meaningful and believable story from over 1200 years ago, and Marillier is able to weave fiction and fact intricately. I will say, however, that I do think the beautiful story she tells *could* be condensed: my copy has 715 pages, and I dont think every one of those pages was absolutely necessary. In her desire to create well-rounded characters and paint a vivid picture for her readers, I personally think that Marillier gets a bit too involved in "backstories." When I think about how much action - how much of a story - takes place from beginning to end, it's almost mind-boggling. I've read a few authors who really seem to like long, lengthy sagas: Edward Rutherford (Sarum) comes to mind...but my favorite passages of hers are some of her simplest. Toward the end, especially, I started keeping a tally of every time a character said the phrase "Get on with it!" 6 times, to be exact. That's how I felt, too. There's a "courtroom scene" that spans about 150 pages and it just goes on and on and on! That's the only time in the whole book that I really felt like Marillier was rambling, but then again I also just had a problem with the scenario: these are Viking berserkers, and I just cant really wrap my mind around them conducting a "Law & Order"-like legal proceeding. I'd almost rather just have a good old battle. The ending, too, left me with conflicting feelings. While I wouldnt say that I didnt like the ending (with respect to what happens to the antagonist), it's certainly not one that I would duplicate in any of my stories. I personally like a "duel of the fates" showdown, a good-vs-evil match; here, I felt like the ending was way too ambiguous, way too generous, and a bit disappointing. If I've had to read for 700 pages about how sadistic and evil someone is, it seems a bit outrageous to expect me to suddenly be able to believe in their "hidden, innate goodness." Right now, the word I'd use is pathetic. But whatever. The only other frowny face I have is this: I dont know if this is a personal opinion of hers, and therefore if it will show up in again in her other books, but I was very irked by a scenario she seemed to present regarding romance...and it kind of soured the otherwise sweet Eyvind-Nessa pairing (and PS--i love Nessa! Other than being a little too eloquent ALL THE TIME, she was a great character!) - Overall, a very pleasing, very enriching story! I definitly recommend it to my 16 friends!

[mmillet_7 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was such a discovery for me. I loved the characters and Marillier's take on the Viking culture and folk tales. It is a story of love, hate, revenge and courage to stand up for those weaker than yourself. I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to read Foxmask.

[mrshillreads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book, I hadn't read any fantasy in a while and this was a good one. True, it didn't take a genius to figure out how the book would end; but the book was fun to read anyway. Has enough gore for boy readers and enough love for the girl readers.

[unreachableshelf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Again, Marillier does an amazing job of building the relationships between her characters.

[cataylor_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Weaves folklore and storytelling to provide a fictional account of the Norsemen's invasion of present day Scotland when the isle was inhabited by gentle people with Druid beliefs. Deception, action, love, violence, and cunning all combine to make an exceptional tale.

[oracleofdoom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was a little slower to get into this one, not sure why. But once I did, I really began to enjoy it. At first, I had a little difficulty relating to the main point of view character. But as I pressed on, I became very interested in his complicated friendship with Somerled. And I found Nessa immediately easy to like. Somerled is an extremely dark character, and at the same time, I found myself feeling a great deal of pity for him, so I was able to relate to Eyvind in this way, since I could not relate to him as a Wolfskin.This book has one of the best, multi-faceted villains I've ever seen. It was beautifully written.