Customer Reviews

Wolfskin

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This book surprised me. People told me that, yeah, it was decent, but nothing to the Sevenwaters trilogy. I walked around it at the book store for nearly a year, thinking, I'll get it in paperback. I mean, I don't *really* want to read it. Finally, I gave in, got it. I've been reading some crappy books, lately. I was not expecting much here, either.

Stupid, stupid me. I re-read the Sevenwaters books every few month, at least in pieces. It shocks me now that I could have expected anything but excellence from Wolfskin.

The story is set in Norway and in Orkney, in the days of Vikings. The main character is, in fact, one of these northern warriors - the very best. He is a very simple man, is Eyvind. All he wants is to be a brave warrior for three, maybe five glorious years, and then to die a brave and glorious death. He is, for lack of a better word, wholesome. Despite the fact that he basically kills people for a living.šš

When Eyvind is a boy, his brother brings home another boy child - Somerled - and asks Eyvind to teach this boy to be a man. Somerled is as complicated a person as Eyvind is simple; as unhappy as Eyvind is content; as brilliant as Eyvind is strong; as strong as Eyvind is brilliant - which is to say, not much. Nobody likes Somerled. Spending time with him loses Eyvind all his friends for the few months each year when Somerled is visiting. And yet... They become brothers, in more ways than one.šš

Eventually, they grow up. Eyvind is the warrior he intended to be. Somerled seems to have a brilliant future at court. Everything seems right and just as it should be, except for some things that Somerled does - some things that are less than humane, less than conscionable - some things that are beyond Eyvind's ability to believe of his friend. Eyvind genuinely believes in the goodness of people and certainly in the goodness of his friend. He refuses to follow his suspicions to their logical conclusion. He refused to see the clues.šš

An expedition mounts to sail across unknown waters, to find a place of rumors - a beautiful place, that promises advantages beyond count. Both men find themselves on the ships. Then, both men find themselves on the Light Isles, which are everything they could have expected or imagined. Here is a new place - a place for new beginnings, a place for opportunities, a place where a man like Somerled - weak, but brilliant - can have a worthy place. The only problem is that a place this beautiful has not been sitting unoccupied in the ocean all these years. It has a people and a long, deep history. There is a girl here, as beautiful as her land - Nessa. She sees in Eyvind more than he thinks of himself. And, soon enough, Eyvind begins to see things more clearly - all sorts of things, including his friend. And what he sees scared Eyvind, though he be a great, fearless warrior. It scares him and his bonds of brotherhood with Somerled begin to chafe. Unbearably.šš

This is not an easy story to fit into your heart. It examines the worth of loyalty, the pain of betrayal, the necessity of denying love, and the strength required to do what is right. Nothing is over-exaggerated. Nothing is melodramatic. Nothing is predictable or obvious. Marillier has an extraordinary ability to capture life - the way it never seems to promise more than is already there, and the way things can change in the blink of an eye despite all expectations.šš

Truly, I highly recommend this book. I can't wait for the second one, called Foxmask.

Having read The Sevenwaters Trilogy, I was somewhat nervous about reading this new effort by Marillier. Too often in the past, I have been disappointed by second series from an author. Not this time.

I won't try to compare the two, as this is a more realistic painting, with less, though not empty of, the magical elements of the old myths and legends. It is an excellent psychological portrayal of disparate personalities, forged in totally different settings and cultures.

Marillier's blending of historical reality and fantastical imagination was well paced, beautifully worded and ended with a combination of both hopefulness and a fear for the future. All the characters came vividly to life.

The basis of the story is written in other reviews, but the beauty of the book is in how it is brought to life. There is no stereotyping, no simplistic escapes. There is no dumb Norseman, no feministic ranting, no male chauvanistic chest beating.

For a reader who likes depth to his or her fantasy reading, who likes character and plot development over gory action, this is the book for you.

Although I felt this was a strong foray into another world for Marillier, Wolfskin never ended up affecting me as strongly as her previous Sevenwaters trilogy. The book in general was an excellent read, with some extremely haunting parts regarding Somerled's acts that made the story more real for me. However, after bringing the story to an emotional height, Marillier still had about 100 pages to go, and those 100 felt a little too dragged out for me.

Although the fate of the Isles still had to be decided by the end, I felt as though much of the tension and interaction between the main characters had already been resolved, leaving me a bit bored while waiting for the ending to fall into place. I would still recommend it as a good book -- just doesn't compare to her first trilogy.

I read and enjoyed Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy, but found Wolfskin to be an unsatisfactory follow-up. The language itself is beautiful, but sometimes I just got lost in it and had to surface for air. Anything that draws my eyes out of the book is not a good thing.

I liked Eyvind, although he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but, unlike some other reviewers here, I found Somerled to be completely unbelievable. He was straightforward evil. Boring. Marillier tries to make him conflicted, but she never showed me more than one act of kindness on his part in the entire novel. This doesn't make me feel that there is good inherent in him. I felt cheated. I felt like the other vikings were much too easily swayed to follow him.

Also, I felt like she missed opportunities to truly show me people's reactions. With so many pages, there was ample opportunity, but her tendency to tell rather than show distances me as a reader.

Overall, it had a good premise, but it fell short of expectations. On the positive side, I did finish the thing. If I really can't stand it, I just can't make myself plow through to the end.

Reading over the reviews other readers have given, I can see frustration in the lines. too little, too late, some say....can't find the good part, others say. If you've read the Sevenwaters Trillogy, and you expect this to be also the Sevenwaters Trilogy, then yes, you're to be frustrated.

The main character is not so perfect, here. Indeed, a great deal of psychological and sociological ugliness happens in this book, and there's many times when you want to reach into the pages and grab necks and thump heads, but that is the power of Juliet Marillier's writing.

The first chunck is slow. Yes, indeed. Painfully so. But folks, get past the first bit, and you won't be sorry.

It's a story of the evolution of personal mentality and ethics and awareness that takes the book to span. The psychology is good. The characters breathe. It isn't a tidy story...the convenient thing doesn't happen, and it does not bend to the reader's want for instant and complete gratification.

I ADORE this book, even more than Daughter of the Forest, because of that.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing is beautiful, though not brilliant, and the story flows nicely with enough of a balance between action and character development.

Probably the main reason why I wouldn't give this book five stars is because I feel that it doesn't quite live up to its potential. Marillier has plenty of wonderful ideas for plot and and characters, but at times I felt a little cheated, as though she had taken the 'easy way out'. For instance, I immediately liked the main character Eynvind and his introduction to an elite warrior society known as the Wolfskins. The fact that Eynvind's brother is already an extremely successful member of this group makes for an interesting situation, I thought (younger brother, wants to prove himself, has to live up to his older brother's example, etc.). Although there are trials to overcome for Eynvind, however, he moves through them relatively quickly and without major problems, becoming one of the leading warrior himself very soon.

The ending is similarly promising, and similarly disappointing. Marillier sets up a numbers of problems and obstacles for Eynvind to overcome, and he indeed struggles for a while, but in the end all the problems seem to disappear rather too easily, without a sufficient explanation. It almost feels as if she had gotten bored or run out of steam and just wanted to finish the book as quickly as possible.

As I said, I truly enjoyed this book overall and would recommend reading it, but I was not 100% satisfied.

DON'T listen to the low reviews this book has gotten- wolfskin is positively magical. after reading wildwood dancing by juliet marillier, and being so struck by the beauty of her prose, i knew i HAD to read more. so i picked up wolfskin and was enthralled.

wolfskin and its sequel, foxmask, which is just as incredible, if not BETTER, have become my two favorite books of all time. juliet spins these tales so mindblowingly that you can't put them down. wolfskin is similar to a classic fantasy novel- full of blood, sex, adventure, secrets, and magic- but there's so much more to it. it is the heartwrenching love story of two young people brought together by fate. it is the painful and joyous growth of a boy to a man. it is a story of the bonds of brotherhood, family and friendship, blood debts, and personal evolution. it's packed to the brim with drama, betrayal, sorrow, carnality, bloodlust, tricks and killings, marriages and births, and above all, destiny.

not only did i thoroughly enjoy the captivating and effortlessly fluid stream of words that juliet has put together, but i fell in love with the characters and the settings, became obsessed with viking and pictish history, and truly questioned my own morals. you will find yourself crying and pounding your pillow and letting out little laughs of triumph. honestly, buy this book today. you'll LOVE it.

Eyvind lives in snowy Rogaland where the Viking warriors called Wolfskins are honored above all. Every waking minute he longs for the day when he is old enough and skilled enough with bow and sword to answer god Thor's call and become a Wolfskin himself. In his training, he meets Somerled, the small, strange brother of the respected chieftain Ulf, who has neither friends nor survival skills. Over a summer of fishing, hunting, and combat, they become blood brothers. And strangely, years later it is quiet, in-the-background Somerled who secures Eyvind's chance to earn his place as the King's right-hand Wolfskin on a risky expedition to find the mysterious Light Isles. Unbeknown to Eyvind there will not be much need for fighting at first, and Somerled's quietness belies the cunning, ambitious man underneath. The native Folk are peaceful people willing to share their cold, untouched land, and the first treaty Ulf agrees to is peace. But soon enough and under dire circumstances the Warfather Thor will call, and Eyvind won't be so sure to answer him. Worst of all Somerled is calling in his blood-sworn loyalty against the very rare beauty Eyvind's found worth loving and fighting for.

This under-read historical novel set in Norway and the Orkney Islands by Juliet Marillier has cemented her place as one of my few beloved authors. Everything is here: the painstaking historical accuracy and attention to detail, the hard-won love story, and two protagonists overcoming great, dooming hardships of work and endurance before earning their bought and paid for happily ever after - all, of course, lined with the trademark magic of legend which naturally eases its way into the story. Again, these people and places feel like they exist, the events a part of history. Though Wolfskin builds slowly from Eyvind's boyhood to his departure on the grand Viking vessel Golden Dragon, the investment is worth the payoff. Evyind and Somerled's bond is something the reader experiences firsthand. Without it, our multifaceted understanding of Somerled's character and their relationship would not be possible. Instead of being black or white, I found it impossible to hate Somerled and rather sympathized with his plight. I also identified with simple-minded Eyvind and his conflicted honor. Like him we all underestimate our own potential and capacity for greatness. Ignoring the tiny pain I feel in reading the last book in Marillier's backlist I can not wait to open Foxmask.

I hopped into this tale shortly after reading the last book in Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy (Child of the Prophecy), having still been in the nostalgic mood for her stories and characterizations. Unfortunately, this book does not live up to her earlier efforts.

Before I go into that, however, I would still like to exort Marillier's good qualities-- they do make an appearance. She is a very good researcher and folklorist, with an excellent grasp on names and places. The reader will actually be able to see the oceans and valleys and forests in which the story takes place, and have fun slipping the tongue around names like Hafnarvagr and Tadhg. Interesting, too, is the exploration of three religions: Nessa's mysteries (mostly made up by Marillier in this case, but fascinating nonetheless), Norse religion, and Christianity. Marillier resists the two most common (and thence, boring) depictions of Christians in such novels: either they are evil, or they are good heretics. Brother Tadhg has a Bishop of D--- feel, and Marillier's conversations between the priestess, Nessa, and the holy brother are some of the most interesting passages in the book.

Granted, there are problems with this novel that made it intensely boring to me as a read, overall. The first were lines like "Stupid young fool!" What is the definition of "fool", but "stupid"? There were several instances of bad editing like this scattered throughout the tale.

The second problem was that of unrealistic trials. Several times in the story, a character is put on trial. They have a painfully modern feel: too often the basis is on hard facts, the words "premeditated fratricide" occur (did the Norse have a worse penalty for premeditated murder?), there are advocates like lawyers, and the phrase "a man has the right to remain silent" was actually said. While these are not blaring difficulties, it did make me wonder how much research Marillier bothered to do into Norse trials. She certainly had the penalties down-- usually money in compensation for injury. The trials themselves, though? I'll have to do a little research of my own.

The third is perhaps my biggest problem with this book: two-dimensional "good" and "bad" characters, who are quite predictable and come to their conclusions too easily. Somerled was a particular disappointment. Marillier could have played up his good qualities in Eyvind's eyes-- could have made him something other than the entirely twisted boy who was obviously going to cause trouble at the beginning of the book (the prophecy of his becoming a king, far from helping this inevitability, makes it even more obvious). His utter inhumanness could have been a surprise to Eyvind-- after all, it is said many times in the book that Eyvind is incapable of understanding deceit and wicked acts. Why would a reader who is seeing through Eyvind's eyes never have a shred of compassion for Somerled? It is unfair to both characters.

The love story, while not wholely without reason, was so archtypical of Marillier's writing that I confess, after having read her previous trilogy, to have been utterly uninterested. The magical woman and the outsider man fall in love. I have seen it before. In every single Marillier book.

Prophecy and divination are also used too freely. I know that it is a question of style, but clear-cut prophecies such as Marillier's only make the story easier to predict. She is not good at using foreshadowing without making it obvious. Subtlety is lacking here, as it was in her characters. What I would have liked to see is more on the three religions-- particularly that of the Norse. When our brave adventurers make it to the islands of the Folk, we suddenly stop seeing anything mystical to do with the Norse at all-- merely an occassional invocation to Thor or Odin. And if powers like the Seal Tribe and the Hidden Tribe work for Nessa, why doesn't Thor really work for Eyvind? One wonders if only Nessa's ancient gods exist, and Eyvind and Tadhg are deluding themselves.An interplay between them would have been more interesting.

All in all, Wolfskin created a vast cornucopia of disappointments. I will still buy its sequel, but I will no longer expect the tale to knock me to the floor. Meanwhile, if you want to read anything by Marillier, I'd suggest the Sevenwaters Trilogy.

After finishing the Sevenwaters trilogy, I was eager to read her other books, but hesitant as well. Although the beginning of this book got a bit long describing Evyind's life, I understood that it laid down a foundation for the rest. I enjoyed the romance much more in this book than her Sevenwaters trilogy. There was more leading to the romance and less abrupt in the coming together of the two people. Although I'd like some new material from Ms. Marillier rather than just having a heroine nurse a hero back to health all the time (like most of her other books). I enjoyed it at first but would like something new and maybe some more obvious romantic tension (kinda like in this book but more). Additionally, I liked how she wrote a little bit about the life they lead after coming together (some books just end at the part where the couple gets together and it always leaves me curious to know more). There were some cheesy parts in this book but it was a good, leaves-a-goofy-grin-on-your-face cheesy. Something I'd like to read in her sequel is about the life Evyind and Nessa have together and not just cutting straight to their children. It's a bit depressing to read about the people, who you cheered for in the previous book, die or become minor characters. I'm sure their lives can still be interesting and challenging after they come together... Thus far, my favorite book from Ms. Marillier is the first book in the Sevenwaters Trilogy (Daughter of the Forest) though it could've had more romance earlier, the characters and situation pulled me in and made it very interesting. Overall, I have really enjoyed Ms. Marillier's books and hope to read more in the future!