Customer Reviews

Wolfskin

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I had mixed feelings about Wolfskin. There's no question that this is a good book. The writing is great, with interesting history, and an exciting plot. However, compared to other Marillier books, this was a disappoinment. The relationship between Eyvind and Nessa was sweet, and they were both extremely likeable, but their romance was pretty boring. I was more interested in the story of the antagonist and Margaret. But even so, I would recommend giving this book a shot, since it can be quite suspenseful at times.

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.

I can't wait for book 2. I found this Sunday at my local Barnes and Noble...took it to my favourite pub, and was so engrossed I let my beer get warm *lol*. Before I knew it I was halfway through and finished it last night. Evyi and Nessa made for fine hero's in the tale. Somerled, while twisted and devious, had a certian spark that you can't help but hope he comes around. Once again Marillier has struck gold.....

I was not disappointed with this offering from Marillier. Although I admit, I do prefer the Sevenwaters trilogy offerings, Wolfskin was an exciting and interesting tale of Viking and Scottish lore. I wish more background had been given on the Somerland character as he was a very dark and interesting character but overall, I was satisfied with the mystery left surrounding him. Definitely worth a read.

I couldnt put it down.... Well worth a read!

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.¨¨

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.¨¨

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.¨¨

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.¨¨

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.¨¨

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

Reading through all the other reviews a second time I understand that this great book cannot compare to Daughter of the Forrest. But compared to all the other books I have read this one is still an excellent read.

I was compelled to write this review in order to urge people to read this book and not be put off (like I was) by some of the bad reviews. I was also angered to find after finishing the book that the 'dumb' hero never turned up through-out it, like I was told he would. Eyvind was not smart - he was wise. If you fail to see that then you are merely being drawn in by Somerled's words. Somerled - a man who is not at all wise, although he is wily and clever with words. Euvi had a dream to be a warrior - why is that so stupid? To believe in a God of war and to actually have a dream, which is more than some people, is amazing. Infact thats what he and Somerled shared - a dream. The fact that many people scorn those whose dreams are deemed 'stupid' shows how narrow-minded and cruel these people are. Any dream is great in itself.

This story is not as good as Marillier's other series but it is still a delight to read. There are common plots and themes throught these two series but the mere fact of a different setting and race (like Vikings) make Wolfskin enjoyable.

I look forward to reading Foxmask, the second book that follows, which is also not unlike the Sevenwaters trilogy in its link between children to continue the story.

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!

If you liked Marillier's previous sophomoric efforts, you'll love this. In addition to being the same dumb, hackneyed story lines and stock characters we are used to from the previous books, this one has the additional feeling of being pure romance novel stuffing. I mean, come on, so this gorgeous hunk of man who is so civilized and nice to the ladies is a berserker?! Fabio should have been on this cover. Anyone who would read this, I guess, has already read the previous lame offerings by this author and doesn't object to laughably contrived plots which rely heavily on coincidence, caricatures who grow or change through jarringly modern pop psychology processes, and historical detail that sounds like it was lifted from other bad fantasy novels rather than any real scholarship. So go for it. But please, if you want something exciting that will also make you think, look at the really good fantasy and historical fiction efforts out there--Gillian Bradshaw, A.A. Attanasio, Dorothy Dunnet, Sharon Kay Penman, Charlotte M. Yonge, Margaret Elphinstone, or Barbara Taylor Bradford to name just a very few...

WOLFSKIN is the fourth offering from extraordinary historical novelist Juliet Marillier, and if she can continue in the tradition she has established thus far, I have hope for many more. Ms. Marillier has a gift for spinning tales such as one might hear from a particularly skilled storyteller of old, sitting with friends and family around a fire on a long winter night hundreds of years ago. We don't have many such professional bards today, but we have not lost our taste for good stories, nor our need of people to tell them. In our modern world, the printed word has reached its highest known distribution, and our modern bards have turned to that medium to entertain and to teach us with their tales. Ms. Marillier's Sevenwaters Trilogy (which, if you have not yet, you must read) is a collection of such powerful stories, and her newest offering, WOLFSKIN, is nearly as good.

The unlikely hero of the story is a Viking "Berserker," one of the legendary Norse warriors who went shrieking into the forefront of battle, blindly and lethally courageous. Its heroine is a young woman -- a daughter of the royal line and a priestess of the mysteries -- who belongs to an ancient people of the Orkney islands, a people so shadowed by history that we know little about them today. Other characters include the brave and tragic king of the Orkneys, a Viking chieftain with a bold dream of settlement in a far off land, and the warrior's clever and dangerous friend, who has saved his life and sworn with him a bond of brotherhood in blood, and who does not hesitate to call in his debts. How these characters come together is a long tale of friendship, sorrow, rage, grief, terror, magic, and deepest love. It is an exploration of the value of life and the strength of a promise made.

Compared to other works of historical fiction, WOLFSKIN ranks with the very best. Compared to the Sevenwaters Trilogy, which is perhaps the most powerful and compelling fiction I have read, it is very slightly lacking. Some elements of plot seem to pass too quickly, and the reader is left wondering why, if they were so important, they were over with so little ceremony. Sometimes that effect seems to me intentional, meant to make us feel as the characters do, but at others it disrupts the flow of an otherwise excellent story.

As for the characters, they lack nothing; they live in your mind even when the book is not in front of you, and as usual what makes Ms. Marillier's tale so powerful is the sheer emotional impact. If you spend time with this book and you have feelings, you will cry. You may laugh and sigh and otherwise feel what goes on, but Ms. Marillier specializes in sorrow, and this book cannot be experienced without tears -- of eyes or heart, or both. I would recommend plenty of time and perhaps some tissues to hand as you really get into the story. If you are separated from a loved one, you might want to wait until he or she is back with you before you begin; this is a tale of many kinds of heartbreak. It's easy to think I'm exaggerating here, but the power of human emotion is perhaps the greatest on earth: it makes us what we are, and shapes our world and our lives. This story is about that, in a way, and our reactions to it, and to others, are about that power, too.