From Publishers Weekly
The clash of cultures and the limits of loyalty form the thematic framework of Marillier's compelling new stand-alone fantasy. Readers familiar with the author's Sevenwaters trilogy (Daughter of the Forest, etc.) will feel comfortable with the Dark Ages setting. Young Viking Eyvind dreams of serving the god Thor and the nobleman Ulf as an elite Wolfskin warrior. While training, he's charged with teaching Ulf's prickly younger brother Somerled, and the two become blood brothers, swearing lifelong loyalty. But the oath isn't enough to quiet suspicions about Somerled's ambitions to become a king and the means he might take to accomplish them. The two join Ulf on a voyage to a legendary land, "a place of warm sea currents, of verdant islands and sheltered waterways," home to the peaceful Folk of the Light Islands, ruled by King Engus. Though Engus extends a hand of friendship to the sea rovers, his niece, the young priestess Nessa, has her doubts about the warlike newcomers. When a foreign fever decimates the Folk but leaves the seafarers untouched, the truce begins to unravel. A multilayered plot, intriguing characters and lyrical prose distinguish a novel that, long as it is, never feels padded. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The only things young Eyvind has ever wanted--passionately!--are to be a Viking warrior, a Wolfskin, and to serve the mighty war god, Thor. One summer night during his fifteenth year, Wolfskins take Eyvind from the home of his mother and into the mountains for the harrowing warrior's initiation. Eyvind passes with flying colors and quickly earns a reputation as the strongest, most fearless Wolfskin in his jarl's retinue. He is now sure of his life path: a short but glorious life as a Wolfskin, with perhaps a woman and a child or two, leading to an honorable warrior's death. The gods have other plans for Eyvind, however--plans that will take him to a strange land of unsurpassed beauty, to a wild young priestess who saves his life and captures his heart, and ultimately to the edge of sanity, where he will either find his unique soul or lose it forever. An engrossing, beautifully written work of historical fiction and a portrait of a man's fierce struggle to find his own truth. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"Juliet Marillier is among the most skilled of fantasy writers.... She is far better than Marion Zimmer Bradley."--Sara Douglass



Book Description
All young Eyvind ever wanted was to become a great Viking warrior--a Wolfskin--and carry honor out in the name of his fathergod Thor. He can think of no future more glorious. The chance to make it happen is his when his chieftain 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. Somerled, a strange and lonely boy that Eyvind befriended 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 of Eyvind might just doom him to kill the only thing that Evyind has ever truly loved.

Will the price of honor create the destruction of all that Eyvind holds dear?

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
New Zealand native Juliet Marillier makes a dramatic departure from her wildly popular Sevenwaters trilogy with the release of Wolfskin, a historical fantasy about a young Viking warrior and a sacred blood oath that he made as a child.

Growing up on a farm in Norway, Eyvind dreams of one day becoming an elite Wolfskin warrior like his brother Eirik. To be called a Wolfskin, the candidate must pass a type of vision quest in which he goes into the wilderness naked and weaponless and kills a wolf with his bare hands. Once this feat is accomplished, the warrior dedicates his life to the Almighty Warfather, Thor, and usually lives a short but gloriously bloody life as a berserker Viking raider.

But one summer, as Eyvind is training to become one of Thor's elite, he is forced to look after the younger half brother of Ulf, a popular and much-respected Wolfskin. Somerled is a strange boy with deep-seated psychological problems. Feeling pity for the outsider, Eyvind reluctantly befriends him and soon realizes that although Somerled is emotionally damaged, he is also a master strategist and has big ambitions, which include ultimately becoming a king.

Simply put: Fans of historical fantasy -- especially stories dealing with the British Isles -- will enjoy Wolfskin as much as, if not more, than Marillier's popular Sevenwaters novels. A master storyteller and an expert on folklore and mythology, Juliet Marillier can be compared to a young Marion Zimmer Bradley -- especially in her consistent use of strong female characters. Paul Goat Allen

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"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 lifelong loyalty. Meanwhile, far away across the water, on the Light Isles, the king's niece Nessa is beginning to learn the ways of the mysteries - though neither the young priestess nor her people can realize what lies ahead for them." "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 in accompanying a group of settlers to some beautiful islands rumoured to lie across the western sea. However, their good spirits are dampened by a tragedy on board, which Eyvind begins to suspect may not have been an accident." 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.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The clash of cultures and the limits of loyalty form the thematic framework of Marillier's compelling new stand-alone fantasy. Readers familiar with the author's Sevenwaters trilogy (Daughter of the Forest, etc.) will feel comfortable with the Dark Ages setting. Young Viking Eyvind dreams of serving the god Thor and the nobleman Ulf as an elite Wolfskin warrior. While training, he's charged with teaching Ulf's prickly younger brother Somerled, and the two become blood brothers, swearing lifelong loyalty. But the oath isn't enough to quiet suspicions about Somerled's ambitions to become a king and the means he might take to accomplish them. The two join Ulf on a voyage to a legendary land, "a place of warm sea currents, of verdant islands and sheltered waterways," home to the peaceful Folk of the Light Islands, ruled by King Engus. Though Engus extends a hand of friendship to the sea rovers, his niece, the young priestess Nessa, has her doubts about the warlike newcomers. When a foreign fever decimates the Folk but leaves the seafarers untouched, the truce begins to unravel. A multilayered plot, intriguing characters and lyrical prose distinguish a novel that, long as it is, never feels padded. (June 29) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

KLIATT - Ginger Armstrong

Eyvind has always wanted to be a Wolfskin, a warrior who fights to honor the Viking god Thor and to serve the current Jarl. As a boy, Eyvind trained in his brother's footsteps, hoping to gain this respected and dangerous position. While waiting for the chance to prove himself with the Wolfskin trial, Eyvind helps a kinsman of the Jarl by befriending Somerled, the kinsman's younger brother. Somerled is as sure of being a king someday as Eyvind is of his desire to be a Wolfskin. Eyvind feels sorry for the friendless Somerled and during Somerled's stay, Eyvind bonds himself to the boy as a blood brother. The bonds of loyalty and honor are challenged as the two grow up and join Somerled's elder brother, Ulf, on a journey to a foreign land. The new land is home to many natives, including a young priestess with whom Eyvind falls in love. A raging illness takes the lives of many natives while Somerled uses treachery and deception to gain power. Marillier is a master at creating characters with depth and is an engaging storyteller who knows how to intrigue her audience. Somerled, in particular, is a well-crafted character who can be sweet one minute and pure evil the next. The vulnerability of the characters adds to their appeal and makes them even more real. Teen readers will empathize with Eyvind's desire to attain his dream and with his internal struggle to do the right thing. With just a touch of magic and a powerful ending, the novel will appeal to readers of Cecelia Holland's The Soul Thief and to readers of Norse legends and Viking history. Highly recommended to those who enjoy historical fantasy, this novel ends with historical notes. The sequel, Foxmask (published inhardcover in 2004), continues the story with a focus on Somerled's son. KLIATT Codes: SA—Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2002, Tor, 530p. map., Ages 15 to adult.

Library Journal

Young Norseman Eyvind's dream of becoming a Wolfskin (Viking) reaches fruition when he joins an expedition led by the local ruler's kinsman Ulf that will sail to a bright land across the sea. Accompanied by his blood-brother Somerled, Eyvind finds a land occupied by people willing to welcome the newcomers and share with them what they have. When Eyvind discovers that Somerled has come to the new land for his own dark reasons, he finds himself forced to choose between his childhood oath and his sense of honor as a faithful warrior of his people and his gods. The author of the "Sevenwaters Trilogy" displays a thorough grounding in Norse culture in this series opener, which is based on the coming of the Vikings to the Orkney Islands. Appealing characters and graceful prose make this a strong addition to most fantasy collections. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews