Wolfskin
By Juliet Marillier 

     Young Eyvind only wants to become a Wolfskin like his brother and devote himself to Thor's service and the slaying of his enemies. He has a happy childhood in the home of his widowed mother where he wants for nothing, materially or emotionally, and so is just the friend for the unwanted Somerled, foisted on the family by his noble folk. The two friends make a youthful pact in blood which swears the two boys to lifelong loyalty, and this is going to have some very far-reaching consequences when they get older. When Somerled's brother Ulf proposes a voyage to the mysterious Light Isles, Eyvind ends up coming, too, and so does his devoted friend, and the peaceful intentions of the Norsemen when they arrive as guests in a very different land are going to be anything but…

     Australian author Juliet Marillier will be familiar to fantasy fans, as she is the author of the acclaimed Sevenwaters Trilogy. This book will appeal to those who enjoy fantasy, although it is basically a historical novel where the author speculates how the Norsemen settled the Orkneys. She is adept at creating a convincing background, and within a few pages immerses the reader in the Norse world and has thankfully not fallen into the usual trap of portraying all Norse folk as bloodthirsty Vikings wearing horned helmets. This is a book about people, not stereotypes. It does have the fault of being predictable, and the outcome of the two different boys' friendships seems inevitable, and perhaps more of the characters could have been better judges of character, but in spite of this it has the feel of an old saga as the fate of the protagonists is played out. It could stand some editing, but stays in the mind as a powerful novel of the ties of friendship that ought to appeal to both sexes.