I was only half a chapter into Skin when I started
looking for signs of a sequel. I checked the media release. I checked the
author notes. Unfortunately, there was no mention of more books to follow so I
read this book much slower than I usually would. I wanted to savour.
Skin is my favourite kind of historical
storytelling - a well-researched ancient history backdrop woven into skillful
fantasy story-telling that mirrors the myth and magic beliefs of the period.
The time is 28 AD. The place is Southwest Britain.
It’s a pivotal moment in history, when the Britons are to meet the Romans in
battle for second time. There’s no spoiler here. History has already told us
they didn’t win. This book is about the events in Ailia’s tribelands directly
preceding the Roman invasion.
Ailia is a young woman of ‘no skin’ in a tribe
where skin is everything. It’s identity, the right to learn and the right to
marry. It’s freedom, choice and spiritual inclusion. Only those with skin can
participate in the tribal ceremonies that celebrate the Mothers, the guardians
of the earth.
Deer. Salmon. Stone. Beetle. The North wind. Skin was our greeting, our
mother, our ancestors, our land. Nothing existed outside its reach.
Beyond skin there was only darkness. Only chaos.
Ailia has a good life, given the times and her lack
of skin. Abandoned as a baby at Cookwoman’s door, the old woman took her in and
treated Ailia as if she was her daughter. Ailia is the favourite of the Tribe
Queen who allows Aila to help her bathe and dress. She even draws the attention
of an elite young warrior.
But Ailia is destined to be more than a maid in Cookwoman’s
kitchen and a warrior’s mistress. Being denied learning can’t smother her
desire for knowledge. When she meets the mysterious Taliesen and falls in love,
she begins an illicit journey. The Mothers have a plan for Ailia. Britain needs
its Kendra and Ailia might be the chosen one.
Every obstacle is placed in her way because without
skin, she is unworthy. Even Ailia doubts her calling.
This is a novel about identity and belonging as Ailia
struggles to find out who she is. She desperately needs to know her skin so she
can be part of the tribe and be found worthy by the Mothers. But skin is more
than a name and the Mothers already know this. Skin is something far bigger
than humanity.
What I love most about this novel is it is
tangible. The world is realistic and the fantasy rings true. I felt like I was
walking the grass of Car Cad and the Mothers didn’t mind at all.
PS Dear Ilka, please write a sequel. Or a prequel.
Or another book set in Iron Age Britain.
Book Club Notes can be found here. This book would make an excellent Book Club
choice.
Reviewed by Sandy Fussell
Title: Skin
Author:
Ilka Tampke
Publisher: Text Publishing
Publication
Date: $19.99 RRP
Format: Paperback
Type: Adult
fiction
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