Author Dana Stabenow recently reviewed The Ballad of Innes of Skara Skaill by Faulkner Hunt, and allowed us to share the review here. You can order the book through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/4aqxanu
The Ballad of Innes of Skara Skaill
by Faulkner Hunt
Never have I felt colder or wetter reading a novel, as this one is set on an island somewhere north of Scotland and the latitude is almost a character itself in the amount of wind and rain it besieges its setting with. Occasionally there is a break in the clouds through which can be seen a comet, trailing its luminescent tail across the sky and bringing wonder and foreboding both to the watchers below.
Who are, first, an expatriate islander who hears bad news from home; two orphaned underage islander brothers on the lam from the do-gooder authorities who would separate them; an off islander itinerant jack-of-all-trades; the first live-in doctor the island has ever seen; the local lord slash mob boss; his mob; a corrupt constable; a duo of not-so-bumbling off island archeologists; and—wait for it—a pirate treasure celebrated in song and long thought to be only legend.
A prow slid silent ‘pon the nameless shore
A hoard unloaded down
In the island’s breast went the oaken chests
Hid deep beneath the ground.
But maybe not. As Mr. Begbie says, “What, has the whole world forgotten its yesterdays?”
No, they haven’t, Mr. Begbie, and some of them take the treasure seriously enough to kill for it. Hunt makes you care for his heroes and hiss at his villains and laugh and shiver as one or all of them are nearly always in harm’s way, to a greater or lesser degree. The archeologists wake up from a night in their car to find themselves surrounded by sheep.
More sheep came and pressed against Alastair’s window, gaping in at him. “And how exactly are we supposed to get through all that?”
“Ah, you can just push right through them, sir.” Jameson forced the door open. “I grew up around the likes of these fells here. He waded out among the flock.
Alastair set a manilla work folder on the dash and cracked open his door. “Excuse me.” He slid his angular frame through the door. “Shoo, shoo there. If you don’t mind.”
They’re sheep. They don’t. The animal characters have their own important roles in the drama, though, from the sheep to the moor ponies to Eustace the escape artist mule to the big bull elk with the banshee call who knows all the secret ways of the island. A rollicking novel with more near misses with disaster for the good guys than Odysseus ever survived, where everyone gets what they deserve and I’m happy to report especially the bad guys.
Dana
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