Skin

Ilka Tampke

A debut novel of ritual and violence set in Britain in AD 43 veering at times towards fantasy. A young girl, an outcast because she has no 'totem', rises against all the odds to be leader of her tribe. Contains some horrific ritual ceremonies and bloody battles - so not for the fainthearted. A fast-paced and exciting read with an appealing heroine.

Extract

The journeymen positioned her; she was already halfway to the otherworld with the herbs. They kissed her and stepped away.
She stood with limbs outstretched and tears on her face.
The singing reached a wailing peak. It was time. She was
for a moment, creation, the rising sun itself, before the riders mounted, the journeyman shouted, and the horses surged with unstoppable force, to the north, south, east and west of her.

Parallels