Name: Skellig
Author: David Almond
Published: 1998
Michael finds a man in the crumbling garage. An ancient man, if you can even call him a man at all, half bird, half beast. The only person he can confide in is Mina, and together they explore this weird and wonderful world of love, death and Skellig.
You might have heard of David Almond. You may have read this at school, or at home. You will definitely want to.
Almond’s beautifully bizarre debut is like nothing you will have ever read before. Written in a lyrical, lilting fashion, Skellig is woven from owls, poetry and late night excursions in abandoned houses. Its a bit like Marmite – you will either love it or hate it! You can’t really capture the essence of the story and while readers who prefer chunky mysteries or fact-based fiction may not see the point, in my opinion it is the perfect novel for adults and children alike.
SWEETENER: Like I said above, the book has a sense of mystery that you can’t really capture. That’s why I don’t like the movie, or the radio play or the theatre production, or opera (I KNOW! ) … its just one of those books that are a set way in your head and it messes it all up when some producer puts it on screen. Comment if you know what I mean! My other favourite thing about the book is he sense of magic and wonder it gives off. There are no fairies or magical unicorns in it, thank god, but Mina shows Michael and the reader so many wonderful things about the world around us. This book will stay with you for a long time.
“What are you?” I whispered.
“Something,” he said. “Something like you, something like a beast, something like a bird, something like an angel.”
He laughed. “Something like that.”
My name is Mina is a prequel Almond wrote long after Skellig was finished in the same sort of tone that gives you a lot more background detail on Mina and how she became who she is. Well worth a read if you enjoyed Skellig. Almond has written tons of amazing books from The Colour of the Sun to Heavens Eyes and A song for Ella Grey that have won lots of prestigious awards.
If you have read this book, want to share a book that you’ve read or have an opinion on other english related things about my blog, just click on the comments section. I really want to hear your opinion 🙂
Hundreds & Thousands of Books 