Skrimsli

By Author / Illustrator

Nicola Davies

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

Publisher

Firefly Press

ISBN

9781915444981

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

03-07-2025

Synopsis

Who you are if you've never seen another face like yours? Where do you belong if you don't know where your home is? What do you call yourself when others call you 'freak'...?

Skrimsli is a second fantasy adventure from author Nicola Davies, set in a world where animals and humans can sometimes share their thoughts. It traces the early life of Skrimsli, the tiger sea captain who stole readers' hearts in The Song that Sings Us. He and his friends, Owl and Kal, must first escape the clutches of tyrannical circus owner Kobret Majak and his twin assassin-acrobats, then stop a war and save an ancient forest! Skrimsli and his friends are helped by desert princess the Palatine and her eagle, a chihuahua who thinks she's a wolf, a horse with heart of gold and the crew of a very unusual ship.

This is a story full of excitement and danger, that explores themes of friendship, loyalty, identity and love, in the context of some of humanity's toughest problems.

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Reviews

Lorraine

A little tiger cub is saved by a boy named Owl, who is called 'freak' and lives in the circus. So begins a relationship that will traverse across time and place. Born under the watchful gaze of the evil and tortuous ringmaster, the cub Skrimsli is separated from his loved ones and coercively forced to train. Able to communicate with other creatures, he learns to work for the benefit of all beings and hopes always to be reunited with his beloved Owl. But will their future lives take the same path?

Skrimsli is an astounding book by Nicola Davies with wonderful artwork by the talented Jackie Morris. An accompanying sister (or perhaps more appropriately, brother) book to The Song that Sings Us, it is full of wonder, lyrical writing, heartache, and adventure. We learn how Skrimsli becomes the sea captain from the partner book, but more than that, we are once again thrown into the world where humans and creatures can communicate freely.

The book highlights the tragedy of human impact on nature, and how the world should instead be working together. It uses fable and storytelling to show the evils that humans are capable of, especially when accompanied by greed and power. Heart-breaking in its honesty of the treatment of animals, and other humans, it will appeal to all ages as the writing is so beautifully considered.

Adventure and action move the story along at a fast pace, but it is love and friendship that shine throughout. Without too many spoilers, I had to put the book down several times as I didn't want to read further and have my heart broken again. The tension is considerable, and the characters are fabulous. Even the assassins, with their giggling evil ways, are appealing in their own right.

The artwork by Jackie Morris does not disappoint with an astonishing cover and delightful black and white inserts for each chapter. Truly a book to cherish and reread, and a fabulous story to read together. Highly recommended

416 pages / Reviewed by Lorraine Ansell, school librarian