The Ballad of Innes of Skara Skaill - by Faulkner Hunt (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Returning to the Northern Isles of Skara Skaill, a bereaved son takes up with two young brothers living outcast on the village streets and moors of Skara Heath, and after running afoul of the corrupted local authority, they band together in a struggle both ancient and new, a struggle of land, loss, and fabled fortune--long lost to the fog of history.

A storm is coming to the island of Skara Skaill. Squatting in their derelict home, two wayward brothers, Rory and Tito, are driven off and forced to shelter alone on the island's empty barrens. Fending for themselves, they fall in with two strangers--one, Innes Mackie, returning from exile on the mainland upon the death of his father, and the other, a stranded seasonal worker eager to start a new life. After stumbling upon answers to the island's buried past, the four are drawn into an ancient history of secrets and lies, long hidden by the lawless powers that run Skara Skaill. At its heart, this lightning-quick adventure story, told in a lean, touching, cinematic style, is about loss, loyalty, and the truest meaning of kinship. Echoing the island's distant fable, The Ballad of Innes of Skara Skaill reveals both the secrets buried within us, and those hidden beneath our feet.

Review Quotes

"A thrilling mix of history, adventure, and high-stakes intrigue, The Ballad of Innes of Skara Skaill is a pulse-pounding mystery set against the rugged beauty of the North Atlantic islands. Seeping with atmosphere, the novel brings to life a small island community readers will easily lose themselves in. Alternating between taut, cinematic action and quiet evocative moments, Hunt delivers a heart-racing journey through storm-lashed landscapes, forgotten relics, and the bonds of found family."--Soman Chainani (Author, The School for Good and Evil series)

"If you like ancient legends built on the adventure of human drama, you will love this book!"--Dr. Robert Ballard (Discoverer of the RMS Titanic and German battleship Bismarck)

"Sometimes I read because I think I should. Like going to the gym. Or a museum. But sometimes a book hooks me and I think, 'Hey this is great, I should do this more often!'. Faulkner Hunt's The Ballad of Innes of Skara Skaill is absolutely one of those books."--Owen Wilson

"Thrilling! I wish I'd had this book growing up, but I'm happy to have it now. As a coach, I was fascinated how this ragtag group bands together against the harshness of the land and the fierceness of their rivals. As a reader, I was enchanted by Hunt's ability to weave a world where nature and myth intertwine. The Ballad of Innes of Skara Skaill is a story you won't want to miss!"--Andrew Rueb (Head Coach, Harvard Men's Tennis)

About the Author

Faulkner Hunt was born and raised in the Gulf Coast town of Beaumont, Texas. His parents named him after William Faulkner and as a child his favorite room was his father's library, filled floor to ceiling with books and old stringed instruments and vines growing through the walls. After graduating from University of Texas, he moved to New York, then to California. With his wife Annie and their four children, Faulkner lives in an 18th century Connecticut farmhouse built by a Nehantic Indian chief where, at bedtime, he could be found reading to his four children every word of every classic adventure story ever written, out loud, with accents.