FANTASY BOOK REVIEW: SNAKESKINS BY TIM MAJOR

The Snakeskins
Author: Tim Major
Publisher: Titan Books
Pages: 403
ISBN:9781789090789
Reviewed By: Sandra Scholes

It's not often we get to read original concepts but when we do we take the chance to see if the textual journey is worth it. I am glad to say this was worth the effort. Caitlin is due for her first shedding and after seeing her brother Toby go through his, she wants to make it more of a spectacle where she wants to speak to her skin before it dies.

In Tim Major's world there are normal humans and Charmers and Snakeskins; The latter two are not known of and a lot of rituals a rite is put into a shedding every so often, though the government see it as observing and documenting it so that it all goes right. Reporter Gerry Chafik thinks Charmers should be made public as not everyone is like them but as the people in power are Charmers he will find he has to watch his step. The Great British Prosperity Party or the Government have other Charmers embroiled in rules and regulations of what they can and can't do like normal people not marrying Charmers.

Caitlin prepares for her shedding but doesn't expect her skin getting up and running away. It is only when she finds out her mother had a similar thing happen when she shed that she discovers a much darker secret behind Charmers who become defective. Charmers have an extra long life and magic healing but other than that they look like normal people on the outside. There is a lot of symbolism in this novel if you are prepared to look out for it; the ivy on the book's cover is in reference to something else, the meaning of their name Hext made me think of hex or cure or that Caitlin thought she was cursed by being different to normal Charmers. Caitlin's reaction to her skin not dying is a novel one as she wonders if she is a better version of her or as her dad has since visited her skin in a care home for skins like hers she thinks her father might prefer her duplicate.

As a story the plot has us think about the implications of creating clones or robots in our image as the co sequences could be huge. Tim took a while to get to Caitlin's shedding ceremony but the aftermath is a powerful one as is her reaction to her skin not dying. Snakeskins will have readers asking themselves about whether a certain race of what could be termed as advanced humans be kept secret or will the world want to know the truth.