The New York Times Book Review - Emma L. McAleavy
Ultimately, Skaife's enthusiasm is contagious. He is entirely likable, and…the corner of British history that he lives, breathes and embodies is illuminated by his efforts.
Publishers Weekly
07/16/2018
In this lively and often cheeky narrative, first-time author Skaife puts a human face on the Beefeaters (aka Yeoman Warders)—the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London—and the distinctive ravens under their care. According to legend, these birds merit special concern because if they depart, “the Tower itself will crumble into dust and great harm will befall the kingdom,” writes Skaife. Short, entertaining chapters juxtapose history and myth with ornithological facts and an inside look at one of London’s most popular attractions. Skaife introduces readers to the Tower’s seven ravens and shares stories illustrating their quirky personalities (Merlina, for example, has a keen eye for Pringle’s potato chips, which she spots and steals from pedestrians), and chronicles his childhood, military career, and rise to ravenmaster, “the oddest job in Britain.” Balancing fascinating tidbits (a raven’s need for order and routine) with macabre details (blood-soaked dog biscuits and ghostly sightings), he titillates as he educates, rehabilitating the gloomy reputation of the raven. Skaife’s conversational style and disarming candor make this a rollicking tale fit for nearly any armchair adventurer. Agent: Anna Sproul-Latimer, Ross Yoon Agency (Oct.)
From the Publisher
"Packed with insight and anecdote, [The Ravenmaster] brings the Tower ravens to vivid life, each bird with a personality of its own. I've been fortunate enough to tour the Tower and meet the ravens a few times in years past; after reading this book, I cannot wait to go back." —George R.R. Martin
"Skaife . . . is an unending fount of raven lore — not just myths and stories, but habits, personalities and discoveries he's made over his years on the job." —Petra Mayer, NPR
"A beguiling, fascinating, and highly amusing account of the strangely magical birds . . . There's joy in The Ravenmaster, as well as tragedy, obsession, and a rare tenderness toward Skaife’s avian charges . . . Skaife is doing us, I think, a small political service by introducing us to the quirks and histories of every bird in his care; he is letting us love them in a way that makes them more than mere symbols . . . Marvelous." —Helen MacDonald, The Atlantic
"A wonderfully personal account of life with the ravens . . . A natural storyteller, Skaife writes with affection and insight about these powerful, unpredictable and highly intelligent birds." —PD Smith, The Guardian
"Skaife is a jaunty, top-shelf storyteller. Not only has he got a flair for the basic tower story, and the history and mystery of the ravens, but he can swing off piste, like a jazz improvisation, to fill in the story with scads of local color." —Peter Lewis, The Boston Globe
“This is an utterly fascinating book about one of those subjects you never thought you’d be interested in until, well, you were . . . Skaife is a very good storyteller . . . A splendid and constantly surprising book.” —David Pitt, Booklist [starred review]
"The London book of the year . . . A funny and informative account of life with the royal ravens at the Tower of London . . . [Skaife] is a born storyteller." —Ian Thomson, Evening Standard
"Balancing fascinating tidbits (a raven’s need for order and routine) with macabre details (blood-soaked dog biscuits and ghostly sightings), [Skaife] titillates as he educates, rehabilitating the gloomy reputation of the raven. Skaife’s conversational style and disarming candor make this a rollicking tale fit for nearly any armchair adventurer." —Publisher's Weekly
"For those seeking the secrets of the Tower of London without actually being imprisoned there, this is just the thing. " —Kirkus
"A delightful read from a masterful—and very funny—storyteller. Skaife the Ravenmaster knows birds in a way that humans rarely do. He gives us an intimate insider’s view of the seven big, powerful, boisterous ravens who rule his life, who tease him mercilessly and teach him well, who play KerPlunk, who plan and execute elaborate ploys for stealing sandwiches, who guard the Tower of London and its visitors (and only occasionally terrorize them), who are—as he says with characteristic insight—much like us, brave, silly, ruthless, charming, unpredictable, brilliant, lovable, and complex." —Jennifer Ackerman, author of the New York Times bestselling The Genius of Birds.
"I will never forget the first time I saw Chris Skaife, in full Yeoman Warder regalia, feed one of his beloved ravens a chick carcass. The group of nearby French tourists were horrified, but I looked on in wonder at the sheer size and power of the Tower ravens. Chris adores his birds with every fiber of his being. His knowledge and love for the ravens flies off of the page in The Ravenmaster." —Caitlin Doughty, author of Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
"Skaife is both a raven master and a master storyteller. Compulsively readable—I devoured the book in a single sitting!" —Lindsey Fitzharris, author of The Butchering Art
"The Ravenmaster will enable the public see ravens not simply as a memorial to days of yore, but every bit as much a part of history as monarchs and politicians. Christopher Skaife's tales contain not only comedy but also tragedy, frustration, love, hubris, fear, foolishness, compassion and uncertainty. Keeping the ravens requires constant negotiation with them, in which, as Skaife repeatedly observes, we learn not only about corvids but also our own role as human beings." —Boria Sax, author of The City of Ravens
Caitlin Doughty
Christopher Skaife adores his birds with every fiber of his being. His knowledge and love of the ravens fly off the page in The Ravenmaster.
author of City of Ravens Borix Sax
Christopher Skaife’s tales contain not only comedy but also tragedy, frustration, love, hubris, fear, foolishness, compassion, and uncertainty. Keeping the ravens requires constant negotiation with them, in which, as Skaife repeatedly observes, we learn not only about corvids but also our own role as human beings.
Jennifer Ackerman
A delightful read from a masterful—and very funny—storyteller. [The ravens are] much like us: brave, silly, ruthless, charming, unpredictable, brilliant, lovable, and complex.
Guardian (UK)
A natural storyteller, Skaife writes with affection and insight about these powerful, unpredictable and highly intelligent birds.
Winnipeg Free Press
A riveting read . . . witty and bewitching.
Margaret Atwood
This is a charmer! Life with the legendary ravens at the Tower of London! Chock full of wild things you didn’t know.
Lindsey Fitzharris
Christopher Skaife is both a ravenmaster and a master storyteller. Compulsively readable—I devoured the book in a single sitting!
Helen Macdonald
[Skaife is] a born storyteller with a gift for banter . . . . beguiling, fascinating, and highly amusing.
Neil Gaiman
What a terrific book. . . I learned so much about ravens, and even things I didn’t know about the Tower. It’s like spending a long evening with a bottle of whisky as a wise Ravenmaster tells you everything you need to know.
NOVEMBER 2018 - AudioFile
Author and narrator Christopher Skaife is a Yeoman Warder, otherwise known as a Beefeater, at the Tower of London. Those titles might sound a bit formal or even posh, but Skaife is definitely not either. His natural storyteller’s charm results in a performance that is conversational, funny, and self-deprecating. Skaife describes his raven charges with obvious affection. He has most closely bonded with Merlina, and he demonstrates their conversations in “ravenish”—a definite benefit to being a listener. As Skaife outlines his responsibilities as ravenmaster, he blends in ornithological anecdotes about ravens, his former military service (a required qualification for the job), and experiences of living in the tower. Skaife even saw a ghost once, although he prefers to call them “echoes of the past.” RAVENMASTER is a joyful listening experience. A.B. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-08-13
When the ravens disappear from the Tower of London, the tale goes, then England will fall—good reason to keep someone on staff to keep the birds happy.
What's the difference between a raven and a crow? No, it's not that one's for the crockpot and one for the oven. There's much more to it than that, and one of the best people to tell you about the matter is "Yeoman Warder Christopher Skaife, of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London, and member of the Sovereign's Body Guard of the Yeoman Guard Extraordinary," as the author identifies himself. Rather more informally, he's the Ravenmaster, the fellow who looks after the resident raven population at the famed Tower of London. This is no easy job; Skaife writes with rueful authority of having to overcome his understandable fears of being put in a cage to study, up close, a bird that for all purposes might as well have been a condor at first glance. His affection for the birds has evolved, though, and he writes movingly of the many ways in which harm can come to them—including, strangely enough, being hurt in a fall. "These days," he writes, "if a raven dies unexpectedly at the Tower and I'm not sure of the cause of death, I take it to the vets at the London Zoo for a post-mortem." As for the legend, supposedly dating to the time of Charles II, that the health of the birds is correlated to the health of the Crown, Skaife does a nice bit of historical archaeology to dig up evidence for the legend, which turns out to be more modern than advertised. It's no H Is for Hawk as a literary achievement, but Skaife's account delivers a pleasing set of anecdotes that will appeal to the Atlas Obscura-reading crowd, to say nothing of corvid fans.
For those seeking the secrets of the Tower of London without actually being imprisoned there, this is just the thing.
