We tend to think of wizards as being crafty and sly, but in Skin Hunger the wizards are downright manipulative. The wizards who run the academy play mind games with the students, depriving them of sleep and food in an effort to weed out the weak and turn them against one another.
It should come as no surprise that the founder of the school, Somiss, is also quite manipulative. He keeps Franklin—and later Sadima—tied to him through persuasion and coercion. In other words, he's not a nice guy. But it's a trade-off, right? Learning to use magic requires sacrifices, and sometimes people have to be, er, persuaded to do things that they're not into at first. Our advice? If you encounter a wizard in this world, run the other way.
Questions About Manipulation
- What are the wizards' main strategies for controlling the students?
- How does Somiss manipulate Sadima while she lives in Limòri?
- Which instance of manipulation in the book sickens you the most?
- If you had to design a prison, which of the wizards' ideas would you borrow? What would you add or change?
Chew on This
The best way to manipulate someone is to discover what (or who) they love and use it against them.
There are no limits to who or what Somiss will manipulate to get his way.