Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver
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Wolf Brother is the first book of six and begins The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver.
Torak is now alone and scared. His father is dead, slain by a demon in the form of a great bear. Torak must keep going; his only friend is another orphan, a small wolf cub. Evil stalks the forest and Torak must face a foe that stalks him silently and cannot be shaken.
Wolf Brother is an excellent book, highly researched and showing admirable attention to detail. The short, sharp chapters and wonderful world development creates a page-turner that can be finished without the reader even noticing they were getting near the end.
Wolf Brother has also brought a welcome breath of fresh air to the realm of children’s fantasy. JK Rowling’s successful Harry Potter series had resulted in a flood of teenage angst and magic type books that did not live up to the quality of Rowling’s inventions.
This a predominantly a young adults book, Torak is twelve and I was say that this is probably the optimum age to read it. Due to its subject matter, a young boy becoming orphaned and having to fend for himself in the wild, the tale is gritty and realistic and holds no punches when showing the harshness of the lives that was endured by Torak and the clans.
The wound in his arm burned, and with each breath his bruised ribs ached savagely, but he didn't dare stop.
The forest was full of eyes.
Birch trees whispered of his passing.
He begged them not to tell the bear...”
You can find that when judging the overall quality of a book there are two things that can be useful as a guide. Is the book re-readable with almost the same enjoyment and if it is part of a series, does it leave the reader wanting to learn more? The answer to both these questions is a definite yes.
The story is a rich tale full strong with the themes of survival, magic and folklore. Michelle Paver manages to install the same dreams in the reader’s head that she once had herself – the dream to run with wolves in a prehistoric forest.
Wolf Brother is a book for all ages; parents will enjoy reading this to their children almost as much as the children themselves enjoy hearing it. It is action packed, very fast moving and an instant connection is made with the reader. You are fully behind Torak from day one and the beautiful illustrations by Geoff Taylor combine to create the perfect package.
If there was one thing that made the book stand out from the rest it was the way in which Wolf Brother is not just told from the perspective of Torak, we also see the tale through the eyes of the wolf cub. This is a simple idea that is executed beautifully.
Wolf Brother: Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Book 1 (Amazon.co.uk)
Author: Michelle Paver
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 256
Publication date: 2005-05-27
Publisher: Orion Childrens
RRP: £6.99
Lowest new price: £0.30
Lowest used price: £0.01
From extensive research about how the people of Northern Europe may have lived more than six thousand years ago, Michelle Paver has fashioned a remarkable debut novel for children. Wolf Brother, the first instalment of her six-book Chronicles of Ancient Darkness sequence, takes its readers back in time to an atmospheric world of snow, hunter-gatherers, tribes, clans, mountains, forests, bears and unearthly superstitions. For humans then, life was hard and Paver's narrative taps wonderfully into all the sensations they must have experienced living amidst such an unforgiving landscape.
The book begins dramatically with the death of Torak's father, the mage, Fa, from mortal wounds inflicted by a giant, possessed bear. Fa's dying words bind Torak to a quest to find the mythical Mountain of the World Spirit. Only there will Torak find the strength needed to defeat the demonic creature and killer of men.
Having lived apart from other Clans, and burdened by such an impossible task, Torak is bereft by the death of his only companion in life and struggles to survive in the harsh conditions he now finds himself in. Then, instead of killing an orphaned wolf cub for food, Torak spares the tiny animal and together they travel north.
Torak gains a further companion for his arduous journey in the form of Renn, a headstrong and feisty girl of his own age whose Clan Torak inadvertently has an altercation with. Renn believes Torak to be The Listener--a prophesised being who will save the world--and together they escape from danger. into a different sort of peril.
Paver's novel is strong on detail and the authenticity of her settings is breathtaking. She cleverly weaves a fantastical, but believable, layer onto her narrative that enriches her story and makes it all the more readable. (Age 10 and over) --John McLay
Amazon.co.uk Review
Wolf Brother (Chronicles of Ancient Darkness) (Amazon.com)
Author: Michelle Paver
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 256
Publication date: 2005-05-27
Publisher: Orion Children's Books (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
RRP: $12.40
Lowest new price: $1.99
Lowest used price: $0.01
Thousands of years ago the land is one dark forest. Its people are hunter-gatherers. They know every tree and herb and they know how to survive in a time of enchantment and powerful magic. Until an ambitious and malevolent force conjures a demon: a demon so evil that it can be contained only in the body of a ferocious bear that will slay everything it sees, a demon determined to destroy the world. Only one boy can stop it - 12 year old Torak, who has seen his father murdered by the bear. With his dying breath, Torak's father tells his son of the burden that is his. He must lead the bear to the mountain of the World Spirit and beg that spirit's help to overcome it. Torak is an unwilling hero. He is scared and trusts no one. His only companion is a wolf cub only three moons old, whom he seems to understand better than any human. Theirs is a terrifying quest in a world of wolves, tree spirits and Hidden People, a world in which trusting a friend means risking your life.
Product Description
Chrissy
"Wonderfully amazing... "
Sonic
"Seriously, if you like fantasy, the forest and animals you will fall in love with this book. You can't stop from the moment you start reading it. At the end of every chapter, I mean EVERY chapter you HAVE to read on. I truly hope they make this book a movie."
Nick from Kentucky
"The book "Wolf Brother" is one amazing book and is very detailed. When I opened the book to the first page and started to read I couldn't take my eyes out of the book. So the series should keep getting more books in it. I can't wait to read "Spirit Walker.""
Austin from South Lake Tahoe
"Wow! Once I started Wolf Brother I finished it in 3 days. I couldn't put it down! It is an incredible adventure and I wish I could go back in time to read it again."
Matthew from Houma, Louisiana
"I never liked reading before I got this book. I had never even known it existed until my Mom bought it for me. I read all the time now and love wolves thanks to this book. I'm excited about the movie."
Joaan from Florida
"It is a really good book! I loved it a lot!"
Rahul from 40 Osterly Ave
"Unbelievable, I couldn't put the book down. It was truly the best book I have ever read!"
anonymous from unknown
"This book I would recommend to anyone!It was the most amazing book ever!"
Linzi from Powell
"I absolutely love this book. It is great for every age. Recommended for everyone!"
Chelsea from US
"This has to be my personal favorite book of all time! I remember sneaking a book-light into my room late at night because I couln't wait to read more until the next morning. It really sucks you into the forest itself. You don't just feel like you're there with Torak while all this is happening, you are. I also love the execution of the magic and folk-lore. It is so believable that while you're reading you just accept it as the indesputable natural order of things just like Torak does. This book made me want to read more and more so that the year-long waits from one book in the series to the next was almost unbearable, I will be very, very, sad when my first reading of the sixth one ends. I have read this book at least six times and it hasn't lost anything for me 10/10 stars it deserves that. (more if it were possible)"
Ali from England,London
"This book is the best. I read Wolf Brother and next I'm going to read Spirit Walker."
Chloe from barrow-in-furness
"My review of Wolf Brother, so far is that it is FAB! I love it even though I'm only on chapter 7... Torak is the best character because he is active and although he is only 12 years old (12 summers old) he is very thoughtful. Torak can communicate with wolves even if its only in yips and yowl because he is a part of the wolf clan. I would recommend this book out for all ages over 7. I rate this book 10 / 10 and if I could, even more. I am not the sort of person who can stick and read a book (especially one of a chronicle) but this one is different than the rest and is more exciting!!! It has got questions amongst the text in which you would like to find out and read all of the Wolf Brother collections. This is a fab book you will ALL LOVE IT VERY VERY MUCH!!! :) Reviewed by Chloe Nicole McKenna, 10, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria."
Tomither from New York
"I loved this book, it was the best I've ever read. I hope all the rest of the books are like this. I can't wait to see the film!!!!!! Buy it now!!!"
Sarah from York
"This book is full of suprises and loads of amazing adventures! I really recommend it to anybody aged around 10-15 years. BUY IT NOW!"
Pinky from York
"This book was really fantastic! It was the best book I had read in ages. This website made me want to read it!! The bast part was when Torak (the main character) got to the mountain, I felt soooo happy for him yay!! xx :)"
Danielle from Liverpool
"This may be classed as young adult fantasy but this book appeals to all ages on a number of levels. Paver doesn't shy away from darker ideas, yet keeps it light enough to be entertaining - and the relationship between Torak and Wolf is one of the most beautiful you'll ever read. All based on thorough research and first-hand experience from the author itself, this is a refreshingly different take on traditional children's fantasty. I'd give it 11 stars if I could! :)"
Nelson H from York
"This book has lots of spiritual twists and turns and i recomend it to any one over the age of 10 =)"
Johnny from Ohio
"The only book Ive ever been able to read and really enjoy."
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Summary: Allow yourself to be pulled into Torak’s world and you will not regret it.
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