Most reviews were very positive, commenting on Paver's imagery, humour, and descriptive writings style. Most praised the author's attention to detail and depth of research. Paver travelled to the forests of Finland and Norway researching how people lived 6000 years ago, and she also spent time with wolves at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. She also studied the raven population at the Tower of London.
In pre-agricultural Europe, the people of the Forest live in clans, each represented by a particular animal or life form. These clans live a hunter-gatherer existence with a shamanic belief system. Torak and his father, of the Wolf Clan, live in seclusion, far away from any other Clan. Torak’s father is killed by a bear which has been possessed by a demon. Before he dies, he tells Torak to swear an oath to find the Mountain of the World Spirit, in order to kill the bear. His father tells him that his ‘guide’ will find him and help him on his quest. Torak reluctantly leaves his father as the bear comes back to kill him.
Torak heads north and soon encounters an orphaned Wolf Cub. He discovers that he can communicate with the Cub. He realises the Cub is the guide, and the two become close. Torak holds a naming ritual for the Cub and names him Wolf. A few days later Torak and Wolf are captured by three members of the Raven Clan, including a girl named Renn, who accuse Torak of stealing one of their roebuck. They are taken to the Raven camp so Torak's fate can be decided by Fin-Kedinn, the Raven Clan leader. To regain his freedom, Torak fights Hord, Renn's older brother.
He wins by temporarily blinding Hord with steam; this action, together with a dog whistle which Torak has made to summon Wolf, leads Fin-Kedinn and the Raven mage to see Torak as the "Listener" of a prophecy. The prophecy states that the Listener, who "talks with silence and fights with air", will offer his heart's blood to the World Spirit and thereby kill the demon-bear. Many Ravens now believe that Torak must be sacrificed. Torak manages to escape his imprisonment; he is unexpectedly joined by Renn, who has also brought Wolf. Though adversarial at first, Torak and Renn develop a mutual respect, and eventually become friends.
Before they get to the Mountain of the World Spirit, the trio must locate the three pieces of the Nanuak; objects the World Spirit has imbued with power. The Nanuak pieces are found in a river, a cave, and in the hand of a dead man.
Nearly at their destination, Renn and Torak are recaptured by the Ravens. Hord argues that he should take Torak to the Mountain and sacrifice him there, to appease the World Spirit. Fin-Kedinn however releases Torak, believing him to be the one who should go to the Mountain. Fin-Kedinn also reveals that Torak's Fa was killed because he was the foremost enemy of a group of rogue mages, the Soul Eaters, who turned to evil in their determination to rule the clans. Fin-Keddin also tells Torak that it is his destiny to one day face down and destroy the Soul Eaters.
Torak and Wolf climb the mountain, followed by the bear. Torak is unexpectedly attacked by Hord, who wants to kill Torak. Torak realises that the "heart's blood" of the prophecy means Wolf, and as Wolf carries the Nanuak to the summit, Hord and the bear are engulfed by an ensuing avalanche. Hord and the Bear both die. Torak is knocked unconscious by the avalanche. Torak wakes up hours later and looks for Wolf, but he only hears his howl in the distance, along with the howls of other wolves. Torak shouts to Wolf in human language, promising that he will one day return for him, before turning to head back into the forest.
Reception
Wolf Brother was generally well received by critics.
Writing for The Guardian, Claire Armitstead called Wolf Brother a "rattling read" and noted that it "has a nicely detailed setting and covers enough reader interests – friendship, adventure – even pets."[1]Publishers Weekly praised the book, calling it "part riveting nature story, part rite of passage saga. Torak's coming-of-age tale will keep the pages turning."[2]
Almost all reviews praised the book's themes of courage, bravery and friendship. Many critics also commented on the story's oddest aspect of telling a few chapters of the book from the point of view of a wolf. Paver has also stated it was one of the hardest aspects of opticals.[citation needed]
When Paver was writing the first draft of Wolf Brother in 2004, she did not originally plan it to be a series of books. As she wrote the book she quickly realised the story would not be able to be contained within the pages of only one book.[citation needed] The next book in the series, Spirit Walker, was published on 28 June 2006.[3]
It also has made into an audio read version narrated by Ian McKellen.[4]
Related Research Articles
The Belgariad is a five-book fantasy epic written by David Eddings, following the journey of protagonist Garion and his companions, first to recover a sacred stone, and later to use it against antagonist Torak. It was a bestseller from the first book in the series. It has been called both the "last gasp" of traditional fantasy and "one of the founding megasagas" of modern fantasy.
The Malloreon is a five-part fantasy book series written by David Eddings, which follows The Belgariad. The Malloreon is set in the same world as The Belgariad, but expands on several aspects of the setting, especially the eastern continent of Mallorea.
"Mowgli's Brothers" is a short story by Rudyard Kipling. Chronologically, it is the first story about Mowgli although it was written after "In the Rukh", in which Mowgli appears as an adult.
Shasta of the Wolves is a feral child novel by British-born American children's author Olaf Baker. The novel was originally published in 1919 by Dodd, Mead and Company with illustrations by Charles Livingston Bull, and was reprinted a number of times up until 1959.
Guardians of Ga'Hoole is a fantasy book series written by Kathryn Lasky and published by Scholastic. The series contains a total of 16 books and although originally intended to conclude with the 2008 publication of The War of the Ember, a prequel The Rise of a Legend was published in 2013. Apart from the main series there are a few more books and spin-offs set in the same universe. The first three books of the series were adapted into the animated 3D film Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole, directed by Zack Snyder.
Michelle Paver is a British novelist and children's writer, best known for her children's historical fantasy series Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, set in prehistoric Europe. Born in Malawi, she moved to England as a young child. Paver started her career as a lawyer, before becoming a full-time writer. She is also the author of the children's series Gods and Warriors, as well as novels for adults, including the Daughters of Eden trilogy and several standalone books.
"The law of the jungle" is an expression that has come to describe a scenario where "anything goes". The Oxford English Dictionary defines the Law of the Jungle as "the code of survival in jungle life, now usually with reference to the superiority of brute force or self-interest in the struggle for survival".
Balto II: Wolf Quest is a 2002 American animated adventure film produced and directed by Phil Weinstein. It is the sequel to Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment's 1995 Northern animated film Balto.
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness is a series of historical fantasy novels by the British author Michelle Paver; her first books for children. The books chronicle the adventures of Torak, an adolescent boy, and his friends Renn and Wolf. The main story arc revolves around Torak and his quest to defeat the Soul Eaters, a group of power hungry mages who seek out to destroy all life in the forest. Paver has called it simply "a single story: the tale of Torak's discovery of himself and his world."
Fools Crow is a 1986 novel written by Native American author James Welch. Set in Montana shortly after the Civil War, this novel tells of White Man's Dog, a young Blackfeet Indian on the verge of manhood, and his band, known as the Lone Eaters. The invasion of white society threatens to change their traditional way of life, and they must choose to fight or assimilate. The story is a portrait of a culture under pressure from colonization. The story culminates with the historic Marias Massacre of 1870, in which the U.S. Cavalry killed a friendly band of Blackfeet, consisting mostly of non-combatants.
The Sight is a young adult fantasy novel written by British author David Clement-Davies. It is the first novel in The Sight series, with its sequel Fell taking place after. It follows a pack of wolves cursed by a lone wolf, Morgra, whose powers foretell the destiny of one of the mother wolf's pups: Larka, a white wolf gifted with a mysterious power known as The Sight. The story follows Larka's life as she is burdened with pain and terror that comes with the prophecy, as well as seeing the viewpoints of Larka's parents, Huttser and Palla, and her adoptive brother Kar.
Ghost Hunter is the sixth book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series written by British author Michelle Paver and illustrated by Geoff Taylor. The book was released on 20 August 2009 in the United Kingdom.
Alpha and Omega is a 2010 American animated adventure film directed by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck. Starring the voices of Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Dennis Hopper, Danny Glover and Christina Ricci, the film was written by Christopher Denk and Steve Moore, based on a story by Moore and Gluck. This film sets around two young Rocky Mountain wolves named Kate (Panettiere) and Humphrey (Long) who fall in love with each other, but are on the opposite ends of their pack. However, when Kate and Humphrey learn that they got relocated to Idaho for repopulation, they must work together to get back to Jasper National Park before a war slowly begins to emerge between both packs.
Spirit Walker is the second book in the series Chronicles of Ancient Darkness written by Michelle Paver and illustrated by Geoff Taylor. The plot follows Torak and his friends travelling to the mysterious Seal Islands to find a cure for a terrible sickness circulating throughout the forest in which they live.
Soul Eater is the third book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series written by Michelle Paver and illustrated by Geoff Taylor.
Outcast is a 2007 children's fantasy adventure novel written by Michelle Paver and illustrated by Geoff Taylor. It is the fourth book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. It is preceded by Wolf Brother (2004), Spirit Walker (2005), and Soul Eater (2006), and followed by Oath Breaker (2008), Ghost Hunter (2009), Viper's Daughter (2020), Skin Taker (2021), and Wolfbane (2022).
Oath Breaker is the fifth book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series written by Michelle Paver and illustrated by Geoff Taylor. It was published in 2008 by Orion Children's Books.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
