Aug 12, 2008.
We really enjoyed reading the book, “Wolf Brother,” by Michelle Paver. It is the first book in the series “Chronicles of Ancient Darkness.” It will be coming out as a movie (reportedly) in 2009. The rights were purchased by 20th Century Fox. I loved the way the book was written. It switches back and forth between the boy, Torak’s, point of view and the wolf’s point of view. My kids thought the wolf’s point of view was hilarious. He calls the 12-year-old Torak “Tall Tailless” and he calls the river the “Fast Wet.” If someone dies, the wolf calls them “Not Breath.” This is what made the book so entertaining for us. There were some harsh parts in the book, such as the boy’s father being killed (by a demon bear) and the wolf’s family dying in a flood. In this book, there is a “Demon Bear” who is pretty scary. My son had trouble getting to sleep a couple of nights after we read this to him. We actually decided to stop reading it to him because of this, but he BEGGED us to read more the next day.
Torak is twelve when his father is killed by a bear possessed by a demon. Torak must fulfill his vow to his father to journey to the Mountain of the World Spirit and ask for the Spirit’s help in destroying the bear. On the way, he encounters Wolf, who becomes his guide. Torak and Wolf are captured by the Raven Clan, where he is befriended by Renn. The story narrates Torak’s, Wolf’s, and Renn’s journey to the Mountain of the World Spirit. Torak has to collect the three parts of the nanuak to get the world spirit to destroy the demon bear.
The second book in the series, “Spirit Walker,” we had to skip over. It was way too gross and disturbing for us. The village is overcome by a hideous plague which is described in way too much detail.
As the Moon of No Dark waxes high, the clans fall prey to a horrifying sickness, and no one knows its cause. Torak embarks on a search for a cure. His quest takes him across the sea to the mysterious islands of the Seal Clan, where he encounters the Seal Mage who promises to help him make a remedy. He also meets Bale, who later becomes his friend. Torak discovers that he is a spirit walker: his souls can move into other creatures, allowing him to perceive the world as they do. The Seal Mage is not as helpful as he first seemed.
The third book, “Soul Eater,” is pretty good. I didn’t enjoy it as much as “Wolf Brother,” but my son did. This book is a rescue mission. Wolf has been kidnapped. Torak and Renn travel to get him back. Sadly, animals are sacrificed in this book which really bothered my young son. If you have a sensitive child, this may not be the book for you. Torak eats some weird stuff and goes into the bodies of some animals. The Soul Eater people they are up against are really creepy.
Wolf is captured by the Soul Eaters and taken into the Far North, where Torak and Renn follow. The Soul Eaters, in their efforts to subjugate all the clans, sacrifice hunting animals to unleash demons, and they plan to control the demons with a fire opal. Torak and Renn endure horrors to rescue Wolf and escape, but the Soul Eaters mark Torak against his will as one of them.
When he was outcast, Torak was the hunted one. The following spring, he becomes the hunter when he swears to avenge the killing of one of his closest friends. To fulfill his oath, he must brave the hidden valleys of the Deep Forest, where the clans have reverted to the savagery of an earlier time. Here, Torak finally learns why he is the Spirit Walker and discovers the true cost of revenge.
The title of the fifth and final book in the series has been confirmed as “Ghost Hunter.” It will be published in September 2009. Paver has said that it will be set in the mountains.
