Wolfbane (Wolf Brother)

Product Information

The books are set 6000 years ago in prehistoric Europe during the Stone Age. The main character, Torak, alone in the world, meets a lone, scared wolf cub, Wolf with whom he can communicate (having spent around three months in a wolf den as a baby). A girl named Renn, who is part of the Raven Clan, befriends them and supports them throughout the series. Torak's quest, along with Renn and Wolf, is to defeat the Soul Eaters, a group of former clan mages who have turned to evil, and who seek to control the forest. [3] The story is told primarily from three different third-person narratives: Torak, Renn and Wolf. Later books introduce an additional third-person narrative from the perspective of Dark. Meticulously researched, atmospheric [...] and relentless... Introduces Paver to a new generation of readers' Guardian on Viper's Daughter The actual ending itself was so beautifully written. As the book races to a thrilling conclusion, it's obvious that the danger is too high. People are going to get hurt. Again, no spoilers but I said to Michelle during a live stream event that she needed to campaign for her publishers to make Wolf branded tissues because they would be needed and I still stand by that. I've read the book twice now and I have to say I cried as much the second time reading it as I did the first and I am not ashamed to admit that! I have spent so much time with these characters, within this world. 18 years. It is hard not to form an attachment. This series has been so influential for me. I've met Michelle several times and every time I have gushed about how much these books have shaped me into the man I am today. That their presence has given me a much needed safe space at times, and for that I will be forever grateful. The fact that this time it really is goodbye, there will be no more additions in years to come is almost too hard to take, but my god what a journey this has been!

Right from the start of Wolfbane there is a real sense that the end is coming. There is this foreboding feeling that something bad is going to happen. Something final. Wolf is in danger and Torak must race against time to save his friend and the rest of the Forest in the process. I won't say much because I don't want to spoil it but there is the return of an animal in this book that had me so excited but also scared for Wolf. This particular animal is one of my absolute favourites and to see them again was wonderful. It was nice as well to see many other threads come together within this book. Characters that probably didn't get as much time to flourish because of their late introduction into the original books have their moments and all I will say is that the whole thread surrounding Dark was so wonderful that it made me tear up a few times! It's something I have dreamed of seeing within some of my favourite series, so for it to be a part of my actual favourite series was such a full circle moment for me, validating me and I also hope showing others who either grew up with the series or that may discover the series anew that they're just as valid in the Stone Age as they are today.

Reviews

I had to say goodbye again to my favourite YA series of all time. It was intense from beginning to end. Michelle Paver creates such a rich atmosphere and crafts tension so well. Fin-Kedinn is the wise leader of the Raven Clan, Renn's uncle and eventually Torak's foster father. In the past he was best friends with Torak's father and his brother Tenris, both of whom were ambitious to become mages. Fin-Kedinn was in love with Torak's mother, but she loved Fa, Torak's father, and followed him into exile when they fled the Soul-Eaters. Fin-Kedinn has won the respect of all the clans and even that of Wolf, who admire the 'lead wolf who smells of raven' because he has the habits of a wolf, such as only sleeping for short periods of time. Although impassive and refusing to show emotion, Fin-Kedinn cares deeply for both Renn and Torak. It may not be starting off the way that we had hoped but I'm hoping the strangeness of 2020 won'tlinger for too long and that 2021 canactually be a good year! As crap as it was, 2020 was actually a VERY good reading year for me. I have been working from home since March and the time not spent commuting has meant I've had more time to myself, I'vealso been working different hours to what I used to in the office which also gave me more time to read, and social distancing worked wonders for my tbr as I managed to read 62 booksdespite setting myself an initial target of 30 books. I guess not being able to have a life and see friends can be a good thing!

Torak and Renn, and the love they have for one another; how gentle Torak in particular is with her in this book, it really makes my heart melt :') and what a fitting farewell he got! as Torak himself said -- killing the ice demon, preventing Renn & Torak from becoming outcast and Dark a killer... and afterwards -- the sight of all the clans coming together to pay their respects... that was the scene that got the tears flowing. it's the only way any of it could have happened, and it's such a fitting tribute to such a stalwart character who brought strength and guidance to the clans at large, not just in this trilogy but throughout the series at large. A small, selfish part of me would have liked to see the writing style mature as its audience has, but the thought of new young readers discovering and devouring all 9 books is too enchanting. Can easily be read as a standalone novel, so skilful is the storytelling... Paver powerfully presents a world view that's magical but never primitive' Financial Times on Skin Taker It is commonly understood that Wolf’s souls are the brightest and strongest of all creatures and the ice demon Naiginn knows this.Guardian children's fiction prize relaunched: Entry details and list of past winners". The Guardian 12 March 2001. Retrieved 6 August 2012. And, at the same time, Michelle Paver adds tidbits to their relationship that would have make for interesting ideas for a further three books, but she doesn't exploit as much as she could. The best example is the one I've been waiting to hear about for a while now, which really would have pushed their relationship and their story in a much more interesting direction. It's the same question for many in committed relationships: children. She does a good job explaining why Torak and Renn have decided not to have children yet, a fear that their Soul Eater blood would manifest in their child. But these questions would have been better answered if the story had actually dealt with them preparing to have a child. The same goes for Renn on a certain level. She doesn't have much to do in this book, and a lingering thread from Viper's Daughter is not resolved. In fact, it is not discussed at all in either Skin Taker or Wolfbane. Until we reach the end, I get the sense that spending time inside Renn's head is almost pointless in this book. Since even her best moment is told (appropriately though) from Torak's point-of-view. She has always been good at standing up to him, and tempering his bad temper. But this was probably the best moment she ever did that, mostly because she (for once) didn't get mad herself. Calmly informing him of the consequences of his actions drives home what she would do more clearly that if she matched his anger. During a "Michelle Live" live stream on YouTube and twitch on 30 March 2020, Paver herself revealed that she has just completed a deal with Kindle Entertainment and Lionsgate and that a live action TV series will be made based on the series. Paver said "I've had more meetings with producers about Wolf Brother than I can remember but Anne Brogan and Melanie Stokes from Kindle Entertainment stood out from the very first time I met them. They knew the series inside out and – a big plus for me – their children were fans. Wolf Brother fans have extremely high expectations for a television series and Anne and Mel share the same burning desire to create a legendary series. I'm entrusting them with the lives of Torak, Renn and Wolf! I know they will be in safe hands." Fin-Kedinn and the returning Walker share that trait with Dark. Even the mad, former Soul Eater has more sense in this book than Torak and Renn. By the end of the book, I found myself questioning whether Narrander is turly mad of not, and whether his madness is (to a certain extent) a self-inflicted punishment for the crimes of his past. His last action in this book certainly seem to indicate it, and it makes his character all the more interesting.

Renn, the niece of the Raven Clan's leader, Fin-Kedinn. She is a year younger than Torak and is described as slim and small in the first few books. Later on, she is portrayed as tough, courageous and is shown to be an expert in archery. She has been forced into becoming a mage all her life because of her skill with magic but truly desires being a hunter. Torak, Wolf and Fin-Kedinn are her only true friends. Throughout the books, Renn is often described through Torak's eyes as older and beautiful, but is often frustrated by his seeming thoughtlessness. She also has a bad relationship with her brother, Hord, and disagrees with him many times throughout the first book. Michelle Paver's second series Gods and Warriors is set during the Bronze Age. It tells the story of Hylas, a 12-year-old goatherd, whose adventures take him to Ancient Crete and Ancient Egypt, and Pirra, the daughter of a high priestess with a crescent shaped scar on her cheek. The story crucially features animals in the plot – a lion, a falcon, and a dolphin; the dolphin from the first book, the lion from the second book onwards, and the falcon from the third book onwards. The actual ending itself was so beautifully written. As the book races to a thrilling conclusion, it's obvious that the danger is too high. People are going to get hurt. Again, no spoilers but I said to Michelle during a live stream event that she needed to campaign for her publishers to make Wolf branded tissues because they would be needed and I still stand by that. I've read the book twice now and I have to say I cried as much the second time reading it as I did the first and I am not ashamed to admit that! I have spent so much time with these characters, within this world. 18 years. It is hard not to form an attachment. This series has been so influential for me. I've met Michelle several times and every time I have gushed about how much these books haveIn the Deep Forest, Torak and Renn come across the Red Deer Clan, who have become a shell of their former self and believe the Thunderstar was a sign of the World Spirit's displeasure with them. Those Clans whose lands had been spared by the Thunderstar had abandoned their ways and, calling themselves the 'Chosen Ones', followed a new leader who defended them against a new threat which had emerged in the wake of the disaster: Skin Takers. The Skin Takers, announcing their arrival with piercing cries, steal the death marks from the dead, and eat the brains of the dead. As they hear tales of the Skin Takers, Renn shares with Torak her suspicion that Naiginn had survived their confrontation in the Far North and is responsible for the turmoil in the Deep Forest. Soon, both are separately captured by the Chosen Ones and, while Renn manages to escape with help from a sceptic hunter, Torak is brought to the Leader, who reveals himself to be Naiginn. The ice demon reveals that, in addition to surviving their battle on the Edge of the World, he had discovered his mother had lied to him about his curse: he could free his demon nature from his mortal body by consuming souls, specifically the brains of still living beings. Naiginn had created the myth of the Skin Takers, faking their cries and convincing the Chosen Ones and the subdued Deep Forest Clans that only he could defeat them. Torak manages to escape from Naiginn when Renn and Wolf send the sacred horses towards him and, much as he had during the events of Oathbreaker, he rides one away. Reaching the Sacred Grove, Torak's spirit breaks when he discovers that the oldest trees in the Forest, the Great Yew and the Great Oak, have been destroyed by the Thunderstar. As well as loving the main plot with Torak, Renn and Wolf, I got great joy from getting to see more from Dark (which I have loved in this continuation trilogy as we met him so late in Ghost Hunter). In this book Dark gets a beautiful personal plot which was wonderful to read, especially in a much loved childrens series and I’m glad that it was something Paver thought to include for him. I really want to read more long-running series this year. I have been meaning to read more Discrworld books and this year I am aiming to get as many as I can in! I have some series that I have started but haven't finished. I have some books that I have owned for YEARS and justhaven'tgotten around to so I want to try and cut some of them down thisyear. I'd also like to sort out my Netgalley percentage which... LETS NOT GO THERE! I did do a month last year where I only read Netgalley proofs and managed to get my percentage up a whopping 3% (lol) so maybe I'll manage to sort some of those out thisyear too!

As much as I love all the action and conflict that goes on, I always love the afterglow epilogues she writes with all the books in her series. Paver researched extensively while developing the book. In addition to academic study, she travelled to north-eastern Finland, where she trekked with a field guide over 300 miles across the forests. To understand life in the New Stone Age, they used tools and clothing that would have been available 6000 years ago, slept in a traditional laavu shelter in a sleeping bag made of reindeer skin, and ate only foods that Stone-Age hunter-gatherers would have. In addition, she spent time at a wolf reserve studying the wolves and observing their behavior, and also named the main character "Torak." From the one of the wolves in the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. [7] Author's press release (8 August 2009). "Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Sells A Million Copies!". Booktrade.info. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 . Retrieved 6 February 2011. {{ cite web}}: |author= has generic name ( help) As the three heroes travel the icy wastelands beyond the limits of the Forest, they come across old friends from the White Fox Clan and make the acquaintance of the Narwhal Clan, a much harder ice clan which raises its hunters in the hard, unforgiving hands of their uncles rather than their parents to prepare them for the difficult life of living on the ice. Renn is saved by a young Narwhal clan hunter named Naiginn and, when Torak and Wolf catch up to them, she reveals that Naiginn is actually her half-brother. Seshru had come to the Far North following the Great Fire which had broken apart the Soul Eaters the first time. There, she had seduced the Narwhal clan Mage and born him a child. Much as she had planned for Renn, she had turned the child into a demon-possessed tokoroth. Renn, assisted by Naiginn, is determined to find his father and discover the reasons why she has suddenly become compelled to harm her mate. Knowing Torak will never let her go, she drugs him in the night and leaves with Naiginn. Grand finale to the prize-winning adventure series that's changed the lives of millions of readers. Breathtaking world-building on an epic scale. Pure escapism at its best.This book, indeed the whole series, is an example of absolute perfection. Torak's world is so well-crafted using inspiration from the author's extensive research combined with her brilliant imagination. Just reading about the rituals, histories and daily lives of these characters is fascinating. Add in a thrilling story involving demons, the brutality of nature and decisions that test the bonds of friendship and family and you have the wonderful combination that makes this series so fantastic. It feels like my rambling is reaching its end. I have so much more I would like to say, but no more energy to sort through it. But I will say this: the attention to the customs of the old hunter-gatherers is still there, the characters and their choices can still make you cry, and they can occasionally surprise you too, Dark becoming the new Leader of the Raven Clan after Fin-Kedinn's death is the biggest one, a perfect end to such a great character. And no one who has loved the previous books will have any complaints about this one.