Customer Reviews

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #1: Wolf Brother

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Torak is a 12 year old boy who lives in the wilderness with his father. He had never met his mother, who lived in a different clan than his father. Having lived alone in the woods for all his life, Torak has grown up differently than everyone else. Trying to find his way, Torak falls upon a wolf pup, and becomes friends with him.

In the book, Torak has the ability to talk to Wolf. He speaks to him with growls and barks, and by doing so, he strengthens the bond that they already had. During the duration of the book, Torak is learning how to fare in the wilderness on his own, like how to hunt, and learning about his past.

Torak is different from other kids his age, mostly because he didn't grow up with a tribe. He doesn't have any friends other than Wolf and Renn, a girl he meets along the way. Wolf is the most important thing in his life; both Torak and Wolf prove that they will die for each other. Renn is a girl who tells him about a quest that she feels he must go on.

Torak is unlike any boy I have known. He takes misfortunes in stride, and what's more, he acts seriously. All of the 12 year old boys I know laugh at everything and act very immature. I would love to meet Torak and ask him about his relationship with Wolf, though if someone asked me that I would be private about it.

I would give this book a 5 star rating, because I thought it held a lot of emotions, but balanced them easily. The author does a very good job of taking sadness and happiness and mixing them together in a unique way. I love fantasy books, but Wolf Brother had a mix of reality in it as well, which made it especially good. I would recommend this book to kids who like fantasy books. I would also recommend it to animal lovers, because the adoration between Torak and Wolf is unbelievable. If you take a boy who understands the language of wolves, and you take a lone wolf pup, mix them together, you get a bond that is stronger than everything else in the book.

Instead of the usual world of wizards of teen angst, Michelle Paver explores uncharted territory in Wolf Brother. Not many children's books are set in 4000 BC and Michelle Paver creates a highly believable and real feeling world in this mostly unknown part of history.

Set in Europe, in a time when it was mostly all forest with a few lakes and steams here and there, the story follows the quest of Torak, a boy not even 12 summers old who's father is killed by a demonic bear. Injured in the attack, Torak runs for his life and soon comes across a wolf cub who's family has also been killed in a flood. The two of them soon become best pals and it turns out that they have way more in common than first expected.

With the evil bear still tearing up the forest, Torak is kidnapped by a rival clan and told of an ancient prophecy that will rid the world of such evil. Believing Torak to be that prophecy they kit him out for his quest and send him on his not-so-merry way.

Told in stripped-down, but not minimal, style the story progresses fast and to the point. Paver only gives us enough to create a suitable atmosphere and wastes no time on indulgence. However, I was a bit let down by the sudden end. And the Nanuak (a weird plot device in the book) thingy kind of confused me. I wasn't ever sure what it was all about and it never added up at the end.

Still, it's a great book and I look forward to reading the sequel Spirit Walker. Highly recommended.

I picked up this book literally by accident and I hadn't heard any thing about it nor the hype. Having said that I finished the book in 3 days. The story is creative, funny and imaginative. When you finish this book you start dreaming of joining a Clan of your own! Well done Michelle Paver and I look forward to the second book Spirit Walker!

Rebeccasreads recommends WOLF BROTHER as an adventure back in time & place, before the world got so crowded, where the spirit world was just a blink away, & evil came in many shapes.

WOLF BROTHERS is not for the faint of heart, who want a dreamy, "noble, vegetarian savage" kind of tale for, after reading this tale, you will be able to survive in the North Woods should you ever find yourself alone & lost.

Yes, there's fantasy & fear, magic & mysticism, thrills & spills... & something else... a dependent child learning to survive, to honor the creatures who become prey, & the memories of the past.

Refreshing & enchanting. Already a smashing bestseller in the UK, WOLF BROTHER will leap into American youngsters' imagination with all the thrills we yearn for in an adventure.

I recently purchased this book for my 10 year old son, he hasen't read it yet but I have. I think the book was very detailed and interesting, it kept me from wanting to put it down, to see what would happen next. All the people with the bad reviews must keep in mind, this book was written for children, so if it wasen't intellectual enough for them, to bad, it wasen't supposed to be. And as for being realistic, who cares, everything doesn't have to be "true" to be tantalizing to young minds. In closing I would recommend this book to any child and I know my son will enjoy it just as much as I did.

I found this to be an enjoyable, quick read. The wolf was very real & I enjoyed the interaction between him and the main character.

This book was great, although on the short side it was a great read.It was a very detailed book, and its pretty straight through so you dont get lost and have to go back a few chapeters. I read this book in three days reading about 100 pages a day. I recommend this book to anyone who likes nature or can read.I read this book for a book report and i got a 105! I dont see how its stereotypical as some people say. All i am mad about is that the next book isnt out yet:).

I preview books for my Niece and Nephew (and enjoy them myself)...I've "read" book one (picking up book 2 today) on audio-book ... Ian McKellen presents the audio book and is FANTASTIC! I cannot recommend this book more highly for children or adults. Very fun, very intelligent, and wonderfully written. The author doesn't treat children's imagination as though they are idiots (as many other writers can) and understands that kids can follow intertwining story lines with ease. A side note, if you have a dog or are close to a dog you will really laugh at the wolf character. The book is fun for adults and kids alike. I also recommend the Children of the Lamp Series (just plain fun). Also The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch (The Last Apprentice). The Last Apprentice and The Chronicals of Ancient Darkness are both a little "spooky", but if your kids can read HP book 4...then they'll be fine with these books.

An excellent action and adventure book. Start now and begin your journey back in time. Back to the days of the clans. How do you survive in the great wilderness? Remember, all you have are your wits, a small wolf cub and the memories passed down by your father. Are you ready to fight the great beast that is not of this world? Will you win?

This book is about a boy who is with his dad in the woods and has to leave because there is a posessed bear that kills everyone.While he is on his way he found a ccub wolf standing next to his family but they are dead.One of the cool things is that he knows how to speak wolf so he can communicate with it.When the boy has to leave his dad.