Promotional Information

A top ten summer bestseller. Compelling page-turner - an irresistible mix of meticulous research, memorable characters and powerful story-telling for readers of 9+. Over 100,000 copies sold in hardback. Six book series sold in 26 languages generating seven-figure rights income. Extensive marketing and publicity campaign will bring the series to as wide an audience as possible. SPIRIT WALKER is published in hardback in September 2005. Read the first chapter in the WOLF BROTHER paperback. Film rights optioned.

About the Author

Michelle Paver was born in central Africa, but came to England as a child. After gaining a degree in Biochemistry from Oxford University, she became a partner in a City law firm, but eventually gave that up to write full-time. CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS arises from her lifelong passions for animals, anthropology, and the distant past. It was also inspired by her travels in Norway, Lapland, Iceland, and the Carpathian Mountains - and particularly by an encounter with a large bear in a remote valley in Southern California. Successfully published as an adult author, the CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS are Michelle Paver's first books for children.

Reviews

...is a remarkable novel, but in many ways the story behind it is even more phantasmagoric. -- Catherine O'Brien The Times, 30/6/05 '...captivated the publishing world...' -- Catherine O'Brien THE TIMES (T2) '...the best children's novel to be published in 2004...' -- Amanda Craig SATURDAY TIMES 10.09.05 'Well researched and beautifully written... a winner with boys and girls alike' -- Wendy Cooling CHILD EDUCATION MAGAZINE 'a gripping tale that rings true to our understanding of that distant time.' -- Julian Richards BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE Best reads of the year: 'the strength of Michelle Paver's novel was not just in the story and the characters, but in the detailed setting... offers much promise' -- John Millen SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST - YOUNG POST 'A fantastic tale of adventure and superstition... The parallel lives of Torak and Wolf are beautifully portrayed and intertwine woderfully with a gripping plot that produces a real page-turner of a read!' -- Hannah Leach (Year 9) BOOKS FOR KEEPS

Part riveting nature story, part rite of passage saga, Paver's first book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series is set in a primeval forest some 6,000 years ago (according to an author's note). As the novel opens, 12-year-old Torak watches in horror as his father is mauled by a bear that is unnaturally vicious, "possessed... [by] some demon from the Otherworld." Before his father dies, he tells the boy that he must travel north to the Mountain of the World Spirit-and that he must stay away from other people, for reasons he doesn't have time to explain. In his travels, Torak meets a wolf cub, whom he calls Wolf, and readers will likely be charmed by the scenes of their gradual bonding. But after Torak kills a buck, he falls into the hands of the Raven Clan claiming ownership of that part of the forest. When the clansmen learn that the boy can communicate with Wolf, they become convinced that he is the prophesied Listener who "gives his heart's blood to the Mountain" in order to dispel a Shadow that threatens the forest (i.e., the possessed bear). A quest ensues, involving Torak, Wolf and a Raven Clan-girl, Renn. The plot becomes intricate, but remains involving thanks to Paver's unusual setting and eccentric characters, plus the strict rules by which the clans live. Passages from the wolf cub's point of view seem extraneous, but Torak's coming- of- age tale will keep the pages turning. The author reveals many secrets at the end, nicely setting the stage for subsequent volumes. Ages 10-up. (Mar.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.