Wolf Brother

Story

When a demon-possessed bear attacks his father, Torak sets out to fulfil his dying wish - to find the Mountain of the World Spirit and destroy the bear that attacked him before it destroys the forest. Along with his companion Wolf, Torak takes on the challenge. But the forest holds more dangers than he first imagined.

Why we chose it

A thrilling adventure story set in a vividly imagined ancient world. Wolf Brother is the first in a hugely successful and much loved series.

Where it came from

Michelle Paver was writing another story when the idea for Wolf Brother came to her, and it would not let go until she wrote it down. To research for the story, she travelled 300 miles into forests in north-eastern Finland and northern Lapland. She learnt many traditional ways to survive and ate and slept in the forest as Torak does in the story. To create the character Wolf, she also spent time at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust, getting to know and learning about the wolves there.

Where it went next

Wolf Brother was the first book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. All six have become bestsellers globally and all are available as audiobooks with Sir Ian McKellen reading the stories.

Associated stories

The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness book series also includes: Spirit Walker (2006), Soul Eater (2006), Outcast (2007), Oath Breaker (2008), and Ghost Hunter (2009), which won the Guardian Children’s Book Award. The adventure continues with The Viper’s Daughter (2020). Michelle has also written the successful Gods and Warriors series.