Torak heads north and soon encounters an orphaned Wolf Cub. Torak reluctantly leaves his father as the bear comes back to kill him. His father tells him that his ‘guide’ will find him and help him on his quest. Before he dies, he tells Torak to swear an oath to find the Mountain of the World Spirit, in order to kill the bear. Torak’s father is killed by a bear which has been possessed by a demon. Torak and his father, of the Wolf Clan, live in seclusion, far away from any other Clan. These clans live a hunter-gatherer existence with a shamanic belief system. In pre-agricultural Europe, the people of the Forest live in clans, each represented by a particular animal or life form.

Wolf Brother is illustrated by Geoff Taylor. She also studied the raven population at the Tower of London.

Paver travelled to the forests of Finland and Norway researching how people lived 6000 years ago, and she also spent time with wolves at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust. Most praised the author's attention to detail and depth of research.

Most reviews were very positive, commenting on Paver's imagery, humour, and descriptive writings style. The book was published in 2004 by Orion Children's Books. Wolf Brother takes place six thousand years ago during the Middle Stone Age, and tells the story of twelve-year-old Torak, a boy who can talk to wolves. Wolf Brother is the first book in the series Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver. Print (hardback and paperback), audio book (CD & cassette)

Wolf brother book