Michelle Pavers' Wolf Brother series has been a joy, adventure, education and a delight. From the start you are treated to seeing the world not only through the eyes of the mind of six thousand years ago but also within the mind of Wolf.
2004 and I was "haunted" by the reddish-brown cover of the first book - Wolf Brother - it seemed that everywhere I went there is was - shop window, bookshelf, magazin promotion. A childrens/YA book which drew my eye because of working on my Creative Writing degree with the Open College of the Arts (distance learning). I admired the cover - it caught my imagination - but only after seeing it three or four times did I pick up the book and open to the first chapter. Three pages later, standing in the bookshop, my partner leaned in and said "Buy it!"
Since then I have walked, ran, swam and rested with the boy who can talk to Wolf - enjoyed and qualied in his world. I have loped in Wolf's paws along pine forest trails, across great ice-floes and swam in threatening oceans. Around this, are the clans, their traditions, skills and fears; the great beliefs which each clan adheres to and the Mages that interpret their existence. Each book in the nine book series takes you on a journey which you simply don't want to end.
Wolfbane is an emotional, terrifying and fittingly dramatic
end to the series. I make no descriptions of the plot, only to say that
as always the characters are fully rounded, driven and relateable. The
writing is magical.
A fitting end to the series. I thought I would feel sad - I don't. I feel privileged to have found this series at the start and been through each of the nine books to the conclusion. This is one of the rare book series I will return to, to run and yelp and swim and tremble in a world so well rounded you can taste the cloudberries.
