Promotional Information

THE book of the year! A brilliant, fast-paced story from a new children's author. Compelling - an irresistible mix of meticulous research, memorable characters and powerful story-telling for readers of 9+. An Orion Children's star set to follow in the footsteps of Caroline Lawrence and Cliff McNish. Extensive marketing and publicity campaign . Book Two follows in 2005. Wonderfully read by Ian McKellen, who is lalso appearing in panto for the first time as Widow Twankey in Aladdin at the Old Vic in December/January!

About the Author

Born in Malawi to a Belgian mother and a father who ran the tiny 'Nyasaland Times', Michelle Paver moved to the UK when she was three. She grew up in Wimbledon and, following a Biochemistry Degree from Oxford, she became a partner in a City law firm. Eventually, though, having submerged herself in myth and folklore (not at work) and having been chased by a bear (again, not at work), she gave up the lawyer life to follow her long-held dream of becoming a writer. Successfully published as an adult author, the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness are her first - brilliant - books for children. Ian McKellen is internationally renowned for his distinguished work on stage and screen over four decades. He has won over 40 acting awards. He plays Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, Magneto in the X-Men films and Sir Leigh Teabing in The Da Vinci Code. Throughout his career, he has enjoyed working regularly for radio. His solo reading of The Odyssey for Penguin Books won a U.S. Audie in 1997. His full biography is on www.mckellen.com

Reviews

'The achievement of the year has to be Ian McKellen's narration of the three instalments of Michelle Paver's CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS, WOLF BROTHER, SPIRIT WALKER and SOUL EATER. Having been given rewardingly rich material in Paver's inspired evocation of a Stone Age culture of nature gods and hunting wisdoms, he is equally good as Gandalfian tribal gurus, the intrepid Torak of the Wolf Clan, the stoic archer heroine Renn of the Ravens and the intelligent wolfcub Wolf.' -- Christina Hardyment THE TIMES

Gr 5-9-Michelle Paver's novel (HarperCollins, 2005), set during the Stone Age, explores the world of early humans in multiple dimensions: their relationship to the natural world, their social and political organization, the role of spiritual beliefs, and the experience of the individual. Torak, a boy of about 12, is orphaned in the book's opening scene, his father succumbing to the ravages of an attack by a monstrous bear. Soon after setting out on his own, in what seems to be a northern European forest, Torak adopts a wolf cub, another orphan. Their journey takes on well-woven touches of mysticism as other humans recognize Torak's power as the Listener and he, in turn, recognizes in Wolf the animal's power as the Guide-all in the effort to turn away the destructiveness of the giant bear. Actor Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings) reads in a gruff, deep voice that lightens whenever he speaks the words of Torak and his eventual companion, a girl named Wren. Landscape and the early human interpretations of its portents are vividly drawn here in Paver's words and McKellen's voicing. The brutality suffered by Torak, Wolf, Wren, and other humans and animals lends elements of horror to the story, encouraging crossover audiences to explore that genre as well as historical fiction. Listeners will look forward to Torak's further adventures. A promising initiation into the human past.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.