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Synopsis

Soul Eater: Book 3 Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver

Torak has survived the summer and his heart-stopping adventure in the Seal Islands. He and Wolf are together again. But their reunion is all too short-lived. As mid winter approaches Torak learns the worst from the White Fox clan - Wolf has been snatched. In a desperate bid to rescue him Torak and Renn must brave the frozen wilderness of the Far North. They tread a deadly dangerous path as they step into a world of deceit,treachery and lies and come face to face with the the most powerful and feared mages alive. Cruel Thiazzi, the Oak Tree Mage, Seshru the Viper Mage, beautiful and manipulative, and Nef the gruff Bat Mage - here too is Eostra, the mysterious Masked One - all of them bound by their desire for all creatures to bow before them. Under the dark wings of night Torak confronts vengeful ice bears, mistrust, broken promises and a terrifying evil. Another step is taken on his quest to destroy the Soul Eaters, but with it comes the burden of an utterly chilling secret of his own...

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Reviews

'The detailed research into prehistory and the matchless storytelling combine to create an irresistable feast for readers and it's easy to see why these books are so addictive.'
Becky Stradwick, Borders THE BOOKSELLER
[being compared to William Nicholson's Jango] 'exceptional storytelling... Both Paver and Nicholson create fully realised fictional worlds that are far removed from our own but utterly relevant and convincing. I eagerly await the next installments.
Angela Lockton, The Golden Treasury THE BOOKSELLER
'Paver is a master storyteller, whose clear, taut prose overlies complex research. There is magic, but it is natural magic, depending on perception or superstition... The thrill of this remarkable series is that it makes readers percieve the world differently.'
Amanda Craig THE TIMES
'Paver has a flair and a directness that really packs a punch... readers get a real sense of what it would be like to be in Torak's shoes.'
LIVERPOOL ECHO
'exhilarating... Torak's trusty companion, Wolf, is captured by the Soul Eaters. The brilliance of Paver's earlier books lay in her descriptions of life as a wolf, and in the tender relationship between boy and lupine. But if this is pushed off centre, it is almost made up for by Torak's nuanced friendship with the girl, Renn... Readers of eight and above will find the story gripping.'
Lorna Bradbury DAILY TELEGRAPH
'This is a marvellous book. It really, really is. It's a living, breathing, world of a story, perfectly realised and never missing a beat.'
Jill Murphy THEBOOKBAG
.CO.UK 'This was a very gripping book and had me on tenterhooks 'til the end! It was so well written that you could really believe these were the thoughts and feelings of a wolf.
Lucy Howlett, age 12 FIRST NEWS
'Much anticipated third novel in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness sries. Both feral and otherworldly... strange and thrilling with a huge following.'
THE BOOK MAGAZINE
'A wonderfully imagined adventure... left me enlightened, moved and optimistic. -- Gaye Hicyilmaz TES 'a story with a relatively small cast of characters and a single narrative trajectory, yet Paver find interest and excitement everywhere. The excitement of the surface adventure draws extra power from Paver's creation of a way of life, myth and magic that is rooted in people's relationship with an unyielding environment... a triumph of the imagination.'
Clive Barnes BOOKS FOR KEEPS
'Once I had picked up the book I could not put it down and I read till long past my bedtime and every morning. I was in Torak's world all day and in my bed I go over what I have read and guess what will happen next. It is so unpredicatable that I was almost always wrong! It was a thrilling read!'
Hugh (age 11) FAMILIES SOUTH WEST
'consistently superb... meticulously realised...'
Amanda Craig THE TIMES
'Soul Eater crackles with atmosphere.'
Julia Eccleshare THE GUARDIAN
'The third book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series and it is one of the best... Soul Eater is an amazing book.'
Benjy Taylor (age 10) INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY
'Once I had picked up the book I could not put it down and I read till long past my bedtime and every morning. I was in Torak's world all day and in my head I go over what I have read and guess what will happen next. It is so unpredictable that I was almost always wrong! It was a thrilling read!'
Hugh (aged 11) MY CHILD
'Elegantly written and imaginatively executed, Soul Eater, is darker and edgier than the first two books, stepping up the face of this excellent series and promising plenty more adventures to come.'
Rowan Stanfield CAROUSEL

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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, she gave up her career in law to follow her long-held dream of becoming a writer. Successfully published as an adult author of historical fiction, CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS are her first - brilliant - books for children. 

About Michelle Paver and The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness:
- She wrote her first story on her mother’s typewriter at the age of 5. (Her mother still has it!)
- She has always been fascinated by prehistoric times and skinned a dead rabbit at the age of 10. She ditched of her bed and slept on her bedroom floor for 3 years as a child.
- She dug up the lawn of her parents’ house and planted medicinal plants which she tried out on her sister.
- She skipped lectures in biochemistry at Oxford University to write.
- The Chronicles Of Ancient Darkness Series has been universally popular. The series is made up of Wolf Brother (2004) Spirit Walker (2005), Soul Eater (2006) and Outcast (2007) so far. There will be 6 books in the series.
- The books have been translated into 36 languages.
- Ridley Scott has bought the film rights and a script is being worked on currently.
- She gave up a successful career as a Partner in a City Law Firm in 1999 to write full time.
- She has travelled to inaccessible and unusual places researching her books including the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania, Finland and Greenland and Northern Canada.
- On her travels, she has had some unforgettable, unique and heart-stopping experiences including learning the traditional skills of the Inuit people and coming face-to-face with wild polar bears through the observation platform grille of a tundra buggy. She has swum with killer whales, gone husky-sledding and faked a wolf kill to attract ravens.
- She has eaten some very unusual food in the name of research, including, raw whale blubber, fresh seal liver (still warm from when it was killed), fish eyes, seal flippers (these are put under rocks and left for 3 months after which time they are considered a delicacy), all sorts of wild berries, tree bark and sap.
- The only thing she has ever refused to eat was the seal eyes, though these are considered a delicacy by the Inuit and eaten by the grannies! There is absolutely no wastage when these animals are killed and every bit of them is used for food or materials so don’t be put off by any perception of cruelty.
- She has many artefacts from her travels including reindeer skin gloves and a necklace made of bear claws and teeth.

 

Titles in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series:

1. Wolf Brother

2. Spirit Walker

3. Soul-eater

4. Outcast

5. Oathbreaker

6. Ghost Hunter

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