Ghost Hunter

Ghost Hunter by Michelle Paver

I cannot believe that I have never reviewed one of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness books. The first in the series, Wolf Brother was brought to my attention by the 2009 Rebecca Caudill Nominees alongside The Lightning Thief. I can remember reading a Riordan book, then a Paver book, then another Riordan book would come out, then another Paver book would be published. I could never decide which series I preferred most. I’ll be a snob and say Wolf Brother because it has had less media coverage.

There are now six books in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness and the series is complete: Wolf Brother, SpiritWalker, Soul Eater, Outcast, Oath Breaker and Ghost Hunter. The setting of the series is Europe 6,000 years ago after the Ice Age, but before agriculture became a way of life. People were primarily hunter-gatherers and groups of people were still nomadic to varying degrees. There is not much children’s literature concerning this time period. The closest example in adult literature is the Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel.

In Wolf Brother, we meet Torak, son of a member of the Wolf Clan. Father and son are traveling alone when Torak’s father is mortally wounded by a demon-possessed bear of enormous proportions. Torak’s father instructs him in how to defeat the evil bear with the help of the World Spirit before the bear causes further harm. His father promises him that a guide will come to accompany him and then Torak’s father dies. The guide does appear in the form of a wolf cub who has also been recently orphaned.

By the end of the first book, Torak has been adopted by the Raven Clan. When the second book opens, the Raven Clan is plagued with a creeping sickness. There is a cure, but it is kept by the Seal Clan far to the North. Torak is sent on a quest with his Wolf to retrieve it from the Seal Mage. Similarly, in each new volume, Torak sets out on a new quest, adventure, to save his clan and the world from the ever encroaching darkness. In each succeeding book, a new part of Torak’s history is revealed as well as a new ability. Torak is the son of a Soul Eater. And he IS the Spirit Walker.

Each book introduces new characters and new clans. There is Fin-Kedinn, the leader of the Raven Clan and Torak’s foster father. There is Fin-Kedinn’s niece, Renn who displays the skills of a future clan mage. We meet the secretive Red Deer Clan who live within the Deep Forest and hold the key to defeating the coming evil. We meet the Otter Clan who hunt Torak because he bears the mark of the Soul Eater. We also meet the Soul Eaters, the evil ones who killed Torak’s father.

The sixth and final book, Ghost Hunter ties all loose ends and does so in a pleasing way. As always, Torak is stronger when he is aided by his Wolf Brother and his Pack Sister, Renn. Wolf and Renn are well aware that the malevolent Eagle Owl Mage’s goal is to separate Torak from those he loves. She can only defeat him in a weakened state and she wants his World Soul so that she can live eternally and rule the world. Of course, Torak wants to protect those whom he loves and departs for his final quest alone. He sneaks off lest he breaks down for he knows that he leaves to die. Fortunately, Wolf and Renn follow him despite their own tragedies and together they can bring peace to the land as well as healing from the new shadow sickness that is claiming lives from every clan.

I would recommend this book primarily to 5^th through 8^th grade boys who enjoyed the Ranger’s Apprentice. The author is equally skilled in character and setting development. Despite dissimilar settings, the overall theme is the same.