A joy! Wolfbane is the emotional and intense conclusion to The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. Following Wolf, Renn, Torak and Dark in their final battle against the evil plaguing the Forest, Naiginn the ice demon.

This book felt so much like home, it read like the original series. The action immediately pulled me in and was intense from the very start, but also had the additional detail that makes the world feel real that I adore, such as small observations on nature and a wider exploration on clan customs and food.

It is delightful to spend time with all of these beloved characters again, it was so enjoyable to experience everyone using their skills and working together while still growing and learning as characters.

As well as loving the main plot with Torak, Renn and Wolf, I got great joy from getting to see more from Dark (which I have loved in this continuation trilogy as we met him so late in Ghost Hunter). In this book Dark gets a beautiful personal plot which was wonderful to read, especially in a much loved childrens series and I’m glad that it was something Paver thought to include for him.

I am very eager for my final copy to arrive at the end of April so I can reread this story with the art and maps that usually accompany these books.

I don’t think that I’ve ever cried to much at any book, I’m glad that I chose to read the last 20% alone because I was a mess!

If, like me, you’re nervous to read the conclusion of this amazing story, you needn’t. This is a thrilling, nerve wracking but ultimately beautiful and fitting conclusion to a most beloved classic children’s series. I’m so sad that it’s finished all over again, but it was an appropriate and satisfying ending that I look forward to revisiting.

Thanks so NetGalley and Zephyr for and advanced copy for review.

When I saw there was a new, ninth, and final (for now) instalment of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, 11-year-old me leapt for joy. I loved these books so much during my peak reading years of ages 9-13, and their magic has stayed with me ever since.

It was wonderful to return to the world of Torak, Renn and Wolf, and the pre-historic world of northern Europe that they inhabit. The characters are a little bit older (it’s very strange to read my childhood favourites discuss whether or not they should have children), and they’ve all come a long way since the very first book, but the magic and adventure are still as strong as ever.

As an adult I’ve read some of Michelle Paver’s other books, and even though I enjoyed some more than others, she can always be relied upon to write a thrilling story, so immersive that it feels like the characters are real and the story is a contemporary one that has been passed down through time.

I won’t go into plot details here for two reasons: the first is that this is the ninth and final book in the series, so to say more than the bare minimum would be spoilers. The second is that, as wonderful as Ian McKellan’s narration is, his voice is perhaps slightly too soothing and I’ll admit I retained at most 70% of the plot (and even that is a stretch). Even so, I struggled not to get emotional at some of the most moving passages, which were not only important moments in this book but in the series as a whole.

One day, I’ll read the whole series again from start to finish, and revisit this brilliant series. It’s a sign of any good children’s book, that the children who love it grow into adults who love it, and the adults who love it can point to it and say “that’s a great book.”

I received a free copy of the audiobook for review. All opinions are my own.

In Michelle Paver's 'Wolfbane,' Wolf is swept out to sea, running from a demon intent on devouring his soul. Torak and Renn, his pack brothers, battle against storms, sea creatures and the demon to reach Wolf. They must save him or lose their incredible bond.

Narrated by Sir Ian McKellen, this audiobook was well read with lots of expression. However, my daughter (who listened to it with me) has been spoilt by audiobooks such as those read by Stephen Fry where each of the characters have a different voice, and this caused her to get a bit confused. She also kept picking up on McKellen's slight lisp (something that certainly hasn't held his career back!!) and this distracted her. Coupled with the scary nature of some of this story and she wasn't impressed, giving the story only two stars, but conceding that others who like scary would enjoy it much more.

Overall I would give it a higher rating. Paver is an excellent story teller who does not dumb down for her younger readers. The ancient setting (6000 BCE) and Paver's extraordinary world building sucks the reader in and this novel, like others in the series, is full of action and peril. I suspect my daughter was just a little too young to enjoy this properly, and may return to it in future.

This was an absolute delight. So well paced and written and such an intricate interesting story. The whole thing was made even better by Sir Ian McKellen being the one to read it. Absolutely loved every minute I spent with this story.

This is a compelling adventure set in prehistory, when our hunter-gatherer ancestors had to be clever, brave and highly skilled at a multitude of tasks just to get through an average day. They lived in close contact with the natural world surrounding them, from which they derived their food, clothes and shelter. Small wonder they also formed a strong spiritual attachment to the animals and plants that impacted their lives. I love how Paver has characterised that attachment, as I listened to this gripping adventure facing Torak and Renn.

Wolf now has a mate and so when he is yanked away by the machinations of a major demon, Torak and Renn are determined to save him. But it’s a perilous journey that takes them far away from their beloved forest, where they encounter other tribes whose customs are different from their own. This is a delight to listen to – partly because the writing style is clean and powerful, but also because Sir Ian McKellan happens to be the narrator. His rendition is masterful – I’d listen spellbound if he recited the football scores, and I hate football…

Paver’s scene setting is vivid – I could easily envisage the landscapes she describes in a world not yet reeling from the environmental damage we’ve inflicted. The story holds real tension – and there is also a very moving scene where a much-loved character is laid to rest. The death rites are fascinating as well as poignant. All in all, this is a treat and highly recommended for fans of prehistorical adventure – though don’t start with this one. Instead track down the first book in this series, Wolf Brother. And a bonus is Paver’s Afterword, where she describes her research into aspects of her characters’ lives – it brought this highly enjoyable book to a fitting end. While I obtained a copy of audiobook Wolfbane from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
9/10

This is the first audiobook I have listened to for the Wolf Brother series and I will definitely be on the lookout for the to revisit the series. Sir Ian McKellen really brings Michelle Paver's story to life. The audiobook was easy to listen to and understand and completely enthralling.

I had not read any previous books in this series and listened solely on the merit of the narrator, that was probably a mistake because although I could listen all day long to him they story did not work for me, it’s not to taste

This is the 9th book in Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series following Torak, Renn and Wolf, and is set in the New Stone Age in Europe.

I hadn't read any of the other books, but could follow this ok, and it definitely made me want to try the others, though I found some of the sections a bit slow-paced. The bit where Torak is trying to convince another clan to set Wolf free seemed to take ages, but I really liked how the differences between the clans' beliefs and knowledge was explored and how different signs and symbols in nature was interpreted by people who had no little or no scientific basis for how they observed the world. I didn't like how little Torak seemed to listen to Renn in places though, when she came up with reasonable concerns, he just got angry and did what he wanted anyway, because his way was the right way, not sure if I'd like him as a main character over 9 whole books.

Format: I requested this largely because of the cover, description, and because the narrator was Sir Ian McKellen, but I found that, despite being able to listen to Ian McKellen for ages, I found it hard to follow who was speaking to whom, Sir Ian just sounded like Sir Ian the whole way through, so I couldn't really distinguish between the characters' voices easily. That's the main reason I've given this audiobook an average score, I know the story sounded good, but I think I would personally follow it better by reading it in this case.