• Wolf Brother

  • Chronicles of Ancient Darkness #1
  • By: Michelle Paver
  • Narrated by: Ian McKellen
  • Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (555 ratings)

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Wolf Brother  By  cover art

Wolf Brother

By: Michelle Paver
Narrated by: Ian McKellen
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Publisher's summary

Six thousand years ago. Evil stalks the land. Only 12-year-old Torak and his wolf-cub companion can defeat it. Their journey together takes them through deep forests, across giant glaciers, and into dangers they never imagined.

In this original and spectacularly told adventure story, the first book in The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, Torak and Wolf are joined by an incredible cast of characters as they battle to save their world.

©2004 Michelle Paver (P)2004 Orion Publishing Group & HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Paver's depth of research...makes this impressive British import...intriguing and believable." ( School Library Journal)

Editor's Pick

Can we talk about how this is narrated by Sir Ian McKellen??
"SIR IAN MCKELLEN, people. And just for context, other works Sir McKellen has narrated include Shakespeare, Dickens, and Milton...I feel SO much more validated in how amaze-balls I thought this series was when I first discovered it, knowing now that he narrates it. Yes, it is middle grade. Yes, I discovered and fell in love with these books in college. And yes, I have listened to the series multiple times."
Melissa B., Audible Editor

What listeners say about Wolf Brother

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • It
  • 02-04-10

Where are book 2 and 3?

this book is fantastic.. but where are the second and third book??

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60 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Loved Tall Tailless and Wolf

I listened to Ian McKellen (Gandalf) bring this piece to stunning life. It's a fantasy, set in ancient Bronze-Age Europe, uncounted aeons ago. The first of 6 or 7 books. Beautifully written, the story is fast-paced and action-packed. It's told in 3rd person, with the POV shifting from the boy Torak to his brother — a wolf cub. The setting is vivid and the story sometimes felt almost real, like it could almost have happened, back when people lived in tribal clans, ate reindeer, and worshipped the spirits in rocks and rivers and ravens. There are some life-lessons embedded in the story. For example, the ritual of respect young Torak showed to any animals he killed, thanking it and promising to use every part to sustain life (the hide, bones, and meat).

PLOT (no major spoilers): A suddenly-orphaned youth and his wolf cub are destined to save the world from a malevolent demon-possessed bear. As his father (Fa) is dying, having been mawled by the bear, 12-year-old Torak makes him a promise: To journey into the frozen North, to the tallest mountain, home of the World Spirit, and plead for help, for only this Spirit is powerful enough to defeat such a demon. Torak must also offer sacrifices (find three pieces of the Nanuak: the river eye, stone bite, etc) to the World Spirit. He must also offer up his own heart's blood. (He wonders, "All of it??") No one has ever climbed the World Mountain or seen the World Spirit — the stuff of legend. Torak is frightened and frequently tempted to break his promise, but he keeps his word (another moral of the story). Help comes from a surprising source.

They make a great team, Wolf, Tarok, and the surprise helper.

It's a coming-of-age story, wrapped up in a quest. A "fellowship of the ring" but with only 3 in the group.

Secondary characters are Hord, Oslak, Fin-Kedin, an old Mage woman of the Raven Clan, a disgusting Walker, etc.

I enjoyed it well enough, but it's really written for kids. I'd have loved it more in about 5th grade.

However, I LOVED getting into the mind of the wolf cub. The words he invented (he calls Torak "Tall Tail-less" and the campfire is "the bright beast that bites hot" (so clever!). Torak can never talk to wolf about what will happen tomorrow, because a wolf has no concept of future, only of now.

The author has a degree in biochemistry and lots of experience with animals, including wolves and bears. But hopefully not bears possessed by an evil spirit.

Narrated superbly by Ian McKellen. It's — oddly enough —not available in kindle format at Amazon USA. And only books 1 and 4-6 are available in Audible USA. A bummer!

The Audible version did not come with the pictures and maps from the book. I wanted to see the map at least, and we cannot buy the kindle book in America. I wish Audible would add that companion piece (the map).

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Best Reader

Ian McKellen brought this book to life. He is the best reader I've ever heard, bringing wonder and mystery and excitement to the narrative as well as to the dialog.

If this book is the first of a series, I hope he reads them all.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Young at heart

Fun book even for adults. I'm 45, loved it. My dad who's 79 enjoyed it too.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My Favorite Book

This is my favorite book series but you can't get the audio books for the 2nd and 3rd books of the series on here, but people are selling abridge copies for $60+ on amazon and much higher on other sites. I've sent a complaint in about it and waiting for years but they're still not available for U.S. and so I can't share my love of this series with my dyslexic friends or family members. So if you, like me, think paying $120+ for 2 audio books is rediculous get ready for an incomplete collection and thus an incomplete story.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Where are books #2 and #3?

I absolutely loved this book. I would like to listen to the entire series, but it looks like there aren't any recordings for 2 and 3 in the series, while books 4, 5 and 6 are available. What gives, audible? When can we expect the missing books?

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Hooked For The Duration

After listening to this first book of a six-book series I know that I am hooked for the duration. Paver takes some basic story elements and brings them excitingly alive ; a boy's kinship with an animal; a battle against pure evil; a quest of myth-like proportions.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Mystical, full of emotion

Emotions run back and forth between heart break and loss to hope and innocence, all while amongst a turmoil of danger and the fierceness of facing it. The sweetness of the companionship between the characters was wonderful to witness despite the character going through the hardest of circumstances. Thoroughly enjoyed this.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent writing and narrstion

I've listened to this twice now. The story is excellent. Good character development, good pacing, and a fascinating premise for a tale. The writing, coupled with Ian McKellan's masterful narration makes for the perfect listening experience.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Came for the voice, stayed for the story.

Loved it all. Though I originally came to this book to hear Mr. Mckellen's narration, the entire book was great, although a bit short. It's the kind of story where you really can't tell if it's supernatural or not, but it's enjoyable all the same. I myself am inclined toward high fantasy or sci-fi, but I would still recommend this book, just a shame that a few of the books are not available on Audible, or at least at time of writing.

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1 person found this helpful