Paver, Michelle

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Paver, Michelle

PERSONAL:

Born in Nyasaland (now Malawi); immigrated to England at age three. Education: Graduated from Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Wimbledon, England. Agent— Redhammer Management Ltd., 186 Bickenhall Mansions, Bickenhall St., London W1U 6BX, England.

CAREER:

Writer. Formerly worked as an attorney specializing in patent litigation.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Gold Award, Parents' Choice List, 2005, for Wolf Brother.

WRITINGS:

Without Charity (fiction), Corgi (London, England), 2000.

A Place in the Hills (fiction), Corgi (London, England), 2001.

"DAUGHTERS OF EDEN" SERIES

The Shadow Catcher, Corgi (London, England), 2002.

Fever Hill, Bantam (London, England), 2004.

The Serpent's Tooth, 2005.

"CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS" SERIES; FOR YOUNG READERS

Wolf Brother, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2004.

Spirit Walker, Katherine Tegen Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Soul Eater, Katherine Tegen Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Outcast, Katherine Tegen Books (New York, NY), 2008.

ADAPTATIONS:

Wolf Brother was released as an audio book, HarperCollins, 2005; Spirit Walker has also been adapted by HarperCollins for audio; film rights to the "Chronicles of Ancient Darkness" series were purchased.

SIDELIGHTS:

Michelle Paver earned a degree in biochemistry from Oxford University and worked for some time as a lawyer specializing in patent litigation, but she gave up that career to focus on her dream of writing full time. She succeeded in that aim, establishing herself as an author of adult fiction before beginning to write children's books. The British writer's love of myth, folklore and history has informed all her writing, such as the "Daughters of Eden" series, set in Jamaica, and the novel A Place in the Hills, set in the Pyrenees mountains.

Paver's children's book series, "Chronicles of Ancient Darkness," is set in northeastern Europe some six thousand years ago, after the end of the last Ice Age. It was a time before agriculture, when people lived as hunter-gatherers. To research her story, the author traveled to remote areas in Finland, living outdoors in primitive conditions. Her dedicated research makes her work vivid and compelling, according to numerous reviewers. Discussing the genesis of the series with Dirk Vander Ploeg on the PSI Talk Web site, Paver recalled: "I got the inspiration for the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness one afternoon at home. I was sitting in my garden and the glimmer of an idea suddenly came to me and in a few hours I had mapped out the entire series of six books!" Each of the six books has a different setting, as Torak continues on his long quest to save the world.

The first book of the series, Wolf Brother, was inspired by the author's encounter with a bear while she was in Southern California. In the book Torak sees his father fatally attacked by a huge bear that is possessed by a demon spirit. Torak's father commands him to take up a quest to the Mountain of the World Spirit, the only force that can defeat the demon bear. Joined on this journey by an orphaned wolf pup that is also his spirit guide, Torak comes to realize that he is the Listener, destined to hold back the evil Shadow from overrunning the land. Booklist reviewer Sally Estes described the book as "fantasy adventure on a grand scale," and also praised Paver's characterizations and well-realized wilderness setting. Kliatt reviewer Michele Winship observed that "Paver has done her research and done it well," giving her book a firm archaeological foundation with insights into the lives of hunter-gatherer societies such as the Inuits, many African tribes, and Native Americans.

Wolf Brother won more praise from Karen T. Bilton, a reviewer for School Library Journal, who noted that the book immerses readers in spirituality and mysticism in an "intriguing and believable" way that is unusual in a children's book. Wolf Brother was recommended by a Publishers Weekly writer, who described it as "part riveting nature story, part rite of passage saga," and added that the complex plot "remains involving thanks to Paver's unusual setting and eccentric characters,"

Paver continues her series with Spirit Walker, Soul Eater, and Outcast. In Spirit Walker, Torak sets out to find the seven Soul Eaters he must battle against, and he attempts to discover a cure for the illness that is ravaging his people. Sally Estes, writing for Booklist once again, found this installment to be "infused with an inexorable sense of mysterious menace." Kliatt contributor Michele Winship noted that the book "sensitively addresses fear born of ignorance and superstition, realistically depicting tensions between clans."

Soul Eater, the third title in Paver's series, begins with Torak, Renn, and Wolf all in danger from the Soul Eaters, dark mages who are threatening the land by performing sacrifices with spirit animals, intent on releasing a series of demons through the doorway from the underworld. When Wolf vanishes, Torak and Renn must discover if he has been captured by the Soul Eaters and rescue him from his fate. Michele Winship, again reviewing for Kliatt, praised Paver's detailed settings and realistic depiction of her world in particular, remarking that "the underground catacomb Paver creates for the Soul-Eaters' dark rite is a stunning contrast to the world above." Walter Minkel, writing for School Library Journal, declared: "This is a stirring and thrilling sequel to Wolf Brother and Spirit Walker."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2005, Sally Estes, review of Wolf Brother, p. 1185; February 15, 2006, Sally Estes, review of Spirit Walker, p. 92.

Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 2005, review of Wolf Brother, p. 124.

Kliatt, March, 2005, Michele Winship, review of Wolf Brother, p. 15; January, 2006, Michele Winship, review of Spirit Walker, p. 10; March, 2007, Michele Winship, review of Soul Eater, p. 17.

MBR Bookwatch, May, 2005, Vicki Arkoff, review of Wolf Brother.

Publishers Weekly, January 10, 2005, review of Wolf Brother, p. 57.

School Library Journal, February, 2005, Karen T. Bilton, review of Wolf Brother, p. 140; May, 2007, Walter Minkel, review of Soul Eater, p. 140.