Torak is alone, wounded and terrified after the death of his father by a demon bear. He finds a wolf cub near a river and adopts him but soon after, Torak and Wolf are captured by the Raven Clan. The clan's mage (a wizard of sorts) says Torak is the 'listener' who will save the forest from the demon bear. Fin-Kedinn (the raven Clan leader) calls a clan meeting to decide what to do with their captive. But Torak does not wait to find out if they are going to sacrifice him or not, and escapes. Renn (one of the Ravens), helps him to evade the other clan members by concealing them in the Raven cemetary.

One nice thing about the book is that each person belongs to a clan (eg. Wolf Clan, Raven Clan and Salmon Clan). Clan members have tattoos to distinguish themselves from other clans. They also worship their clan animal or tree. The main characters are Torak, Wolf, Renn the neice of Fin-Kedinn (loves hunting) Fin-Kedinn the Raven Clan leader and Hord a young man who wants to be the best at everything.

I found the book fascinating in the way that it is set 6000 years in the past (the author must have done a lot of research), and the descriptions of open woodland create a very detailed landscape. As I love wolves, I was interested in this book when I saw the title and certainly the wolf character has exceeded my expectations. Wolf plays a crucial role in the book.

Michelle Paver recounts the same event twice (or sometimes even three times) from either Torak's or Renn's perspectives and then Wolf's, alternating chapters between these different voices. Wolf's view differs greatly from Torak's. For example, the word /fire/ becomes in Wolf talk 'the-bright-beast-that-bites-hot'. The result is that the reader regards Wolf more as a character with great depth rather than just an object within the story.

Wolf Brother combines elements of fantasy, prehistoric fiction and facts, to make a brilliant book. This the first in a series of six (and one of the best, too). I would recommend it to any one who likes wolves (essential!), magic and stone age people!

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