Torak is settling into his new life as part of a human tribe, however he doesn't get long to savour this new world before he is called upon to fight the evil that haunts him.
We find out more about Torak's past through information that various characters both old and new are able to impart to him. We also discover what Toraks mission in life is to be.
I really enjoyed this second installment of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness and i can't wait to get my hands on the next one. I would highly recommend these books to older readers who enjoy the Jean M Auel books or to younger readers who feel that the Jean M Auel books are a little daunting in their size.

Spirit Walker is written just as brilliant as the first. I can tell these books will have you hanging for more!

SPIRIT WALKER is the second book in the "Chronicles of ancient Darkness" series. WOLF BROTHER, the first in the series, was a great beginning to a whole new world but SPIRIT WALKER draws you further in, leaving you wanting more.

The story still follows Torak, a young boy who is able to talk to wolves. At the beginning of this book, Torak is on his own - his father died at the beginning of the first book, and even his friend, Wolf, has left him to join a pack on the Mountain. Torak still misses Wolf, and his father, but he has a clan of his own, so his solitude is not complete. But Torak's world is under threat - there is a strange sickness sweeping the forest.
No one knows what is causing the sickness but the effects are horrific. A cure must be found before too many of the different clans are affected. Torak's world is yet again to become one of danger and betrayal - for a time he has felt that is is different to those in his clan, but he has never known why. His father hinted to him that there was more to his nature than Torak was aware of, but he never explained more.
Soon it becomes apparent that Torak is the one who must go and try to find the cure that is so desperately needed. His journey shall take him to the Seal Islands, where his bone kin dwell. But how shall he earn the trust and respect from this different clan? And what secrets shall he learn of his own life along the way?

That is a basic plot - I do not want to give too much away. What I love about SPIRIT WALKER, like with WOLF BROTHER, the world of Torak is portrayed so brilliantly that you completely get sucked into the story and Torak's life. The beliefs that they have in relation to the body and the spirit, and how this relates to and interacts with nature and their clan creatures, is beautifully written. Although there is no magic, in the style of Harry Potter say, there is definitely a kind of magic going on in Paver's words. Her characters are brilliantly created - Torak is a hero you care about; even Wolf feels well thought out and constructed.
This series is a great addition to any one who loves children's literature, young or old.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Wolf Brother' (the 1st in the series 'Chronicles of Ancient Darkness'), although I was somewhat disappointed with the ending as I felt it just...stopped!
This 2nd book in the series, 'Sprit walker' is even better than the 1st. I love the way Michelle Paver writes through the eyes of Wolf at times and how you have to decipher what is meant in 'wolf-talk' by words such as the Up (the sky), Fast Wet (a river), Slow Wet (a lake) and Tall Tailless (Torak).
You become totally engulfed in the 'world' that Torak lives in & this book is fantastic escapism for those needing to forget the 'now'.
I'm about to begin the 3rd book ('Soul Eaters') when I can hurry my son to finish it and I can't wait. Stoll on part 4 in Sept 2007!
I CANNOT RECOMMEND THIS BOOK ENOUGH...BUY IT...READ IT...LOVE IT! (oh and then buy the next one...and the next one...and the next one - clever little Rowling-inspired Paver!)

It's been a long time since I read book one (Wolf Brother) in the Chronicles of Darkness series, but it soon came flooding back when I started to read Spirit Walker.

Set in Stone Age Scandinavia, in book two Torak's journey continues, and the destiny we are given a glimpse of in Wolf Brother is more fully revealed.

At the opening of the book Torak's faithful companion, wolf, has left his side to live with a wolf pack in the mountains. Torak has been taken in by the Raven clan, living in the forest. However, when a strange and horrible sickness strikes suddenly into the heart of the clan, Torak know that it is he who must try to find some answers...

A wonderfully fast-paced and twisting plot. Expect the unexpected! I can't wait to read the next one.