I love the series so much, it’s all about adventure, friendships, clans, demons and Soul Eaters! I love it because I see myself a bit in all of the main characters – loyal, fun, adventurous, wild and slightly stubborn! Marianne has been training to be the Viper for her entire life - to serve and protect the King and the citizens of The Twelve Isles - but to become the Viper and protect the islands she loves she must find the strength to defeat her father. But the reigning Viper stands in her way. Corrupt and merciless, he prowls the seas in his warship, killing with impunity, leaving only pain and suffering in his wake. Wild wishes to you all for an unforgettable reading expedition into the ancient world of Torak, Wolf and Renn!

One of the things I love about Viper’s Daughter is that Michelle continues the brilliant educational value within the storylines. Torak and his companions are fictitious but the pre-historic world they inhabit is painstakingly researched by the author’s first-hand exploration into similar landscapes in our own times. I’m not in any way in the slightest little bit at all jealous honestly… In COAD we watched Torak grow from a Stone-Age boy of 12 summers to the teen that he is when Viper’s Daughter is set, two years after the the end of the last book, Ghost Hunter. If you’ve read my recent list of brilliant adventure books for 8 to 12 year olds, you’ll know that we’re HUGE fans of Michelle Paver’s exhilarating six-book Wolf Brother/Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series (COAD).After finishing Viper’s Daughter she’ll undoubtedly read it a couple more times in the coming months and she is now gutted to have to wait a year for the next book. First Edition Hardcover Here’s my photo of Torak (on the right) with a wolf called Mai, who we think inspired the wolf character Darkfur in the books! Are we right Michelle?? Michelle’s clean, simple descriptions of nature and the natural environment bring a gentle, comforting richness to the reading experience. Here are some stone age survival techniques your children can try at home, from a workshop we attended a few years ago, and you can read about the time I went snow hole digging in Scotland– the nearest I’ve come to one of Michelle’s own investigative expeditions. Mammuts, Ice Caves & Magic

The sequel finds Torak once again battling demons (literally and figuratively) on a quest to save Renn who has mysteriously disappeared. After six similar storylines (think Star Wars), the series could have been in danger of becoming formulaic but Michelle’s wolf-like nose for storytelling and faith in extravagant adventures results in yet another fresh, exciting and inspiring tale. Oh, and the other big news? The entire Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series is to be made into a TV series. It’s going to be epic! Meeting the ‘Real’ Torak Viper’s Daughter is set in the Stone Age, in the forests of the northern hemisphere, about Torak, a boy, Renn, a girl, and Wolf – a Wolf! This is the seventh book in a series of nine, I’ve read the whole book in about ⅔ of a day (it arrived yesterday!) In a quirky turn of serendipity which we discovered only last month, I have coincidentally met the actual wolf, Torak, who was named after Michelle’s Wolf Brother protagonist’s name! In 2007 I went on a photography day at the UK Wolf Conservation Trust where Torak the wolf is homed – a photograph of him even appeared in a Kids of the Wild’s blog I wrote in 2017 about a Cherokee wolf proverb. It’s a small world! Our copy arrived on the doorstep last week. Witness below 👇 the joy of a 10-year old on opening it, newly published and desperately awaited. Do I need to add much more to our book review than this?!As Caroline says, the ending of Viper’s Daughter is ‘very satisfying’. The story is complete for those who prefer a standalone tale yet leaves plenty of room for continuation in the next book. Caroline’s excitement at the prospect of the ongoing story has been palpable ever since; Michelle Paver’s writing really does have this effect. Viper’s Daughter by Michelle Paver