大部分人對奇幻小說的印象大概就像The Lord of the Rings那樣以中世紀為藍本，充滿魔法啊奇幻種族啊城堡啊王國啊之類的故事，如果是要以古代文明為題材也會是古希臘古羅馬古埃及之類的吧
但是假如我們再跑遠一點，跑到新石器時代呢？
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness就是這樣的一個世界，而這本書Wolf Brother就是系列的第一作。
這裡的人以打獵跟採集野果為生，並在以不同動物為名稱的部族中生活。對他們來說，大自然是神秘而值得敬畏的存在，主角Torak跟他的爸爸都是狼部族的族人，但是因為某些原因不跟他們一起生活，而是跑到森林私深處相依為命。有一天好景不常，森林來了一隻巨大的魔熊，並襲擊了兩父子。Torak的爸爸臨終前告訴Torak要到聖山的山頂上尋求世界靈的幫助，才能消滅被魔鬼控制的魔熊，阻止牠繼續殘害生靈。
在旅途中，Torak雖然面對著不少難題跟危險但他可不孤單，他還有他的狼兄弟：一隻路上認識的幼狼
Torak能不能夠成功打敗魔熊，拯救森林？為什麼他會跟他的狼兄弟心靈相通？族人之間流傳著的預言又是什麼一回事？
這個系列的最了不起之處，就是作者Michelle Paver如何把遠古時代的生活，森林裡的生態，動物的一舉一動通通以最真實的方法表現出來。讀者看她的書就像自己真的回到過去，跟Torak一起吸著森林的空氣，跟狼一起到處奔跑。為了這種寫實感，她不單到處旅行親身體驗北方獵人的生活，還找了一些狼的保育團體幫忙研究狼群的生活習性，務求讓狼兄弟的舉止跟真實的狼一致。很多作者都會希望能寫出有真實感的故事，但又有多少作者能夠做到這地步？
另外，這本書的視點可不只有人類。故事中的幼狼也不只是一隻動物那麼簡單，讀者們其實有機會從他的角度看世界。你可能會問這沒什麼特別吧，之前那個Warriors不也是以貓當主角嗎？Warriors的貓咪們已經是會說話的人格化角色，但作者對幼狼的描述卻能夠在寫實中透露出靈性。幼狼嘗試了解自己的兄弟同時讀者又理解著幼狼，這樣的表現手法既特別又有趣呢！
想感受遠古的生活，了解大自然的奧秘嗎？來看Wolf Brother，跟狼成為兄弟吧！
When it comes to fantasy novels, most people would imagine something from Lord of the Rings: a middle-age-esque world full of magic, fantasy races, castles, kingdoms, so on and so forth. Even if it’s based on some ancient civilizations, chances are it’s going to be based on Ancient Greece. Or Rome. Or Egypt. Maybe China or somewhere else if you’re lucky.
But what if we go even further? How far? Oh, maybe the new stone age?
The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series is set in one such world, and Wolf Brother is the first book of the series.
In this world, the people lived as hunter-gatherers divided into different tribes symbolized by wild animals. To those people, nature is a mysterious, mystical thing to be feared, worshipped and respected. Our protagonist, Torak, and his father were members of the wolf clan, but for some reason they preferred living deep inside the forest isolated from the rest of the clan.
Life took a sharp turn when a demon bear started terrorizing the forest. The bear attacked them both, and Torak had to watch in fear as the bear tore into his father. In his dying breath, his father told Torak to travel north to find the World Spirit on the top of the mountains and seek its help to banish the bear, or else the bear would wreck havoc on the forest and everything in it.
Throughout his journey, Torak had to face countless dangers and hardship, but he’s not facing it alone. He had a wolf brother: a wolf cub he befriended along the way.
Can Torak defeat the demon bear and save the forest? Why was he able to understand and communicate with his wolf brother? What’s the deal with the prophecy passed among the clans?
The most impressive thing about this series is how the author manages to paint an incredibly realistic world. From the lifestyle of prehistoric humans to the wildlife of those ancient forests, readers could easily find themselves breathing the same air with Torak and running alongside his wolf. For the sake of this realism, the author visited countless places to experience first-hand how life as a prehistoric hunter would be like, and even worked together with a wolf conservation organization to study the behaviour of wolves in the wild, making sure that the wolf cub would actually behave like a real wolf. Although there are plenty of authors who want to create a realistic setting, how many of them would be willing to go this far?
Another thing about this series is that the viewpoint of the story isn’t only from humans. In these books, readers in fact get the chance to experience the world as a wolf. Maybe you would ask: what’s the big deal? Didn’t you just talk about the Warriors series where cats take the spotlight? However, while Warriors is written from the eyes of a cat, those cats are able to talk and are more or less humans as cats. Here, the author managed to give the wolf cub a personality without sacrificing realism, and it was intriguing to read about the cub trying to understand the world around it and its weird two-legged hairless pack-brother.
Ever wondered how life would be in prehistoric times? Want to visit a mysterious, spiritual world? Read this book and find your wolf brother!
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