Oath Breaker: Chronicles of Ancient Darkness book 5 (original 2008; edition 2009)

This story is sad at the beginning, with Torak trying to hunt down the cause of the sadness. ( )

I like the language Michelle Paver uses: still water, fast water, bright beast and so on. Thought the story fairly predictable, but enjoyable. My daughter (aged eleven, for whom the book was bought) thought it was great. Neither of us have read the other books in the series, but didn't feel at a huge disadvantage in spite of that. ( )

I was working as a children’s bookseller when Michelle Paver sold her six-book series Chronicles of the Ancient Darkness for a record-breaking advance of just under £2 million, so I vividly remember the hype that ensued! The first in this highly anticipated Stone Age series was immediately a modern classic, with everyone and his grandmother racing out for a signed copy. Wolf Brother began the tale of Torak, a young Wolf Clan boy who becomes violently orphaned and left to fend for himself, when he befriends a wolf cub. Each consecutive book has seen Torak face more trials and tribulations in his journey toward adulthood.

Outcast and Oath Breaker are the fourth and fifth books in the Chronicles of the Ancient Darkness. Following on from the end of the last book, Soul Eater, Torak has been branded with a tattoo by the Soul Eaters, mages corrupted by power and dark magic. Carrying their evil mark, Torak is suspected to be in league with the Soul Eaters and is cast out from the Raven clan, the place he had begun to call home. As he flees, Torak finds himself not only in a fight for his life, but for his very sanity as his link with the Soul Eaters triggers his descent into madness. In these two books, Torak must battle the impending ecological disaster that will shake the very core of his world, and face the death of someone very close to him.

Perhaps the best asset to Paver’s series is her attention to detail. She has spent several years meticulously researching prehistoric life, spending time with Inuit and Sami tribes living in the wilds of Finland and Greenland. But it is this research that gives her story such realism, such depth. Interestingly, I have been enjoying this series far more than Clan of the Cave Bear, where I personally felt that Jean Auel had become too bogged down in the details of prehistoric life. The society that Paver has created is that of the hunter-gatherer, but the people she describes are surprisingly, yet believable advanced, socially and spiritually as well as technologically. I can imagine myself being quite at home in the world she created (aside from the evil Soul Eaters of course!).

Her characters are also completely believable, each with their own story and own journey. By far my favourite character is Wolf, the cub rescued by Torak, whose love and devotion to the boy provide the true heart to this series. Wolf has his own journey, often separate to Torak’s, but their fates are always linked with the bond they share as wolf brothers. My favourite parts of the story are often from his perspective, with Paver using unique vocabulary to describe how Wolf sees the world around him, such as Fast Wet and Bright Beast-that-bites-hot. Wolf’s journey in Outcast and Oath Breaker is especially touching, as he discovers his own desire to be part of a wolf family, along with a shocking revelation about his friend, Tall-Tailless.

This is an excellent series, but I implore you to read it as such. Though Michelle Paver does make a considerable effort for new readers, true enjoyment of these stories comes from following the saga from its beginning. I can only guess what struggles Torak will face in the forthcoming concluding chapter in this epic journey. I do hope Torak finds peace at last!

Oath Breaker is about a boy who lived in prehistoric times and had to learn to survive on his own. His father has died and he has been outcast from any clan. When Torak's best friend is killed, he swears vengence and goes after the killer along with another best friend and her uncle. I loved how the author enabled us to see what life was like back then and to see how people saw and interpreted their world. It was fascinating how well they could communicate with the animals--both human and animal understood & befriended one another. But, at the same time, I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that humans could actually learn and speak the audible language of animals. However, it was easy to believe you were actually there, in the wild, having to fight to survive. The names that the author used in the book were a bit confusing, at times. Was that a person's name? Was that the name of a Clan? Or was that the name of something in nature? But I eventually caught on to the system. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves to read about prehistoric cultures. And even though I was able to understand everything in this book, I think reading the first four books would help you learn about the naming system and how the humans & animals could communicate, among other things about this culture. ( )

Oath Breaker
Michelle Paver

This book is the fifth in the series called Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. I haven’t read the first four books yet but after reading this one I will have to get my hands on the first four. This one is about a young boy named Torak who’s best friend Bale is killed (in the first few pages) and his quest to track down the killer and avenge his friends death. He feels guilty because he and Bale were supposed to keep watch together that night. They had a quarrel and Torak took off leaving Bale to keep watch alone which is when the killer struck. Now Bale’s spirit is appearing to him, condemning him because surely if they had been together they could have overcome the murderer. Torak along with his foster father, his foster father’s niece whom Torak is secretly in love with, a wolf and two ravens are hot on the trail of the killer. Their journey is full of danger at every turn and they run into some very strange characters along the way. This book is well worth reading and parts of the story are written from the perspective of the animals which is very unique. There is a lot of action throughout the book and it captures you from the beginning keeping you wrapped up in the story throughout the entire book. I can’t wait for the next book too come out but while I wait I’m going to go back and read the first four. ( )