"Again the forest shook. Again came his father's cry. Then Suddenly it broke off. Torak jammed his fist in his mouth. Through the trees he glimpsed a great dark shadow in the wreck of the shelter. He turned and ran."

Torak's father is dead. Killed by the hideous bear. Torak must run. Run from the bear, and run to complete the oath he promised his father. He is wounded, weak, cold and his only companion is a small wolf cub. There is little hope.

Following Torak's journey to fulfill the oath is extremely exciting. With a new twist and turn on every page, it must be one of the most gripping books I have ever read. It really is brilliant.

I think anyone from 11-14 would enjoy it, and luckily it is the first book in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. I can't wait for the next! 10/10.

Torak is a boy, alone, in a Northern European forest, 6000 years ago. He is on the run from a demon-possessed bear, and is separated from his tribe. He must survive dangers and fulfil the oath he made to his dead father. He needs an ally to trust – and meets an orphaned wolf cub….

This tremendous book is thrilling and gripping, and I really got into it. It combines physical and mental difficulties to be overcome, and a need to communicate simple things. Here and there we slip into the mind of Wolf, and glimpse the gap of understanding, and new ways of looking at things such as fire and spears. Torak is a normal adolescent boy in a setting we have never experienced, though the clan magic (which is very dark, real and ambiguous– no Harry Potter style here) is based on what has been discovered about the time. The author has spent time living and surviving in the forests of Finland and Japan, in order to experience and discover its secrets and mysteries. This could be why the book feels so believable as you read it.

This excellent book is for readers over 10, and I think boys would relate to it most, although girls with a fairly strong stomach would find it compelling too.