By Michelle Paver (author) Part of the Wolf Brother series
"Eighth epic story of Stone Age survival and spirit magic in the 2nd gen Wolf Brother series"
Paperback In Stock £7.99 £7.19
View All Editions (3)
April 2021 Book of the Month
Michelle Paver has done it again in the eighth book in her epic, emotional Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Stone Age series that began with Wolf Brother. Skin Taker reels with a rollercoaster sense of adventure, shadowy atmosphere and an infectious spirit of survival as Torak, Renn and Wolf must find new ways to exist during the midwinter Dark Time, when new dangers are awoken and devastation looms.
Torak remains the brave, brash protagonist readers have long known and admired, yet his character has been deftly developed too, and he’s here presented with fierce challenges - and responses - that befit his experiences. Though its setting is aeons ago, and though Torak’s world is suffused in otherworldly spirit magic, Paver has a remarkable skill for making her stories richly relatable. The emotional dilemmas and relationships have resonance; the detail and atmosphere of the natural world are truly tangible, and what an exhilarating immersion in the wild this offers adventure-seeking readers.
Read a Q&A with Michelle Paver about Viper's Daughter, as she returned to the Wolf Brother series after over a decade.
Run wild with Wolf Brother in a Stone Age world we all want to be a part of with million-copy-selling author, Michelle Paver.
Read the full description
Danger, magic and non-stop adventure await Torak, Renn and Wolf. The Clans will be tested as never before, as they battle to find ways to survive and thrive in their beloved Forest.
In the Dark Time of midwinter, disaster strikes the Forest. Chaos rules. Bears woken from their dens prowl the shadowy valleys. Desperate clans battle for survival. Only demons thrive. With their world in turmoil, Torak, Renn and Wolf are tested as never before. And as a new evil haunts the devastated land, Torak must risk his sanity, his life and even his souls to save everything he loves...
Skin Taker carries you back to the Stone Age, to nature, drawing you deeper into an astonishing environment and adventure which began with Wolf Brother and has captivated millions of readers.
Praise for Viper's Daughter;
'Meticulously researched, atmospheric [...] and relentless, this instalment deservedly introduces Paver to a new generation of readers' Guardian
'What rich, dazzling, immersive storytelling. The landscape was so bright the light left me blinking, the details as sharp as a carved bone needle. To journey with Torak and Renn, and Wolf, whose ears were so keen he could hear the clouds pass, was an absolute privilege. The best book I have read this year by a country mile' Hilary McKay, author of The Skylarks' War
'It was such a thrill to revisit Torak, Wolf and Renn's world. I was enthralled from start to finish. Viper's Daughter is sharp, striking, and loaded with the wisdom of the deep past. I am in awe of Paver's accomplishment' Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs
'Michelle Paver is a writer of extraordinary talent. I was enthralled, from start to finish. The storytelling was every bit as vivid and immersive as I remembered ... Michelle is in a league of her own with this series and what luck for us all that she hasn't finished with Torak, Renn and Wolf's world yet' Abi Elphinstone, author of Rumblestar
'Skillful, satisfying, and minutely researched, this powerful evocation of an ancient world is vivid in its imagery and captivating in its excitement' Adrienne Byrne, Muswell Hill Children's Bookshop
Born in Malawi in 1960 to a Belgian mother and a father who ran the tiny 'NYASALAND TIMES', Michelle Paver moved to the UK when she was three. She was brought up in Wimbledon and, following a Biochemistry Degree from Oxford, she became a partner in a big City law firm. She gave up the City to follow her long-held dream of becoming a writer. She is the author of the brilliantly successful children's series, THE CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS, the final book of which won the 2010 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize.
An Interview with Michelle Paver What’s the first book you remember reading? The first book I remember looking at was a big illustrated book about Stone Age people, although at the time I was too young to read the captions. Two of the first books I actually read were Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson, and a terrifically exciting adventure about a horse, called The Sagebrush Sorrel. I’ve still got all three books. What’s the greatest influence on your writing? Concerning literary influences, I’d name two principal ones: J.R.R. Tolkien, who inspired a lifelong love of myth and Anglo-Saxon and Norse literature, and who also deepened my appreciation for trees and forests; and Anthony Trollope, whose page-turning novels taught me much about storytelling. Concerning non-literary influences, I’d have to name my parents, who ensured that I grew up surrounded by books (despite not having much money at the time), and who always encouraged me to follow my interests and take risks, while somehow managing to instill a bit of commonsense about how far to go! Typewriter, Word Processor, or pen? I scribble the first version of each chapter on a pad with a rollerball pen, but it’s such a scrawl that I can only read it while it’s still fresh in my mind, so I try to type it onto the wordprocessor on the same day. Then I go over it a few times on the computer before moving on to the next chapter, and so on. Name your favourite literary hero and villain They change from time to time, but here are the ones that have lasted. For heroes, it’s Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings and Hector from The Iliad. For villains, it’s Dracula (the Bram Stoker one, of course), and Stavrogin from The Devils. Where were you born and raised? I was born in Nyasaland (now Malawi), but came to England when I was small, and lived in Essex till I was eight, when we moved to Wimbledon. Apart from a couple of years in central London, I’ve lived there ever since. Did you enjoy school? What is your most vivid memory of your school years? In the main I did, but my most vivid memory concerns my one bad year. When I was about eleven, a new girl joined the class and took such a dislike to me that she got everyone else to gang up against me. It doesn’t sound too bad, but it was miserable and very lonely to go through. My mother told me to ignore the lot of them, which I did – and after a pretty rough year, the ringleader left, and things drifted back to normal. But I’ve never forgotten it. And it probably helped make me a writer, because for that year, I retreated into my imagination. What were the first pieces of writing that you produced? I wrote my first stories on my mother’s typewriter when I was five. I’ve still got some of them. One was about a rabbit called Hamish and a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Another, Ebany the Mouse Goddess, concerned a tribe of mice who burrowed to safety beneath an oncoming glacier. At school I wrote several plays, including one about the murder of Tutankhamun, and another about a family of cavemen. What jobs did you have before you started writing? I worked as a solicitor in the City for thirteen years: lots of all-nighters and weekends in the office. The challenge made it fun for a while, but that soon palled. I don’t miss it at all. If your house was burning down what would you save? Nothing. I’d just try to get out alive. (And lest anyone think me callous, I should add that I don’t have any pets!)
Click here to read more about Michelle Paver and The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness:
And you can keep in touch with Michelle through Michelle LIVE! – her monthly show on YouTube. You can send her a question in advance, or post a comment on Twitter, YouTube or Instagram live during the show itself!
We've got some great stuff related to this book in our KidsZone. Head over there and check it out now.
Wolf Brother - The Legend Returns
the best books for 9-12 year olds
Five Children on the Western Front
The Acrobats of Agra
This is an excellent book filled with chaos and turmoil as Torak risks everything to save the whole world. I had never read Michelle Paver's books before but as soon as I finished Skin Taker, I was desperate to read more of her work.
This is an excellent book filled with chaos and turmoil as Torak risks everything to save the whole world. As demons begin to thrive, yet again the clans battle for survival. Though the Victor will have nothing if they do not unite.
I had never read Michelle Paver's books before but as soon as I finished Skin Taker , I was desperate to read more of her work. She has a specific style of writing that entrances the reader and really makes you're feel like you're part of it. I loved the attention to nature and its creatures as you will notice entwined in the story.
My favourite part was when Torak spirit walked.... Read Full Review
It’s really good to be back in this world again and join the characters in their next adventure. This story is about a major event which affects all the clans, will they be able to survive?
I really like the Wolf Brother series. We read the first one together at school and that’s how I got into them.
I like the way that Michelle Paver writes. Sometimes it’s not in full sentences but I think that helps with the speed and the mood of the story.
Throughout this series I have learnt lots of things about how people lived at this time and the different challenges that they face. I adore Wolf and wish he was my pack brother. I like it when the writing is from his point of view and the way he describes different things, like the ice and snow. I think Michelle works really hard at researching and helping us to feel the way the characters are feeling.... Read Full Review
Having read all the books in the series previously, I was already familiar with the lives of Torak, Renn and Wolf but this adventure was brought to the next level.
When the thunderstar strikes and the forest gets destroyed Torak, Renn and Wolf have to find the four sacred crystals to bring back the first tree (Northern Lights) to restore peace to the chaotic land. A supposedly dead enemy returns to the deep forest and begins to assemble their army of “Chosen Ones” striking fear into the hearts of the remaining members of the deep forest clans.... Read Full Review
Run wild with Wolf Brother in a Stone Age world we all want to be a part of with million-copy-selling author, Michelle Paver. Danger, magic and non-stop adventure await Torak, Renn and Wolf.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Skin Taker and determined it is suitable for children aged 9-12 years old
Skin Taker features in the following genres: Adventure Stories, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Books of the Month, Recommendations, Fantasy / Magical, Featured Books for 9+ readers, Historical Fiction, Books Reviewed by our Reader Review Panels, Featured Books for 11+ readers
Paperback, Hardback. £7.19, down from the £7.99 cover price. In Stock.
Skin Taker was written by Michelle Paver and published by Zephyr an imprint of Head of Zeus
Skin Taker has 289 pages
Yes it is part of Wolf Brother series
£7.19, reduced from £7.99. In Stock.
©PTC International Ltd T/A LoveReading is registered in England. Company number: 10193437. VAT number: 270 4538 09. Registered address: 157 Shooters Hill, London, SE18 3HP. Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer
The National Year of Reading starts here. Join thousands of families and schools supporting reading for pleasure across the UK.