Soul Eater is the third book of six in Michelle Paver’s Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. Soul Eater sees Torak crossing the frozen lands of the Far North in search of his beloved companion Wolf who has been captured by an unknown evil. While there, Torak will confront the Soul Eaters - dark mages who each had a part to play in his father’s death - and make choices that could lead him to break clan law.
Michelle Paver Introduces the Mysterious and Evil Soul Eaters
As the title suggests, Soul Eater centers on the group of clan mages who, long ago, threatened to unleash the world of demons on the planet and to claim power for themselves as the Soul Eaters. Torak is still reeling from the revelation that his father was once a part of that evil group, and also dealing with the knowledge of his own power, his ability to spirit walk, which is highly coveted by the Soul Eaters.
The Soul Eaters make for suitably unsettling and complex villains, and while many writers would struggle to keep up to the demands of such a large cast of characters, author Michelle Paver manages to make each of the dark mages distinct and menacing in their own right, from the gorgeous snake like Viper Mage that is Seshru, to the huge, brutish figure that is the Oak Mage, Thiazzi.
This distinction between characters is especially rewarding as Paver includes back-story that draws on events from previous titles Wolf Brother and Spirit Walker, expanding on the rich history that the author has created for her ancient world. Moreover, Michelle Paver uses Soul Eater as a chance to explore the unique culture of the clans of the Far North including the intriguing White Fox clan.
The Development of Renn and Wolf in Soul Eater
The pattern of events in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series is, by this third installment, firmly established: Torak is isolated from his friends, whether by outward circumstances or through his own need to protect the others from the dangers that he must face. Rather than this being tiresome, author Michelle Paver uses this opportunity to flesh out the supporting characters of Renn and Wolf yet further still.
Renn, who rallies against becoming the Raven Clan Mage, is forced to overcome her own fears as she fights to save Torak from the Soul Eaters. Renn displays a will of steel to help Torak and save the world, risking her own life in the process. Similarly, by making Wolf a captive of the Soul Eaters, author Michelle Paver is able to establish differences between Wolf and Torak that will become important later in the series.
The Mark of the Soul Eater and the Future of the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Series
Soul Eater is a brilliant follow up to Michelle Paver’s previous novels Wolf Brother and Spirit Walker. Paver’s beautiful storytelling is underpinned by a flare for non-stop dramatic pace, and while Soul Eater is a markedly different novel from the first two, with more exposition than in previous novels, every detail is rewarding.
Just as Soul Eater sees Torak forever altered by his meeting with the renegade mages, Soul Eater will also etch itself into the reader’s memory as a tale of haunting beauty. Author Michelle Paver captures the loneliness of emerging adolescence with her effortless prose and explores it with sensitivity and flare.
Paver then layers these themes together and builds to a rewarding end that allows for the repercussions of Torak’s meeting with the Soul Eaters to cast a chilling prelude to the events of the next novel in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, Outcast, where Torak, a young man who is used to being the hunter, will now become the hunted.
Previous Installments in the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Series:
(272 pages; Publisher: Orion Childrens; Date: 6 Sep 2006; ISBN-10:1842551728; ISBN-13: 978-1842551721)
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