Archive for October 2010
From Africa to Wimbledon & Beyond…
Michelle was born in Nyasaland (now Malawi), where her South African father ran the tiny Nyasaland Times, and her Belgian mother wrote a weekly gossip column. But the days of genteel colonial society were numbered, and in 1963 the family moved to England, where she was educated in Wimbledon and at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.…
Read MoreSpirit Walker
In Spirit Walker, a horrible sickness attacks the Clans, and Torak has to find the cure. His search takes him across the Sea to the islands of the Seal Clan, where he encounters demons and killer whales, and gets closer to uncovering the truth behind his father’s death, as well as learning of his own…
Read MoreIn The Studio With Ian McKellen
It was one of those amazingly lucky chances. Just after I’d finished WOLF BROTHER, my agent was at a drinks party, where he encountered Ian McKellen. They talked a bit about the book, a copy was subsequently sent round, and a few days later, Ian said he’d be interested in reading the audio book. I…
Read MoreTop 10 Books About The Natural World
This is an eclectic list of books which have in some way influenced my writing, and/or how I perceive the natural world. All are beautifully written. If you don’t know them, I’d urge you to try one or two. 1. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling Fresh, vivid and unpatronizing, this is the most marvellous…
Read MoreWolf Brother
Six thousand years ago. Evil stalks the land. Only twelve-year-old Torak and his wolf-cub companion can defeat it. Their journey together takes them through deep forests, across giant glaciers, and into dangers they never imagined. In this page-turning, original, and spectacularly told adventure story, Torak and Wolf are joined by an incredible cast of characters…
Read MoreThe Writer’s Life
What made Michelle start writing? What other jobs has she done? Why can’t she whistle? You can find answers to these and many more things you never knew about Michelle in this, the most comprehensive collection of interview questions and answers about her ever assembled! So – what made you start writing? I wrote my…
Read MoreQueen Of The Stone Age
Michelle is interviewed by Stephen Moss for The G2 section of The Guardian. Michelle Paver is sparkier and less diffident than I recall. We originally met in 2004, when Wolf Brother, the first of her bestselling series of children’s novels about stone-age life, appeared. Outcast, number four of a planned six, is published this week,…
Read MoreTop 10 Books About Archaeology & Anthropology
1. The Mind in the Cave by David Lewis-Williams A persuasive account of the origins and purpose of the great cave-paintings of western Europe. Drawing evidence from neurology, anthropology and archaeology, Lewis-Williams proposes that the ancient shamans entered caves in order to interact with the spirit world. The walls of the caves were perceived as…
Read MoreThe Serpent’s Tooth
Since she was twelve years old, Belle has lived with a secret – a secret which cuts her off from her family, and isolates her wherever she goes. Against the unfolding horror of the Great War, her search for peace takes her from the brittle gaiety of English country house society to the remote Scottish…
Read MoreFever Hill
Nothing about Sophie Monroe is ‘appropriate’. She’s too outspoken, too determined, and her childhood hero, Ben Kelly, grew up in appalling poverty in the London slums. Her only haven is Eden, the hauntingly beautiful plantation in Jamaica, where her sister Madeleine leads a charmed existence with her husband and children. But when Sophie returns from…
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