Ask Michelle Anything!
Here are Michelle’s most recent answers to the questions and messages readers have submitted.
chronicles of ancient darkness series: the books of my childhood
faye writes...
Hi Michelle! I grew up reading your books from the age of eight to now eighteen and the wolf brother series is hands down one of the best i have ever read. I've always loved the idea of toraks world being adapted to a TV show, and I know there was a cancellation a couple years ago, but do you ever think an adaptation would be possible in the future? These books were my childhood, and I would love for the magic to carry to non book readers as well - they should all know Torak, Renn and Wolf!!
Michelle Replies...
Dear Faye, it's marvellous to hear that the stories saw you all the way into adulthood, and I love your phrase "the books of my childhood". As for any tv adaptation, I'm afraid your information is up to date: at the moment, it's not on the cards. If that chances, of course I'll post the news on my website. In the meantime, thanks for getting in touch - and may the guardian hunt with you! Best wishes, Michelle
Revisiting Gruhuken
Valda writes...
I love this book and always enjoy recommending it to other people, so as it’s hot and steamy in Suffolk, what could be better than (re) visiting Gruhuken with Jack and spending some time in the Arctic.
Michelle Replies...
Dear Valda, it must indeed be hot in Suffolk - it's getting pretty tropical where I am in south London - so what a great idea to tunnel down into some Arctic chill with Dark Matter! I love the picture, too. And for those who may not be familiar with that cover, it's one of the original book proofs (ie advance copies) from before the book was first published, fifteen years go. Thanks for reminding me of that, I must hunt out my copy. Enjoy your return to Gruhuken! With best wishes, Michelle
Loving the Wolf Brothers series
Briar writes...
I love the Wolf brother series. It changed my life. I’m currently on oathbreaker. It is my favorite series yet.
Michelle Replies...
Hello, Briar. It's brilliant that you're enjoying the books so much, and thanks a lot for letting me know! I hope you enjoy Oathbreaker as much as the previous stories, and that you also enjoy the ones after that: Ghost Hunter, Viper's Daughter, Skintaker and Wolfbane. May the guardian run with you! With very best wishes, Michelle
Superb: An early review of RAINFOREST from a reviewer who’s read the proof
Ryan writes...
Dear Michelle,
I hope this message finds you well and you are finding ways to stay cool during this heatwave we’re currently having!
I wanted to message to congratulate you on what a triumph RAINFOREST is. I was lucky enough to get a digital proof on NetGalley and of course I had to read it straight away without a moments notice and by GOD it was incredible. I loved every second. It came at the right moment as my partner, Josh, and I are in the middle of buying our first home together and it hasn’t been a very fun process and RAINFOREST allowed me to escape for a while!
Below is what I posted on NetGalley after finishing:
Phenomenal. All of the stars. Every single time I read a Michelle Paver book I am completely entranced. Sucked straight into the words and not let go until the very last page. This book took me completely unawares with its direction and I couldn’t have loved it more if I tried. I knew that it was going to be creepy but holy cow, the violence that lay within these pages was handled so well.
Simon is incredibly flawed. At times creepy, narcissistic and downright odd. He deeply mistrusts the local people of the part of the rainforest where he is working. He’s running away from his own demons back home in England. Demons of his own making that even now he just doesn’t seem to realise. And even now he just cannot let go of his obsessions. I liked that he was this way because you never once really feel for him. If anything I felt that the more he was haunted, the more comeuppance he was truly getting. His just desserts.
Written with consummate skill with gorgeous, often raw prose, and with a conclusion that made me physically shout out in horror, this was a joy and easily my top read of the year so far.
Every time I read one of her books it’s like coming home, and I am so grateful to have experienced that wonderful feeling once again! ♥️
-
Thank you for such an experience! Hoping I get to catch up with you at an event later in the year and get my copy signed!
Best wishes as always,
Ryan
Michelle Replies...
Dear Ryan, thanks so much for this - I think it's pretty much the first review for Rainforest - and I'm absolutely delighted that you liked it so much! I was also fascinated to hear your take on the hero, Simon. I suspect he's going to spark some interesting discussions among readers: some may empathise with him, while others probably won't. As always it'll be down to individual readers to make up their own minds, but I do find that fascinating. And above all, I'm glad that the story kept you hooked and that you enjoyed it! Thanks again for getting in touch. With very best wishes, Michelle
P.S. I should make clear to readers that you're one of the lucky ones who's been allowed to read Rainforest early; it's common practice for publishers to send reviewers and booksellers advance copies. I'm afraid the rest of my readers will have to wait till October when the book comes out.
Wakenhyrst
Lau writes...
I want to thank you for writing this novel. English is not my first language, nor am I from the UK, so it has been a truly enriching journey. It has been years since I’ve read with a dictionary in hand, and it has made me feel very rewarded. Furthermore, it has helped me connect with my dear aunt, who is also a big lover of gothic novels.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Michelle Replies...
"Dear Lau, thank you SO much for this! I'm delighted that you enjoyed Wakenhyrst so much, and I do admire your dedication in reading it with a dictionary in hand. Also, may I compliment you on your English: I would never have guessed that it wasn't your first language. Thank you again for such a lovely message.
With very best wishes,
Michelle
about you
Jan writes...
Hi my name is janice i am in primary school i am doing a school report about you I have a few questions
1.what is ur fav color
2.what challenges did u have to over come
3.what do you wish for to do in the future
ty this will help alot i couldn't find anything about these questions
Michelle Replies...
Hi, Janice. As you're written in text-speak, my answers are just as short: 1) Green. 2) Getting published. 3) Write. Regards, Michelle
Dark Matter and Thin Air – I want more books!
Pamela writes...
Hi,
I’ve recently read both Dark Matter and Thin Air and I am devastated you don’t have any more books along these lines. I genuinely don’t want to read anything else.
I absolutely loved everything about them: you’re writing style, the plot, the story telling, the atmosphere, the characters and all of the spooky parts were amazing.
I’m begging you to write more books like these. They’re beautiful.
I bought both on my Kindle but I loved them so much I’ll be buying the physical copies.
That’s it. I just wanted to beg you to write more books. Thank you for both of these books.
Michelle Replies...
Dear Pamela, what a brilliant message to receive, thank you! (And I find it particularly encouraging, as I'm writing while fighting off a nasty cold.) In fact you won't have too long to wait, as my new novel, RAINFOREST, comes out in early October. In the meantime, you might like my Gothic novel WAKENHYRST, which came out a few years ago. Many fans of DARK MATTER and THIN AIR have told me they enjoyed it - so maybe you will too! Thanks again for getting in touch. With very best wishes, Michelle
Clan guardians
Jasmyn writes...
Hi my names jasmyn and I have loved reading the chronicles of ancient darkness. I would like to ask you about clan guardians. Can your clan guardian be an animal that you are deeply connected too? Thanks, Jasmyn
Michelle Replies...
Hello again, Jasmyn, and thanks for this. You're quite right, your clan guardian can indeed be an animal to whom you feel deeply connected. In my previous answer about clans, I explained what a clan-creature is. Well, the clan guardian is like the special, spirit version of a clan-creature, which watches over members of that clan. You may never actually see it (although that's not impossible, and you might think you have, if your clan creature does something out of the ordinary) but that won't stop you asking it for help, or thanking it if good things happen. And you might dream about it, which might make you believe it had visited you in your sleep. The Raven Clan's clan guardian is of course a raven. But it's not one of the ravens which hang about camp, or tease wolf cubs; and when Renn sometimes refers to individual ravens as "little guardian", that's just a form of speech. She doesn't mean that they're actually the clan guardian. But she's always respectful to ravens, because they are her clan creature. If this all sounds rather vague and mysterious, that's because it is. Beliefs often are. But I hope it's helped you understand. And may your guardian hunt, run, swim or fly with you! With best wishes, Michelle
Can you have clans today? Can your clan be a bird or animal you feel connected to?
Jasmyn writes...
Can you have a clan today. Is a clan a bird or animal you are deeply connected too?Can that be your clan and guardian?
Michelle Replies...
What a fascinating question, Jasmyn, I don't think I've been asked that in quite the same way before. First, let's look at what we mean by a clan. In Torak's world, you're generally born into a certain clan: for instance, Fin-Kedinn was born to the Raven Clan. (To give a bit more detail, your clan is generally determined at birth by your mother, when she glimpses your clan-creature; usually it's either hers or her mate's, though not always.) Members of that clan respect their clan-creature and draw strength from it; and often they share some of its characteristics. In today's modern world, only a few people belong to clans in the sense that Torak's people do, and these tend to be people who still live in more traditional ways. An example would be the Haida First Nation of Canada, who have clans such as Wolf, Killer Whale, and so on. But leaving that aside, there's nothing to stop you choosing to regard yourself as part of a clan, particularly if you feel a deep connection to a specific animal, bird, or plant. And just as with Torak's people, you might find it helpful to think about what you especially like or admire about your chosen creature; and perhaps this will give you comfort and strength too. I hope that helps, and thank you for asking such an interesting question. May the guardian hunt with you! With very best wishes, Michelle
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness and growing up: how did you tackle the last three books?
Isabelle writes...
Hello, Michelle! Hope you’re doing well!
I fell in love with the Chronicles of Ancient Darkness books as a pre-teen and has since re-read them in about every stage of my life and each re-read gives new perspectives on the books as my own life experiences grow. For example, while as a kid, I despised Hord, as an adult, I can also feel empathy for him. Sure, he is vain, prideful and a bully but as someone who has gone through the teen years, I can also see how he is insecure, desperate to prove that he’s capable, perhaps even trying to gain the approval of his uncle who seems to be emotionally closer to Hord’s younger sister while navigating the complicated passage from being an adolescent to becoming a man. It also makes me wonder if Renn perhaps sees her brother differently as she gets older.
In the last three books Renn and Torak are practically adults (while in our times they would still be considered teenagers). How did you approach writing them as older and more mature while still maintaining the same target age group and rating? I think you balanced it really well without alienating neither the younger readers nor the older. Were there any themes you had to leave out to maintain that balance?
Michelle Replies...
Thanks so much for this, Isabelle. I'm delighted that you've found different things in the books at different stages of your life, and I love your insights into Hord; I think that shows great empathy on your part. As for the last three books (Viper's Daughter, Skintaker & Wolf Bane), it was hard to find the right balance between showing that Torak and Renn are (in Stone Age terms) adults, albeit young ones, without alienating younger readers. But as with all writing, that was largely a matter of trial and error, and endless re-writing! I'm glad you think that I struck the right balance. I don't recall deliberately avoiding any themes, becaue I don't believe in doing that. It was more a question of dealing sensitively with those that arose. Thanks so much for such great questions! With very best wishes, Michelle