Aly writes...

Hi Michelle. I have just re read Dark Matter and Thin Air for the third time over the Christmas period. Are you planning on writing anymore books like this? Also Wakenhyrst is another favourite. Anything else along those lines planned?

Happy New Year.

Aly Clarke, Norfolk, England.

Michelle Replies...

Dear Aly, Thanks so much for your message; and what a great time to read - sorry, re-read - my two ghost stories!  Yes, I do indeed plan to write more of them, and have several ideas to work on.  The next one is set in a rainforest, but I'm afraid I can't tell you more than that right now.  As and when there's a publication date, I'll post details on my website.  Best wishes, Michelle

Regina writes...

Dear Michelle,
My son loves your books and reads them in English, and he would also love to read them in French language as well (he went to French Immersion school in Canada).
We are trying to find Wolf Brothers series in French all over the web with no luck, no e-book or physical books available any more.
Do you know where and when we could purchase this series in French?
Sincerely,
Regina

Michelle Replies...

Dear Regina, It's great that your son loves my Wolf Brother books, but I'm afraid that I'm in no better position than you about finding copies of the French translations.  I'd suggest abe.co, or another similar website for finding secondhand books, if you haven't already looked at them.  And I'm sorry to say that the final three books (Viper's Daughter, Skin Taker, and Wolf Bane) haven't been translated into French.  Sorry I can't be of help - and good luck in your search!  With best wishes, Michelle

Gianluca writes...

Buongiorno,
Vorrei anzitutto ringraziarti per il tuo libro "La magia del lupo", l'ho trovato genuino ed incantevole.
Mi ha fatto tornare bambino, a sognare la magia di vivere nella foresta oltre che di comprenderne il linguaggio della stessa.
Ho 33 anni, quindi non sono proprio un bambino...Eppure sono tornato a sognare, con leggerezza.
GRAZIE!
Mi chiedo se tu conosca qualcuno che possa darmi la possibilità di vedere da vicino i comportamenti di un branco, magari tramite un biologo o un etologo.
E' un'esperienza che desidererei molto.
Non importa quanto tempo e quali siano le condizioni, mi piacerebbe vivere un'esperienza del genere e ho pensato che grazie ai tuoi studi e al tuo percorso per scrivere i romanzi, tu abbia queste informazioni.
Grazie in anticipo per la tua amicizia e gentilezza,

Gianluca

Good morning
First of all I would like to thank you for your book "The Magic of the Wolf", I found it genuine and enchanting.
It made me feel like a child again, dreaming of the magic of living in the forest as well as understanding its language.
I'm 33 years old, so I'm not really a kid... And yet I went back to dreaming, lightly.
THANK YOU!
I wonder if you know anyone who can give me the opportunity to see the behaviors of a herd up close, perhaps through a biologist or an ethologist.
It's an experience I would really like.
No matter how long and what the conditions are, I would love to have such an experience and I thought that thanks to your studies and your path to writing novels, you have this information.
Thank you in advance for your friendship and kindness,

Gianluca

Michelle Replies...

Buongiorno, GianLuca, and I'm delighted that you enjoyed "La Magia del Lupo"  so much! If I understand you correctly, you'd love to see a wolf pack close up.  I'm afraid it's very hard to observe wolves in the wild, because we've hunted them for so long that they make sure they're not seen - and they're extremely good at that.  Of course there are wildlife reserves where w0lf packs aren't hunted, so that would be your best chance of seeing them in the wild - although even there, it is largely a matter of luck.  I haven't myself seen pack behaviour in the wild, although I have come across many wolf tracks, and heard them howling, which was magical.  My own wolf research was all done at a local wolf conservation charity in England, where the wolves were kept in large, wooded enclosures, and were used to seeing people - although they definitely weren't tame.  (For more information on that, see the Author's Note at the back of my books; although I'm afraid that the charity in question has now closed to the public.)  There may well be such charities or reserves in Italy or elswhere in Europe; you might be able to find something online.  And although it wouldn't be as amazing as seeing them in the wild, you would definitely see lots of wolf interactions and behaviours.  In my own research, I found that the more frequently I visited and got to know the individual wolves, the more interesting they became, as I kept seeing odd little habits and behaviours.  I'm sorry I can't be more definite, but I hope I've helped a bit, and that you get to see some wolves soon!  With best wishes, Michelle

Graham writes...

Michelle seems to have a great skill in researching the background to each of her novels and making sure the readers find themselves fully engrossed in that background as well as enjoying the story she weaves into it. "Thin Air" is no exception in this regard.

I know nothing about mountaineering, and as I am not at all a sporty person it is not something that particularly interests me. More power to Michelle’s elbow, then that she had me gripped from the beginning to the end of this novel, enjoying all that mountaineering background. Everything from the scenery, the technical side of the sport, and the medical background was covered brilliantly. Also, the dating was covered very well too, with the rather racist attitudes of the time (early 20th century) coming through in the language used by the main characters.

The interpersonal relationships, which actually are probably extremely important during a climb, were covered extremely well. This was particularly the case with the narrator, Dr Pearce, and his brother Kits.

All of this ignores the fact that “Thin Air” is actually a ghost story. And I think it ignores it deliberately. Most ghost stories would focus on the ghostly encounter itself, with everything else being background. But I found the mountaineering itself, the description of the locations, and the interpersonal relations of the climbers filled most of the novel, with the ghost story almost being just an overlay. Which worked, for me, extremely well.

As I found was the case with Michelle’s “Wakenhyrst”, there is an element to the ending which you could take as questioning whether it really ends the way you are led to believe it does. It is even more subtle here, and I believe most readers would accept the ending as stated. But my rampant imagination enjoyed playing with the idea that it really ended very differently. I will not spoil your reading by saying any more!

An engrossing read, which is what I have come to expect from Michelle Paver.

Michelle Replies...

And again, thank you, Graham, for that very nice review of Thin Air.  I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!  With best wishes, Michelle

Graham writes...

I have just written for Goodreads a review of your wonderful book Wakenhyrst and thought you might like to read it, so here it is:

This novel combines gothic horror, ancient fenland folklore, and the social history of the fens. It also depicts very well how women in the early 20th century (as in many other periods too) were downtrodden and mistreated, how the “under classes” were, like the women, either ignored or badly treated, and how children had to behave impeccably or suffer the consequences.

It is very well written in thriller style, making you eager to turn the next page and find out what happens next. In doing so you also imbibe all that mixed factual material about the fens and mediaeval history.

The novel leaves you wondering throughout whether what is happening is the result of mental instability or if there really are demons working behind the scenes. When you finish you initially feel it is all down to the former. But then you may, like me, feel a slight flutter suggesting perhaps there was a little more to it after all.

A good read!

Michelle Replies...

Dear Graham, I've just got home and read your marvellous message.  Thank you SO much - not only for the brilliant review, but also for letting me know about it via your posting; that was really thoughtful, and I do appreciate it.  Most of all, though, I'm simply delighted that you enjoyed the book; and I'm particularly pleased that I managed to leave you with that "slight flutter" of doubt about demons, after you'd finished.  Thanks again.  With very best wishes, Michelle