When he was outcast, Torak was the hunted one.
The following spring, he becomes the hunter when he swears to avenge the killing of one of his closest friends. To fulfil his oath he must brave the hidden valleys of the Deep Forest, where the clans have reverted to the savagery of an earlier time. Here, Torak finally learns why he is the Spirit Walker – and discovers the true cost of revenge…
“It outclasses Call Of The Wild and The Jungle Book in the pace of its plot, and its sympathetically imagined characters”
“The tension shows no sign of flagging and the writing remains as taut and evocative of another age and another world”
The Times
“When I first read Wolf Brother, I thought WOW, this is seriously good. I’ve collected and read all the books since, and I’m over halfway through Oathbreaker. And it’s brilliant. I’ll try not to give out too many spoilers, but this is one of the darkest instalments so far, with Torak desperate for revenge after one of his closest friends is murdered by the Soul-Eaters. There’s no hanging around in the story, already there’s a huge amount of action before you’ve even finished the second chapter. The Deep Forest is also beautifully described in great detail, plus the character’s emotions have become far more complex and it’s easier to feel strong sympathy or hate towards them. If you liked the first four, you’ll definitely love this one. It has to be the must-have book of the year.”
“Dazzling entertainment… seamless storytelling.”
Notes
“I’d read somewhere that in Europe (as opposed to North America), beavers don’t build lodges in their dams, and I found this a bit annoying, because I’d always wanted to write an episode in which Torak hides out in a beaver lodge. But then, on a research trip to eastern Poland, my guide took me to see two splendid beaver-built dams – and there, bang slap in the middle of both of them, was an enormous beaver lodge. I told my guide what the book had said, and he said drily, “Well it looks like nobody’s told the beavers”. This is why, in OATH BREAKER, Torak finally gets to hide out in a beaver lodge. And it just goes to show that even the best natural history books may not be one hundred per cent correct. Because animals have a way of springing surprises.”