Michelle Paver is a highly acclaimed British author, well-known for her work in children's literature, particularly the fantasy, historical fiction, and horror genres. She was born on September 7, 1960, in Malawi, Central Africa, where her father was a South African citizen and her mother was of Belgian descent. The owner of a local newspaper agency, the Nyasaland Times, Paver's family moved to Wimbledon, England when she was just three years old.
Paver's professional journey began in law, after earning a degree in biochemistry from Oxford University. She became a partner in a city law firm but eventually left to pursue her long-held dream of becoming a writer. Her first books for younger readers, The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, became a massive success, leading to the series' final installment winning the Children's Fiction Prize. The series, which includes "Wolf Brother," is a historical fantasy set in Europe's pre-agricultural Stone Age.
In addition to The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, Paver has written two other novel series, the Daughters of Eden series and the Gods & Warriors series. She has also authored several ghost stories, including "Dark Matter," "Thin Air," and "Wakenhyrst," which have received widespread critical acclaim. Paver's writing is informed by her lifelong passion for animals, anthropology, and the distant past, with her research taking her to remote locations around the world. To write The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness, she traveled to Finland, Greenland, Sweden, Norway, Arctic Canada, and the Carpathian Mountains. She has also had close encounters with wildlife, including swimming with wild orca and getting nose-to-nose with polar bears and wolves. Paver's latest project is the continuation of her beloved Wolf Brother series, much to the delight of her many fans.