Chronicles of Ancient Darkness: Outcast by Michelle Paver

Tarok is born of a man of the Wolf-Clan, but his father, a mage, was seduced into the ranks of the Soul-Eaters, but did so to steal the great Opal that gave them their power and break it. Tarok never knew any of this, but grew up mostly on his own, save for his friend and companion, Wolf.

Tarok was kidnapped and initiated himself after having been adopted into the Raven tribe, but the tattoo of the Soul-Eaters means that he has been having to hide it from the rest of the tribe, lest they throw him out. He hasn't even been able to tell Renn, his closest friend, because he's afraid of what she will say.

But when Aki, one of the Raven tribe and a bully, tries to get to fight Torak, his secret is revealed. The Tribe isolates him until they can hold a meeting. Perhaps one of his clan, the Wolf-clan, will speak for him. Despite being forbidden from speaking to him, Renn lets him know that there is a rite that would let him cut away the tattoo and be rid of it. If he just tries to cut it away, without the rite, it would come back as the skin and flesh healed. But she doesn't know the whole rite. Maybe she can find out from the Tribe's mage.

When the meeting is called, many in the tribe speak out against Torak, despite the fact that he saved them numerous times. The Wolf-Clan do arrive, but cannot speak for Torak. Despite what he has long believed, he is not Wolf-clan. His scar through part of the tattoos means his mother denied him of being of that clan. He is actually clanless.

Torak is thrown out of the Raven Clan, his possessions burned. At first, he hopes that he can cut away the tattoo, prove himself, and be re-admitted fo the clan, but those hopes are dashed, time and again. Renn helps him when she can, but Torak finally decides to strike out on his own. His link with the forest quickly deserts him, and he forgets everything he knew, becoming completely afraid of the forest and all its creatures, including Wolf.

But Renn has magic, and she and Tarok's relative Bale, of the Seal-Clan go in search of him, convinced he is spirit-sick. She works a magic on his behalf and two baby ravens fall out of a tree on his shelter. He is scared of them at first and ready to kill and eat them, but he soon realizes that they are scared of him, and he starts to recover.

But spirit-sickness is the least of his problems. A Soul-Eater, Seshru the Poison Mage, has her eye on Torak and is slowly drawing him into her trap. Can Renn, Bale and Torak find a way to end her menace and save the Otter people and the rest of the forest tribes before a great disaster initiated by Seshru overtakes them all? And how can Torak find a way to be re-accepted by the tribes if he has been declared clanless? Will he ever be able to overcome the stigma of the Soul-Eater tattoo he was forced to bear?

This book is set in the prehistoric times, but in no specific place. It may be the Pacific Northwest or somewhere in Canada. Either of the two is possible, given the setting we can see. Men live a hunter-gatherer type existence, but even now, evil stalks them. Torak has been thrown into a life of defending humans from these evils, evils even his father fell prey to. Torak's father may be gone, but he continues to influence Torak's life.

This book is the most stunning in the series so far. Torak is cast out from the people he has known and must survive on his own. But evil is still stalking him, and the evil magic around him causes his soul-sickness that is only cured by Renn's magic. But Renn has a secret, too, and she pays for her short-lived rejection of Torak when she finds out about his Soul-Eater Tattoo.

I found this to be a wonderful book, and well-suited for older children and younger teens. Even older teens will find this book good, especially if they enjoy fantasy or fantasy-esque books. While the story is fantasy, it is gripping, and you really feel for Torak, being shunned by the people who had adopted him *and* the people who he was born into, Surviving on your own is never an easy prospect, and Torak's struggle shows how hard it is. An excellent book, well worth the reading.