|
Michelle's imagination is
boundless, yet it is tempered by a factual accuracy.
She knows what it was like to eat before cooking had been
invented. She understands the rituals of a world
before religion was defined. She knows exactly what her people would wear, where they lived and
how the earliest human clans organised themselves. For Soul Eater,
set in the frozen landscapes of glaciers, snow and ice, she
researched life as it is currently lived by arctic tribes, with whom
she hunted for seals, encountered wild polar bears and learnt how to
strike fire from flint and tinder. Everything seems authentic, yet
is presented in a matter-of-fact style with the skill of a born
story-teller. In my experience, these books are uniquely exciting
because the characters are so believable, with danger ever present
from the weather and the wild animals and, of course, the human
villains. I won't spoil the thrill by telling you more
-- read the
books for yourself and if you have a long car journey planned, take
along the CD's and let me introduce you to Torak, Renn, and Wolf
himself. Most special of all is the way Michelle gets beneath their
skins. Unlike the anthropomorphic nonsense of so many books featuring animals,
Soul Eater and the two previous
stories explain how Wolf thinks and communicates. Oh, it is a magical
achievement. It is a big responsibility discovering the voices of
Michelle's characters, particularly as she likes to attend
recordings which each year have been directed by the actor Garrick
Hagon. Michelle behaves a little like a clan mother, supervising our
lunches during the hour's break. We completed the "lightly abridged" 260 pages of
Soul Eater in just two 9-hour days. Next year -- and the 4th book is already plotted and half-written --
I'm going to beg Orion to give us another day in the studio, so
there will be more time to chat with Michelle between takes and hear
more of her travels researching the world of 6000 years ago. I can't
wait. -- Ian McKellen, August 2006
More McKellen Audio
|
