Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver

The Blurb On The Back:

Torak is alone ... wounded, terrified, and on the run. An outcast like his father, he has avoided all contact with the clans. But now his father lies dead: slaughtered by a demon in the form of a great bear.

Somehow, Torak must keep going. His only ally is an orphaned wolf cub ...

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Very nicely done and I'm interested in knowing where Paver will take the series. Definitely a book that children will enjoy.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

The Blurb On The Back:

"Excuse me, sir, but may I be of assistance? Ah, I see I have alarmed you. Do not be frightened by my beard. I am a lover of America ..."

So speaks the mysterious stranger at a Lahore cafe as dusk settles. Invited to join him for tea, you learn his name and what led this speaker of immaculate English to seek you out. For he is more worldly than you might expect; better travelled and better educated. He knows the West better than you do. And as he tells you his story, of how he embraced the Western dream - and a Western woman - and how both betrayed him, so the night darkens. Then the true reason for your meeting becomes abundently clear ...

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Far too slight and incredibly superficial. I felt that this didn't really have anything of interest to say about Muslims living in the West and the open-ending feels like a cheap device aimed at creating a tension that has not been earned.