Driven north as an embittered young man, the eponymous Elias Martin becomes even harder and more bitter as he struggles to survive the perils of a cold, unforgiving world. A fur trapper who considers every kill a blow for survival, a victory against an uncaring world, Elias has no room in his heart for softer emotions. Until, that is, a mysterious young girl shows up outside his shack one wintry day, and he unexpectedly takes her in, beginning to raise her as his own. Birch is awake to the beauty of the world, and she awakens Elias as well. But when a wolverine strikes, Elias' determination to kill this rival for their food source leads to the loss of the only meaningful thing in his life...

The fourth book in British author Nicola Davies' immensely powerful Shadows and Light collection, which offers fantastic original stories intended to "explore the deeper, darker side of our connection with the natural world," Elias Martin is a heartbreaking book, one whose pathos is not at all diminished by the inevitability of its tragic end. I read the second half of the story with a knot in my stomach, fulling expecting the loss that Elias suffered, but despite my foreknowledge, the blow was not softened. Davies is a marvelous writer, and the text here is poetic and powerful. The artwork by Fran Shum, which looks almost etching-like in style, perfectly captures the harshness and beauty of the world around Elias. I picked this one up with the impression that it was the last of a four-book series, but I see from the back matter that two more titles are in the offing - Bee Boy and the Moonflowers and The Eel Question. This is all to the good, as I have greatly enjoyed all four titles thus far published, and heartily recommend them to any young reader who has a taste for folktale-style fiction. The themes can be quite dark, but the writing is superb and the artwork beautiful. ( )