Warriors (book series)
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Warriors is a series of fantasy novels written by Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, under the pen name Erin Hunter, with the ideas of their editor Victoria Holmes. The books detail the adventures of four Clans living together in a forest. These cats believe in an afterlife, wherein they go to StarClan, a massive Clan consisting of the dead of all four Clans. While this series follows all four Clans, it pays the most attention to ThunderClan, where most of the main characters come from.
The first series was published in 2003, beginning with Into the Wild. The second series was written under the title Warriors: The New Prophecy and published in 2005. The first book of the third series, Warriors: The Power of Three, and two more books, Firestar's Quest and Secrets of the Clans, are due to be released in 2007.[1] A three volume manga series is coming as well. The title of the first volume is The Lost Warrior. [2]
In recent days, Twilight has made an appearance on the National Independent Children's Bestseller List in a higher slot than Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This has led to the faulty popular brag in the Fandom that Erin Hunter has outsold JK Rowlings. According to the article Moving On Up there are 1.5 Million copies of the combined Warriors works in print, while Bookcritics Magazine reports that there are 120 Million copies of the Harry Potter works in print.
Contents |
[edit] Original Warriors
[edit] Into the Wild
Into the Wild is the first title in the Warriors series. It sets off the entire series with the introduction of Rusty, a housecat ("kittypet" by the Clan cats). Rusty wanders off beyond the boundaries of his house and is found by Graypaw, a forest cat from ThunderClan. Upon narrowly escaping a fight with the new cat, Rusty is then found by Graypaw's elders. Two cats named Lionheart and Bluestar, the leader of ThunderClan, who extends an offer to Rusty to join ThunderClan. Rusty takes up this offer and becomes an apprentice named Firepaw. He is one of five apprentices, the other four being Graypaw, Sandpaw, Dustpaw, and Ravenpaw. Graypaw and Ravenpaw immediately befriend him, but Sandpaw and Dustpaw are prejudiced to his "kittypet" origins. Firepaw is slowly initiated into the Clan, fighting to prove himself. After learning the ways of the forest, he and Graypaw are made warriors in the same ceremony. Firepaw receives his warrior name of Fireheart and Graypaw the name of Graystripe. Ravenpaw does not receive his warrior name, because he had left ThunderClan to escape being killed by Tigerclaw, and instead goes to live on a farm with with a loner named Barley, who had helped ThunderClan before.
Earlier in this novel, the former ThunderClan deputy named Redtail had been killed in a battle with a rival Clan called RiverClan. This begins one of the major story arcs of the first six novels: Tigerclaw's plot to take over ThunderClan and later the entire forest.
[edit] Fire and Ice
Deep in the heart of the forest, four Clans of warrior cats coexist in an uneasy harmony -- but uncertain times are upon them, and dangers threaten the precarious balance of the forest. Fireheart is a ThunderClan warrior now, but his troubles are far from over. As the chill of winter sets in, the cats of rival ShadowClan grow restless, while WindClan is weak and facing threats from all sides. As tensions build to an explosive climax, Fireheart faces not only an imminent battle, but betrayal from within his own Clan.
[edit] Forest of Secrets
Allegiances are shifting among the Clans of the warrior cats that roam the forest. With tensions so delicately balanced, former friends can become enemies overnight, and some cats are willing to kill to get what they want. Fireheart is more determined than ever to uncover the secret of the death of Redtail. He believes that Redtail killed Oakheart, the previous deputy of RiverClan, and that the ThunderClan warrior Tigerclaw killed Redtail. Bluestar, however, will not and does not want to believe him.
Fireheart sets off to find out the truth, even trespassing on RiverClan's territory to find out. Eventually, he meets with a RiverClan elder, Graypool, who uncovers a deeply hidden secret to him: Mistyfoot and Stonefur, a pair of RiverClan warriors, are not her kits by birth. Rather, they were brought to her by Oakheart, with the scent of an enemy Clan sticking faintly to their fur.
Fireheart is also faced by less friendship than ever. Graystripe has a love in RiverClan, a she-cat called Silverstream. Graystripe has loved Silverstream ever since she saved Graystripe from drowning, and this forbidden love had already gotten Fireheart into more trouble with Tigerclaw. Later on Silverstream dies having birth to kits, Feathertail and Stormfur.
[edit] Rising Storm
Fireheart's traitorous enemy Tigerclaw has been vanquished and exiled from ThunderClan -- but Fireheart can't shake the feeling that he's lurking out there in the forest, waiting for the chance to strike. That's not the only problem facing the young ThunderClan deputy in these blazing summer months, as he struggles to handle ominous omens, a disrespectful apprentice with a shocking secret, and a devastated Clan leader who is a shell of her former self. Meanwhile the forest gets hotter and hotter . . . and everyone braces for the coming storm. . .
In this book Cloudpaw, Fireheart's apprentice, is captured by Twolegs after he visits their nest for food, but is later rescued. Also, there is a horrible fire, and Yellowfang, the medicine cat, dies, while rescuing an elder named Halftail. Fireheart saves Tigerclaw's kit, Bramblekit. At the end of the book, Fireheart learns that the leader of ShadowClan, Nightstar, has died and Tigerclaw, now Tigerstar, is the new leader of ShadowClan.
[edit] A Dangerous Path
ShadowClan has a dark new leader, Tigerstar, the exiled Tigerclaw from ThunderClan. Will he be satisfied with his power now -- or does his desire for revenge burn stronger yet? Fireheart, the new deputy, fears that there is a connection between the rise of Tigerstar and the terrible dreams of danger that haunt his nights. Meanwhile, a mysterious threat has invaded the forest, placing every cat's life in peril. A pack of guard dogs from the nearby housing developments has managed to escape. Guided by Tigerstar, and led by a blood-thirsty mutt, the pack ruthlessly attacks ThunderClan.
Fireheart's beloved leader has turned her back on their warrior ancestors, declaring them unfit to watch her Clan and protesting that they have abandoned her. Has StarClan truly abandoned them forever? In a suspenseful ending, Fireheart is thrown the greatest chance in his life. Bluestar dies in a cruel twist of fate where in her faith in StarClan is returned and she sacrifices herself for the good of the Clan. Now the next leader can only be Fireheart.
[edit] The Darkest Hour
In this final volume of the Warriors series, Fireheart receives his nine lives and the name Firestar from StarClan. Along with this honor, Firestar receives a prophecy saying that "Four will become two. Lion and tiger will meet in battle and blood will rule the forest."
In the prologue, Tigerstar makes a deal with BloodClan, made up of stray cats from Twolegplace; these cats are very strong and many in numbers. Tigerstar plans to use BloodClan to convince the other Clans to join his Clan, called TigerClan; As Tigerstar is their leader, ShadowClan is automatically a part of TigerClan, and RiverClan joins them. However, ThunderClan and WindClan refuse and are given by Tigerstar a period of time to change their minds. During this period, TigerClan attacks WindClan, weakening their warriors greatly. When time runs out for Tigerstar's offer, Firestar prepares to fight. Tigerstar orders BloodClan to fight for him, yet they make no move. Scourge, BloodClan's leader, tells Tigerstar that he is the only cat in charge of BloodClan. Firestar takes that chance to make an impression on Scourge by announcing to the cats of every Clan, including BloodClan, Tigerstar's wicked past.
In this book you learn a bit about Barley's shady past, how he once belonged to Bloodclan, but no more, he prefers the easy life on the farm.
After hearing everything, Scourge decides that there will be no battle that day, and Tigerstar attacks him. Scourge fights and kills Tigerstar, wiping out all nine of his lives in one blow. Scourge gives all of the forest Clans three days to either leave the forest, or fight BloodClan for it. To face this danger, the four Clans unite as one and call their alliance LionClan. They go into battle against BloodClan, and during the climax, Firestar loses his first life to Scourge. He revives, much to Scourge's shock, and kills the BloodClan leader. After Scourge's death, the BloodClan cats fall apart with no motivation to keep fighting. The LionClan is victorious. The Clan splits back into its four separate parts, and the balance in the forest is returned to normal.
[edit] Warriors: The New Prophecy
[edit] Midnight
Midnight is the first novel in Warriors: The New Prophecy, the second series of novels. It opens twelve moons after The Darkest Hour with StarClan choosing four cats to go on a journey. Later in the series, it is revealed that Twolegs (humans) plan to destroy the forest, presumably for construction purposes. A prophecy that states, Darkness, air, water and sky will come together and shake the forest to its roots. This is the prophecy that this novel and the next two revolve around.
New cats of all Clans, particularly of ThunderClan, are introduced. Bramblepaw, Tigerstar's son, has become Brambleclaw. Firestar has had two kits with Sandstorm, Squirrelpaw (later Squirrelflight) and Leafpaw (later Leafpool). Squirrelpaw is apprenticed to Dustpelt, and Leafpaw is apprenticed to Cinderpelt in preparation to become the next medicine cat. It is revealed that Brambleclaw is the chosen cat from ThunderClan, Feathertail (Graystripe's daughter) is the cat from RiverClan, Crowpaw (later Crowfeather) is the cat from WindClan, and Tawnypelt (formerly Tawnypaw, Brambleclaw's sister) is the cat from ShadowClan. Eventually, they begin their journey to the sea (which they call sun-drown-place, because of the way the sun sinks on the sea). They are joined by Squirrelpaw, who insists on coming with them, and Stormfur, Feathertail's brother, who comes to protect Feathertail. Eventually, they reach the sea and enter a cavern inahbitated by a highly intelligent badger known as Midnight, who reveals to them that the humans will destroy the forest. The book ends with a short epilouge back in the forest, where the humans begin to destroy the forest.
[edit] Moonrise
Several moons have passed since six cats set out from the forest on an urgent journey to save all their Clans. Now these six are travelling home again, but on their way through the mountains, they meet a tribe of wild cats who seem to have their own set of warrior ancestors... and their own mysterious prophecy to fulfill. Stormfur can't understand their strange fascination with him, but he knows the danger they face is real. Meanwhile, back in the forest, Firestar's daughter Leafpaw watches ThunderClan's world crumble around her, as the human's terrible machines destroy more and more of their home. Will the six cats make it back in time to tell everyone what Midnight has told them, or will they be too late and lose the forest forever?
[edit] Dawn
Something terrifying is happening in the world of the Clans. Amid the destruction of the forest, cats are disappearing, including ThunderClan's beloved medicine cat apprentice, Leafpaw. Now the young cats who set off on a quest many moons ago have returned with a chilling message: The Clans must move to a new home, or risk extermination.
But it is not easy to convince the cats to leave. What they need is a sign from StarClan . . . but what they need most of all is a plan to save their missing warriors, or risk leaving them behind forever.
[edit] Starlight
The Clans have finally found their new home, following the prophecies of their warrior ancestors. The journey was difficult enough, but now they must struggle to establish territories and learn the hidden dangers of this unfamiliar world. Most importantly, Leafpaw knows they must find a replacement for the Moonstone--a place to communicate with StarClan. Otherwise there will be no way to choose new leaders, no way to share medicine cat secrets, and no way to know whether the Clans are on the right path.
The future seems uncertain, and more than one cat is harboring sinister plans that could lead to violence and darkness. As all the warriors wait for a sign, some of them begin to realize that the threats they face from the forest may not be as perilous as the threats they face from within.
[edit] Twilight
New territory brings new troubles of the fierce cats of the warrior Clans, who are still uncovering the secrets of their new home around the lake. Dangers they have never faced before lurk in the twilight shadows, and former allies are acting strangely hostile. As divisions between the Clans grow deeper, Leafpool and Squirrelflight face troubling decisions.
One is torn between loyalty to her calling and a forbidden love, while the other struggles with her best friend's betrayal and the surprising perils of the forest. Meanwhile, an unexpected enemy is preparing to attack... And for one beloved cat, the end is coming all too soon...
[edit] Sunset
Soon after the cats reached their new home by the lake, ThunderClan's new medicine cat Leafpool received an ominous warning from StarClan: Before there is peace, blood will spill blood and the lake will run red. As the Clan slowly recovers from the devastating badger attack, Leafpool can't help but wonder . . . do her prophetic dreams mean there are even worse dangers still in store for the warrior cats?
At the same time, shadows of the past continue to haunt the forest as some old friends struggle to find their place, others appear to be lost forever, and an old enemy finds a new way to resurface in a quest for dark revenge. A sinister path is unfolding, and the time is coming for certain warriors to make the choices that will determine their destiny . . . and the destiny of all the Clans.
Sunset will be released on December 26, 2006. [3]
[edit] Upcoming books
[edit] Warriors: The Power of Three
- "Three will come, kin of your kin, with more power for good or evil than any cat that has walked the forest before."
Firestar receives this prophecy in a shadowy cave from an ancient cat that is not from any Clan he knows...
It is suspected that the kits are Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw's and mabye Whitepaw. They can NOT be Leafpool and Crowfeather's because the last book said that she didn't love him enough. The title of the first book has been confirmed to be The Sight.[4]
In an online discussion with Erin Hunter, it was said that Longtail plays a major role in Book One, and that there will be a she-cat main character.[2] The Sight will be released on April 24, 2007.[5]
[edit] Firestar's Quest
What happened after the battle with BloodClan, and before StarClan sent the prophecy about the destruction of the forest? With the death of Tigerstar and Scourge, peace seems to have returned, and Firestar can get on with being a good leader to his Clan. But he is troubled by visits from a warrior ancestor he has never seen before. Who is this cat? What does he want with Firestar? And if what he says is true, then StarClan have lied to Firestar, and the warrior code is worth nothing...
The kittypet turned leader, the fire who saved his Clan, must leave the forest and go on a long, dangerous journey to find out the truth - and restore his faith in StarClan.
Firestar's Quest will be released in Fall 2007.
[edit] Warriors: Secrets of the Clans
This book has been confirmed by both an AuthorTracker e-mail and a recent chat with Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and Vicky Holmes. Aside from medicinal herbs, ceremonies, and events, the book will also feature large fold-out maps and black and white drawing of cats, based on their descriptions from the books.[2]
Excerpt of the AuthorTracker e-mail from Harper Collins confirming the book:
- I'm putting together a guide to all things Clan and feline that have featured in the books so far. Look out for Warriors: Secrets of the Clans, which comes out next year. It is been great fun to go back and revisit my favorite scenes and characters, and investigate some more unusual viewpoints. Ever wonder what StarClan thought about Bluestar's decision to give up her kits? Or how Fernpaw and Ashpaw really felt about leading the vicious pack of dogs away from their Clanmates? All will be revealed, I promise! -Erin Hunter
Excerpt from the chat in which Vicky answered:
- It's going to be a kind of field guide to the entire world of the Clans, with information about all the things that have featured in the books so far, like medicinal herbs and ceremonies. But in addition it will have some pieces of history that haven't been mentioned, like how the Clans first came to be in the forest, and how StarClan feel about major events like Bluestar giving up her kits so she could be ThunderClan's deputy. I'm afraid there won't be any family trees because, er, we didn't pay enough attention to this sort of thing in the first books so we can't make sense of all the connections...
Vicky also revealed the illustrations:
- Yes, it will, based on the descriptions from the books. They'll be in black and white, I think. And it will have a couple of tremendous fold-out maps - I've been working on sketch versions all week as a guide for the illustrator and it has caused a lot of laughs among my friends because I'm hopeless at art! I drew some sheep and horses in a couple of fields and then had to label them because they both looked like lumpy dogs.
[edit] Warriors Manga
Editor Vicky Holmes has announced that a three volume manga series is coming as well, and that it will explain what happened to Graystripe between the time that he is taken by Twolegs in Dawn up until when he returns to ThunderClan. The title of the first volume is The Lost Warrior.[2]
In the chat that revealed this, Vicky stated: ...There are going to be three manga novels coming out featuring Graystripe's adventures from the moment he is taken from the forest to...the moment he returns to ThunderClan! Yay! I've seen the script and some sample illustrations for the first book and it looks terrific. I had a lot of fun coming up with the storylines because Graystripe has always been a fascinating character for me. In the first books he was in danger of becoming Firepaw's stooge, the butt of jokes and maybe not the brightest cat, but he showed a much more complex side to his character when he fell in love with Silverstream and then took his motherless kits to join RiverClan...
According to Amazon.com, the manga will be published by the distributor Tokyopop.[6]
[edit] Warriors movie
The rumor that a Warriors movie, Warriors of the Forest, would be released in summer 2007, was no more than a mere rumor. In the second chat with Erin Hunter, Vicky Holmes confirmed that there will be no Warriors movie yet, although that does not mean that there never will be.[2]
As her answer to the main question of a movie possibility, Vicky replied:
- Okay, this is a really important issue to clear up. I'm sorry to say that there are NO plans for a Warriors movie, even though we have had lots and lots of discussions with major film companies about this. This isn't to say that there will NEVER be a Warriors movie, but please don't get your hopes up! The reason for this is that the animated movies around at the moment tend to be larger-than-life, laugh-out-loud family films that adults can laugh at as well as kids - think Shrek or Cars. A Warriors movie would be much more serious, dealing with big issues like death and loyalty, which doesn't translate well to conventional animation just now. It might fit with a manga-style approach, but there isn't a mainstream market for this in the filmworld just yet. So we'll have to keep our fingers crossed...
[edit] See Also
[edit] References
- ^ http://writerunboxed.blogspot.com/2006/04/author-interview-erin-hunter_21.html
- ^ a b c d e http://wandsandworlds.com/community/node/124
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-New-Prophecy-Sunset/dp/0060827696/sr=8-1/qid=1162154688/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-2832787-3742509?ie=UTF8&s=books
- ^ http://www.geofbrownbridge.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/kate/warriorsfaqs.html
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Power-Three-Sight/dp/0060892013/ref=pd_rhf_p_3/102-6544537-5274518
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/Warriors-Lost-Warrior-Erin-Hunter/dp/0061240206/sr=8-20/qid=1161113024/ref=sr_1_20/102-6544537-5274518?ie=UTF8&s=books
[edit] External links
- The Official Warriors Site The official site of Warriors.
- The Guttersnipe Author Kate Cary's personal site.
