Into the Wild

December 23, 2002
In the first exciting installment of the Warriors fantasy series, debut novelist Hunter creates a cat world shared by four tribal clans, drawing on the habits of feral animals and also inserting valuable themes regarding family, friendship and responsibility. Rusty, a young tomcat, forsakes the soft world of the "Twolegs" for the riskier life of the wildcat clans that rule in the woods, beyond the Twolegplace. When Rusty tries to snare a mouse in what proves to be ThunderClan territory, he meets Bluestar, the leader of the Clan, who invites him to learn "what it is to be a real cat. The strength and the fellowship of the Clan will always be with you, even when you hunt alone." Becoming "Firepaw," a warrior-cat-in-training, the once pampered pet adapts quickly to the tribal rules, bonds with his fellow apprentices and with the old she-cat Yellowfang, who is on the run from ShadowClan. When the merciless leader of ShadowClan drives out WindClan and demands to share ShadowClan's hunting territories, the stage is set for more action-packed adventure. (The second Warriors novel, Fire and Ice,
is due out in June.) Certain to please any young reader who has ever wondered what dreams of grandeur may haunt the family cat. Ages 10-up.

May 1, 2003
Gr 5 Up-Rusty, a young "kittypet" (house cat), yearns for adventure. When he's offered the chance to join the ThunderClan, one of the gangs of feral cats in the area, he doesn't hesitate. Renamed Firepaw, he becomes an apprentice and begins to train as a warrior. After rescuing Yellowfang, ex-medicine cat for the ShadowClan who has fled for her life, Firepaw and the other ThunderClan members find themselves in the middle of a turf war against the rival gang, led by the nefarious Brokenstar. There's a traitor in their midst, though, and Firepaw must learn more than just hunting and fighting to survive. The author has created an intriguing world with an intricate structure and mythology, and an engaging young hero. The supporting cast of players is large and a little confusing, but there are standouts who give dimension to the tale. The difficult life of a feral cat is described in some detail, and a fair amount of violence is included. The ending is left ambiguous-there is definitely more to come. This is not as elegantly written as Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series (Philomel), but it's another option for fans of animal adventure/fantasy stories.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2003
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 Gr. 6-9. For generations, four clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to laws laid down by powerful ancestral clans. But now things are changing: ShadowClan has banished WindClan and is threatening RiverClan and ThunderClan by insisting on hunting rights within their territories. What's more, each year the TwoLegs encroach further into the forest, and prey is becoming scarce. A prophecy reveals, "Fire alone can save [the] Clan." Into this dangerous situation wanders a "kittypet," a young, bright orange tomcat whose courage earns him, despite objections by some, a place as an apprentice ThunderClan warrior and the new name of Firepaw. In this first spine-tingling episode in the planned Warriors series, Firepaw learns the ways of the wild life, facing many dangers and treachery both within and without his new clan. Intelligence notwithstanding, the cat characters are true to their feline nature, making this sure to appeal to fans of Clare Bell's long-popular \plain\f3\fs24" Ratha's Creature \plain\f3\fs24 (1983) and its sequels and also to followers of Brian Jacques' ongoing Redwall series. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

I don't know... - I have read this whole series 'x' (can't even remember) amount of times. I started it in 2016 and I'm collecting the books. I have the first 13, The Last Hope (Favourite book) as well as the first two Vision of Shadows (The Apprentice's Quest and Thunder and Shadow) I'm currently writing my own version of the series (Probably won't publish 'cause, you know, copyright etc.) but... Wow, this series is good. I highly recommend this series to anyone on the planet Earth or beyond because you cannot go wrong here. 101% my favourite series. My OCs: PLEASE DON'T STEAL Sandstorm (She's from the books. Mine is differ tho, looks similar but nervous, hides a lot, medicine cat etc. She is in Thunderclan and her mother is Ashfoot in Windclan, her father is the same as the real Sandstorm's, Redtail.) Swiftheart (Basically a memorial to Swiftpaw, this cat is in Thunderclan although his mother, Pebbleshine, is in Riverclan and his father, Crowfrost, is in Shadowclan. He has one yellow eye one blue.) *If genetics don't matter in the series they shouldn't matter in OCs) Echomist: (Pale gray, almost silver, darker gray Classic tabby markings, green eyes, bubbly personality, stubborn, was a loner but at five moons was taken in.) Riverripple (Loner who befriends Echomist and joins the clans, taking on the name Ripplestripe, dark gray with even darker tabby markings and dark blue eyes) Moon: (Echomist's mother, dirty white with black eyes, stays rogue for a long time before joining clans and becoming Darkmoon, (if you are against that name, AMBERMOON, MOONFLOWER, etc.) Eagle that flies at dawn: ((Is he already a tribe cat?! Sounds familiar) Brown with gray eyes, possibly Echo's father but I haven't gotten that far.) Well, that was just a taste... i have too many to list and I don't feel like typing just names... PLEASE DON'T STEAL