Warriors (novel series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Shrewpelt (talk | contribs) at 00:57, 25 August 2008 (removing OR, replacing citations). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Warriors
Warriors
Warriors: The New Prophecy
Warriors: Power of Three
AuthorErin Hunter
Cover artistWayne McLoughlin
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature
Fantasy
PublisherAvon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins
Published2003–present

Warriors is a series of children's fantasy novels published by HarperCollins. Though the books are published under the pseudonym of Erin Hunter, writing alternate between authors Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and the newly-recruited Tui Sutherland, with plot ideas by storyline editor Victoria Holmes.[1] The series follows the adventures of four clans of wild cats trying to survive in their forest homes. It currently consists of three miniseries, with a fourth announced, each containing six books. The first, Warriors, was published in 2003–2004, beginning with Into the Wild, and was followed by Warriors: The New Prophecy, published 2005–2006. The third, Warriors: Power of Three, has been underway since April 2007 and its fourth book, Eclipse, will be published on September 2, 2008.

Other books have been released to supplement the main series, including an lengthier, individual book, titled Firestar's Quest, two field guides, and several volumes of original English-language manga, produced as a collaboration between HarperCollins and Tokyopop. The series has also been released for the Amazon Kindle and translated into several languages.

Publication history

The entire series originally came about when HarperCollins asked Holmes to write a story about wild cats, which she was not enthusiastic about. Once the storyline for the first book was finished, Kate Cary wrote the story. Cherith Baldry was invited to write Forest of Secrets because of her writing skills and love of cats. Tui Sutherland has recently joined the group, formerly their US editor. Over time, the storyline stretched into what it is now.[1] Victoria Holmes decided to use human issues, like starting at a new school (Rusty joining ThunderClan), falling in love when you shouldn't (Graystripe and Silverstream) and being bullied by someone who you should look up to (Ravenpaw being bullied by Tigerclaw) and even knowing a deep secret that you only tell your friends (Ravenpaw knowing about Tigerclaw's crimes). This helped her overlook the fact that it was a fantasy, and let the characters flow through.[2] The authors wanted their books to be together on bookshelves, not spread out because of their different names. Because of this, they chose a pen name.[3] The authors wanted their books to be close to the similar Redwall series by Brian Jacques, so their surname had to begin with an H, I, or K. "Hunter" was chosen because it seemed to match cats, and "Erin" simply because Holmes liked it.[4]

Victoria Holmes makes up the storylines, which takes a month.[5] Then Cary and Baldry take turns writing the book. Holmes then edits the book to make sure it is consistent.[3][6] The first manuscript's editing takes about a week, while the second version takes longer. The third draft edits very quickly.[5] As of yet, Cary and Baldry have not met.[1]

Main series

Warriors

The first series follows the adventures of Rusty, a young house cat, who is taken into ThunderClan as an apprentice with the new name Firepaw, because his pelt is the colour of fire. As the series progresses, Firepaw becomes a warrior and receives yet another new name, Fireheart.[7] As a warrior, Fireheart defends his Clan while trying to help the other Clans. He discovers a traitor in his Clan, Tigerclaw, who becomes the antagonist of the series.[8] Centred around the prophecy that "Fire alone can save our Clan",[9] the series contains six books: Into the Wild, Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets, Rising Storm, A Dangerous Path and The Darkest Hour.

Warriors: The New Prophecy

The second series, called Warriors: The New Prophecy, centres around seven cats from the four different Clans: the ThunderClan representative Brambleclaw, the ShadowClan representative Tawnypelt (Brambleclaw's sister), the WindClan representative Crowpaw (Crowfeather), the RiverClan representative Feathertail, Feathertail's brother Stormfur, the ThunderClan cat Squirrelpaw (Squirrelflight). It also follows Leafpaw (Leafpool), Squirrelpaw's sister who is training to be a medicine cat. The books show insight into their lives as they fight to save their Clans and find a new home.[10] The first part of the series centres around the prophecy that "Darkness, Air, Water and Sky shall come together... And shake the forest to its roots", and the second centres around to prophecy that "Before there is peace, blood will spill blood and the lake will run red." The series was released from 2005–2006, and consists of six books: Midnight, Moonrise, Dawn, Starlight, Twilight, and Sunset.

Warriors: Power of Three

The third series, titled Warriors: Power of Three, follows three young cats named Hollypaw, Jaypaw, and Lionpaw, the grandchildren of both Firestar and Tigerstar and children of Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw. Jaypaw is blind, and is often looked upon differently by his Clan, but he discovers he has a unique power. He is currently training to be a medicine cat, while Lionpaw and Hollypaw are training to become warriors. It has been revealed by the authors that one of the kits will become evil.[5] The series centres around the prophecy "There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws."[11]

The first three books in the series, The Sight, Dark River, and Outcast, were published beginning in April 2007. The fourth book, Eclipse, is scheduled for release on September 2, 2008,[12] and the fifth, Long Shadows, is expected on November 25, 2008.[13]

Warriors: The Fourth Apprentice

It has been confirmed that there will be a fourth series of the main Warriors novels and that it will follow Hollypaw, Jaypaw and Lionpaw's kin-the title of the series, on the date of the erin chat, was confirmed to be The Fourth Apprentice. Also, Holmes announced that this will be the series where Firestar will die.[1]

Other Warriors books

Super Editions

Firestar's Quest, a larger-than-normal sized book, was released on August 21, 2007. It covers the year between The Darkest Hour and Midnight, and answers many questions as to what happened in between the books, such as Longtail's blindness, Willowpelt's death, and the birth of Leafkit and Squirrelkit. The plot follows Firestar and Sandstorm, who leave on a quest after Firestar receives messages from an ancient fifth Clan. This Clan, named SkyClan, was forced out of the forest by the other four Clans when the Twolegs built their houses over their camp. Firestar and Sandstorm then begin to restore SkyClan, as its ancient leader told Firestar to do.[14]

Three other books are to be released under the Super Edition name. The first will centre around the life of former ThunderClan leader Bluestar before Firestar's arrival to the forest, the second will feature the early days of the Clans, and the third will feature the modern-day SkyClan. It has been revealed through the fourth Wands and Worlds Erin Hunter chat that the Bluestar Super Edition will be released in August 2009 and the Modern SkyClan Super Edition in 2010.[1] The release date for the Early Clan Days Super Edition is as of yet unknown.

Field Guides

Secrets of the Clans was the first field guide to be released for Warriors. This book gives more details about the Clans never written down in the books.[15] Cats of the Clans, featuring illustrations of the cats, was released on June 24, 2008.[16] Code of the Clans, expected to be released in 2009, is the next field guide.[1]

OEL manga

Graystripe's Trilogy

There is a three volume original English-language manga series based on what happened to Graystripe between the time that he was taken by Twolegs in Dawn until he returned to ThunderClan in The Sight. It has been published as the first part of a partnership between TOKYOPOP and HarperCollins.[17] The final volume was published on April 22, 2008.[18]

The Rise of Scourge

The Rise of Scourge was released on June 24, 2008. It is a single volume and not part of a trilogy. The story follows Scourge, one of the antagonists of The Darkest Hour and the leader of BloodClan, centring around his early years and rise to power.[19]

Tigerstar and Sasha's Trilogy

There will also be a trilogy about Tigerstar and Sasha.[1] The first volume is called Into the Woods, and is expected to be released on September 2, 2008.[20] The second volume, Escape From the Forest, is scheduled to be released December 23, 2008.[21]

  • Book 1: Into the Woods
  • Book 2: Escape from the Forest
  • Book 3: Title Unknown

Ravenpaw's Trilogy

The third original English-language manga trilogy will focus on Ravenpaw after he leaves ThunderClan to live with Barley. This was confirmed in an AuthorTracker email.[2]

Setting and characters

See also: List of characters in the Warriors novel series

In the forest the cats call home, there are four Clans (ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan). Each Clan has a leader, given nine lives by StarClan. StarClan is a group made up of the Clans' spiritual ancestors and gives guidance and even prophecies to the Clans. The leader appoints a deputy who will later succeed him or her as leader. Every Clan has a medicine cat, who communicates with StarClan and heals injured or sick cats. Most of Clan is made up of warriors, the cats who fight in battles and patrol the borders, while following the warrior code. Warriors train apprentices to become new warriors. Old or impaired warriors become elders. When a female warrior has kits, she becomes what is called a queen. Kits cannot become apprentices until they are six moons old (six months).[7]

The forest the cats live in is together with the world of humans. This allows interaction between the two species. One notable example of this is when humans, called "Twolegs" by the cats, began constructing a new road and new houses, the four Clans were forced to leave and find a new home. Beyond the Clans' territories lies a mountain range, inhabited by the Tribe of Rushing Water. The Tribe was shown to be similar to the Clans, yet it follows a different set of ancestors, the Tribe of Endless Hunting.[10] In a town near the Clans' old home lived a vicious group of cats called BloodClan, led by a cat called Scourge.[9] Also living in the surrounding area are cats without owners or Clans, known as loners, and house cats, called kittypets.[8]

Critical reception

The first book of the series, Into the Wild, was generally received well, with reviewers calling it a "spine-tingling",[22] "thoroughly engrossing"[23] and "exciting ... action-packed adventure."[24] One reviewer praised the authors for "creating an intriguing world ... and an engaging young hero",[25] but another criticised the characters and imagined world as being "neither ... consistent nor compelling."[26]

The large number of characters involved in the series has been seen as a negative point; though one reviewer compared the "huge cast" to that of a Greek drama,[27] others wrote it was "hard to follow"[28] and "a little confusing".[25] The characterization has also been criticised as "somewhat flat"[28] and "limited essentially to each individual's function within the clan".[26]

As one reviewer put it, the cats in the series are "true to their feline nature",[22] leading some critics to jokingly comment that the books will "leave readers eyeing Puss a bit nervously"[29] and "[wonder] what dreams of grandeur may haunt the family cat".[24] However, this realism also means that the series contains a relatively large amount of violence,[25] with one critic stating that it is "not for the faint of heart".[27]

Several critics have compared Warriors to Brian Jacques' Redwall series,[22][26] though one commented that it was "not as elegantly written".[25] The New York Times called the series a "hit with young readers", specifically because of its "sprawling universe",[30] and indeed, many of the books in the series have appeared on the newspaper's best-seller list.

Awards

Into the Wild was nominated for the 2006 YRCA Awards,[31] but lost to Christopher Paolini's Eragon.[32] The Sight was nominated as the best Middle Readers book at Amazon.com's Best Book of 2007, and placed sixth out of the ten nominees, with six percent of the total votes.[33] The Sight was also nominated for the Children's Choice Book Awards.[34]

Themes

One prominent theme featured in the novel is the reactions different faiths have when meeting each other. This was inspired by the events of the September 11, 2001 attacks. To show this, the Tribe of Rushing Water was introduced in Moonrise. In an author chat, Holmes explained that the books never say that the Clans or the Tribe of Rushing Water are right about faith, because both are "equally valid". This leads to fear and suspicion between them because they are afraid of things they don't understand. Holmes finally said that "Ignorance is a very scary thing!"[4] Non-belief is also featured in the storylines.[35] Another theme shown in the books shows how characters can be a mix of good and evil. Holmes has said she is fascinated by these "shades of gray" in personalities. Her example of this was when Bluestar, a "lovely" cat, gave up her kits for her ambition. A third major theme, called nature versus nurture, relates to whether a person is born the way he or she will be, or if other things shape that. This theme ties into the "shades of gray" theme. Other themes that have been pointed out include family, loss, honor, bravery and death, loyalty, and following rules.[4]

New Forest, which became the base for the forest the cats live in.

Inspirations and influences

Authors

The authors have named several other authors as a source of inspiration when writing the novels. In an online author chat, Cherith Baldry, listed the authors that inspire her as including Tolkien, Ursula le Guin, and Shakespeare. In the same chat, Victoria Holmes stated that Jacqueline Wilson, Kathy Reichs and J. K. Rowling are some of the authors that inspire her. Currently, she is also working on a new series called "Seekers". It is in close relation to Warriors in terms of format but it is not affiliated.[1]

Other

There are some other influencing factors in the series. New Forest, a forest in southern England, became the base for the forest where the story took place.[36] Other influencing locations include Scottish Highlands and the Forest of Dean.[6] Nicholas Culpeper, a physician who used materials occurred in the natural world, has also had an influence on the Warriors series. His book, Culpeper's Herbal, is used as a source by the authors for the herbal remedies that the cats use in the books.[1]

Editions

Other formats

All of the Warriors books in the main series have been published as a hardcover, and several have been published as paperbacks. The manga volumes have only been released as paperbacks, while all other new releases are hardcover.[37] Starlight, Twilight, and Sunset are in an audiobook format,[38] spoken by Nanette Savard, whose performance has been praised.[39] It is unknown if any other Warriors books will be available in audiobook format. The books in the main series have also been released in an eBook format.[40]

Foreign editions

File:Japan-DPath.jpg
The Japanese cover of A Dangerous Path.

The Warriors books were first published in USA, then the United Kingdom.[36] Warriors is also sold in Canada.[41] and in Australia. Translations from English into other languages have been published more recently. Translations for languages such as Czech, Lithuanian, and Japanese have appeared,[6] as well as French, Russian, and Korean.[35] The Korean publisher, Kim-yeoung-sa, has only published the first six books.[1] Fandom even exists in Trinidad[6] and Singapore.[42]

Other media

Movie

There are currently no planned Warriors movies or plans to make any, despite common rumors that have spread across the Warriors community. As her answer to the main question of a movie possibility, Victoria Holmes replied: [4]

"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 film world just yet. So we'll have to keep our fingers crossed!"

More recently, Holmes stated there would be more news about the possibility of a movie by the end of 2008. Recently, Holmes announced the title would be Warriors: The Movie.[1]

Promotions

HarperCollins created a video. It was made available on the Warriors website. A Warriors screen saver, E-cards, and messages are also available on the website.[2]

Short story

A short story called "Spottedleaf's Honest Answer" was released on the Reading Warriors website. It is about Spottedleaf talking about her love for Firestar. It gives information on what has happened in the Warriors series from Into the Wild to Firestar's Quest.[43]

Play

Written by Victoria Holmes for a tour, a play entitled After Sunset: We Need to Talk was first premiered on April 28, 2007 at the Secret Garden bookstore in Seattle, Washington. It details a meeting between Leafpool of ThunderClan and Crowfeather of WindClan after the events of Sunset. The script was released to the public at the official site for the Warriors series.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Erin Hunter Chat #4 Transcript - January 19, 2008". Wands and Worlds. Retrieved 2008-02-04.
  2. ^ a b c d "Warriors". www.warriorcats.com.
  3. ^ a b "Author biography:Erin Hunter". 2008-03-16.
  4. ^ a b c d "Transcript of the Second Erin Hunter Chat". Wands and Worlds. Retrieved 2008-03-01.
  5. ^ a b c "Erin Hunter Chat #3 Transcript - part 1". Wands and Worlds. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
  6. ^ a b c d "Warriors Gossip". The Guttersnipe. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  7. ^ a b Hunter, Erin (2003). Into the Wild. HarperCollins. ISBN 0060000023.
  8. ^ a b Hunter, Erin (2003). Forest of Secrets. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0060525590.
  9. ^ a b Hunter, Erin (2004). The Darkest Hour. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0060000073.
  10. ^ a b Hunter, Erin (2005). Dawn. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0060744571.
  11. ^ Hunter, Erin (2007). The Sight. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0060892012.
  12. ^ "Warriors: Power of Three #4: Eclipse". harpercollins.com. HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  13. ^ "Warriors: Power of Three #5: Long Shadows". harpercollins.com. HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  14. ^ Hunter, Erin (2007). Firestar's Quest. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0061131646.
  15. ^ "Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans". harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
  16. ^ "Warriors: Cats of the Clans". harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
  17. ^ "Tokyopop and HarperCollins Set to Bring Erin Hunter's Bestselling Children's Series to Manga Format". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  18. ^ "Warriors: Warrior's Return". harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
  19. ^ "Warriors: The Rise of Scourge (Warriors)". harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  20. ^ "Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha #1: Into the Woods". harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
  21. ^ "Escape from the Forest (Warriors: Tigerstar and Sasha, No. 2)". LinkBaton. Retrieved 2008-08-24.
  22. ^ a b c "Hunter, Erin. Into the Wild". Booklist. 2003-02-15. Retrieved 2008-08-21. In this first spine-tingling episode in the planned Warriors series [...] sure to appeal ... to followers of Brian Jacques' ongoing Redwall series
  23. ^ Estes, Sally (2003-04-15). "Top 10 Fantasy Books for Youth". ala.org. American Library Association. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
  24. ^ a b "Into the Wild (book review)". Publishers Weekly. 2002-12-23. Retrieved 2008-08-21. In the first exciting installment of the Warriors fantasy series [...] the stage is set for more action-packed adventure.
  25. ^ a b c d Alpert, Mary (2003-05-01). "Hunter, Erin. Into the Wild". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2008-08-21. 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 [...] This is not as elegantly written as Brian Jacques's "Redwall" series
  26. ^ a b c Negro, Janice M. Del (2003-03-01). "Warriors: Into the Wild". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 56 (7): 277. Retrieved 2008-08-21. The author's attempt to create a hierarchical warrior-clan society falls a bit short: neither the imagined world nor the characters within it are consistent or compelling. Characterization is limited essentially to each individual's function within the clan, and the cast therefore remains cartoon cats engaged in territory marking [...] while the pace occasionally flags there are a lot of bloody tooth-and-claw battles here that may engage readers of the Redwall series.
  27. ^ a b Rawlins, Sharon (2003-10-01). "Forest of Secrets". School Library Journal. 49 (10): 167. Retrieved 2008-08-21. This exciting book is not for the faint of heart as it is often violent [...] It is reminiscent of Greek drama, with its huge cast of characters
  28. ^ a b Prolman, Lisa (2003-09-01). "Fire and Ice". School Library Journal. 49 (9): 214. Retrieved 2008-08-21. Readers not familiar with the first book may find this one hard to follow. [...] The characterizations of the animals are somewhat flat [...] and the plot's twists and turns seem mapped out and predictable.
  29. ^ "Into the Wild". Kirkus Reviews. 71 (1): 61. 2003. Retrieved 2008-08-21. Hunter debuts with a suspenseful animal adventure that will leave readers eyeing Puss a bit nervously. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  30. ^ Dwight Garner (2006-01-15). "TBR: Inside the List". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-20. The Warriors books are a hit with young readers, in part, because of the sprawling universe they open up.
  31. ^ "YRCA 2006 nominees". Pacific Northwest Library Association. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  32. ^ "YRCA Past Winners". Pacific Northwest Library Association. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  33. ^ "Best Books of 2007". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  34. ^ "Warriors". katecary.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  35. ^ a b "Erin Hunter Chat #3 Transcript - part 2". Wands and Worlds. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  36. ^ a b "Transcript Of Erin Hunter Chat". Wands and Worlds. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  37. ^ "Warriors: Enter the World of Warriors". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  38. ^ "Warriors: Enter the World of Warriors: The New Prophecy". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  39. ^ "Sunset (Warriors: The New Prophecy, Book 6) (Audio CD)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  40. ^ "Ebooks written by Erin Hunter". Mobipocket. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  41. ^ "Warriors: Power of Three, Book 2: Dark River (Hardcover)". Amazon.ca. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  42. ^ "INTERVIEW: Erin Hunter". Writers Unboxed. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
  43. ^ "Spottedleaf's Honest Answer" (PDF). Reading Warriors. Retrieved 2008-04-22.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Warriors_(novel_series)&oldid=234040954"