A Starless Clan Book 1 Pdf
Consuela Ellett
Warriors (also known as Warrior Cats) is a series of novels based on the adventures and drama of multiple Clans of feral cats. The series is primarily set in fictional forests. Published by HarperCollins, the series is written by authors Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, as well as others, under the collective pseudonym Erin Hunter. The concept and plot of the pilot series were developed by series editor, Victoria Holmes.
The series first began when publisher HarperCollins asked Victoria Holmes to write a fantasy series about feral cats. Holmes was initially not enthusiastic, since she "couldn't imagine coming up with enough ideas." She worked with the concept, however, expanding the storyline with elements of war, politics, revenge, doomed love, and religious conflict.[1] Although the original plan was for a stand-alone novel, enough material was created for several books, and the publisher decided on a six-volume series.[1] The first volume, Into the Wild, was written by Kate Cary under the pseudonym "Erin Hunter" and was completed in about three months.[2] Holmes then began to work behind the scenes, editing and supervising details.[3] Cherith Baldry joined the team to write the third book, Forest of Secrets. Later, after she wrote the first Warriors field guide, Tui Sutherland became the fourth author to use the pseudonym Erin Hunter.[4]
The authors have named several other authors as sources of inspiration when writing the novels. In an online author chat, Cherith Baldry listed the authors that inspire her as including Tolkien, Ursula K. 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.[4] According to the official website, other authors who have inspired the writers include Enid Blyton, Lucy Daniels, Ellis Peters, Tess Gerritsen, Kate Ellis, Lisa Gardiner, and Meg Cabot.[5] The authors have also mentioned several other sources of inspiration. The New Forest in southern England was the base for the forest where the series takes place.[2] Other influential locations include Loch Lomond,[6] as well as the Scottish Highlands. Nicholas Culpeper, a physician who used materials occurring in the natural world as medicine, also had an influence on the Warriors series. His book, Culpeper's Herbal, is used as a source by the authors for the many herbal remedies that the cats use.[7] The film series Rambo has also been cited as a source of inspiration.[8]
The Warriors universe centers around a large group of feral cats who initially reside in a forest, and later, around a lake. The cats are split into five groups called Clans: ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and SkyClan. Each Clan has adapted to its own terrain. Relationships between different Clans are usually tense and they often come into conflict with one another. However, the Clans also sometimes show concern for each other; the idea of one Clan being destroyed usually causes deep distress and prompts urgent action on behalf of all Clans. The Clans have a unique naming and hierarchy system, in that their names are generally determined by their rank in the Clan.
The Clan cats have a faith system based on the concept of StarClan, a group of the spirits of the Clans' deceased ancestors, who occasionally provide guidance to the living Clan cats. After death, the spirits of most Clan cats join StarClan and reside in a paradisaical forest similar to Heaven. StarClan often provides guidance to the Clans through dreams and other signs like omens. In addition to StarClan, there exists the Dark Forest, also known as The Place of No Stars, which takes the form of a never-ending forest. The spirits of cats who caused great pain and suffering to others while alive reside there as a form of punishment.
Cats who live outside of the Clans are categorized into three groups: housecats, referred to as "kittypets" by Clan cats, who are looked down upon for their cozy and lazy lifestyle; loners, who are cats who live outside of the Clans, usually by themselves; and rogues, cats who live on their own and intend to do harm to the Clans. In some instances, stray cats may form large groups of their own. It is rare for a stray cat to join a Clan, as outsiders are generally distrusted and scorned by Clan cats.
The original Warriors series[9] consists of six books: Into the Wild (21 January 2003), Fire and Ice (27 May 2003), Forest of Secrets (14 October 2003), Rising Storm (6 January 2004), A Dangerous Path (1 June 2004), and The Darkest Hour (5 October 2004).[10][11][12][13][14][15] The series was subtitled The Prophecies Begin for its re-release with new covers in 2015.[16] The series details the experiences of a housecat named Rusty who ventures into the forest and is invited to join ThunderClan, one of four groups of wild cats in the forest. Throughout the series, he rises through the Clan hierarchy while attempting to uncover and later stop the treachery of his Clanmate and deputy Tigerclaw, who intends initially to usurp ThunderClan's leadership and later plans to take over all the Clans.
The fourth series, Warriors: Omen of the Stars,[31] consists of six books: The Fourth Apprentice (24 November 2009), Fading Echoes (23 March 2010), Night Whispers (23 November 2010), Sign of the Moon (5 April 2011), The Forgotten Warrior (22 November 2011), and The Last Hope (3 April 2012).[32][33][34][35][36][37] The series continues the plot of Warriors: Power of Three, after it is discovered at the end of the previous series that Lionblaze and Jayfeather's sister, Hollyleaf, does not have a special power. The third prophesized cat is revealed to be Dovewing. The trio learn throughout the course of the series that the cats of the Dark Forest, who are spirits of deceased Clan cats who committed acts of evil during their lives, are preparing an attack on the living Clan cats, and recruiting living cats to their cause by training them for battle in their dreams, led by Tigerstar. The series culminates in a battle involving all the Clans, as well as StarClan and the Dark Forest. Firestar defeats Tigerstar's spirit, which ends the battle in the Clans' favor, but dies in the process.
Super Editions are stand-alone books in the Warriors series that are about 500 pages long, approximately double the length of a regular Warriors book. The first Super Edition was Firestar's Quest, detailing Firestar's journey to rebuild SkyClan, the long-lost fifth Clan of the forest. There have been 16 Super Editions published thus far, with the most recent, Riverstar's Home, having been released in September 2023.[68] Each Super Edition (excluding Firestar's Quest and Riverstar's Home) contains an exclusive manga chapter at the end. The Super Editions include:
The authors have also produced multiple "field guides", which include short stories, lists, and art that further detail various aspects of the series' universe. Each installment is usually about 150 pages long. The field guides include:
Several series of original English-language manga ere produced by HarperCollins with Tokyopop.[69] With the shutdown of Tokyopop, subsequent manga volumes have been published under the HarperCollins name alone. The manga series consists of several sub-series, Graystripe's Adventure, Tigerstar and Sasha, Ravenpaw's Path, and SkyClan and the Stranger, each with three books, as well as the stand-alone book, The Rise of Scourge, all by Dan Jolley. Starting with A Shadow in RiverClan, these books were instead marketed as graphic novels and are standalone volumes instead of being parts of trilogies. Additionally, every manga released from 2007 to 2012 was later rereleased in color. All mangas were illustrated by James L. Barry, with the exception of The Rise of Scourge and Tigerstar and Sasha, which were illustrated by Bettina M. Kurkoski and Don Hudson, respectively. The mangas include:
Several novellas have also been written by Erin Hunter and were originally published only in e-book format. They were subsequently published in anthology volumes of three novellas each, starting with Legends of the Clans. The novellas include:
The first book of the series, Into the Wild, was generally well-received, with reviewers calling it a "spine-tingling",[73] "thoroughly engrossing",[74] and "exciting... action-packed adventure".[75] One reviewer praised the authors for "creating an intriguing world... and an engaging young hero."[76] However, another criticized the characters and imagined world as being "neither... consistent nor compelling."[77]
The manga has also earned praise: a reviewer for Children's Bookwatch noted that Into the Woods "ends on a tense cliffhanger, leaving the reader in anxious anticipation for more... Into the Woods... is especially recommended for cat lovers everywhere."[78] Its sequel, Escape from the Forest, was also well reviewed: a reviewer for Publishers Weekly believed that girls would benefit from reading about Sasha leaving the powerful Tigerstar due to his "growing violence". The art was also praised, with the reviewer writing that "Hudson's artwork brings Sasha's emotional journey to life, showing each moment of fear, anxiety, contentment, and joy. The cat's-eye perspective of many of the panels, in addition, add a dramatic, energizing element to the book." The reviewer also wrote that "a twist at the end will leave fans eager for the next installment of Sasha's saga", and that the book would appeal to young adults trying to find their place in the world.[79] Lisa Goldstein for School Library Journal also gave the book a positive review, writing that the plot would attract new fans and appeal to old fans. The reviewer also wrote that "though the cover claims that this is a 'manga,' the straightforward illustrations are drawn in a simple, realistic style."[80]
c80f0f1006