Series Review: Warriors by Erin Hunter

Fire alone will save our clan.

Join the legion of fans who have made Erin Hunter’s Warriors series a #1 national bestseller! Epic adventures. Fierce Warrior cats. A thrilling fantasy world.

For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. But the warrior code is threatened, and the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger. The sinister ShadowClan grows stronger every day. Noble warriors are dying – and some deaths are more mysterious than others.

In the midst of this turmoil appears an ordinary house cat named Rusty who may turn out to be the bravest warrior of them all…

The Warriors Saga is a long-spanning feline fantasy series consisting of over seventy books. At this stage we have companion novels, handbooks, field guides, graphic novels and even a coloring book. So yeah – it’s a commitment. But, once you get started on your Warriors journey, you’ll find that these books breeze by in only a couple of sittings. With their wintery vibe and crisp, leafy atmosphere, Warriors is so nostalgic, guaranteed to beat down any reading slump. You’re welcome.

Essentially, Warriors follows four clans of feral wildcats who prowl the forest. Think Watership Down only, you know – with cats. There’s plenty of action, violence and bloodshed as the clans literally fight to survive. Sorry kids, but you won’t find Fluffy in the pages of this series.

It all begins with the original six book arc, now dubbed The Prophecies Begin and a young, adventurous tomcat named Rusty.

When Rusty [an ordinary house cat] meets a wildcat named Graypaw he makes the choice to abandon his soft life as a “kittypet” to join the ranks of ThunderClan. Rusty – now Firepaw – must train as a warrior apprentice and learn to live by the laws set down by the sacred warrior code. [FYI – the warrior code is a BIG deal to the clans]. But trouble lurks in the forest. Firepaw must face down his clanmate’s prejudices and dodge a fiercely ambitious clan deputy. On top of that, tensions are rising between the four clans. Allegiances and shifting fast and Firepaw soon finds himself in the middle of a political power struggle.

Basically, Warriors is like a kitty soap opera and it’s freaking legendary.

Our protagonist Firepaw is probably my favorite character of the entire saga. Actually – Firepaw reminds me of Simba from the Lion King. He’s energetic, loyal and brave but always getting into mischief. What makes Firepaw so compelling though is the fact that he’s an outsider. He’s constantly striving to prove himself and faces constant discrimination from the clans.

While this particular Warriors arc is told solely from Firepaw’s perspective, each member of Thunderclan has a distinctive, fully-fleshed personality. There’s a real sense of community and comradeship. These characters rely on each other to survive – the clan’s warriors hunt for the queens and elders between running the border patrols. The clan is a tight knit, well-oiled unit and every cat has an important role to play.

Okay, so Warriors is “officially” marketed towards middle grade fiction but trust me when I say that the themes and plot lines read more like YA. I mean, the forest isn’t timid and the clans face real threats. Besides starvation and outside threats [you know – predators] there’s war, social conflict, forbidden love and even death. [Spoiler alert: no character is ever safe from a tragic, brutal death]. These cats have to deal with loss, betrayal and responsibility while Erin Hunter explores religion and the idea of nature Vs nurture. All I’m saying is there’s a lot of social commentary that’s relevant to our own reality.  

Also, if you think Scar was a seriously badass villain just you wait till you meet Tigerclaw…

I could probably rave about the Warriors books till the cows come home. Instead I’ll leave you with this: Warriors is an atmospheric, all-consuming series with complex lore and immersive world building. I honestly believe that, like Harry Potter, these books can be enjoyed at any age. If you do decide to take the plunge into the fantasy world of Warrior cats, I recommend starting with the original book; Into the Wild. Trust me though – once you start you’ll never be able to stop!

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