Welcome to the Feline Fiction World of Erin Hunter

Now that the last of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books has been published, people might be wondering what can one read now to fill that gap. I'm by no means a child anymore, but like many adults, I do love reading children's books, and perhaps read them more than any of the latest bestselling adult books out on the market. In the past, I've read the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass,etc.) by Phillip Pullman, The Inheritance series (Eragon, The Eldest) by Christopher Paolini and so forth, just to name a very small few. Then, one day while I was in the children's section of the library, and yes, I frequent that section more than the rest of the library, I was browsing through the books, trying to find something that would peak my interest, and randomly picked up a book. It was entitled "Into The Wild", the first of the "Warrior" series by Erin Hunter. Little did I know that day, that by picking up that one book, I would develop a serious addiction to this feline world that this author had created.

Into The Wild, introduces us to Rusty, an orange-tabby kitten who lives among the "two-legs" or humans. To the wild, feral cats that roam freely in the woods, he and any cat like him who live in the "luxury" of a two-legs home are known as a "kitty pet." Early on in the book, Rusty has dreams of being in the "wild", these dreams haunt him, and during his waking hours while moving around in the safety of his kitty pet environment, he remembers those dreams and he is lured and enticed to explore and go beyond the confines of his safe lifestyle he has known all his young life. So one day, he leaves the two-legs and goes into the woods where, no sooner has he done so, he is attacked by patrol of "warrior" cats from the Thunderclan. Yet, oddly enough, even though he has never been "trained" to be a warrior cat such as these wild, feral cats he no less is able to defend himself. The group of warrior cats he meets includes Bluestar, the leader of the Thunderclan, and is impressed by his natural skil as a fighter. She invites him to join with the clan, and from there, we are introduced in earnest, the whole world and lifestyle of these wild cats.

The amazing thing about these Warrior books, is how wonderfully, and skillfully developed the whole story-line is. We are first introduced to the members of just one clan, by that chance, accidental meeting Rusty has with the Thunderclan. It turns out, however, that there are four more clans: Riverclan, Shadowclan, Windclan and Starclan; the latter being the equivalent to the wild cats' "heaven," the place where all the warriors go upon the loss of their last of their nine lives. The whole feel of these books and of the story is that of a tribal existence: there are the tribal leaders for each clan, a deputy who is the second in line and in importance to the leader. There are medicine cats for each clan, who aid and administer their healing arts, much in the same manner as a shaman of any human tribal community. In each clan territory, there is a section devoted solely to the "queens"--the female cats who are the mothers of kits they have given birth to. Upon being fully weaned, a ceremony is held and these kits become "apprenticed" to an older warrior cat and are designated an official apprentice name. After much training, and when the time is right, and the apprentice proves himself worthy, in yet another ceremony, that apprentice is then given his or her official warrior name that lasts them until their death. The of course, are the warriors themselves, fierce protectors of their individual clan.

These stories are by no means, sweet and innocent; there is nothing "Disney-like" about them. In truth, they can sometimes be downright brutal, for this is after all, the world of the wild, feral cats, where it is truly a matter of survival of the fittest. There are outright wars between the clans, betrayals and fights for supremacy among the members within the clans. From the very first book, we are introduced to one particular warrior cat, named Tigerclaw. This is the character we just love to hate, and gives a balance to the affection one might develop toward "Rusty" who is forever reminded, especially by Tigerclaw of his kitty pet, outsider status. Throughout this series of Warrior books, Rusty, who is later ceremoniously given the name of Firepaw, constantly has to prove over and over again his worth, that despite his kitty pet past, he too, has the natural instincts of what it takes to be a true warrior himself.

And now, just a little bit about the author "herself". In reality the author's name is a misnomer, for the name Erin Hunter is the pseudonym for the combined collaboration of two people, that being Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry. Both women are devote, and perhaps fanatical feline lovers, and have studied the characteristics of cats with exquisite, almost perfectionistic detail. Anyone who has ever owned a cat will immediately be able to relate and identify the feline behavior throughout these series of books. These two women, have wonderfully brought the world of the cat alive, and while making them "human" in a sense, they never let us forget for a moment that we are indeed reading about the daily struggles of the wild feral cat. It has often made me wonder if feral cats in real life have the same struggle for survival that these cats face.

Into The Wild is just the first book in the Warrior series and there are a total of six. Ah, but that's not all, it doesn't end with those six books! The next six books, a further continuation of the story, is known as The New Prophecy series, and believe it or not, there are even more books, some which are still in the process of being published within the next few months. All total, so far, there are fifteen books, and it doesn't seem the end is anywhere near in sight for these stories and for that, as a devote fan of these books, I'm glad.

So I invite you to join me and begin reading these books. If you're a lover of children's books and a cat lover to boot, you will adore them, and if like me, you wish to fill the gap now that the Harry Potter books have ended, this just might be what you are looking for. And while you're at it, please visit the links provided, especially the official website of Erin Hunter, where one is introduced to this feline world of the Warrior series.