The Prophecies Begin
| Into the Wild |  |
| Fire & Ice | |
| Forest of Secrets | |
| Rising Storm |  |
| A Dangerous Path | |
| The Darkest Hour | |
| Average Rating: | |
I’m amazed at how well these books hold up. I’ve read them all three times now, and have thoroughly enjoyed each reread. The story is full of dynamic characters, a rich world, and a satisfying storyline. The world of Warriors feels dangerous and full of intrigue. There is an underdog protagonist, forbidden romance, treachery, murder plots, xenophobia, and all out war. By cats!
The books make the smart decision to have an every-man/fish-out-of-water main character. Firestar, or Rusty in the beginning, is a kittypet who leaves his domestic life to learn the ways of the wild clan cats. The reader, through Firestar, gets to understand the culture of the clans, the hierarchy, and the danger in an organic way. It helps that Firestar is an exceedingly likable underdog that the reader roots for again and again. He experiences almost every aspect of warriors’ life from apprentice, warrior, deputy, to leader.
Plotwise, the biggest strength of the Prophecies Begin is its cohesion and theming. From the beginning, Firestar must navigate the treachery of Tigerstar, culminating in the final confrontation between all clans. There is a real sense of set up and pay-off that a lot of the later books lack.
World-wise, the clans are not afraid to battle in this series, making for interesting confrontations. The reader meets likable characters in every clan (Lionheart, Whitestorm, Graypool, Mistyfoot, Yellowfang, Littlecloud, Onewhisker, Tallstar) and unlikable characters from every clan (Mudclaw, Leopardstar, Brokenstar, Blackfoot, Darkstripe, Tigerstar). This series is not afraid of killing off characters or allowing drama to fester within Thunderclan, which is a good thing. The Prophecies Begin also has a decent StarClan. They are still mysterious, seemingly wise, and tucked nicely away in “cat-heaven”.
These books are not perfect however. Firestar, as much as I like him, does suffer from a bit of “not sharing important information with other characters syndrome”, especially after Tigerstar becomes leader of Shadowclan. Additionally, Firestar and Graystripe break the Warrior Code constantly. This lends to many tense moments, which isn’t a bad thing, but at points it can be hard to understand the Warrior Code when it’s constantly being ignored.
Overall, I have a lot of love and nostalgia for this series. I’ve read it three times, and am not afraid to experience it over and over again.
The Prophecies Begin Graphic Novels
| Volume 1 | |
| Volume 2 |  |
| Volume 3 | |
Warriors Prophecies Begin Graphic Novel 1:
I've always been skeptical of adapting the original series into any visual medium, graphic novel, movie, or otherwise. Part of the charm of Warriors is being able to imagine the world and its large cast of characters. Translating that into illustration is no easy feat, as shown by cats looking practically indistinguishable in previous manga/graphic novels.
So I'm pleased to report that Reiss and Goetter have done an outstanding job of bringing Into the Wild to life. The full color illustrations are expressive and characters are distinguishable. Colorful backgrounds and interesting paneling draw the eye seamlessly through the pages, which stay true to the source material.
While not every detail from the novel is included, the heart of the story stays true. I'm so thankful, in an era of retconning, that the older cast remains intact as more morally ambiguous. I plan to reread this one again and again.
The Prophecies Begin: Super Editions, Novellas, and Mangas
| Firestar's Quest |  |
From there, it’s a lot of chapters of travelling then recruiting cats to form a clan. The climax is a battle against rats, one of which can talk to the cats. I like the idea of this story, but I wasn’t crazy about the execution.
| Skyclan's Destiny | |
Not only that, but when strangers arrive at Skyclan with their own agenda, more mystery and intrigue begins. Leafstar is unsure of their intentions, her deputy’s intentions, the daylight warriors, and her own feelings for Billystorm.
I was satisfied by the end of the book with how everything turned out. It has become one of my favorites, and I find it to be highly underrated.
Lightning Round - Novellas and Manga
| Tigerclaw's Fury | |
| Tigerstar and Sasha |  |
| A Shadow in Riverclan | |
| Mothwing's Secret | |
| Ravenpaw's Path | |
| Blackfoot's Reckoning | |
| A Thief in Thunderclan |  |
Tigerclaw’s Fury - LOVED this novella. It was great to get a glimpse into Tigerclaw’s perspective. As much as he wants to conquer the forest, there are bits and pieces of loyalty to Thunderclan. I had always wondered how he managed to take over Shadowclan, and this side-story explains that perfectly, and believably. My only gripe was that he is approached by the Dark Forest. That did not feel needed.
Tigerstar and Sasha - This series has a strong first volume detailing the relationship between Tigerstar and the rogue Sasha. It still feels a little forced that Tigerstar fell in love with a kittypet (why not just make her a rogue?), but it ended up being fine. I do think she finds out about his treachery a bit too early. Volume 2 is pretty much filler only about Sasha, and Tigerstar is dead and gone by Volume 3. I guess it was good insight to see how Hawkfrost and Mothwing ended up in Riverclan, but eh.
A Shadow in Riverclan - An excellent graphic novel centered on Feathertail! Feathertail is a compelling point of view character, and it was a pleasant surprise to see a story focused on her grief and anger surrounding Leopardstar’s decision during Riverclan’s time as Tigerclan. Her character progression, and ultimately resolution, feel earned.
Mothwing’s Secret - Possibly my favorite novella, Mothwing's Secret was a such an interesting read. I love the moments of her and Hawkfrost before her brother became truly evil. I love her internal struggle with believing in Star Clan, and losing her only true kin. I also love how this book addresses Mothwing after Omen of the Stars as well - she concedes that Starclan exists, but still chooses to be without them.
Ravenpaw’s Path - A nice little romp focused on Ravenpaw and Barley. I liked seeing the drama they face together with the ex-Blood Clan cats, and their ultimate loyalty to each other. It's so gay and that's a good thing.
Blackfoot's Reckoning - A good novella that finally explores how Blackfoot, a very cruel and evil cat in the Prohpecies Begin, comes to be accepted by Starclan and turn into its honorable leader. It also provides context to his actions in the Prophecies Begin, without necessarily excusing them.
A Thief in Thunderclan - This one was extremely underwhelming. It took place concurrent to Firestar's Quest and just had nothing new to add. The titular thief is an owl (how did no one hear/account for this?) which is probably what it had to be to not ruin the continuity. Speaking of which, this book is another example of really trying to shoehorn in the new family tree. When did Cinderpelt EVER refer to Brightheart as "sister"? And don't even get me started on the typos which are just commonplace in Warriors these days. Cloudtail and Brightheart moments were cute, but overall a waste of time.