The Prophecies Begin: Prequel Super Editions, Novellas, and Mangas
| Tallstar's Revenge |  |
Tallstar’s Revenge is a great super edition and Warriors cats book in general. It’s a much needed glimpse into an older version of the clans, dating back even before Bluestar’s Prophecy.
What I liked:
Windclan is so unique compared to its contemporaries and the future version of itself. Windclan prides itself on being closest to Starclan, takes its apprentices to the Moonstone, and even accepts visiting cats once a year with a level of friendliness vastly different from their interactions with other clans. But this Windclan’s biggest distinction is its division into two job factions: moor runners and tunnelers. Moor runners, as the name implies, hunt and run above ground in the way modern Windclan is described to do. They are wiry short haired cats with natural speed. Tunnelers, by contrast, create networks underground to hunt during winter and to theoretically surprise invaders. It’s an old tradition kept secret from the other clans.
Tallstar has a lot of defined relationships in this book! He is friends with Barkface, Stagleap, Doespring, and Rystalk among others. He spends time listening to elder stories and getting to know the tunnelers. He has a bully/rival in the form of Shrewclaw. His mentor Dawnstripe sees his potential, and works to cultivate him as a great moor runner. And of course, there is Jake. Tallstar’s gay romp with Jake actually made the travelling parts of this book GOOD!
Tallstar is just a great protagonist. He is prideful, hasty, and headstrong while also allowing himself to learn and grow. He is wrong at times, but has a good heart.
Did I mention Tallstar and Jake’s gay little romp was cute? They are mates in my heart.
I like that Tallstar insisted on training Hopkit despite his disability, and later went on to make him deputy.
What was only okay:
I’m sad that tunneling did not stick around, but I guess it makes sense. Tunneling was dangerous, and only had theoretical advantages. But still, it would have been nice to have something to set Windclan apart.
I wish there had been more closure about Sandgorse. Sandgorse’s love for Tallstar was always conditional and he was downright nasty when Tallstar wanted to live a different lifestyle. Tallstar primarily seeks revenge because he never got a chance to win his father’s approval. I was really hoping there would be an apology, or that Tallstar would realize how awful his dad was.
I wish Shrewclas would have been held accountable for some of his bullying. He says it’s teasing, but his actions were cruel. He never had a kind word for Tallstar.
Palebird was a bad mother, and not because of her postpartum. It was because of the way she treated Tallstar after having her second litter. She constantly snapped at him, and didn’t even notice when he left the clan. She’s not as bad as Rainflower, but she’s still awful.
I hate that Heatherstar changed Hopkit’s name to “Deadpaw”. I know this had to remain consistent with “Deathfoot”, but why not wait until the Warrior ceremony?
| Crockedstar's Promise | |
Crookedstar still cultivates friendships, and has a strong connection to his brother Oakheart. He also has an interesting relationship with the book’s antagonist, Mapleshade. This super edition was my introduction to her, and she was great in it! It was so refreshing to have an evil female character playing the long game through manipulation. Her sole goal was to create misery out of petty revenge, and that’s great!
However, my biggest gripe is that the relationship between Crookedstar and Mapleshade is basically governed by Brambleberry’s inability to confront Crookedstar about it until the end of the book. Characters just do not communicate with each other, and Crookedstar would have been saved a lot of confusion if Brambleberry would have just asked him about Mapleshade directly.
Even still, this was an enjoyable read and look into Riverclan.
| Yellowfang's Secret |  |
I was so onboard with this book, but there was just enough wrong with it to bother me.
On a positive note, I loved that we got a Shadowclan p.o.v book from a character with an interesting life. Shadowclan was also depicted as the “evil” clan in the Prophecies Begin, so it was a breath of fresh air to see them behave as an honorable group. Yellowfang was a strong lead with a bold personality, if not missing a bit of her classic crankiness. Seeing her fall apart as Brokentail rose to power was also heartbreaking, but in a compelling way.
Now, for my problems. Raggedstar is portrayed as a moody jerk throughout most of the book, being very hot and cold with Yellowfang. The main series always described him as the noble Shadowclan leader, but in this book he seems slightly unhinged. His romance with Yellowfang would have been so much better if he was never cruel to her, just sad. It would’ve made it so much more heartbreaking if he respected her decision to become a medicine cat and still loved her.
Speaking of which, Yellowfang’s ‘ability’ was yet another forced “you have to be a medicine cat” type trait. As soon as she becomes one she learns to control it, which could have easily let her live the life of a warrior. It would have been so much better if it was her choice and not her destiny.
Finally, and this is more of a problem in later books, it seems odd that Yellowfang eventually renounces Shadowclan when she moves onto Starclan. She barely spent time in Thunderclan, and most of her Shadowclan life was very positive. Her “empathy powers” are also never mentioned again.
Overall, I did like this book, but its flaws are difficult to look past.
| Bluestar's Prophecy | |
This was the first prequel SE I read, and I loved it. Granted, it’s not an earth shattering story, but it was really nice to spend time with Thunderclan prior to the Prophecies Begin. My favorite aspect of the book was getting to see the origins of iconic characters such as Lionheart, Tigerstar, Whitestorm and especially Bluestar.
I am a little on the fence about Bluestar’s characterization. Her life is a series of tragedies that causes her to become angry and withdrawn for a lot of the book. Just when the reader thinks Bluestar has gained her footing, another devastating event impacts her life (the loss of Moonflower, Snowfur, Mosskit, etc.).
I was satisfied by the end of the book, and Bluestar’s ultimate choice to become deputy instead of Thistleclaw.
| Leopardstar's Honor | |
Leopardstar’s Honor is an attempt to tell a backstory that not only takes place before Prophecies Begin, but also happens concurrently with its events. The results are an interesting look into the inner psyche of Leopardstar, but also a slew of egregious continuity errors compounded by a sloppy final third that seems to have missed editing all together.
Leopardstar’s story isn’t revolutionary, but is entertaining enough to hold the reader’s attention through its 500+ length. These super editions feel so much better when it chronicles the life of a character, and avoids unnecessary travel (which, thankfully, Leopardtar’s Honor does). Leopardstar is an interesting POV character in that she is a bit spoiled, aggressive, and hotheaded. Her point of view is flawed, but in a lot of ways understandable given the competitive nature of the clans. Her alliance with Tigerstar ends up being very believable. I also appreciated how Leopardstar was able to be duped by Tigerstar because Thunderclan never came clean about why Tigerstar was banished from the clan. This was a common criticism of the Prophecies Begin, and is even pointed about by Leopardstar.
Storywise, my biggest complaint was Leopardstar’s fixation on Frogleap. The whole “be deputy or a queen” drama is so overdone, and not the least bit compelling. Leopardstar never takes a mate, and I was hoping it would be because she was not interested in toms at all.
But the worst parts of this book is the absolute lack of editing in some parts. The alliances are a disaster naming cats that should not even be alive at the same time, let alone Warriors. The worst comes at the end in which the following events play out in this order:
-Leopardstar turns down an offer to join Tigerclan, and reflects that Stormkit and Featherkit are still very young.
-The NEXT DAY Leopardstar makes Stonefur and Mistyfoot Featherpaw and Stormpaw’s mentors.
-Boulder and Jaggedtooth make a snide comment at the ceremony despite being in Shadowclan and not Tigerclan.
-Leopardstar finds out Stonefur and Mistyfoot are half clan and maybe shouldn’t have been chosen as mentors.
Leopardstar joins Tigerclan.
-Tigerstar asks Leopardstar if she is set on making Mistyfoot and Stonefur Featherkit and Stormkit’s mentors (despite this having already happened??). They fight about this.
-In the ending Manga, when Mistyfoot goes missing, Reedpaw is STILL a young apprentice despite Hawkfrost already being a warrior. Reedpaw was named an apprentice way before Hawkfrost was even born (in this middle of this super edition).
These errors, compounded, are very confusing and distracting. It takes the reader out of the story. I love the Warriors books, but all of this is a sign that the production schedule is way too fast, and these books need more time in the oven. Despite all of that, I really did enjoy reading this book, and loved the perspective. I would like to see more flawed characters like Leopardstar.
| Onestar's Confession |  |
I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. This Super Edition is about Onestar, one of the least liked characters in the entire series (for good reason).
I really don't think this book makes Onestar sympathetic, if anything it made me dislike him more. Onestar is selfish, narcissistic, and cowardly. He chooses not to be honest time and time again because he is so afraid of what others will think of him. He tries to justify his poor choices again and again, but they are no excuse. I enjoyed that even though Onestar is the protagonist, he's still incredibly unlikable. I'm glad that the Erins didn't shy away from Onestar's critical flaws. It was entertaining to read from such a skewed perspective.
My major gripes with this book is the pacing. The front half, which I was honestly more interested in, felt too fast. Major events, like courting Smoke and the Eclipse battle, were skipped entirely. Then, the last two hundred or so pages were very focused on Vision of Shadows events, where Onestar is at his absolute worst. I think a better balance could've been struck. This book also struggles with a lot of the same problems the more recent publications face (retcons, homogenizing clans, inventing family trees, etc.).
Onestar's redemption was the worst part by far. This all would have come together so well if he had just suffered some consequences (from his clan, Starclan, someone). I'm glad Firestar calls him out, and that Onestar does have a genuine urge to improve, but it could have been so much more. I enjoyed this in a brain dead sort of way, but a lot of it falls apart when stacked against previous works.
Lightning Round - Prequel Novellas and Manga
| Cloudstar's Journey | |
| Mapleshade's Vengeance | |
| Pinestar's Choice | |
| Goosefeather's Curse |  |
| The Rise of Scourge | |
| Spottedleaf's Heart |  |
| Redtail's Debt | |
| Exile from Shadowclan | |
Cloudstar’s Journey - It was alright. Interesting to see SkyClan in the old territories, but it’s one of those “StarClan is sort of incompetent” kind of books. Cloudstar’s ancestors are in denial of the situation, and give him bad advice. Overall, this was a story better left as the footnote of Firestar’s Quest.
Mapleshade’s Vengeance - I liked this one a lot! Mapleshade makes for a good villain- she’s ruthless, entitled, and completely irrational. I do not find her to be a tragic or sympathetic villain as she puts herself in a lot of her own misfortune with her delusions and lies. Overall, a good origin story for this menacing ghost.
Pinestar’s Choice - A story I liked more than I thought I would. Pinestar’s decision to become a kittypet in Bluestar’s prophecy felt abrupt, so it was nice to finally have the full context. I liked his relationship with the kittypets, and that he was still an honorable leader up until he decided to leave his clan. It’s unfortunate we never see him again, especially given the fact that he is Tigerstar’s Father.
Goosefeather’s Curse - Another, “you have to be a medicine cat because you have weird powers that no one can explain - sorry!”. Wasn’t a huge fan of this one.
The Rise of Scourge - Absolutely love Bettina Kurkoski’s illustrations in this manga, and wish that she had gotten to do more. The Rise of Scourge is a pretty predictable story, but it’s elevated by Kurkoski’s expressive style and depiction of Scourge. This story made me root for Scourge when he killed Tigerstar in the Prophecies Begin.
Spottedleaf’s Heart - Spottedleaf and Thistleclaw…? Strange story of an abusive, slightly pedophillic, relationship. There was no need to depict Spottedleaf as ever wanting to be a warrior in my opinion. The trope of conversion from warrior to medicine cat is so tried. I was hoping this would instead be the story of how Spottedleaf came to love Firestar, but alas, it is not.
Redtail’s Debt - Probably one of the worst novellas thus far. Redtail's debt is completely unnessary, and gets so many details wrong from Into the Wild. It recontextualizes events to make Tigerclaw overtly evil instead of a subtle ambitious force, while also incorrectly claiming that Redtail kills Oakheart. Cats are wildly out of character. Rushed and lazy.
Exile from Shadowclan - It was a pretty looking graphic novel, but tried way too hard to make first arc Shadowclan look like well meaning fools instead of the malicious cats they were. Nightstar is retroactively painted as a truly noble cat, when in actuality he was all in favor of keeping Windclan exiled. It was also eye rolling when Starclan said they can't pick leaders. Of all the reasons not to give Nightstar his lives, this was the weakest excuse.