Into the Wild

The first in an ever-growing series of children's novels devoted to the adventures of four rival cat-clans, Into the Wild follows the story of Rusty, a kittypet (domesticated pet cat) whose dreams of the forest beyond his backyard prove prophetic. Leaving the safety of his twoleg (human) home behind, after a late night confrontation in the forest leads to an invitation to join ThunderClan, Rusty the Kittypet becomes Firepaw the Apprentice, and begins his training to become a Warrior. But with a fierce inter-clan competition for hunting grounds raging, Firepaw has entered a world of conflict and uncertainty, where even those he believes to be allies might not be all they claim...

Chosen as the July selection for the Children's Fiction show more Club to which I belong, Into the Wild is anthropomorphic animal fantasy that's light on the anthropomorphism. Or, I suppose I should say, while these kitties think and plan, speak to one another intelligently, and have complicated social structures, they don't walk on two feet, à la Puss in Boots, nor do they wield swords. In short: this isn't Redwall. Although I have a fondness for that other kind of animal fantasy (I did grow up reading about Reepicheep, the gallant, swash-buckling mouse-hero of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, after all), I appreciated the more "realistic" approach adopted here. I like the fact that these cats fought and lived like cats.

On the other hand, there's no denying that the author's constant use of "meowed," "mewled" and "yowled" got a little tired after a while - OK, Erin Hunter! I wanted to shout We get it! They're cats! - and that this is a story that takes itself very seriously. For the adult reader, the epic tone used to describe the conflicts in what is essentially a small, enclosed world, can be a little difficult to take, making the necessary suspension of disbelief almost impossible. To be absolutely honest, I was convinced, halfway through the book, that this review was going to be a massive pan. Fortunately, as the story progressed, I found myself becoming more involved, both in the world, and with the characters. I suspected Tigerclaw all along - I don't think even Erin Hunter's most devoted fans could claim her series was anything but predictable - but it was still engrossing to see my suspicions confirmed. I came to have a great fondness for Firepaw, Yellowfang, and Bluestar, and when, at the end, the ThunderClan kits are abducted, I was anxiously reading along, to see whether they would be rescued. In short: I was drawn in, and plan to read the next installment. Despite all my criticisms of the book, clearly it did something right! show less

Into the Wild by Erin Hunter follows the story of Rusty, a house-cat, who curiously ventures into the forest one night. After a chance encounter with one of the wild cats that live in the forest, Rusty ends up leaving his house-cat life behind and joining them. He trains under Bluestar, the leader of Thunderclan, and is given the name Firepaw. He learns about the importance of the warrior code, hunting, fighting, and even the disputes between the four different clans. The book showcases a few themes that I think are important for readers -- the first being that you cannot choose to live two different lives. Firepaw had the luxury and ignorance of a house-cat and dropped it all to become something greater than himself, to contribute to show more the clan that he will later find is like family to him. Secondly, there are themes of doing what is right and just, even when your ambitions can lead you to more power, which is mainly seen with Tigerclaw, one of the major antagonists. I read this book when I was about 10 or 11 years old, and I remember absolutely loving the series as I grew up. For preteens who love a good book with animals, I think that Warriors is a fantastic choice. show less

One of my guilty pleasures, I have read all three series and eagerly await the fourth. As I describe it to my friends, it's like Harry Potter, but with cats. Young Rusty is a pet cat who leaves his home to join a clan of wild cats living in the nearby forest. What awaits him is a hard lesson in survival, duty, and friendship. The cats are guided by their own code and mythology. Though it seems like a fluff story, Erin Hunter does not shy away from portraying the dangers of a wild life.

My biggest beef with this book is that it has the same title as Jon Krakauer's book about Christopher McCandless, which is a very different book than this one. Although now that I think about it, both follow a protagonist who chooses to leave behind a life in civilization for the comparative realness of the wilderness. But really, that's where the similarity ends because McCandless went out on his own, Thoreau-style (but without as much thought about his wardrobe or really any other planning), while Rusty/Firepaw/Fireheart joins a clan of wild cats. And, of course, McCandless was not a cat.

Which leads me to my second-biggest beef with this book: Cats living in colonies. This Into the Wild mirrors Watership Down but with cats instead of show more rabbits. The only trouble is, I don't think feral cats and wild rabbits have similar social structures. Maybe I'm totally off with this. I've not studied the large feral cat populations that live in Key West and at the University of Hawaii; maybe they act just like the four clans in Hunter's book. I just had some trouble believing that cats would cooperate in the way that Hunter's cats do, sharing food and territory and organizing to protect this shared territory from other clans. The feral cats I've encountered are all pretty loner-ish. Also, they don't meow, which Hunter's cats do a lot.

But like I said, I'm no expert on the group behaviors of feral cats.

In spite of these annoyances---and in spite of myself---I enjoyed the story. Every time I sat down to read it and looked at the cover illustration, I just felt ridiculous. I mean, I should be reading David Hume's The History of England, Volume V, which I've been working on since June, and here I am with a book about the politics of a feral cat colony. It would be different if I were reading the book aloud to my kids, but that wasn't the case. My eight-year-old read it on her own and then said, "Mommy! You HAVE to read this! It's GREAT!" So it was my post-bedtime read for several nights.

The whole subplot with Yellowfang and how she gained the trust of the clan really drew me in. Was Yellowfang really guilty of the crimes with which she was charged? Would Firepaw finally tell Bluestar about Tigerclaw's secret?

I just had to keep reading to find out.

And to avoid reading about the ill-fated reign of King Charles. show less

"For generations, four Clans of wild cats have shared the forest according to the laws laid down by their warrior ancestors. But the ThunderClan cats are in grave danger, and 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."

I read this book so many times as a child that it eventually fell apart. This book, and the series (multiple series at that) is amazing. It transports readers into a hidden world of wild cats in four distinct clans. Following Rusty on his coming-of-age journey was a big part of my own coming of age. I learned show more you can face any danger knowing you have the support of friends and family who stick by your side through thick and thin. I learned about loyalty and betrayal as well. Animal fantasy has always been a captivating sub-genre for me, as I've always loved animals. I spent years playing out this novel in games with my sister or best friend who also loved these books. Children need a break from reality just as much as adults, and this book does the job exceedingly well.

Genre: Fantasy
Sub-Genre: Animal Fantasy show less

Rusty, a common house cat, decides to abandon his "kittypet" life when he's invited to become an apprentice warrior with Thunderclan, one of several clans of feral cats that hunt for their food and fight for their territory. Yeah, that's right. Clans of fighting cats. I think we have to chalk this one up to "things adults will probably never quite get" and accept it, but if you want more detail, here we go. To describe this book, I'm going to imagine a conversation with a friend of mine who would take a good amount of joy in subtly mocking me about this book while asking more and more questions so he might relish the ridiculousness.

Um... Alana? I notice that you're reading a book with a cat on the cover. Now, it doesn't look like show more nonfiction, nor does the cat appear to be intended ironically... would you care to comment? Yeah... this is the first book from that insanely lucrative "Warriors" series that's so popular with the kids these days.

Oh really? What's the series about? Well, it's about clans of cats who live by a warrior code and battle for survival in the wilderness. Imagine warrior knights loyal to a king... but with fur... and tails. The first one is from the perspective of a house cat named Rusty who joins up with the Thunderclan and proves himself worthy of becoming a warrior as he protects the clan and his friends.

... Seriously? Yes, seriously.

So all the characters are cats. ... Does Rusty fight along side Fluffy, Rocketship, and Mittens? Actually, once Rusty joins the clan, his name becomes Firepaw. And all the clan cats have these double names like Tigerclaw or Spottedleaf or Bluestar.

... Are you making this up? I promise you, I'm not making this up.

Okaaay. I'll admit, I've heard of the series, but I don't think I really realized everything that it would entail. Get it? En-tail? You're hilarious.

There's a lot of these books, aren't there? There are approximately a zillion books in this series.

A zillion? A zillion books about anthropomorphic fighting cats? Who on earth is reading these? In the eight to twelve age bracket, it's more a question of who isn't reading them. It's a series that actually appeals to both girls and boys and here's why. One: it's about kittehs (which means all girls will read this). Two: they fight (which means lots of boys will read this). Three: have you ever heard of a little thing called Redwall by Brian Jacques? Now all the geeks will read this.

Hey! Don't knock Redwall! I'm not knocking Redwall at all, because Redwall is awesome, but you have to admit... while Redwall fans were not necessarily popular as children, they are voracious readers and if you had run out of books about mice, otters, and voles and you saw this series sitting right in front of your beloved Brian Jacques... well, cats aren't looking so crazy now, are they?

Well played... to the point where I'm wishing I had come up with this idea. I could be making bank. What mastermind conceived of this evil plan? The author is listed as Erin Hunter, but "Erin Hunter" is the pen name used by four women who write/edit this series. The idea was originally suggested to the editor by the publisher, who wanted a series about cats, and it all took off from there. The surname "Hunter" stems from the combined desire to come up with something that fits the series (and "Hunter" works pretty nicely) and the goal to tap into the Redwall market by simple shelf placement. It also means you don't break up the series by an author's last name if they were to all be shelved according to the individual author.

Okay, but really, while the book premise might seem wildly ridiculous to adults, I can totally see the appeal for children. Epic stories, a return to tales rather knightly topics of honor and loyalty, a huge cast of characters... yes, it's talking animals but the plots aren't focused on silly adventures. There's actual fighting and death, which means kids don't feel like this is some pandering story about kitty-cats where everything turns out okay in the end and Miss Whiskers is just sleeping. Young readers learn moral lessons about being dedicated to achieving their goals and rising above taunts and prejudice.

I'll admit that I may have, at times, wanted to insert various lolcats as illustrative aids and shout "Thundercats! Hoooo!" when the Thunderclan went into battle. My significant other refers to this as the "lazer cat" series. And no, there's no way I would be caught on the subway reading this book by another adult but that's the thing... I'm not the intended market; kids are, and as long as they're entertained, I'm totally fine with any epic series that keeps them reading. Sure, "Warriors" doesn't seem quite as literary as Redwall, though it's gotten nominated for various awards, and there's a really large cast of characters, but that only seems to invest kids in learning everything to conquer it all and diving into this new world. It's not another planet; the cats don't wear clothes. A kid could read this and very easily look at the family cat in a whole new light. Yes, the cats seem to have an impressive knowledge of herbal lore at their paw-tips, but to just injure cats in battle and then leave them to fester and die would be far too gruesome. Rusty/Firepaw is a fairly likable hero who certainly grows in skill and logic as the book progresses. His eventual path towards leading Thunderclan (which I'm guessing at right now) seems pretty clear. This is obviously set up for a series, but this has to have surpassed the wildest expectations of the publisher, given the huge fan base and large number of participating members on the fan message boards.

Here's the thing. Unlike some other young reader books, I can't really say that I would recommend this to other adults -- there seems to be an age limit for the obsession. Honestly, I would suspect there's an age limit from any true pleasure taken from these. After a certain age, if you're going to read about anthropomorphic animals, you want a little more from them. However, Warriors could prove to be a key stepping stone from much simpler young reader books to other, more intense fantasy worlds and giant epics. Hey, it might even help to improve the attention span of children if they manage to read all these books and remember the family trees and so on. Clearly Warriors has lots of fans and despite my good-natured teasing, this old-fogy can see how kids today might find this to be a truly captivating series.

Oh, and one last thing. Thundercats! Hooooo!

UPDATE.
Okay. I finished writing this review and then went out to dinner with my significant other. We sat down and almost immediately, my significant other's eyes locked on something beyond my elbow.
"That's yours, right?"
"What?"
"That." With his head, he motioned for me to turn and look. Behind us, an elderly couple sat and beside the older woman, a copy of Warriors sat with a bookmark in it. It was book six of the first series. x"I love it," she insisted when we asked. "I have cats and I'm a big animal lover. I think these books are wonderful." So I yield the point. Evidently adults do read these books for their own enjoyment. She wasn't even reading it to engage in a shared interest with a grandchild (as had been my hypothesis). It takes all kinds, evidently. show less

I have somewhat sour memories of how the series started going crazy after a while, but I'm very pleased to discover that the original books are still great. I would definitely recommend it to younger readers, but I admit that older audiences might not enjoy it. I can't tell if nostalgia is the main thing making me love the book or not.

But it's so much fun to bound into the forest with Firepaw and learn about the clans and different cats and all the political intrigue and fights and hunting and training. It's a fabulous world that I love being part of.