Warriors Graphic Novel: The Prophecies Begin #1

-- 3.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5 where necessary --

Erin Hunter's WARRIORS series has been languishing on my TBR list for ages now, mostly because there are so many books and spin-offs in the series that I don't know where to start. So when I saw that the series was getting the comic book treatment, I jumped right on it. The first graphic novel in the series, THE PROPHECIES BEGIN #1, manages to condense the first two novels in the series (INTO THE WILD and FIRE AND ICE) into one graphic novel. Since I haven't read the source material, I can't say how loyal it is to the original, but Riess and Goetter seem to have done a commendable job.

The story follows Rusty, a fiery red kittypet who longs for more (already relatable AF). Though he has a show more good, safe life in his nest of twolegs, Rusty is drawn to the forest. When he finally trusts his instincts and ventures into the wild, his life is forever changed: he's welcomed into the Thunderclan as an apprentice (Firepaw) and, eventually, a full-fledged warrior (Fireheart). Living in one of the four wildcat clans - there's also Riverclan, Windclan, and Shadowclan - isn't always easy, but it is rewarding.

Rusty has joined his free-living cousins during a time of great tumult, however: as the winter stretches out, fewer kits are being born; in turn, the clan has fewer warriors with which to defend their borders. Human encroachment and pollution mean less food for everyone. And the fierce Shadowclan has become beholden to a tyrant, even as a traitor threatens the Thunderclan from within. All the while Rusty is haunted by dreams - or are they prophecies? - sent by the Starclan.

It turns out that the lives of wildcats are a lot like our own, filled with drama, conflict, and betrayal - not to mention, friendship and love. The storytelling is great, and the artwork, just lovely. If I had only one complaint, it's that it's sometimes difficult to keep all the characters straight. There are some naming (and renaming) conventions that I picked up on about halfway through the book; it might have been helpful for the authors to spell out the rules in a preface. A character guide would have been handy too. show less

Rusty is a housecat who longingly looks to the forest that neighbors his yard and one day decides to venture into it, only to discover colonies of stray cats live there and fight over their territorial sections of it. After some initial hesitation by these "warrior" cats, Rusty is invited to apprentice with the Thunderclan set of cats and is renamed Firepaw.

Wow, was this book not for me. I had seen this series and its spinoffs be popular for years but hadn't wanted to commit to the length of the books nor the sheer number of them. However, the new graphic novel adaptations seemed a little more manageable. Obviously these wildly popular books have found an audience although it is bizarre to me as I wonder how animal lovers would want to show more read a series with so much violence against and death of animals; likewise, I don't see how kids who aren't into animals would want to read a book with only feline characters.

That being said, there is a lot of intrigue in the book, so maybe it appeals to kids who will eventually be into political thrillers as adult readers. I do think the conniving and the backstabbing was maybe the most interesting part of the book, or at least the most engaging to keep readers turning the page. However, I don't care enough about the open threads to want to keep reading the series. I honestly was having a hard enough time keeping track of all the various characters when they all had names like Ravenpaw, Sandpaw, Graypaw, Bluestar, Crookedstar, Brokenstar, etc. Plus apparently they get name changes at important milestones in their lives, so our main character goes from Rusty to Firepaw to Fireheart in this one book alone!

The illustrations were fine but didn't really help me narrow down the characters all that much either, although at least they attempt. Still, how many variations can you make on a cat? This book wasn't my cup of tea, although the series clearly has a large audience, perhaps of kids who enjoy adventure and fantasy stories. show less

Too much story smushed into too few pages, if I didn't love the original series so much when I was younger I don't think I would like this all that much. The pacing is off and I would've liked to spend more time getting to know the characters.

So many cat and clan names to keep straight, and sometimes they get new! But by the end of book one, I felt a little more competent at keeping track of who was who. Will keep an eye out for more of the series.

Good story. It does a good job of outlining everything for a new reader or someone who's been following the storyline for awhile.