Warriors (novel series)

Warriors (also known as Warrior Cats) is a series of novels based on the adventures and drama of multiple Clans of feral cats. The series is primarily set in fictional forests. Published by HarperCollins, the series is written by authors Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, as well as others, under the collective pseudonym Erin Hunter. The concept and plot of the pilot series were developed by series editor, Victoria Holmes.
There are currently nine sub-series ("arcs"), each containing six books: The Prophecies Begin, The New Prophecy, Power of Three, Omen of the Stars, Dawn of the Clans, A Vision of Shadows, The Broken Code, A Starless Clan, and Changing Skies. Other books have been released in addition to the main series, including lengthier "Super Edition" novels, several novellas, many guide books, several volumes of original English language manga, and graphic novels. The series has also been translated into several languages.
The series first began when publisher HarperCollins asked Victoria Holmes to write a fantasy series about feral cats. Holmes was initially not enthusiastic, since she "couldn't imagine coming up with enough ideas." She worked with the concept, however, expanding the storyline with elements of war, politics, revenge, doomed love, and religious conflict. Although the original plan was for a stand-alone novel, enough material was created for several books, and the publisher decided on a six-volume series. The first volume, Into the Wild, was written by Kate Cary under the pseudonym "Erin Hunter" and was completed in about three months. Holmes then began to work behind the scenes, editing and supervising details. Cherith Baldry joined the team to write the third book, Forest of Secrets. Later, after she wrote the first Warriors field guide, Tui Sutherland became the fourth author to use the pseudonym Erin Hunter.
The authors have named several other authors as sources of inspiration when writing the novels. In an online author chat, Cherith Baldry listed the authors that inspire her as including Tolkien, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Shakespeare. In the same chat, Victoria Holmes stated that Jacqueline Wilson, Kathy Reichs, and J. K. Rowling are some of the authors that inspire her. According to the official website, other authors who have inspired the writers include Enid Blyton, Lucy Daniels, Ellis Peters, Tess Gerritsen, Kate Ellis, Lisa Gardiner, and Meg Cabot. The authors have also mentioned several other sources of inspiration. The New Forest in southern England was the basis for the forest where the series takes place. Other influential locations include Loch Lomond, as well as the Scottish Highlands. Nicholas Culpeper, a physician who used materials occurring in the natural world as medicine, also had an influence on the Warriors series. His book, Culpeper's Herbal, is used as a source by the authors for the many herbal remedies that the cats use. The film series Rambo has also been cited as a source of inspiration.
The Warriors universe centers around a large group of feral cats who initially reside in a forest, and later, around a lake. The cats are split into five groups called Clans: ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and SkyClan. Each Clan has adapted to its own terrain. Relationships between different Clans are usually tense and they often come into conflict with one another. However, the Clans also sometimes show concern for each other; the idea of one Clan being destroyed usually causes deep distress and prompts urgent action on behalf of all Clans. The Clans have a unique naming and hierarchy system, in that their names are generally determined by their rank in the Clan.
The Clan cats have a faith system based on the concept of StarClan, a group of the spirits of the Clans' deceased ancestors, who occasionally provide guidance to the living Clan cats. After death, the spirits of most Clan cats join StarClan and reside in a paradisaical forest similar to Heaven. StarClan often provides guidance to the Clans through dreams and other signs like omens. In addition to StarClan, there exists the Dark Forest, also known as The Place of No Stars, which takes the form of a never-ending forest, similar to Hell. The spirits of cats who caused great pain and suffering to others while alive reside there as a form of punishment.
Cats who live outside of the Clans are categorized into three groups: housecats, referred to as "kittypets" by Clan cats, who are looked down upon for their cozy and lazy lifestyle; loners, who are cats who live outside of the Clans, usually by themselves; and rogues, cats who live on their own and intend to do harm to the Clans. In some instances, stray cats may form large groups of their own. It is rare for a stray cat to join a Clan, as outsiders are generally distrusted and scorned by Clan cats.
The original Warriors series consists of six books: Into the Wild (21 January 2003), Fire and Ice (27 May 2003), Forest of Secrets (14 October 2003), Rising Storm (6 January 2004), A Dangerous Path (1 June 2004), and The Darkest Hour (5 October 2004). The series was subtitled The Prophecies Begin for the 2015 reprint. The series details the experiences of a housecat named Rusty who ventures into the forest and is invited to join ThunderClan, one of four groups of wild cats in the forest. Throughout the series, he rises through the Clan hierarchy while attempting to uncover and later stop the treachery of his Clanmate and deputy Tigerclaw, who intends initially to usurp ThunderClan's leadership and later plans to take over all the Clans.
The second series, Warriors: The New Prophecy, consists of six books: Midnight (10 May 2005), Moonrise (1 August 2005), Dawn (27 December 2005), Starlight (4 April 2006), Twilight (22 August 2006), and Sunset (26 December 2006). In this series, the Clans' survival is put at risk as humans begin to destroy their forest home with machinery. The series revolves around a group of cats consisting of Tawnypelt, Crowfeather, Feathertail, Brambleclaw, Stormfur, and Squirrelflight, who embark on a quest to find a new home for the Clans after their forest is destroyed. The series also details the rest of the Clans' subsequent journey to find their new lakeside territories, and the struggles they face in establishing themselves again.
The third series, Warriors: Power of Three, consists of six books: The Sight (24 April 2007), Dark River (26 December 2007), Outcast (22 April 2008), Eclipse (2 September 2008), Long Shadows (25 November 2008), and Sunrise (21 April 2009). The series revolves around the search for three cats who are prophesized to have untold powers. A litter of three kittens is born. Two of them, Lionblaze and Jayfeather, possess supernatural abilities; their sister, Hollyleaf, does not.
The fourth series, Warriors: Omen of the Stars, consists of six books: The Fourth Apprentice (24 November 2009), Fading Echoes (23 March 2010), Night Whispers (23 November 2010), Sign of the Moon (5 April 2011), The Forgotten Warrior (22 November 2011), and The Last Hope (3 April 2012). The series continues the plot of Warriors: Power of Three, after it is discovered at the end of the previous series that Lionblaze and Jayfeather's sister, Hollyleaf, does not have a special power. The third prophesized cat is revealed to be Dovewing. The trio learn throughout the course of the series that the cats of the Dark Forest, who are spirits of deceased Clan cats who committed acts of evil during their lives, are preparing an attack on the living Clan cats, and recruiting living cats to their cause by training them for battle in their dreams, led by Tigerstar. The series culminates in a battle involving all the Clans, as well as StarClan and the Dark Forest. Firestar defeats Tigerstar's spirit, which ends the battle in the Clans' favor, but dies in the process.
The fifth series, Warriors: Dawn of the Clans, consists of six books: The Sun Trail (5 March 2013), Thunder Rising (5 November 2013), The First Battle (8 April 2014), The Blazing Star (4 November 2014), A Forest Divided (7 April 2015), and Path of Stars (1 September 2015). The arc is a prequel and centers around the formation and early days of the Clans. Cats from a tribe in the mountains leave in search of a better home, ultimately discovering the forest which becomes the territory of the modern Clans, and forming the Clans.
Warriors: A Vision of Shadows is the sixth sub-series. The series comprises six novels: The Apprentice's Quest (15 March 2016), Thunder and Shadow (6 September 2016), Shattered Sky (11 April 2017), Darkest Night (7 November 2017), River of Fire (10 April 2018), and The Raging Storm (6 November 2018). The series centers around Alderheart, Violetshine, and Twigbranch, as they try to help SkyClan, the lost fifth Clan, settle in a territory around the lake. Additionally, they face constant attacks from a group of rogue cats led by Darktail, who almost succeeds in disbanding ShadowClan.
Warriors: The Broken Code is the seventh sub-series, consisting of Lost Stars (9 April 2019), The Silent Thaw (29 October 2019), Veil of Shadows (7 April 2020), Darkness Within (10 November 2020), The Place of No Stars (6 April 2021), and A Light in the Mist (9 November 2021). The series centers on Bristlefrost, Shadowsight, and Rootspring, cats from different Clans. Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, has been possessed by Ashfur, and the three aforementioned cats must find a way to defeat him and the spirits of cats he controls. Additionally, they must reopen their connection with StarClan, as Ashfur cut StarClan off from the living world. The series ends with the Clans deciding to rewrite parts of the warrior code.
Warriors: A Starless Clan is the eighth sub-series, consisting of River (5 April 2022), Sky (1 November 2022), Shadow (4 April 2023), Thunder (7 November 2023), Wind (2 April 2024), and Star (5 November 2024). It revolves around Nightheart, Sunbeam, and Frostdawn, cats from different Clans. RiverClan's leader and deputy die, and StarClan does not show them who is to be the next leader. Additionally, there is growing unrest among the cats of the Clans regarding various changes made to the warrior code.
Warriors: Changing Skies is the ninth sub-series, consisting of The Elders' Quest (7 January 2025), Hidden Moon (4 November 2025), and four unnamed installments. It revolves around Leafstar, the leader of SkyClan, Tawnypelt, a senior ShadowClan warrior, and Moonpaw, a ThunderClan apprentice. In this series, the Clans struggle with Twolegs encroaching on their territory.
Super Editions are stand-alone books in the Warriors series that are about 500 pages long, approximately double the length of a regular Warriors book. The first Super Edition was Firestar's Quest, detailing Firestar's journey to rebuild SkyClan, the long-lost fifth Clan of the forest. There have been 17 Super Editions published thus far, with the most recent, Ivypool's Heart, having been released in September 2024. Each Super Edition (excluding Firestar's Quest and Riverstar's Home) contains an exclusive manga chapter at the end. The Super Editions include:
The authors have also produced multiple "field guides", which include short stories, lists, and art that further detail various aspects of the series' universe. Each installment is usually about 150 pages long. The field guides include:
Several series of original English-language manga ere produced by HarperCollins with Tokyopop. With the shutdown of Tokyopop, subsequent manga volumes have been published under the HarperCollins name alone. The manga series consists of several sub-series, Graystripe's Adventure, Tigerstar and Sasha, Ravenpaw's Path, and SkyClan and the Stranger, each with three books, as well as the stand-alone book, The Rise of Scourge, all by Dan Jolley. Starting with A Shadow in RiverClan, these books were instead marketed as graphic novels and are standalone volumes instead of being parts of trilogies. Additionally, every manga released from 2007 to 2012 was later rereleased in color. All manga were illustrated by James L. Barry, with the exception of The Rise of Scourge and Tigerstar and Sasha, which were illustrated by Bettina M. Kurkoski and Don Hudson, respectively. The manga include:
On 28 September 2023, it was announced that the first arc, The Prophecies Begin, was to be adapted to graphic novels by Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter.
Several novellas have also been written by Erin Hunter and were originally published only in e-book format. They were subsequently published in anthology volumes of three novellas each, starting with Legends of the Clans. The novellas include:
The first book of the series, Into the Wild, was generally well-received, with reviewers calling it a "spine-tingling", "thoroughly engrossing", and "exciting... action-packed adventure". One reviewer praised the authors for "creating an intriguing world... and an engaging young hero." However, another criticized the characters and imagined world as being "neither... consistent nor compelling."
The manga has also earned praise: a reviewer for Children's Bookwatch noted that Into the Woods "ends on a tense cliffhanger, leaving the reader in anxious anticipation for more... Into the Woods... is especially recommended for cat lovers everywhere." Its sequel, Escape from the Forest, was also well reviewed: a reviewer for Publishers Weekly believed that girls would benefit from reading about Sasha leaving the powerful Tigerstar due to his "growing violence". The art was also praised, with the reviewer writing that "Hudson's artwork brings Sasha's emotional journey to life, showing each moment of fear, anxiety, contentment, and joy. The cat's-eye perspective of many of the panels, in addition, add a dramatic, energizing element to the book." The reviewer also wrote that "a twist at the end will leave fans eager for the next installment of Sasha's saga", and that the book would appeal to young adults trying to find their place in the world. Lisa Goldstein for School Library Journal also gave the book a positive review, writing that the plot would attract new fans and appeal to old fans. The reviewer also wrote that "though the cover claims that this is a 'manga,' the straightforward illustrations are drawn in a simple, realistic style."
The large number of characters involved in the series has often been seen as a negative point; though one reviewer compared the "huge cast" to that of a Greek drama, others wrote that it was "hard to follow" and "a little confusing". The characters have also been criticized as being "somewhat flat" and "limited essentially to each individual's function within the Clan."
As one reviewer put it, the cats in the series are "true to their feline nature", leading another to jokingly comment that the books will "leave readers eyeing Puss a bit nervously", and wondering "what dreams of grandeur may haunt the family cat." However, this realism also means that the series contains a relatively large amount of violence, with one critic stating that it is "not for the faint of heart." Several critics have compared Warriors to Brian Jacques' Redwall series, though one commented that it was "not as elegantly written." The New York Times called the series a "hit with young readers", specifically because of its "sprawling universe", and the series appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list for a total of 117 weeks, as of 24 November 2013.
Into the Wild was nominated for the Pacific Northwest Library Association's 2006 Young Reader's Choice Awards, but lost to Christopher Paolini's Eragon. It was also listed on Booklist's Top 10 fantasy books for youth in 2003 and was a Book Sense 76 Pick. The Sight was nominated for the best Middle Readers book in Amazon's Best Books of the Year (2007) and placed sixth out of the ten nominees, with six percent of the total votes. It was also nominated for the Children's Choice Book Awards. In 2006, Warriors also received an honourable mention for the best book series for Publishers Weekly's "On the Cuff" awards.
Holmes has said that one of the good things about writing a book about cats is that "we can tackle difficult human issues such as death, racial intolerance, and religious intolerance [without seeming so heavy]".
The series often revolves around forbidden love. These relationships are not allowed for various reasons stated in the warrior code. Holmes said that another central theme of the series is "faith and spirituality" regarding StarClan. All books in the series feature the influence of StarClan, not just as the cats think of them, but in terms of prophecies delivered by StarClan which inevitably come true. Some scenes take place within StarClan's realm, with no living cats present. Thus, the existence of an afterlife and the influence of spirits who have passed on and yet retain their earthly identities is integral to all of the plot arcs in the series. Another idea explored in the novels is the reactions of different faiths when meeting each other. For example, the Tribe of Rushing Water, which believes in different spiritual ancestors than the Clans, is introduced in Moonrise. In an author chat, Holmes explained that the books never say that either the Clans or the Tribe of Rushing Water is right about faith because both are "equally valid". This leads to fear and suspicion between them because they are afraid of things they do not understand. Holmes remarked that "ignorance is a very scary thing!" Non-belief is also explored in the storylines through characters who do not believe in StarClan.
Another theme is that characters can be a mix of good and evil. Holmes has said she is fascinated by these "shades of gray" in personalities. Her example of this was when Bluestar, a noble and honorable cat, gave up her kits for her own ambitions. Another example she gave of this is how antagonist Tigerstar, even with all of his faults, is still courageous and fiercely loyal. Similarly, Holmes has also connected the theme to Brambleclaw and how nobody knew whether he was good or evil. A third major theme, often referred to as nature versus nurture, explores whether a character is born the way they will be, or if other extrinsic factors shape that. For example, Brambleclaw's father is the murderer Tigerstar, but Brambleclaw demonstrates that he is not evil himself, despite initial suspicion from Clanmates due to his father's legacy.
A reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted that friendship and responsibility are taught to characters in the novels, while another reviewer pointed out the idea that, just as Clan cats shun house cats for their soft life, people should realize that it is necessary to experience hardship in life. A Storysnoops reviewer noted that a theme enforced in Warriors is that "it doesn't matter where you come from, only who you are inside." In Dawn, the importance of cooperation is explored. The four Clans, normally hostile to each other, are forced to work together in order to find a new home. Other themes include family, loss, honor, bravery, death, loyalty, and following rules.
All of the Warriors books except for the manga (excluding all manga published from A Shadow in RiverClan onwards) have been published as hardcovers, and the majority of them have also been published as paperbacks, audiobooks, and e-books. The New Prophecy's audiobooks are spoken by Nanette Savard, whose performance has been praised by reviewers. A reviewer for AudioFile wrote: "Nanette Savard brings out the youth of the cats who are struggling to help their clan survive and to protect each other from outside danger". The Omen of the Stars audiobooks are spoken by voice actress Veronica Taylor.
The Warriors series was first published in the United States and United Kingdom. The editions published of the first two series—The Prophecies Begin and The New Prophecy—in the United Kingdom had slight variations in cover design from their United States counterparts. Warriors is also sold in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. Translations into other languages such as Czech, Norwegian, Lithuanian, Finnish, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Korean have also been published. The first six books have been published in Italy and Latin America, and the first five series in Germany and the Netherlands. Fans also exist in Trinidad and Singapore. Several series have been published in Poland as well.
The Warriors website previously featured Warriors screensavers, videos on topics such as the process of writing a manga book, and quizzes. In addition, there were browser-based games including the New Prophecy Adventure and the Warriors Adventure Game. An additional game for the website was planned for release in 2010, but was never released despite a report of having completed first-round testing. It has been stated that there is no plan for an official video game, but if one were to be made, it would likely be based on a movie adaptation of the Warriors series. Many fans have resorted to making their own games and websites, many of these sites being play-by-post role-playing game forums. The website was later re-designed and is now accessible via both browsers and an official mobile application. Much of the old content was not carried over to the new version of the website, though two new games, several character profiles, and an updated version of the family tree have been added.
On 20 October 2016, Victoria Holmes announced that Alibaba Pictures had bought the production rights for a film adaptation with David Heyman as producer, and a movie poster was released. On 14 May 2018, it was announced that STX Entertainment had come on board to co-produce the Warriors film, with STX board member Gigi Pritzker working alongside Heyman. It was also announced that screenwriters Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger would write the screenplay for the movie.
On 25 January 2024, it was announced that Coolabi Group, which Working Partners is a part of, had signed a deal with Tencent Video to create an "animation" of Warriors.
The first short story published is "Spottedleaf's Honest Answer". On 20 January 2009, another short story, "The Clans Decide", was released on the Warriors Ultimate Leader Election site, starring Firestar, who won an election through an online fan vote conducted in recognition of US President Obama's Inauguration Day. Two short stories, "After Sunset: The Right Choice?" and "The Elders' Concern", were previously available through the defunct Warriors mobile application. In 2009, an educator's guide was released.
Written by Victoria Holmes for a tour, a play titled After Sunset: We Need to Talk was first premiered on 28 April 2007 at the Secret Garden bookstore in Seattle, Washington. It details a meeting between Leafpool of ThunderClan and Crowfeather of WindClan after the events of Sunset. The script was released to the public on the old official site for the Warriors series.
During a fundraising event in Russellville, Arkansas, Brightspirit's Mercy was performed by various high school drama students. The second of two plays by Erin Hunter, Brightspirit's Mercy is about Jaypaw, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf. In the play, the characters go to a Gathering where it is obvious all of the Clans except for ThunderClan are starving. Three cats from StarClan appear to them: Brightspirit and her parents, Shiningheart and Braveheart, who were created in memory of a 10-year-old Warriors fan, Emmy Grace Cherry, and her parents, Dana and Jimmy, all three of whom were killed in a tornado in February 2007. They tell the three young cats that they must help feed the other Clans.
In the Chinese translation of the series, "3-D trading cards" are packaged in each book. The 3-D effect is produced using stereoscopic lenticular printing. These cards feature pictures of various characters, their Chinese and English names, and biographical information. In 2019, when the official Warrior Cats Hub app was released, several pieces of official, licensed merchandise were released as well. This included posters, pins, bracelets, bookmarks, stationery, figurines, necklaces, bags, and shirts, among other things. Small plush heads and full-sized plush toys of various characters have also been produced.
On 30 June 2011, an official iOS application and Android application was released on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store. It contained a multitude of information about the books, characters, and settings, as well as two exclusive short stories, a trivia game, and a list of all the Warriors books that had been released at that point. The app was eventually removed from the App Store. In 2019, an updated Warriors app was released, called Warrior Cats Hub. Through this app, one can access blogs and analyses written by the editors of the series, play games, shop for merchandise and books, browse fanart, participate in art challenges, and vote in polls, some of which affect the plot of the Warriors series.
An official Warriors roleplay Roblox game was released to the public on 7 May 2021 under the pillar of Coolabi Group's digital business, called Warrior Cats: Ultimate Edition. It has since become one of the highest-ranking branded games on the platform, and number two on the list of Top 10 Roblox Brand Games in July 2023, having been played more than 430 million times.