Into the Wild (Warriors, #1) – Erin Hunter

Rusty is a house cat who dreams of living in the wild. He gets his wish when he wanders into the forest outside his family’s garden and meets Graypaw and the wild cats of ThunderClan. After leaving his life of boring contentment behind, Rusty, now known as Firepaw for his bright orange fur, enters a world where every hunt could be his last, and living means learning who to trust. Can he keep his friends safe? Or will the enemy find a way to destroy the clan he has grown to love?

Erin Hunter (a bunch of authors sharing one pseudonym) has created a world in which politics, religion, and loyalty can be tested and questioned. The characters, basically all felines, gain purr-sonality and distinguish themselves from each other pretty quickly in the story. Into The Wild is the first book of six, which make up the first sub-series (The Prophecies Begin) featuring the characters. As of September first, I believe there are five or six sub-series, each having six books, as well as a number of stand-alone novels.

I was disappointed with where the first book ended (spoiler: it’s a cliffhanger!), but since there are a ton more of them I’m not worried about being unable to find out what happens next. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the themes of clans, war, and monarchies, as well as cats in general. Some of the fight scenes are a little graphic for younger readers, but overall they are handled very well and are in good proportion to the rest of the book.

HHC Rating: 4.5 Stars

#Cats #IntoTheWild #Cat #ErinHunter #ThePropheciesBegin #Warriors #Clans #Action