Warriors: Firestar's Quest
Encyclopedia
Firestar’s Quest is a children's fantasy novel, the first "Super Edition" in the Warriors novel series written by Erin Hunter
. Firestar’s Quest was first published in hardback on August 21, 2007. The paperback edition was released on May 13, 2008, and a Russian translation has already been published.
Firestar's Quest follows Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan, one of the four Clans of cats living in a forest, on a journey to find the lost fifth Clan: SkyClan. After receiving dreams from the previous leader of SkyClan, Firestar and his mate Sandstorm leave ThunderClan to find and rebuild the lost Clan. At the end of the book, the Clan is rebuilt with a leader, medicine cat and territory. It is set in between The Darkest Hour
and Midnight
.
Though the book was published after Sunset
where the point of view changed, Firestar's Quest still uses Firestar's point of view. The book allowed Erin Hunter to explore the old territories again. An excerpt of Firestar’s Quest was released to promote sales of the book, which were very successful. The novel has also received good critical reception.
To promote the book, an excerpt was released online on the Warriors website, and later at the back of the Warriors manga
volume Warrior's Refuge
. AuthorTracker emails mentioned increasingly Firestar’s Quest as the launch date approached. The book was also commonly mentioned in the author chats on Wands and Worlds.
for four people, Victoria Holmes
, who creates the storylines and edits, Kate Cary
, Cherith Baldry
, and Tui Sutherland, who write the books in turns. Chronologically, Firestar's Quest takes place between the first two series—after the events of The Darkest Hour
and before Midnight
. Firestar's Quest was put under the title Warriors: Super Edition, as a special edition extra long book.
SkyClan's Destiny, the third super edition and sequel tells of a civil war in SkyClan and was released on August 3, 2010.
and Midnight
. The novel follows Firestar, leader of ThunderClan on a journey to find a fifth lost Clan of the forest called SkyClan. Firestar and his mate Sandstorm journey upriver in order to rebuild the long-lost Clan. When they arrive at the Clan's former home, they meet Skywatcher, (the remaining survivor of SkyClan), who tells them about SkyClan's story, and shows them the Whispering Cave, they also find SkyClan's old home deserted, the caves strangely marked with tiny claw marks resembling those of rat
s. Firestar gathers together Leafdapple, Sparrowpelt, Sharpclaw, Echosong, Rainfur, Petalnose, Clovertail, Patchfoot, Shortwhisker, Cherrytail, Sagekit, Mintkit, Tinypaw, Rockpaw, and Bouncepaw. Eventually, Firestar re-establishes the Clan and helps the Clan fight the force that destroyed the ancient SkyClan: rats. Though SkyClan emerges victorious, the warrior Rainfur is murdered and Firestar loses his second life. As Firestar and Sandstorm prepare to return home, Leafdapple is made the leader and renamed Leafstar in the Whispering Cave, which is used to connect to the SkyClan ancestors. Sharpclaw is made deputy of the Clan, and Echosong becomes the medicine cat.
In the epilogue, Sandstorm and Firestar's new kits are born. They decide to name one Squirrelkit (after her bushy tail), and the other Leafkit (in honor of SkyClan's new leader, Leafstar, and after Spottedleaf). SkyClan blood runs through ThunderClan in cats such as Spottedleaf from Spottedpelt and Tigerclaw from Gorseclaw.
Before Firestar left the forest, a whole series of events happened that weren't shown in the The New Prophecy. Such events included the warrior Longtail losing his sight because a rabbit clawed his eyes, Willowpelt being killed by a badger, and Bramblepaw receiving his warrior name Brambleclaw. warrior ceremony. Also, Sootpaw got a new mentor, Thornclaw. This book is also the origin of the prophecy "There will be three, kin of your kin who holds the power of the stars in their paws." The prophecy was passed on to Firestar by Skywatcher.
says that one of the main themes of Firestar's Quest is that "two cats are genuinely torn following the warrior code and doing what they believe is right for themselves". In the book, Firestar is asked to find and rebuild SkyClan which described as Holmes "will take him a long way outside the warrior code and all that he believes in". A review commented that "themes of faith and responsibility give it depth" and also added that "It's quite satisfying watching Firestar and Sandstorm assemble a ragtag group of cats into a true clan" and compared to movies such as The Bad News Bears to Major League.
HarperCollins
published the hardcover edition of Firestar's Quest and released it on August 21, 2007. The book had a 150,000 first release. After the release, Erin Hunter went on tour to talk about Firestar's Quest with fans.HarperTrophy, an imprint of HarperCollins, released the paperback version of Firestar's Quest on May 13, 2008. Russia
has published a translation of Firestar's Quest. The German version of the book has also been released as both a hardcover and audiobook. The United States
, the UK, and Canada
have English versions of Firestar's Quest. Canada launched the book early on August 9, 2007.Firestar's Quest also went on many bestsellers list including the New York Times Best Seller list.
gave a very positive review, calling Firestar's Quest a “fantastic extension” to the Warriors series, and near the end of the review, the critic said Firestar's Quest showed that the Warriors books had evolved “from simply entertaining to thought provoking adventures”.
A review by Booklist
noted the longer length of the book and also praised the mission and new characters introduced in the book. Publishers Weekly
also gave a positive review writing "Fans of the Warriors books will excitedly delve into Firestar's Quest, the latest edition to Erin Hunter's bestselling series."
Erin Hunter
Erin Hunter is a pseudonym used by the authors Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and Tui Sutherland, along with editor Victoria Holmes. Under this pen name, they have written two series of books. They are best known for the Warriors series, but the authors have also created another similar series called...
. Firestar’s Quest was first published in hardback on August 21, 2007. The paperback edition was released on May 13, 2008, and a Russian translation has already been published.
Firestar's Quest follows Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan, one of the four Clans of cats living in a forest, on a journey to find the lost fifth Clan: SkyClan. After receiving dreams from the previous leader of SkyClan, Firestar and his mate Sandstorm leave ThunderClan to find and rebuild the lost Clan. At the end of the book, the Clan is rebuilt with a leader, medicine cat and territory. It is set in between The Darkest Hour
The Darkest Hour (Warriors)
The Darkest Hour is a children's fantasy novel, the sixth and last book in the original Warriors series by Erin Hunter, featuring the fictional character Firestar, a cat. The series centers around a group of feral cats living in four Clans, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. It was...
and Midnight
Midnight (Warriors)
Midnight is a children's fantasy novel, the first book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: The New Prophecy series. Following The Darkest Hour and Firestar's Quest, and preceding Moonrise, it was released May 10, 2005...
.
Though the book was published after Sunset
Sunset (Warriors)
Sunset is a children's fantasy novel, the sixth and final book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: The New Prophecy series. The book begins with the Clan rebuilding the camp along with the help of Stormfur and Brook. As the book progresses Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight fall in love again, but Brambleclaw...
where the point of view changed, Firestar's Quest still uses Firestar's point of view. The book allowed Erin Hunter to explore the old territories again. An excerpt of Firestar’s Quest was released to promote sales of the book, which were very successful. The novel has also received good critical reception.
Concept and development
Firestar had narrated the first six books, but for the later Warriors: The New Prophecy and Warriors: Power of Three series, other cats were chosen to speak. Firestar was chosen to narrate the special edition. Cherith Baldry wrote Firestar's Quest and Gary Chalk illustrated the book. Erin Hunter has said the novel was a chance to explore the old territories, which had been left behind in the Warriors: The New Prophecy series.To promote the book, an excerpt was released online on the Warriors website, and later at the back of the Warriors manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
volume Warrior's Refuge
Warrior's Refuge
Warrior’s Refuge is the second in an original English-language manga trilogy based on the best-selling book series Warriors by Erin Hunter. The manga was published by the distributor Tokyopop, and was released on December 26, 2007 along with Dark River, the second book in Warriors: Power of Three....
. AuthorTracker emails mentioned increasingly Firestar’s Quest as the launch date approached. The book was also commonly mentioned in the author chats on Wands and Worlds.
Background
All of the Warriors novels are listed as being written by Erin Hunter. Erin Hunter is a pen namePen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
for four people, Victoria Holmes
Victoria Holmes
Victoria "Vicky" Holmes comes up with the ideas for the New York Times Bestselling Warriors books, consisting of four miniseries: Warriors, Warriors: The New Prophecy, Warriors: Power of Three, and Warriors: Omen of the Stars, written by Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and new addition Tui Sutherland...
, who creates the storylines and edits, Kate Cary
Kate Cary
Kate Cary is one of the authors of the Warriors novel series, a story about wild cats, which she writes under the pen name of Erin Hunter. The other authors who also write the Warriors novel series under the pen name Erin Hunter are Cherith Baldry, Victoria Holmes, and Tui T. Sutherland...
, Cherith Baldry
Cherith Baldry
Cherith Baldry is a writer of fantasy fiction. She grew up on a farm and worked with house cats. For a while, she took up the job of teaching, but gave up in order to become a full time writer. She currently lives in Reigate, England. Baldry collaborates with Kate Cary, Tui T...
, and Tui Sutherland, who write the books in turns. Chronologically, Firestar's Quest takes place between the first two series—after the events of The Darkest Hour
The Darkest Hour (Warriors)
The Darkest Hour is a children's fantasy novel, the sixth and last book in the original Warriors series by Erin Hunter, featuring the fictional character Firestar, a cat. The series centers around a group of feral cats living in four Clans, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. It was...
and before Midnight
Midnight (Warriors)
Midnight is a children's fantasy novel, the first book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: The New Prophecy series. Following The Darkest Hour and Firestar's Quest, and preceding Moonrise, it was released May 10, 2005...
. Firestar's Quest was put under the title Warriors: Super Edition, as a special edition extra long book.
Sequel
After the publication of the novel, Holmes has confirmed the possibility of seeing SkyClan again:SkyClan's Destiny, the third super edition and sequel tells of a civil war in SkyClan and was released on August 3, 2010.
Setting
In the forest of the warrior cats, there are four Clans of feral cats who follow StarClan, their spiritual ancestors. Each Clan chooses a leader and then StarClan gives nine lives to leaders like Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan and the main character of the book. Firestar was born as a kittypet (a house cat), but wanders off into the forests chose to join ThunderClan.Plot
Firestar's Quest takes place between The Darkest HourThe Darkest Hour (Warriors)
The Darkest Hour is a children's fantasy novel, the sixth and last book in the original Warriors series by Erin Hunter, featuring the fictional character Firestar, a cat. The series centers around a group of feral cats living in four Clans, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. It was...
and Midnight
Midnight (Warriors)
Midnight is a children's fantasy novel, the first book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: The New Prophecy series. Following The Darkest Hour and Firestar's Quest, and preceding Moonrise, it was released May 10, 2005...
. The novel follows Firestar, leader of ThunderClan on a journey to find a fifth lost Clan of the forest called SkyClan. Firestar and his mate Sandstorm journey upriver in order to rebuild the long-lost Clan. When they arrive at the Clan's former home, they meet Skywatcher, (the remaining survivor of SkyClan), who tells them about SkyClan's story, and shows them the Whispering Cave, they also find SkyClan's old home deserted, the caves strangely marked with tiny claw marks resembling those of rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
s. Firestar gathers together Leafdapple, Sparrowpelt, Sharpclaw, Echosong, Rainfur, Petalnose, Clovertail, Patchfoot, Shortwhisker, Cherrytail, Sagekit, Mintkit, Tinypaw, Rockpaw, and Bouncepaw. Eventually, Firestar re-establishes the Clan and helps the Clan fight the force that destroyed the ancient SkyClan: rats. Though SkyClan emerges victorious, the warrior Rainfur is murdered and Firestar loses his second life. As Firestar and Sandstorm prepare to return home, Leafdapple is made the leader and renamed Leafstar in the Whispering Cave, which is used to connect to the SkyClan ancestors. Sharpclaw is made deputy of the Clan, and Echosong becomes the medicine cat.
In the epilogue, Sandstorm and Firestar's new kits are born. They decide to name one Squirrelkit (after her bushy tail), and the other Leafkit (in honor of SkyClan's new leader, Leafstar, and after Spottedleaf). SkyClan blood runs through ThunderClan in cats such as Spottedleaf from Spottedpelt and Tigerclaw from Gorseclaw.
Before Firestar left the forest, a whole series of events happened that weren't shown in the The New Prophecy. Such events included the warrior Longtail losing his sight because a rabbit clawed his eyes, Willowpelt being killed by a badger, and Bramblepaw receiving his warrior name Brambleclaw. warrior ceremony. Also, Sootpaw got a new mentor, Thornclaw. This book is also the origin of the prophecy "There will be three, kin of your kin who holds the power of the stars in their paws." The prophecy was passed on to Firestar by Skywatcher.
Themes
In an authortracker e-mail Victoria HolmesVictoria Holmes
Victoria "Vicky" Holmes comes up with the ideas for the New York Times Bestselling Warriors books, consisting of four miniseries: Warriors, Warriors: The New Prophecy, Warriors: Power of Three, and Warriors: Omen of the Stars, written by Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and new addition Tui Sutherland...
says that one of the main themes of Firestar's Quest is that "two cats are genuinely torn following the warrior code and doing what they believe is right for themselves". In the book, Firestar is asked to find and rebuild SkyClan which described as Holmes "will take him a long way outside the warrior code and all that he believes in". A review commented that "themes of faith and responsibility give it depth" and also added that "It's quite satisfying watching Firestar and Sandstorm assemble a ragtag group of cats into a true clan" and compared to movies such as The Bad News Bears to Major League.
Publication history
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
published the hardcover edition of Firestar's Quest and released it on August 21, 2007. The book had a 150,000 first release. After the release, Erin Hunter went on tour to talk about Firestar's Quest with fans.HarperTrophy, an imprint of HarperCollins, released the paperback version of Firestar's Quest on May 13, 2008. Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
has published a translation of Firestar's Quest. The German version of the book has also been released as both a hardcover and audiobook. The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the UK, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
have English versions of Firestar's Quest. Canada launched the book early on August 9, 2007.Firestar's Quest also went on many bestsellers list including the New York Times Best Seller list.
Critical reception
A reviewer from Children's LiteratureChildren's Literature (journal)
Children’s Literature is an academic journal and annual publication of the Modern Language Association and the Children’s Literature Association Division on Children's Literature. The journal was founded in 1972 by Francelia Butler and promotes a scholarly approach to the study of children’s...
gave a very positive review, calling Firestar's Quest a “fantastic extension” to the Warriors series, and near the end of the review, the critic said Firestar's Quest showed that the Warriors books had evolved “from simply entertaining to thought provoking adventures”.
A review by Booklist
Booklist
Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...
noted the longer length of the book and also praised the mission and new characters introduced in the book. Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
also gave a positive review writing "Fans of the Warriors books will excitedly delve into Firestar's Quest, the latest edition to Erin Hunter's bestselling series."