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Online StoreInto the Wild by Erin Hunter
FOUR CLANS, ONE DESTINY
Into the Wild is the first book in the popular Warrior Cars series. The four Clans have shared the forest for generations but ThunderClan’s territory is in danger as the sinister and mysterious ShadowClan grows stronger each day. Enter Rusty, a domestic house cat who may turn out to be the greatest warrior of them all.
Into the Wild is a pleasant, easy read containing a strong central character ably surrounded by strong elder figures and good friends. The book contains an excellent list of characters and maps that make it easy to get up to speed with the world in which the cats live.
Into the Wild did occasionally remind me of the Harry Potter books, both in writing style and content. Rusty forms a firm friendship with an apprentice (warrior in training, more than six months old) called Greypaw, a longhaired solid grey tom. Greypaw adds the laughter to what is, when you really think about it, a rather gritty story. This friendship reminded me strongly of Harry on Ron when they first met in the Philosopher’s Stone. Cats such as Bluestar and Yellowfang form the older authority figures. These two characters reminded me of Dumbledore and Snape (though not too closely).
Rusty looked at Smudge. His black and white friend had never shown any interest in venturing into the woods. He was perfectly content living with house folk. He would never understand the restless longing that Rusty’s dreams stirred in him night after night.
The pace of Into the Wild is very quick, always moving and never getting bogged down. Erin Hunter does not spare the reader from the grim realities of living in the wild, the eating habits are grisly and death is a prospect that the cats face every single day of their existence. I liked the way the book was able to give you that stomach-churning feeling when somebody is doing something that they really shouldn’t be doing and are going to be caught at any moment. I think this is a really important element to have in young adults book and this is a feeling that all can relate too.
The author also touches upon the effect that humans, or Twolegs as they are called here, are having upon the environment in which wild animals live. I liked the way in which this was done, facts were stated but there was never a sense of the preaching that some authors are guilty of, Erin Hunter never speaks down to the reader. A great deal of research has obviously gone into making the cats and their environment as realistic as possible and this really shows in Into the Wild.
They arrived at the Thunderpath and halted. Several monsters roared by, throwing up fountains of dirty water. The two cats hung back from the edge of the wide, grey track until there was a gap. Then they raced across the path and into ShadowClan territory.
This book is aimed at the young adult age-group and everything the could possible want from a book is there for them, a young hero taken from their comfortable surroundings and having to adapt to a new way of life, the solid friend, the elders deserving respect and most of all constant excitement and adventure.
Any young adult that loves reading and loves cats will love this book, a fast-paced adventure starring the feline Harry Potter.
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