Warriors: The Rise of Scourge by Dan Jolley, Bettina M Kurkoski, created by Erin Hunter

I have been taking a break from reading the new Warriors series by Erin Hunter, and have been instead checking out the graphic novels. These are not written by Erin Hunter, but they are authorized by her, and she writes an introduction to each one to explain why she felt this particular story needed to be told. This is the second Warriors graphic novel that I've read, but I haven't reviewed the first one yet because it is part of a series.
The Rise of Scourge tells the story of how a kitten named Tiny became the leader of Bloodclan, known as Scourge. Scourge comes into the Warriors timeline towards the end of the first series, when Tigerstar attempts to take control of all four clans. But Scourge has other plans. He very violently kills Tigerstar, before being taken down himself eventually. This graphic novel tells how he became this seemingly evil, violent cat. It's not a pretty story. And as Hunter says in her introduction, she is not making excuses for him, just trying to tell his story.
I am sometimes surprised by how violent these books can be. I always say that I would have loved these if they'd been out when I was a kid, but really I think they probably would have been too violent for me. Especially this graphic novel version. Not that it really shows any blood, of course, but it is still a bit disturbing. Kurkoski's art is great though. She does a perfect job of capturing the way the cats move and look, while the other graphic novel I've read in this series (not illustrated by her) looked pretty much terrible. So it was at least nice to read something that wasn't hideous, and actually looked really good. This book would really only be enjoyed by those kids who are already involved in the Warriors series, but it may pick up some new fans as well.

Firestar's Quest by Erin Hunter

Ah, yes, another Warriors book. This one is lucky thirteen for me, as I've read the first two series of books (at six books each) in this saga. Now I will be catching up on the manga stories of these cats, and eventually I'll get to the third series. (If you want to read more about what I have to say about these books, just click on "Erin Hunter" in the labels. If you haven't read any of the other Warriors books, or do not have any idea what they are about, then this synopsis and review is not going to make much sense.)
Firestar's Quest is a "super edition" book, a standalone story about the leader of Thunderclan. It is longer than the other books, the size of at least two of the books from the first series (although I've noticed the books getting longer in the third series). This book takes place five or six months after the end of the first series, and about six months before the beginning of the second series. Firestar begins dreaming of fleeing cats, and one cat in particular, mournfully trying to get his attention. Firestar is used to receiving dreams from StarClan, but these dreams are different. They come from the ancestors of a different clan, SkyClan, that has never been heard of in Firestar's forest. SkyClan left the forest when their home was destroyed by Twolegs (humans) - they eventually found some place else to settle, but then had to scatter for some unknown reason. Firestar has been given a quest to find the remnants and pull them back together to make a real clan again.
I really enjoyed this book, more than some of the individual series books. It's a good size for a kid who wants a longer chapter book, but it would probably be enjoyed most by someone who had already read the other Warriors books, at least the first series. This book deals with many of the same themes as the others - loyalty, pride, family, trust. It is structured like many of the other books, but obviously it's longer, so more time is spent developing the new characters in this story.
(And for a meaningless side note, one thing that is really funny about these books are the medicine cats - they are the shamans of the clan. Hunter has her medicine cats learn about the true uses for many herbs, and then use those to heal their clans. I just find it amusing that the herbs used are ones that kids would not necessarily recognize, but Hunter sticks to their proper usage anyways.)

Warriors series by Erin Hunter

Well, I didn't get much reading done over my holiday trip, but I did manage to finish one book. And that book wrapped up a series. I review the Warrior books as a series because reviewing them individually gets seriously repetitive and does not do them justice. This is actually the second of these series that I've read - I read The New Prophecy series before reading this one (my review is here), but reading the series out of order is not really that big of a deal.
I have to say that if these books had been out when I was in elementary school, they would have been my favorites. Even with the level of cat-against-cat violence, I think I still would have loved the idea of these wild forest cats living according to a warrior code. The first book in this series, Into the Wild, introduces us to Rusty, a house cat who feels the call of the forest. He meets some of the warrior cats of ThunderClan, and is accepted among them as an apprentice warrior, and renamed Firepaw. He must deal with prejudice against "kittypets" such as him, and prove that he can be a loyal and valuable member to ThunderClan.
The main plotline of the series as a whole is Firepaw's rivalry with Tigerclaw. In the first book Firepaw discovers Tigerclaw's treachery - he would do anything to gain power, even kill members of his own clan. Later, as Firepaw becomes a full warrior and is renamed Fireheart, he must continue this battle. It isn't until the third book, Forest of Secrets, that Fireheart is able to prove Tigerclaw's treachery and get him exiled from the clan forever. But that is not the end of his troubles with Tigerclaw. Tigerclaw continues to plague ThunderClan, and carries a personal vendetta against Fireheart. In addition to this main plotline, the clan must hold its own against the three other clans of the forest, as well as dealing with natural occurances like drought, storms, and fire.
I have to say that I do love these books, although they are a bit on the overdramatic side at times. And the violence is not something that can be ignored. These cats fight and kill each other, and are also killed by predators like birds of prey and feral dogs. They live a tough life. But for a kid that can handle that level of violence, these books are great. Older elementary school kids or younger middle schoolers are usually who I recommend this book to. There are powerful themes of acceptance and loyalty, trust, friendship, and family. And now I get to move on to another book in this world! The books in this series are: Into the Wild, Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets, Rising Storm, A Dangerous Path, and The Darkest Hour.

Warriors: The New Prophecy series by Erin Hunter

I decided to review these books as a series, although I did review them individually at first (see those reviews on these pages: Midnight, Moonrise, and Dawn). I realized after beginning the series that I had actually begun in the middle of the story, having missed reading the original Warriors series (which I am currently catching up on). But this series can actually be read without having read the original Warriors books - Hunter does a good job bringing the reader up to speed with the lore.
The New Prophecy series has all the right elements for a very entertaining kid's book. There is a good amount of suspense and action in every book, as the cats deal with a variety of difficulties in each story. But there are also some very central themes that all kids deal with. There are many questions of loyalty and tolerance of outsiders, of trust and what it means to be a friend, and there are even some issues of romance and relationships. Hunter does a good job of keeping to the lore, and staying consistent with terms, and what the cats might know about the human world. The stories are entertaining just for that.
These are great books for ages 9 and up, although it does get bit violent in some of the books. Cats fighting and dying is not the most pleasant thing to read, but they are warriors, so it is to be expected in the story. I am looking forward to reading the other series that are in this same story line. I started in the middle, now I'll be going backwards, and then forwards again.

Dawn by Erin Hunter

This is the third book in the Warriors: The New Prophecy series, about the cat clans that live in the forest. In this book, the cats who were chosen to follow the prophecy have returned, but they return to clans that are sick and dying from lack of prey. The humans (called "Two-Legs" here) are encroaching on the forest, destroying all in their path to build new roads ("Thunderpaths"). The clans have no choice but to move, but they must go together, or risk losing their guiding ancestors, Star Clan.
In this part of the story, the main themes are teamwork and friendship, regardless of hardship and differences. The clans have to learn to work together to survive. They must leave the forest together, and travel together to find a new home. On the way, they learn to believe in the strength within themselves, and with each other.

Moonrise by Erin Hunter

The second book of the Warriors: The New Prophecy series begins with the six cats from the first book beginning their journey home. In Midnight, six cats had been chosen to make a journey that would help them save all of their tribes. Now they have received the message, and are ready to bring the message back to their leaders. But first they have a perilous journey home.
Some new characters are introduced in this book, and new challenges test the travelers. They continue to work together, despite their differences, and they learn more about the similarities that everyone shares. This second book deals with such themes as courage, loyalty, acceptance, and loss, in ways that will help the children who read these books learn to deal with trials and joys alike.

Midnight by Erin Hunter

This book is the first book in the Warriors:The New Prophecy series. The first six-book series was simply called Warriors, and I made the mistake of requesting the first book of this series instead, and not realizing it. But Hunter does a good job of filling the reader in on the history that takes place in the first series, so I'll just go back to that one when I'm done with this one.
The Warriors books are written for kids, they are cataloged with the junior fiction in the library. They are exactly what I would have read as an 11 or 12 year old, and they are written well, so they make a very enjoyable, easy read. The characters are cats, wild cats that live in a forest that surrounds what seems to be a rural (but slowly becoming suburban) area where humans live. The cats live in Tribes, and follow the Warrior Code. They are fiercely territorial, and brave, strong hunters and fighters.
The New Prophecy series follows Brambleclaw, who receives a vision from the cats warrior ancestors telling him that he and three other cats have been chosen (one from each tribe) to receive a message that will save all of the tribes from great danger. He manages to contact the other "chosen" cats, and convince them that they will need to travel farther than any cat they know has ever been in order to receive this message. There is inter-tribal rivalry that causes difficulties along their way, but the cats grow stronger in their determination to work together to save their tribes.
These books are easy to read, fun, suspenseful, and not at all dumbed down, in the way that some children's books can be. The cats are very much like real cats, but at the same time they are like people that you know. I am looking forward to continuing this series, and then reading the history of it in the first series.