Ratha's Courage
The Fifth Book of The Named
by Clare Bell
Finalist ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Award.
For the eighth annual recommended list on the Ursa Major site, fans named Ratha's Courage as the best anthropomorphic novel of the year!
Fuse #8 (Elizabeth Bird), blogger at School Library Journal says: "[The Named is] Erin Hunter's Warriors series on steroids."
Ratha, the fiery and determined female leader of the sentient prehistoric cat clan known as the Named, continues her story in this new novel. In Ratha's Courage, the Named attempt an alliance with the other clan of “face-tail” (mammoth and mastodon) hunting cats introduced in Ratha's Challenge. The hunting clan's leader, True-of-voice, is the source of “The Song” an all-encompassing and pervading group intelligence that directs everyone in the tribe. Independent thought is not only impossible, but unimaginable.
Returning to the strengths of the first book in the series, Ratha's Creature, the new novel showcases world-building, deep description and an amazing array of feline visual images, sound, smell, taste, touch, and movement. The story envelops the reader in the mind of a big cat, looking out through her eyes as the narrative further develops her prehistoric world (set in California, in the Miocene Age, 20 million years ago).
The hunter clan's group mind, and strange, frighteningly effective unity fascinates yet repels the independent-minded Named, creating a dangerous potential for conflict. When her own daughter, Thistle-chaser, pleads for the Named to understand and accept the hunter clan, and the Firekeepers Fessran and Bira add their voices in support, Ratha must find a way to bridge the gap.
The Named attempt to share herding skills and the gift of fire with the face-tail hunters, but things go terribly wrong. A herding demonstration becomes a disaster when it reveals the inflexible nature of “the song” and deaths by fire unleash an uncontrollable splinter group from the hunter clan. The contrasting values of two very different cultures lead to misunderstanding, tragedy, and war.
Ratha learns that reaching out to others, especially when the chasm is so wide, takes true courage.
Ratha's Courage is the newest book in the popular “Named” series since 1994.
