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.
