Cats of the Clans

Cats of the Clans is the second book in the Warriors Field Guide arc.

Dedication

 * For India Holmes Coulson - welcome

The Blurb

 * Hear the stories of the great warriors as they've never been told before! Cats of the Clans is chock-full of visual treats and captivating details, including full-color illustrations and in-depth biographies of important cats – from fierce Clan leaders to wise medicine cats to the most mischievous kits, as well as loners, rogues, and kittypets!

The Praise

 * "This guide to the phenomenally popular series uses a loose narrative structure to introduce the cats: three kittens have lost their way en route to Star Clan and are told stories by a mysterious narrator known only as Rock. The telling of the tales is organized by clan, giving a full-page overview of each character's place in the saga. While this book is a handy companion for fans of the series, it is absolutely mind-boggling for anyone who has not read at least one of the novels. The dizzying number of felines and their relationships is difficult to keep track of, and events mentioned make no sense without prior knowledge of the books. The lack of family trees is unfortunate-there are by now several generations of cats, as well as cross-mating among the clans-and there is a breakdown of the naming codes used to distinguish the warriors; titles such as "kit," "paw," and "star" change as the cats move up within the hierarchy of the clans. One element that will be evident to new readers is the ferocity of these animals' lives, which is in keeping with the tone and spirit of the novels. The full-color portraits of these cats are spectacular. They show these characters to be exciting, vibrant, and unique, and will interest new readers much more than the tone-heavy, mysterious musings of the narrator."
 * -Kara Schaff Dean, School Library Journal

Summary

 * In the introductory chapter, entitled "Three Lost Travelers", Mosskit of ThunderClan, Adderkit of WindClan, and Blossomkit of ShadowClan have somehow walked from StarClan to Rock's home under the earth. Rock tells the kits that they did not live long enough to learn about their Clanmates. He says he will answer their questions about the cats they left behind, and describes himself as the keeper of the world beneath the one their former Clanmates walk; the watcher of more moons than they can dream of, and the seer of all moons to come.


 * The remainder of the book consists of Rock's stories about each Clan, and various cats within the Clan. Rock describes major events in the cats' lives, and often comments on why the cat is special or acted as he or she did. He also talks about cats outside the clans.


 * Not only does Rock describe what some of the cats in the book did wrong, but he also shows a slight bias to certain characters like Firestar, saying that he would want him to live long, but acknowledges each cat's life has to end eventually.

Format and Content

 * All text is written in first-person point of view, with Rock as the narrator. He is talking to the kittens and often makes direct reference to them, such as "Your mother was a great leader, Mosskit..."


 * The introductory chapter is two pages long. Each Clan introduction or description is also two pages long. This is followed by a two-page spread for each cat (or group of cats) discussed; with descriptive text on the left page and a full-color illustration on the right page.

Cats Described
The Clans and the cats described in the book are as follows:


 * ThunderClan:
 * Firestar; Bluestar; Graystripe and Millie; Sandstorm; Yellowfang; Cinderpelt; Leafpool; Squirrelflight; Brambleclaw; Ashfur; Brightheart and Cloudtail; Jaypaw, Hollypaw and Lionpaw.
 * ShadowClan:
 * Tigerstar; Brokenstar; Blackstar; Tawnypelt; Boulder; Littlecloud and Runningnose.
 * WindClan:
 * Tallstar; Onestar; Mudclaw; Crowfeather; Nightcloud and Breezepaw; Heatherpaw.
 * RiverClan:
 * Crookedstar; Leopardstar; Graypool, Mistyfoot and Stonefur; Silverstream; Feathertail; Stormfur; Hawkfrost; Mothwing and Willowpaw.
 * SkyClan:
 * Cloudstar and Skywatcher; Leafstar, Echosong and Sharpclaw;
 * Cats Outside the Clans:
 * Ravenpaw and Barley; Princess and Smudge; Brook Where Small Fish Swim and Talon of Swooping Eagle; Teller of the Pointed Stones; Scourge and Bone.

The book also contains four maps - Forest illustration, Forest diagram, Lake illustration, Lake diagram - and an excerpt from Eclipse.

Trivia

 * The first cover depicted Tigerstar (the bottom cat) to have green eyes not amber.
 * The US cover art depicted two StarClan symbols and no RiverClan symbol. This was changed before final publication.
 * In the book, Rock tells the kits that the Clan cats met Brook on their way to sun-drown-place, whereas she actually met them on their way back to the forest from the sun-drown-place.
 * The excerpt from Eclipse is incorrect, as Firestar is said to be in the patrol to the Tribe of Rushing Water instead of Tawnypelt.

Publication History

 * Cats of the Clans (EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 24 June 2008
 * Cats of the Clans (EN), HarperCollins (e-book), 17 February 2009
 * Герои племён (RU), OLMA Media Group (hardcover), 13 May 2010, translated by Veronica Maximova