Battles of the Clans

Battles of the Clans is the fourth book in the Field Guide arc.

Dedication

 * For William and Oliver, two splendid boys

Blurb
An inside look at each Clan's fighting secrets:


 * ShadowClan's night ambush technique
 * ThunderClan's surprise Lightning Strike tactic
 * WindClan's secret underground tunneling
 * RiverClan's water maneuvers
 * SkyClan's fearsome "skydrop" move

Plus never-before-told stories behind the most significant battles in Clan history!

The Praise
"Led by Onestar, readers take the perspective of two inquisitive kittypets that have come into WindClan territory to learn all about their wild neighbors. Unique to other books in the series, the domesticated visitors are welcomed and guided from one clan to another in peace. The literary device works well for juvenile readers familiar with the series who also want to know history of each clan. Written from first person point of view, each chapter takes the audience through techniques and strategies used in battles, as well as an excursion through battlefields. For fans of this most successful series, such a tour is exciting as well as enlightening. Legacies of each of the clans are explored, revealing heroes as well as villains. Adults concerned with the quality of reading for their children or students will be pleased to know that the same values are expressed in this volume as in the many preceding tales. Honor, courage, care for the kits, loyalty, and respect for authority still shine through making this fantasy series far superior to many others in the contemporary market. Young readers will be especially attracted to this title with its adventure game concluding the volume."
 * -Janice DeLong, Barnes and Noble

Detailed Plot Summary

 * Though it has no real plot, Battles of the Clans contains a lot of information about the significant battles, battle tactics, and different attack plans that are not revealed in the books. Never before seen character perspective tell the stories of the different significant battles and share the tactics that each of the respective Clans use. The reader is toured around the different battlefields in both the old and new territories, and there are short stories in which a character will explain how to use a different battle skill while some editions have an exclusive adventure game inside. It is also said that Reedwhisker is the new deputy of RiverClan, Rowanclaw is the new deputy of ShadowClan and Mistystar is the new leader of RiverClan.


 * The book goes in-depth on what the five clans are especially good at. ThunderClan is good at fighting in dense undergrowth and having their famous technique, The Lightning Strike, whereas ShadowClan has a special technique called the Night Ambush. Similarly, RiverClan is good at water combat with the Rushpaw Splash, and WindClan has a special gift of speed and agility. SkyClan excels in above ground combat, and often use the Sky-drop in battle.


 * The reader is also given a tour of the battlegrounds, both from the Forest, the Lake and the Moor. After that, the reader is taken into other character's perspectives, such as Mousefur or Cedarheart, and other elderly cats from each Clan.

Trivia

 * Although it was released before it, Battles of the Clans takes place after or during Night Whispers, as Rowanclaw is ShadowClan's deputy.
 * The rogue, Nightwhisper in Nightwhisper Speaks: A Rogue's Story shares the same name of the third book in the Omen of the Stars series, Night Whispers.
 * In the section Whitewing Speaks: My First Battle it claims that Rainwhisker died in the badger attack, while in The Sight it says a tree branch fell on him, killing him. However, Sootfur, his brother, was killed in the badger attack.
 * Whitetail and Antpelt, two WindClan warriors, are falsely portrayed as ShadowClan cats in the story Pouncetail Speaks: A Time for Mercy.

Publication List

 * Batlles of the Clans(EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 1 June 2010
 * Battles of the Clans(EN), HarperCollins (e-book), 1 June 2010
 * 猫武士手册之4族群的战争 (ZH-CN), China Children's Publishing (paperback), 1 October 2010