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The Darkest Hour

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This article is about The Darkest Hour, the sixth book of The Prophecies begin arc; you may be looking for Darkest Night, the fourth book in the A Vision of Shadows arc.
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
"But this was not the time to be careful. The very future of the forest was at stake, balanced on the breadth of a hair between Tigerstar's bloodthirsty quest for power, and the whims of the unknown BloodClan."
— Narrator describing the tension in The Darkest Hour, page 228



The Darkest Hour is the sixth book in The Prophecies Begin arc, formerly known as the Original arc.[6] Firestar is the cat depicted on the original and reprinted cover.[9][10] It features Firestar as the main protagonist, and Tigerstar in the prologue.

Dedication[]

This book is for Vicky Holmes and Matt Haslum,
who helped find Fireheart's destiny.
Thank you.
Special thanks to Cherith Baldry

Blurb[]

Fire Alone Can Save Our Clan...
ThunderClan's darkest hour is upon them, as Tigerstar's quest for power plunges the forest into terrible danger. In order to save his friends, Firestar must uncover the meaning of an ominous proclamation from StarClan:
"Four will become two.
Lion and tiger will meet in battle,
and blood will rule the forest."
The time has come for prophecies to unfold, and for heroes to rise....

The praise[]

"Action-packed. Certain to please any young reader who has ever wondered what dreams of grandeur may haunt the family cat."

-Publisher's Weekly[2]

"A suspenseful adventure story that urges readers onward."

-ALA Booklist[2]

Detailed plot description[]

Looking for a shorter overview? Find one here!

Tigerstar travels with Boulder to make a deal with Scourge, leader of a group of alley cats from Twolegplace who call themselves BloodClan. Although surprised by how small Scourge is, Tigerstar offers him a share of the forest territory in return for BloodClan helping him to become leader of all four Clans.
Fireheart becomes the leader of ThunderClan, receiving his nine lives and the name Firestar from StarClan. His leadership ceremony is interrupted near the end when a hill of bones appears in his dream, followed by a river of blood. Bluestar, former leader of ThunderClan, gives him this prophecy: Four will become two. Lion and tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest. Upon returning, Firestar turns his suspicions to Darkstripe, a former ally of Tigerstar, who has been showing signs of alliance with ShadowClan. Later, Firestar finds Sorrelkit poisoned with chewed up deathberries in her mouth. She later recovers and reveals that Darkstripe fed the berries to her, telling her they were a treat, so she would not tell Firestar about a meeting she'd witnessed between Darkstripe and Blackfoot, the ShadowClan deputy. Darkstripe is exiled from ThunderClan and is suspected to join his former ally, Tigerstar, in ShadowClan.
At the next Gathering, Tigerstar proposes to unite the other three Clans with ShadowClan to form one larger Clan, TigerClan, and reveals that Leopardstar has already agreed to join RiverClan with ShadowClan. ThunderClan and WindClan refuse the proposal, and Firestar begins to tell the cats of Tigerstar's treachery, but he is stopped as clouds move in, covering the moon, and lightning flashes. Tigerstar interprets this as a sign from StarClan that the meeting is finished.
Graystripe worriedly wants to check on his kits in RiverClan, Stormpaw and Featherpaw. As Firestar and Graystripe go to leave, they bump into Ravenpaw, who had come to pay his respects to Bluestar. Ravenpaw joins them on their mission. The three cats go to RiverClan and find not only Graystripe's kits, but Mistyfoot and Stonefur being held as prisoners. Tigerstar accuses them of being half-Clan cats and therefore traitors. He orders Stonefur to prove his loyalty to TigerClan by killing the two apprentices, but Stonefur refuses, and is ordered to be killed by Darkstripe. Despite being half-starved and weakened from his imprisonment, Stonefur is able to overpower Darkstripe until Blackfoot jumps in and finishes him off. Stormpaw and Featherpaw are taken back to their prison. Ravenpaw convinces the guard, Jaggedtooth, that he is a RiverClan cat and that Tigerstar has a message for him, and while the guard leaves, the group attempts to escape with the prisoners, but are caught by a TigerClan patrol. The rescuers and the prisoners are saved by a ThunderClan patrol consisting of Cloudtail, Sandstorm, and Thornclaw. TigerClan later that day attacks WindClan and Tigerstar kills an apprentice, Gorsepaw, as a warning while surrounded by his warriors so no cat could reach them.
When time runs out for Tigerstar's offer to join TigerClan, Firestar and Tallstar prepare to fight. They are shocked by the appearance of BloodClan, a "Clan" from Twolegplace. Tigerstar orders BloodClan to fight for him, yet they make no move. Scourge tells Tigerstar that he is the only cat in charge of BloodClan. Firestar takes the chance to make an impression on Scourge by announcing to the cats of every Clan Tigerstar's bloodthirsty history. Hearing everything, Scourge decides that there will be no battle and he will think about what Firestar had said. Enraged by Scourge's refusal to cooperate, Tigerstar attacks him. Scourge counters his attack and slays Tigerstar easily by slicing him open from chin to tail with his enormous claws, which are reinforced with dog teeth. This devastating blow wipes out all of Tigerstar's nine lives at once. Scourge then gives all of the forest Clans three days to either leave or fight BloodClan for their home in the forest. To face this danger, the four Clans unite and call their alliance LionClan, going into battle against BloodClan. During the battle, Darkstripe ambushes Firestar and intends to kill him to avenge Tigerstar, but is in turn killed by Graystripe. Meanwhile Whitestorm, the ThunderClan deputy, is killed by the BloodClan deputy Bone. Grief and sadness sweeps over Firestar like a wave, seeing his deputy and friend die in front of him. Whitestorm's last wishes were to appoint Graystripe as deputy of ThunderClan, saying that Graystripe was always Firestar's rightful deputy, with which Firestar complies.
At the end of the battle, Firestar loses his first life to Scourge. He is revived by StarClan, much to Scourge's shock, and kills the BloodClan leader. After Scourge's death, the BloodClan cats scatter in confusion and fall back with no motivation to keep fighting. The last to go are followed in pursuit by Tallstar and a few of his Clanmates. The Clans disband and become independent once more, and the balance of power in the forest is returned to normal.

Trivia[]

Mistakes[]

  • A compiled list of the errors present in The Darkest Hour can be found here.

Author statements[]

  • According to Vicky, the series was always intended to end in a climatic fight between Firestar and Tigerstar; however, one of her colleagues insisted Tigerstar should be killed by another cat and Vicky liked the questions his version left for the characters.[11]
  • The Darkest Hour is one of Vicky's favorite Warriors books.[12]

Guides[]

Activity, reading, and teaching guides are produced by HarperCollins as additional material for certain books. Teachers and librarians could use these guides as activities in the classroom or library. Additionally, anyone could download the pdfs and print them for themselves. Below lists the guide(s) for this book.
End of spoiler warning

Publication history[]

  • The Darkest Hour (EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 5 October 2004[6]
  • The Darkest Hour (EN), HarperCollins (library binding), 5 October 2004[13]
  • The Darkest Hour (EN), HarperCollins (paperback), 4 October 2005[14]
  • Битва за лес (RU), OLMA Media Group (hardcover), 2006, translated by Veronica Maximova[15]
  • 어둠의 시간 (KR), Gimm-young (paperback) 30 January 2007, translated by Kim Lee-seon[16]
  • The Darkest Hour (EN), HarperCollins (e-book), 4 September 2007[17]
  • ファイヤハートの旅立ち (JA), Komine Shoten (hardcover), 17 November 2007, translated by Yukako Takabayashi[18]
  • The Darkest Hour (EN), HarperCollins (UK) (paperback), 4 February 2008[19]
  • Une sombre prophétie (FR), Pocket Jeunesse (paperback), 6 March 2008, translated by Aude Carlier[20]
  • 黑暗時刻 (TW), Morning Star (paperback), 15 December 2008, translated by Gao Zimei (高子梅)[21]
  • A Dangerous Path & The Darkest Hour (EN), HarperCollins (hardcover), 2008[22][23]
  • 力挽狂澜 (CN), China Children's Publishing (paperback), March 2009, Zhao Zhenzhong (赵振中)[24]
  • Битва за лес (RU), OLMA Media Group (e-book), 20 April 2009, translated by Veronica Maximova[25]
  • ファイヤハートの旅立ち (JA), Komine Shoten (paperback), 20 May 2009, translated by Yukako Takabayashi[26]
  • Stunde der Finsternis (DE), Beltz & Gelberg (hardcover), 2009, translated by Friederike Levin[27]
  • Битва за лес (RU), OLMA Press (hardcover), 2009, translated by Veronica Maximova[15]
  • Une sombre prophétie (FR), Pocket Jeunesse (paperback; pocketbook), 7 October 2010, translated by Aude Carlier[28]
  • Pimeyden Hetki (FI), Art House (hardcover), 17 August 2011,[29] translated by Vesa-Matti Paija[30]
  • Vuurproef (NL), Fantoom (hardcover), 15 November 2011, translated by Huberte Vriesendorp[31]
  • Den mørkeste time (DK), Sohn (hardcover), 12 October 2012, translated by Jens Christiansen[32]
  • Une sombre prophétie (FR), 12-21 (e-book), 18 October 2012, translated by Aude Carlier[33]
  • Iskušenje tame (HR), Znanje (paperback), 1 April 2013, translated by Jana Merlin[34]
  • L'hora de la foscor (ES), La Galera (paperback), 19 November 2013, translated by Armand Carabén[35]
  • La hora más oscura (ES), Salamandra (paperback), 22 November 2013, translated by Begoña Hernández Sala[36]
  • A Hora Mais Sombria (PT), WMF Martins Fontes (paperback), 1 January 2014, translated by Marilena Moraes[37]
  • L'ora più buia (IT), Sonda (e-book), 10 January 2014, translated by Maria Teresa Milano[38]
  • L'ora più buia (IT), Sonda (hardcover), 29 January 2014, translated by Maria Teresa Milano[39]
  • Vuurproef (NL), Fantoom (paperback), 13 May 2014, translated by Huberte Vriesendorp[40]
  • Pimeyden hetki (FI), Art House (paperpack), June 2014[41]
  • The Darkest Hour (EN), HarperCollins (paperback; reprint), 17 March 2015[6]
  • Mørkets time (NO), Juritzen jr. (paperback), 28 May 2015, translated by Tora Larsen Morset[42]
  • Mørkets time (NO), Juritzen jr. (e-book), 11 June 2015, translated by Tora Larsen Morset[43]
  • A Hora Mais Negra (PT), Planeta (paperback), July 2016, translated by Ana Saragoça[44]
  • Zor Zamanlar (TR), Artemis Yayınları (paperback), 2 December 2016, translated by Barbaros Bostan[45]
  • Vremuri întunecate (RO), Galaxia Copiilor (paperback), 13 December 2016, translated by Ioana Văcărescu[46]
  • Stunde der Finsternis (DE), Julius Beltz GmbH & Co. KG (audiobook), 21 February 2017, translated by Friederike Levin and narrated by Marlen Diekhoff[47]
  • Stunde der Finsternis (DE), Gulliver von Beltz & Gelberg (paperback), 4 April 2017, translated by Friederike Levin[48]
  • Ödets timma (SE), Bokfabriken (hardcover), 26 April 2017, translated by Lena Olsson[49]
  • Ödets timma (SE), Bokfabriken (e-book), 28 April 2017, translated by Lena Olsson[50]
  • Czarna godzina (PL), Nowa Baśń (paperback), 14 August 2017, translated by Katarzyna Krawczyk[51]
  • 力挽狂澜 (CN), China Children's Press (paperback), 1 September 2017, translated by Zhao Zhenzhong[52]
  • Темні часи (UA), АССА (hardcover), 12 September 2017, translated by Katerina Dudka and Ostap Ukrainec[53][54]
  • The Darkest Hour (EN), HarperAudio (audiobook), 10 October 2017, narrated by MacLeod Andrews[55]
  • The Darkest Hour (EN), HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing (audio cd), 10 October 2017, narrated by MacLeod Andrews[7]
  • Czarna godzina (PL), Nowa Baśń (e-book), 16 October 2017, translated by Katarzyna Krawczyk[56]
  • Cycle I, Livres 4-5-6 (FR), Pocket Jeunesse (paperback; omnibus), 19 October 2017, translated by Cécile Pournin and Aude Carlier[57]
  • Nestundā (LV), Zvaigzne ABC (hardcover, e-book), 13 March 2019, translated by Ieva Elsberga[58]
  • Ödets timma (SE), Bokfabriken (audiobook), 18 May 2019, translated by Lena Olsson and narrated by Mattias Linderoth[59]
  • 짙은 어둠의 시간 (KO), Garamchild (paperback), 10 July 2019, translated by Seo Nayeon[60]
  • Pimeyden hetki (FI), WSOY (audiobook), 20 December 2019, translated by Vesa-Matti Paija and narrated by Usva Kärnä[61]
  • Une sombre prophétie (FR), Lizzie (audiobook, audio cd), 12 March 2020, translated by Aude Carlier and narrated by Erwann Zamor[62]
  • 짙은 어둠의 시간 (KO), Garamchild (e-book), 10 June 2020, translated by Seo Nayeon[63]
  • Czarna godzina (PL), Storyside (audiobook), 6 August 2020, translated by Katarzyna Krawczyk, narrated by Maciej Kowalik[64]
  • 猫武士探险记丛书 狮虎相争 (CN), China Children's Press & Publication Group (magazine; volume 1), November 2020[65]
  • 猫武士探险记丛书 血战到底 (CN), China Children's Press & Publication Group (magazine; volume 2), December 2020[66]
  • 黑暗時刻 (TW), Morning Star (e-book), 16 June 2021, translated by Gao Zimei (高子梅)[67]
  • Vuurproef (NL), Storyside (audiobook), 30 June 2021, translated by Huberte Vriesendorp and narrated by Sinem Kavus[68]
  • 黑暗時刻 (TW), Morning Star (paperback; 10th Anniversary), 1 December 2021, translated by Gao Zimei (高子梅)[69]
  • Битва за лес (RU), Storyside (audiobook), 21 December 2021, translated by Olga Korchagina and narrated by Ilya Slanevsky[70]
  • Mørkets time (NO), Juritzen jr. (audiobook), 16 December 2021, translated by Tora Larsen Morset and narrated by Elisabeth Vatn[71]
  • Czarna godzina (PL), Nowa Baśń (paperback; reprint), 2 April 2022, translated by Katarzyna Krawczyk[72]
  • La hora más oscura (ES), Penguin Random House Audio (audiobook), 10 June 2022, translated by Begoña Hernández Sala and narrated by Carlos Moreno Minguito[73]
  • Vremuri întunecate (RO), Storyside (audiobook), 24 October 2022, translated by Ioana Vacarescu and narrated by Marius Iftimovici[74]
  • A hora mais sombria (PT), Storyside (audiobook), 11 April 2024, translated by Marilena Moraes and narrated by Guilherme Teruya[75]
  • Thời Khắc Tăm Tối (VI), NXB Hội Nhà Văn (paperback with flaps; reprint), April 2024, translated by Nguyễn Minh Thư[76]
  • 짙은 어둠의 시간 (KO), Storyside (audiobook), 1 May 2024, translated by Seo Na-yeon (서나연) and narrated by Kyeong-A Cho (조경아)[77]
  • Най-тъмният час (BG), Storyside (e-book), 23 August 2024, translated by Marianna Panova[78]
  • Най-тъмният час (BG), Storyside (audiobook), 23 August 2024, translated by Marianna Panova and narrated by Ivan Panayotov[78]
  • Czarna godzina (PL), Nowa Baśń (audiobook; reissue), 21 November 2024, translated by Katarzyna Krawczyk and narrated by Wojciech Chorąży[79]
  • A legsötétebb óra (HU), Digitanart Studió (paperback), 5 November 2025, translated by Andrea Márton[80]

Gallery[]

US covers[]

Foreign covers[]

See more


See also[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ Revealed on the dedication page of The Darkest Hour
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Revealed on the inside right flap of The Darkest Hour
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Revealed on the back cover of The Darkest Hour
  4. ↑ Revealed on audible.com (backup link)
  5. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Revealed on harpercollins.com (backup link)
  6. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Revealed on blackstonelibrary.com (backup link)
  7. ↑ Revealed in The Darkest Hour, page 149
  8. ↑ The image on the original cover depicts the omen Firestar receives of his reflection morphing into a lion.[8]
  9. ↑ Revealed on Facebook messenger with the Erin Hunter marketing team
  10. ↑ Unexpected Storylines on Warriors official website (backup link)
  11. ↑ Revealed on Vicky's Facebook (screenshot)
  12. ↑ Revealed on amazon.com
  13. ↑ Revealed on harpercollins.com
  14. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Revealed on ozon.ru
  15. ↑ Revealed on gimmyoung.com
  16. ↑ Revealed on amazon.com
  17. ↑ Revealed on komineshoten.co.jp
  18. ↑ Revealed on harpercollins.co.uk ([ backup link])
  19. ↑ Revealed on pocketjeunesse.fr
  20. ↑ Revealed on a Morning Star blog post
  21. ↑ Revealed on books.google.com (backup link)
  22. ↑ Revealed on goodreads.com (backup link)
  23. ↑ Revealed on book.douban.com
  24. ↑ Revealed on books.google.com (backup link)
  25. ↑ Revealed on komineshoten.co.jp
  26. ↑ Revealed on beltz.de
  27. ↑ Revealed on placedeslibraires.fr
  28. ↑ Revealed on bookplus.fi
  29. ↑ Revealed on kauppa.tietosanoma.fi
  30. ↑ Revealed on amazon.com
  31. ↑ Revealed on gucca.dk
  32. ↑ Revealed on placedeslibraires.fr
  33. ↑ Revealed on goodreads.com
  34. ↑ Revealed on amazon.com
  35. ↑ Revealed on amazon.com
  36. ↑ Revealed on amazon.com.br
  37. ↑ Revealed on amazon.it (backup link)
  38. ↑ Revealed on amazon.it
  39. ↑ Revealed on bol.com
  40. ↑ Revealed on tietosanoma.fi
  41. ↑ Revealed on juritzen.no
  42. ↑ Revealed on ebok.no
  43. ↑ Revealed on wook.pt
  44. ↑ Revealed on artemisyayinlari.com (backup link)
  45. ↑ Revealed on all.ro
  46. ↑ Revealed on beltz.de (backup link)
  47. ↑ Revealed on beltz.de
  48. ↑ Revealed on bokus.com
  49. ↑ Revealed on bokus.com
  50. ↑ Revealed on empik.com
  51. ↑ Revealed on amazon.cn
  52. ↑ Release date revealed on the pre-order listing on acca.ua
  53. ↑ Translators revealed on acca.ua (backup link)
  54. ↑ Revealed on amazon.com (backup link)
  55. ↑ Revealed on nexto.pl (backup link)
  56. ↑ Revealed on lisez.com (backup link)
  57. ↑ Revealed on books.apple.com
  58. ↑ Revealed on bokus.com
  59. ↑ Revealed on blog.naver.com
  60. ↑ Revealed on wsoy.fi
  61. ↑ Revealed on Lisez.com
  62. ↑ Revealed on blog.naver.com
  63. ↑ Revealed on storytel.com
  64. ↑ Revealed on the copyright page
  65. ↑ Revealed on the copyright page
  66. ↑ Revealed on play.google.com (backup link)
  67. ↑ Revealed on storytel.com
  68. ↑ Revealed on morningstar.com.tw ([web.archive.org/web/20250421074753/https://www.morningstar.com.tw/bookinfo.aspx?bookno=0151106 backup link])
  69. ↑ Revealed on storytel.com
  70. ↑ Revealed on ebok.no
  71. ↑ Revealed on Nowa Baśń's Instagram
  72. ↑ Revealed on audible.com
  73. ↑ Revealed on thalia.de
  74. ↑ Revealed on storytel.com
  75. ↑ Revealed on netabooks.vn (backup link)
  76. ↑ Revealed on storytel.com
  77. ↑ 78.0 78.1 Revealed on storytel.com (backup link)
  78. ↑ Revealed on nexto.pl (backup link)
  79. ↑ Revealed on libri.hu
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