| A Dangerous Path | |
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First edition cover |
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| Author(s) | Erin Hunter |
| Cover artist | Wayne McLoughlin |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Warriors |
| Genre(s) | Children's literature Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Avon HarperCollins |
| Publication date | June 1, 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback and Hardcover) |
| Pages | 336 |
| ISBN | ISBN 978-0-06-052565-1 |
| Preceded by | Rising Storm |
| Followed by | The Darkest Hour |
A Dangerous Path is a children's fantasy novel, the fifth book in the Warriors series, written by Cherith Baldry and Kate Cary under the pseudonym of Erin Hunter. This individual book was written by Cherith Baldry.[1] The series is about four Clans of wild cats, and their adventures in the forest in which they reside. The story follows a plan set up by Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan, who wishes to destroy ThunderClan by using dogs to hunt them down. At the end of the book, Bluestar, leader of ThunderClan, dies after risking her life to kill the dogs, making Fireheart the new leader of ThunderClan. Near the end of the book, Fireheart's friend Graystripe also returns to ThunderClan from RiverClan, knowing that no one will respect him in RiverClan.
The book was first published in the US as a hardcover on June 1, 2004. It was later published as a paperback and as an e-book, and in the UK and Canada as a paperback. Rising Storm has also been published in foreign languages, including French and Chinese. The book received positive reviews from reviewers such as Booklist and Horn Book Review, who praised the tensions and fast pace.
Contents |
The story again takes place in a fictional forest populated by four groups of feral cats, ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan and ShadowClan. Each Clan has their own territory in which they hunt for prey and protect from enemies such as rival Clans and wild animals. The story follows Fireheart and his adventures in ThunderClan.
The forest is based on New Forest, which is located in Southern England.[1] Besides New Forest, Loch Lomond, the Scottish Highlands, and the Forest of Dean also inspired the fictional locales in the novel.[2][3]
When a pack of dogs begins to run wild in the forest, Fireheart, deputy of ThunderClan suspects that Tigerstar, ShadowClan's new leader, is behind it. When Bluestar names Cloudtail a warrior even though all the apprentices had worked hard, two apprentices, Swiftpaw and Brightpaw, try to fight the dog pack themselves in an attempt to prove themselves. However, Swiftpaw is killed and Brightpaw disfigured by the pack of dogs, losing part of her face. While Brightpaw is recovering from the mauling, she repeats words she heard the dogs say: "pack, pack" and "kill, kill".
Soon after, a trail of dead rabbits is found leading to the camp, ending with Brindleface in front of the camp, who had been killed by Tigerstar. Fireheart orders a patrol to get rid of the rabbits. Brindleface's death shocks everyone, and after her burial, the camp is evacuated to Sunningrocks to protect ThunderClan. With Bluestar still insane, it is up to Fireheart to destroy the pack. He and the senior warriors decide that a patrol of cats will lead the dogs to and over the nearby gorge, drowning the dogs. The plan works: each cat successfully leads the pack closer to the gorge. Fireheart, the last in line, keeps a good distance between him and the pack leader, until Tigerstar appears and pins Fireheart down. As the dog leader gets dangerously close, Tigerstar leaps away, leaving Fireheart to be killed by the pack. As Fireheart struggles against the dog, Bluestar, sane once more, slams into the dog, releasing its grip on Fireheart and throwing the dog—and herself—over the side of the gorge.
Fireheart leaps down the cliff to the river and dives in to save Bluestar. Fireheart manages to get a hold on her, but is barely able to keep their heads above the water. Soon, however, Bluestar's RiverClan children, Stonefur and Mistyfoot, discover Fireheart struggling in the river and help drag Bluestar to the bank. There, Bluestar pleads with her kits to forgive her for lying to them about their parents. They forgive her. Bluestar then tells Fireheart that she realized that they were not all traitors to the Clan, like Tigerstar was. She also tells him that he is now the leader of ThunderClan, and that "you are the fire that saved my Clan". With that, she loses her final life.
Fireheart, now Firestar, is filled with grief, and Mistyfoot asks if she and Stonefur can help carry her back to camp and sit vigil for her.
The book was first published in the US as a hardcover on June 1, 2004 by HarperCollins.[4] It was then published as a paperback on May 24, 2005[5] and an e-book on October 13, 2009.[6] A Dangerous Path was also published in the UK as a paperback on April 2, 2007[7] and in Canada as a hardcover on May 20, 2004.[8] The book has also been published in foreign languages such as German,[9] Japanese, French, Russian and Korean.[10] The Chinese version was published on December 31, 2008 and is packaged along with a 3D trading card of Tigerstar.[11]
A Dangerous Path received a positive reception. A BookLoons review praised the rising tension in the book.[12] Booklist called the book exciting and praised the fast pace writing "Hunter maintains the established characterizations of her sentient cats, who still retain their feline natures. With compelling intrigue and fast-paced actions, this is one of the most exciting books in the series".[13] In a review for both Rising Storm and A Dangerous Path, Horn Book review praised the complex characters.[13]
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