The cover of The Quest Begins |
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The Quest Begins
Great Bear Lake Smoke Mountain The Last Wilderness Fire in the Sky Spirits in the Stars |
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| Author | Erin Hunter |
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| Cover artist | Wayne McLoughlin |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Teen literature, fantasy |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Published | May 2008 – present |
| Media type | |
Seekers is a children's novel series written by a team of authors under the pseudonym Erin Hunter, who also wrote the Warriors series. Seekers follows the adventures of four bear cubs: Kallik (a polar bear), Lusa (a black bear), Ujurak (a small grizzly bear who can shape-shift into any animal), and Toklo (a grizzly bear). Led by Ujurak, the four bears search for a place where they can live in peace without human interference and harassment. The first book The Quest Begins was released on May 27, 2008 and by October 2010, five volumes were available in the US and Canada: The Quest Begins, Great Bear Lake, Smoke Mountain, The Last Wilderness, and Fire in the Sky; the sixth and final volume, Spirits in the Stars, was released on February 8th, 2011. The series has been well received, with critics praising the realistic behavior of the characters, the excitement in the novels, and the descriptions of the bears' world. A second series is planned, featuring Toklo, Kallik, and Lusa. Ujurak dies in the sixth book trying to save the three other bears.
Seekers sprang to life when HarperCollins asked Victoria Holmes to develop another series about a group of animals. Dogs were considered, but rejected because they were too close to cats in their hierarchical social organization, pack and hunting lifestyles, and territoriality. Horses, otters and dolphins were considered, but were dismissed. In the end, the company left the decision to Holmes and she opted for bears because their solitary lifestyles, undomesticated natures, and fighting abilities appealed strongly to her. The series took inspiration from Inuit beliefs and Native American languages. Holmes found that Native Americans and bears are very closely linked to the natural environment. The idea for Ujurak's shape-shifting ability was based upon Native American shamans, who are believed to have the power to transform themselves into animals. The names of the bears are taken from several different Indian languages. Lusa, for example, means moon in Choctaw.
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Similarly to the Warriors series, Seekers began as a request from HarperCollins.[1] The company wanted Holmes to write another animal series, but not one about cats. HarperCollins suggested dogs, but Holmes "was reluctant to create stories that I felt would be quite similar to Warriors. Dogs live in packs, they hunt for their food, they have a strict hierarchy within their communities, they guard their territories," which was too similar to Warriors.[2] Horses were also considered, but Holmes realized horses tended to run away rather than stay and fight. Dolphins were then suggested, but the battles would be slow without "the all-action excitement that the Erins love so much."[2] Finally, the company asked Holmes what she wanted to write about and she replied "BEARS! They live much more solitary lifestyles than cats, they are wild through and through with no history of domestication whatsoever (performing bears don’t count), and they are much bigger animals, with a whole lot more potential for fighting."[2]
Holmes drew inspiration from Inuit beliefs and the Native American languages which are spoken in the area which the bears live. Holmes developed Ujuark's shape-shifting powers after reading up on shamans, who are supposed to be able to transform into other animals. Holmes liked the idea and decided to have one of the bears have the same ability, which allowed him to "infiltrate a human community without them guessing the truth."[2] Later, Holmes "needed to establish what sort of beliefs each bear would have," so after finding that bears are closely linked to their environment just like Native Americans, Holmes centered her research around the Natives. The names of the bears are from Native American languages; Lusa means midnight or black in Choctaw, while Kallik means lightning in Inuktitut, Silaluk means storm in Inuktitut, Taqqiq means moon, Toklo means two in Chicksaw, and Ujurak means rock.[2][3]
The series takes place over the span of six books, which are: The Quest Begins, Great Bear Lake, Smoke Mountain, The Last Wilderness, Fire in the Sky and Spirits in the Stars. The story follows four young bears. Lusa, a black bear, Kallik, a polar bear, Toklo, a grizzly bear and Ujurak, who is able to shapeshift into any animal, but remains a brown bear most of the time.
The first book, The Quest Begins, shows how each of the four bears are either abandoned or separated from their parents. Kallik is separated from her mother and brother when a pod of killer whales kills her mother, while her brother was still on the other side of the canal, thinking they were both dead. After this, Kallik travels to find her brother. Toklo is abandoned by his mother after his brother, Tobi, dies and his mother sees how the salmon is disappearing. Lusa was born and raised in a zoo. Her story intertwines with Toklo's after his mother is brought to the zoo and Lusa hears of the wild. Hoping to leave her home, she escapes the zoo and looks for Toklo. Meanwhile, Toklo finds Ujurak injured and helps him; they begin to travel together. They meet up with Lusa at the end of the book. By Great Bear Lake, the four bears have joined together and they try to go to the Arctic. Although Kallik finds her brother Taqqiq, he soon leaves the group in the third book when he feels he does not belong with them. The remaining four cubs learn of a place called the Last Great Wilderness in the third book, where there is plentiful food and shelter. After defying hardships such as hunger and bear hunters, they finally make it to the Last Great Wilderness. However, even though they are there, Ujurak, who leads the journey, feels that they need to go further, into the Arctic. In Fire in the Sky, the bears leave the Last Great Wilderness and travel towards the Arctic. In the sixth and final book, the bears come to an island with odd polar bears. They save these bears and destroy an oil rig, but Ujurak dies in an avalanche while saving the others. Yakone, a young white bear who lived on the strange Star Island with the sick bears, is added to the group of bears on the last page of Spirits in the Stars.
The authors have confirmed that there will be a second series which will again feature Lusa, Kallik, and Toklo.[4] The second series will be called Return to the Wild.[5] The first book will be Island of Shadows and will be released on February 7, 2012,[6] and January 25, 2012 in Canada.[7] The second book of the series is called The Melting Sea.[8]
Seekers has also been published in original English-language manga form. The books are drawn by Bettina Kurkoski, who also drew The Rise of Scourge.[9] The first one, Toklo's Story, was released on February 9, 2010, the same day The Last Wilderness was released. The second, featuring Kallik, called Kallik's Adventure was released on February 8, 2011.The third one will be called Lusa's Tale.[10]
The main theme emphasized in the series is the environment. Holmes says that by "coming up with a series about a different animal gave me a chance to explore some themes that don't fit so easily into Warriors. In particular, the environment." Holmes says that she has always been keen on recycling and saving the planet so she wanted to explore the ways bears and other animals might react to humans destroying their homes and habitats.[11] Many reviewers have picked up the theme. Publishers Weekly found that "readers will appreciate the bears' struggle to survive, along with Hunter's environmental theme."[12] Booklist also commented on each separate story of the three bears touch on environmental problems and issues.[12] School Library Journal noted that "The bears' declining habitat is evident, and often throughout their journey the animals have to dodge cars and humans with guns."[12]
A review from Children's Literature picked up the environmental theme, but commented on themes such as "youth versus age, new versus tradition and the discovery that foreign others are often not very different from oneself."[13] This also ties into a theme of racism noted by a Kidreads.com reviewer. He notes that "[Hunter] also cleverly deals with the theme of racism through a unique and honest approach—three bears of different color, different backgrounds and different beliefs turn to each other for survival and friendship." Despite differences between the bears they still work together.[14]
The series is expected to contain a total of six books. It was originally to be called "The Clawed Path," as the journey the four bears make through all six books in the series is referred to as "the clawed path." At the very last moment, the title was changed so that it would look similar to the Warriors series. Holmes was initially unhappy with the change, but has since said that she has come to like it and the way it looks on the books.[15]
The first novel of the series, The Quest Begins, was first featured on the HarperCollin's FirstLook Program in November 2007.[16] Readers who signed up for the program had a chance to read an early edition of this book, an Advanced Reader's Copy, before it was published in stores.[17] The Quest Begins was released in the US on May 27, 2008.[18] The book was also released as a paperback on February 10, 2009[19] and an e-book on October 6, 2009.[20] The US has published the fifth book and published the sixth on February 8, 2011.[21]
The books have also been released in the UK and Canada. Canada received the first book on May 25, 2008.[22] Canada has published up to the sixth book.[23] The UK releases have different covers than the Canadian and US covers. In the UK, only the first, second, third and fourth books were released.[24] The first three books have also been translated into Russian.[25]
Seekers has received generally positive reviews. Publishers Weekly praised the suspenseful ending of the first book and thought readers would find great interest in the bears' struggle to survive.[12] Booklist found the plot of the first book to have an "interesting balance of cute anthropomorphic characterization and realistic attention to bear behaviors."[12] School Library Journal wrote "from the first page, this story is exciting and refreshing" and "[t]he plot is fast paced, and the author is apt at creating and sustaining the adrenaline-charged mood of these youngsters on their own."[12] Kirkus Review found that "Hunter creates a richly sensuous world filled with cruelty, beauty, tenderness, savagery and just enough underlying legendary background to add mystery." However, the reviewer also felt that too much detail went into developing the characters and setting and there was very little plot.[12] In a review for the second and third books, Horn Book Review felt that readers might experience some confusion about the mountain, but they would still enjoy the fantasy adventure and the descriptions of the animals.[26]