SkyClan's Destiny
| SkyClan's Destiny | |
|---|---|
 Hardcover Edition | |
| Author | Erin Hunter |
| Cover artist | Wayne McLoughlin |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Warriors (novel series) |
| Genre |
Children's literature Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | August 3, 2010[1] |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 462 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-169994-8 |
| Preceded by | Firestar's Quest |
| Followed by | The Rescue |
SkyClan's Destiny is a children's fantasy novel, the third super edition in the Warriors series. It was written by Cherith Baldry[2] under the pen name of Erin Hunter. Victoria Holmes revealed in an Author Tracker e-mail that they had developed the general idea for the book quickly, but took a while to find the right ending. The book follows SkyClan six months after Firestar and Sandstorm left the gorge. The Clan experiences internal conflict regarding house cats who train in SkyClan during the day, but leave at night to return to their human owners. Later, four loners, Stick, Cora, Coal and Shorty, cats that Firestar met on his quest also become a topic of debate in the Clan. The major themes in the book are rebellion and the fact that SkyClan has to figure its destiny without the help of other Clans or their warriors ancestors.
Plot
The book begins with a step into the past right before the original SkyClan breaks up. Ancient SkyClan cats have fought another battle against the rats and lost, including two warriors being killed, Sunpelt and Fallensnow. After some discussion, the Clan breaks up into a collection of loners and kittypets. Only the elders stay behind, claiming they are too old to leave their home. Spiderstar, the Clan leader and Brackenheart, the Clan's medicine cat, remain behind with them. Brackenheart claims that there is hope for a future SkyClan to return to the gorge and make their lives there. He says that SkyClan needs deeper roots if it is to survive. Leafstar wakes from a dream about the gorge flooding and SkyClan being washed away by the waters. SkyClan is thriving however with new kits and warriors. Bouncepaw, Rockpaw and Tinypaw have their warrior ceremony, taking the names Bouncefire, Rockshade and Tinycloud. Although Tinycloud is very unhappy with her name, Leafstar assures her that it doesn't matter what her name is, it's what she does that counts. Leafstar reflects upon Skywatcher and all he did for the Clan that is now thriving, having survived leaf-bare. Soon enough, the daylight warriors are introduced, kittypets that chose to be part of SkyClan, but spend their nights at home in their Twoleg nests. Most of the SkyClan cats disapprove of the daylight-warriors, most notably Cherrytail and SkyClan's own deputy, Sharpclaw. Leafstar doesn't like that her warriors disapprove of the daylight warriors, and she tries her best to avoid conflict between the two groups. This doesn't work, because more than enough times, Sharpclaw excludes the daylight-warriors from the basic warrior duties, like patrols. Not all of the Clan cats disapprove of the daylight-warriors, however. Fallowfern's kits, Nettlekit, Plumkit, Rabbitkit, and Creekkit, take a liking to Billystorm, one of the daylight-warriors and Snookpaw's mentor. Billystorm teaches the young kits defensive moves, saying that a hawk or another animal won't leave them alone because they are kits. At first Fallowfern is reluctant, but, decides to let Billystorm teach the kits, provided that they stay away from the water. Spottedleaf visits Leafstar in a dream, warning her that there will be storms to come and showing her a vision of the ancient SkyClan. Leafstar suspects this is a prophecy: "This is the leaf-bare of my Clan. Greenleaf will come, but it will bring even greater storms than these. SkyClan will need deeper roots if it is to survive." Speaking to Echosong about it, she discovers that the medicine cat had the same dream she did. Leafstar refuses to tell the Clan when the two she-cats cannot work out what the dreams mean - especially when they decide Leafstar's floodwater dream is connected, but decides they will talk again if they have more dreams. Leafstar faces more trouble when she is forced to banish two daylight-warriors, Harveymoon and Macgyver, from the Clan for behaving badly and not honoring what it means to be a warrior. Feeling troubled by her decision, she talks with the elders and finds support from Tangle. Sagepaw falls off the cliff, despite Sharpclaw's attempt to help him. Echosong works out that he has dislocated his leg and puts it back into place, earning respect from her Clanmates. Patchfoot reveals that Sagepaw's fall was his fault for teasing him about his ancestry and Leafstar worries that the Clan are too concerned with being descended from SkyClan cats. She calls a meeting and talks to the Clan about every cat having an equal claim to be part of SkyClan. The meeting is interrupted by intruders who turn out to be the rogues, Stick, Cora, Shorty, and Coal whom Firestar and Sandstorm met when they were trying to rebuild SkyClan. They ask to learn from the SkyClan cats and after pressure from her deputy, Leafstar agrees. Sharpclaw leads a training session with many of the cats alongside the newcomers. This helps to bring the Clan closer together and Leafstar is pleased. Later, when the daylight-warriors return home, the visitors question them and Leafstar shares a suspicion with Sharpclaw that they are there for reasons other than learning how to take care of themselves. She assigns some SkyClan cats to sleep with them in the new dens. Back in SkyClan territory, Leafstar invites the visitors to join the patrols and they agree, joining Patchfoot's border patrol. Leafstar joins the patrol, and scents rats. Leafstar decides to check it out instead of going back to camp. They spot a whole pile of Twoleg waste, which horrifies the patrol. They discover that the heap of waste is infested with rats. When they get back to camp, Sharpclaw explains the battle with the rats to the rogues. They ask Sharpclaw if they can help, informing him that they had hunted rats in their past. They come up with a plan to drive the rats out of SkyClan territory. Leafstar goes to Echosong and informs her of her misgivings towards Sharpclaw, but Echosong's advice doesn't seem to help.. It is shown that Frecklepaw continuously helps Echosong with her duties, and that Echosong wants her as an apprentice, but there is some conflict as that Frecklepaw is a daylight warrior. Leafstar talks with Billystorm, and Billystorm tells Leafstar that he had seen SkyClan warriors with Stick in Twolegplace, but Leafstar is sure it is nothing serious. Harveymoon and Macgyver are back from their one-moon exile, and the Gathering takes place. Leafstar and Cora go out hunting together. Stick, Shorty, Cora, and Coal would like to become full warriors of SkyClan, and Leafstar agrees. She performs the ceremony, but it is interrupted three times. Harveymoon is annoyed that they are now warriors. When Leafstar goes to sleep, she is introduced to Bluestar, Snowfur and Whitestorm. The whole of StarClan had gathered to celebrate SkyClan's survival. Spottedleaf tells Leafstar to "seize the moment. Destiny will arrive." Leafstar agrees to go with Billystorm to Twolegplace and to find Snookpaw. They come across Hutch, who had used to be a SkyClan warrior. Billystorm and Leafstar get inside Snookpaw's house, and are able to see Snookpaw, but not retrieve him. His Twolegs come, and the two visiting cats leave quickly. The patrol discovers a loner hunting in SkyClan's territory. Leafstar thinks he is a descedant of SkyClan, and offers him a position in the Clan. The loner rejects it. Ebonyclaw points out to Leafstar that she suspects that Shrewtooth feels left out. Trying to coax him, Leafstar goes hunting with him. They come across a Twoleg nest and Shrewtooth panics. When Leafstar brings him back to camp, Shrewtooth tells her that he had been captured and abused by the Twolegs that mistreated Petalnose. Petalnose hears this, and determined to get back at the Twolegs; she suggests that they scare them. Leafstar agrees. Leafstar organizes a patrol, and gives the attack cry. The SkyClan cats again are victorious, succeeding in frightening the Twoleg. In Stick's point of view, he is shown not to trust her daughter since she had left for Harley and his friends. Wandering the Twolegplace, Stick finds a cat named Onion and is suspicious that she is a friend of Dodge's. He attacks her, and Onion is forced to tell where Dodge is. Snookpaw finally comes back to SkyClan. The other daylight warriors are overjoyed to see him. Leafstar joins a patrol with Cherrytail, Snookpaw, and Billystorm. While on the patrol, Billystorm comes to the point where he reveals his hidden feelings for Leafstar. Leafstar does the same. The loner is seen when Leafstar and Billystorm had traveled back to camp appears again. His name is revealed to be Egg and with some persuasion, he joins SkyClan as Sharpclaw's apprentice. In Stick's perspective, Red is angry because Stick is too protective. She runs away, but Stick follows her, only to find out that she is now residing with Harley and all his friends. When Stick comes back, he comes back to figure out that the Twolegs had taken Percy. Egg is made an official SkyClan cat, however he keeps his name, which is a shock to the Clan since daylight warriors usually keep their first name as their prefix and a new name as the suffix, but Egg stays as Egg. It is revealed that Sharpclaw had lied to Egg, to get him to join SkyClan. It is revealed that Egg had confided in Sharpclaw about a fox that was living in his territory, and Sharpclaw lies to him, saying that the fox will live there forever and he will be much safer if he lives in SkyClan. Leafstar scolds Sharpclaw, saying that he can't recruit other members with lies. Angry about her argument with Echosong, Leafstar silently hates Firestar for a moment, wondering why he didn't tell her that leaders couldn't have mates. Billystorm asks Leafstar if they can go into Twolegplace, to see if they can spot one of Sharpclaw's patrols. Leafstar realizes that she can't, and harsher than she sounds, she refuses. Billystorm is in astonishment, wondering why Leafstar is so rude to him. Leafstar tells him that her Clanmates need her, but Billystorm points out that he's her Clanmate, too, and that Leafstar doesn't want to get close to him because she's a kittypet. Leafstar tells him he doesn't know everything, and Billystorm leaves the den. Leafstar sees a vision of Ancient SkyClan, seeing what happened when they first came to the gorge, the lack of prey, their lack of belief in StarClan. She sees the pale brown tom say the same words he had stated in the prophecy: This is the leaf-bare of my Clan. Greenleaf will come, but it will bring even greater storms than these. SkyClan will need deeper roots if it is to survive. Leafstar realizes that she must be one of those roots. Leafstar takes a patrol to the gorge, past the training area, to investigate a weird sound heard by the kits of SkyClan. They discover that it is a Twoleg kit, lying among the rocks with her hind leg splayed at an awkward angle. Leafstar reveals to the patrol that the Twoleg she-kit had fell over the cliff. Echosong comforts the kit by purring and acting like a kittypet. She tells Leafstar that she doesn't want to frighten her. Echosong tells Leafstar that her leg is broken, and Echosong comes up with the idea to lure the Twolegs to the Twoleg kit so that they can treat her. Leafstar agrees. Leafstar asks Billystorm and Snookpaw if they know where the Twoleg had come from, considering that they live in the Twolegplace. Snookpaw answers Leafstar, telling her exactly where the Twoleg had come from. Snookpaw leads the way to the Twoleg kit's nest. Snookpaw gets lost a couple times, but they eventually reach the Twoleg nest. When Snookpaw tries to convince the Twoleg that they know where their kit is, the Twoleg doesn't understand, often screeching back in reply. The Twoleg throws a flowerpot at Snookpaw, and the patrol ends up having to leave. Leafstar consults in Echosong. Echosong tells Leafstar that the Twoleg had fell asleep. Leafstar decides that they have to use the way cats think instead of the way Twolegs think, and announces that the Twoleg were hunting for the kit, and that the cats will just have to help them. Frecklepaw finds some stuff that belongs to the Twoleg kit. She points out a backpack, a hanky, and a hairband. There is another object, but Frecklepaw cannot detect it. Leafstar decides that they use the objects to lay out a trail for the Twoleg adults towards their kit. The Twolegs follow the trail, and the patrol is overjoyed. The Twolegs find their kit. Leafstar is thinking that she had done the wrong thing that day, of bringing Twolegs and Clan cats too close to each other. Echosong insists that she had done the right thing, but Leafstar can tell that Echosong is not convinced in her own choice. Noticing that the cats of SkyClan are subdued towards the entire Twoleg incident, Leafstar decides to cheer them up by making Snookpaw a warrior. He is given the name of Snookthorn, but almost right after the ceremony is finished, he confesses that he can't stay in SkyClan, that the incident with the flowerpot throwing Twoleg the other day made him know he didn't want to be an enemy of Twolegs - therefore, a warrior of SkyClan. Leafstar suddenly sees Sharpclaw, Stick, Shorty, Cora, and several other of her warriors, with Coal, on guard duty, in Twolegplace. Leafstar realizes that Billystorm was right. Leafstar eavesdrops on them. Stick is teaching them about techniques and other stuff, but Leafstar isn't sure what it's for. Billystorm appears and asks Leafstar if she believes him now. Leafstar silently thinks that Billystorm doesn't have the right to interrogate her. Leafstar decides to do more eavesdropping, and maybe confront them. Billystorm deems that he's coming. Leafstar disagrees, but they don't argue. Leafstar follows them, then appears and asks what they were doing. Leafstar and Sharpclaw quarrel. Stick suddenly reveals why they came to the Gorge. In Stick's view, Stick sees Velvet, his former mate and Red's mother. Velvet asks why he is here, and Stick tells her that he needs to see Red. Stick confides in Velvet about their daughter, but they end up quarreling. Velvet leaves, and Shorty appears. Shorty tells Stick that he found a place where they can spy on Dodge's camp. They hear some of the cats, some of the cats being Misha and Skipper, doubting Red's loyalty. Dodge comes over and asks Red for information about Stick and his friends. Stick is about to stop them, but Shorty coaxes Stick, telling him that they can't stop them. They decide to find the cats that live downstream, which comes into the present, and is SkyClan. In the present, Stick is describing the betrayals and the battles that he encountered in Twolegplace. Stick brought his story to a close and asks Leafstar if she can help them. Leafstar tells Stick that she'll think about it. Sharpclaw argures with Leafstar, but Leafstar makes it clear that it is her choice. In a dream, Leafstar sees Skywatcher. Skywatcher tells Leafstar that she is troubled, and he helps Leafstar decide. Swallowflight appears, and argues, saying that SkyClan cannot leave the gorge. He tells Skywatcher that it isn't a real Clan, and Skywatcher and Swallowflight battle. Leafstar wakes up, and realizes it was just a dream. Leafstar goes on patrol with Shrewtooth, Sharpclaw, Ebonyclaw, and Frecklepaw. Frecklepaw spots honey and bees, and Frecklepaw decides to collect some. Suddenly the bees come out and attack the cats. The cats make a dash for the camp. While Echosong is tending to Leafstar, she tells Leafstar that the swarm of bees was not just a bee attack, but a sign. Echosong tells her it's a battle they need to fight before it comes to them. Leafstar is shown to agree with the attack on Dodge. Egg comes, but Leafstar forbids apprentices to come. Egg tells Leafstar he wants to prove his loyalty to SkyClan, and Leafstar lets him come. Billystorm apologizes to Leafstar, and asks to come, too. Leafstar agrees but hesitantly. They come to Twolegplace, arriving in Dodge's camp. Percy is back, and it is revealed that he might have been taken to the Cutter. Leafstar questions the group of cats, to get to know more about Dodge and what their mission is. Billystorm catches a squirrel, and Leafstar and Billystorm share it together. Stick leads them into Twolegplace. Sharpclaw organizes an attack plan. Snowy steps back in fear, and tells Leafstar she can't do this, but the Clan attacks the camp as planned. Leafstar sees Coal and Shorty getting ready to attack a queen with her kits. Leafstar stops them, and Coal asks Leafstar if she is betraying them. Leafstar doesn't answer, but gets the kits to safety. A cream colored she-cat pounces on Leafstar and the entire world goes black. Leafstar sees her body, with the cream colored she-cat crouched over her. Spottedleaf tells her that she is losing a life, but she will return to her body soon. Leafstar does. She sees Stick quarrel with Red, and he snaps at Harley, telling him that he tricked Red. He attacks Harley, but Red gets in his way, resulting in her death. The battle is ended, with SkyClan and Stick's friends victorious, once more. Cora runs up to them as they are going home, and thanks them. The end of the book brings us to the manga. Billystorm is seen training Rabbitpaw, Plumpaw, Creekpaw and Nettlepaw. Rabbitpaw catches a squirrel, but the task assigned for the apprentices was to climb a tree and catch a bird. Rabbitpaw tells Billystorm that he gets frightened when he gets in a tree and does not know where to put his paws. Rabbitpaw then asks Leafstar if he will be able to become a warrior if he can't climb a tree, and she replies that she is unsure, and that climbing trees has always been a part of SkyClan's warrior assessment. Leafstar organizes a patrol to take out the dog that had been terrorizing the cats in Twolegplace. A kittypet suddenly asks why they're there, and Leafstar introduces herself. When Leafstar tells her about the dog, the kittypet tells her where the dog lives. They follow her directions, but the barking is behind Leafstar and the patrol. They run back to the kittypet and are furious. The rest of the patrol run to Billystorm, and ask if he will join them. Leafstar and Rabbitpaw are trapped. The patrol comes, and attacks the dogs. At the end of the manga, Leafstar gives Plumpaw, Creekpaw, Nettlepaw, and Rabbitpaw their warrior names. Nettlepaw becomes Nettlesplash, Creekpaw becomes Creekfeather, Plumpaw becomes Plumwillow, and Rabbitpaw becomes Rabbitleap. The whole Clan cheers, and Leafstar tells Rabbitleap he had proven himself to be a worthy warrior of SkyClan, beyond any doubt, and that she is proud to be his leader.
Themes
In the sixth author chat, Victoria Holmes has already stated that the main theme in SkyClan's Destiny is rebellion. She states "Leafstar struggles to find a way for her Clan to survive among pressures and challenges that aren't found in the forest".[2] Holmes also said that another theme is a Clan so new and without any neighbors that has to be able to figure out their own future without any help from their warrior ancestors.[3]
Publication history
The book was first released in both e-book and hardcover format on August 3, 2010 in the US.[4] SkyClan's Destiny was also released on August 3, 2010 in both Canada and the UK.[5][6] HarperCollins gave the book a 150,000 first print.[7]
Critical reception
School Library Journal felt that readers would be drawn into the cat's fight for survival. The review also praised how well developed the characters are and the book has "a range of emotions and thoughts that draw readers into their dilemmas". The conclusion was praised as it ended "where the traits of maturity, compassion, loyalty, and strength are upheld as desirable".[8]
References
- ↑ "Amazon catalogue page: Warriors Super Edition: SkyClan's Destiny". Amazon.com. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Erin Hunter Chat #6 Transcript – the chat". Wands And Worlds. Retrieved 2009-12-04.
- ↑ "Wands and Worlds Authortracker 1". Retrieved 4 August 2010.
- ↑ "Warriors Super Edition: SkyClan's Destiny by Erin Hunter, Illustrated by Wayne McLoughlin". HarperCollins. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
- ↑ "Warriors Super Edition: Skyclan's Destiny: Amazon.ca: Erin Hunter: Books". Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
- ↑ "Skyclan's Destiny (Warriors Super): Amazon.co.uk: Erin Hunter, Wayne McLoughlin: Books". Amazon.com. Amazon. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
- ↑ "The On-Sale Calendar: August 2010 Children's Books". Publishers Weekly. February 21, 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
- ↑ "Reviews: Skyclan's destiny BETA". catalog.dclibrary.org. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
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