Into the Wild

Warriors: I
by Erin Hunter

Some juvenile fiction is good, some is poor. So I always give interesting looking kid's books a chance. This one was a miss. I saw a whole series on the shelf, about feral cats who live in groups and thought it would be similar to two old favorites of mine, Ratha's Creature by Clare Bell or Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams. I was very disappointed. Into the Wild is about a young housecat seeking adventure who joins a group of feral cats in the forest, becomes an apprentice warrior and helps them fight off neighboring clans. Although this book attempts to create a full bodied world, it just doesn't quite make it. Yes, there are kitty legends and culture, friends and foes, pretty lady cats and nasty old toms, acts of betrayal and courage. Enough stuff for a good story. But it's not very well written. The characters are rather flat, their actions and the plot pretty predictable. There is nothing here that really makes you feel like you're in the secret lives of felines. It wasn't worth my time continuing the series.

Rating: 2/5                288 pages, 2007