I read the third in the “The New Prophecy” cycle of the WARRIORS series not terribly long ago, but it ended on a high note, in my view, as the four cat clans—ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan—trekked across the mountains and located a new place to call home after their previous home in the forest was destroyed by humans (Twolegs, in their parlance). Their arrival at their new territory seemed an exciting development moving the story forward and I ended that book eager to find out what happened next. Hence, I picked up the fourth in the six-book series, ‘STARLIGHT’, less than a month later. Sad to say, this one completely fumbles the promise of its predecessor, devoting almost its entire 317 pages to the work of exploring and hashing out the new clan boundaries.
Yes, so much of the book is about the cats circling the lake at the center of their new homeland and deciding where their camps should be. The way this is drawn out feels a bit like the series is once again trying to artificially extend itself to six books, a problem I had with the earlier books in this cycle as well. I’m doubly bothered by this because, were it not for a new map at the start of the book (yes, these books begin with maps and a list of the cast of characters, though I usually skip the character list), I don’t think I could really visualize the area. Aside from a broad lake in the middle of the location with an island at its center, nothing else really came to life. ThunderClan’s camp especially, I understand is at the bottom of a gully with thorns obscuring the drop, and that there are high rock walls, but beyond this I did not get a true image of the camp in my head. I honestly think that Erin Hunter doesn’t do a terribly good job of offering descriptions at all: I’ve frequently had similar complaints about the fight scenes, which lack the kineticism of the far superior ANIMORPHS series which I invariably compare this against.
That map at the book’s beginning is also frustrating in that this book is so much about hammering out the details of who will live where and this map gives it away right up front. Likewise, even after the cats have figured out their own living arrangements, there’s an ongoing concern about where they will “share tongues” with StarClan, their ancestors. At their old locale, they had a cave they called the Moonstone where medicine cats and clan leaders would go to have psychedelic dreams where they met and conversed with the deceased and often came away with prophecies. If they cannot find a Moonstone in their new mountain home, does it suggest StarClan doesn’t approve of their move? A lot of time is spent handwringing (er… paw-wringing?) over this question, but the map at the start clearly has a spot near the northeast corner marked as Moonpool, so the question of what would happen lacked the urgency no doubt intended.
On the topic of StarClan, there are a few moments of note. One: Tallstar, the leader of WindClan, on his deathbed names Onewhisker to replace him as clan leader rather than Mudclaw, his deputy, who has proven himself too antagonistic during a period when the clans are beginning to have a more cooperative relationship. Passing over his deputy is already a major breach of protocol, but on top of this Tallstar, get this, doesn’t use the correct words to name Onewhisker to this role. “Brambleclaw and Firestar exchanged a swift, startled glance. These were not the right words to choose a deputy, even though it was clearly what Tallstar intended. Brambleclaw felt an icy tingle in his fur. Would StarClan accept Onewhisker as the leader of WindClan if he had not been appointed as deputy in the way demanded by the warrior code?” This ridiculous concern about form over content, the insistence on ritual and concern that the “gods” might not smile down if things aren’t done in exactly the prescribed manner is so frustrating. It made me long for the earlier days of the series when Cloudtail revealed himself an atheist who believed StarClan was just a made-up children’s story. I thought then that the series might be actively making an argument for atheism, but then StarClan turned into actual characters in the book who show up in most of the prologues and often appearing in-book as well to give specific information to the characters. It’s such a disappointment that StarClan is definitely real in part because I would prefer it if the series was more critical of theism and in part because it reduces some of the tension. The question of whether StarClan has abandoned them, or maybe isn’t really there at all, is moot when they’re literally there commenting on the action.
Although she isn’t aware of the egregious misconduct which occurred when he was named deputy, before the Moonpool is discovered Leafpaw (later Leafpool) nevertheless worries about Onewhisker being unable to travel to the Moonstone of olde to “share tongues” with StarClan and receive his nine lives. She spirals, becoming convinced that “the warrior code would fade away like mist in sunshine, and they would be nothing more than rogues”. She insists aloud, “StarClan must guide us!” Still later, she learns that the RiverClan medicine cat Mothwing doesn’t believe StarClan is real and that the “sign” which made her a medicine cat was just coincidence. Leafpaw has a brief crisis of faith: “Leafpaw felt the ground sway beneath her paws. Mothwing was questioning everything she had believed since she was a kit. But it was impossible to defend, when everything she knew about StarClan, all the encounters she had had with them, were inside her own head.” Again, this would all be much more compelling and would have much more bite if it were in fact the case that StarClan did not or might not exist, but as I wrote in my notes, “Sorry, Mothwing, that ship has sailed.” I’m just irritated that they’re even making this feint now.
The one potentially saving grace of the StarClan subplot comes in a scene where Brambleclaw, the de facto protagonist, has a dream in which his father Tigerstar appears. Brambleclaw asks if StarClan sent him, to which Tigerstar spits: “I do not hunt with StarClan. There is more sky than Silverpelt, and there are hunting grounds that not even StarClan knows of.” If true, this is an intriguing expansion of the lore of the series! Could there be a whole book or series dedicated to a celestial battle between different groups of cat-gods starring popular characters who have previously been killed off? Could be! So that possibility adds a little to the book.
That said, there are definitely other things that irritate me in this book, too. Brambleclaw is unfortunately acting like Fireheart again, constantly worried that everybody thinks he’s destined to become a villain like his father Tigerstar. Nobody is thinking that! Hell, half the cats in the Clans weren’t even born when Tigerstar was a thing. This self-pity act is incredibly obnoxious. And it’s only made worse by the fact that Brambleclaw wishes to connect with his half-brother, Hawkfrost, who—let’s face it—probably is evil, and the newly-named Squirrelflight rejects him because of his desire to get to know his brother. She asserts that Hawkfrost can’t be trusted, which may be, but she cannot understand why Brambleclaw might nevertheless wish to get to know one of his only remaining family members. The behavior from both of them in this book is super maddening. Then there is the pairing of Leafpool and Crowfeather, which comes out of nowhere and has nothing motivating it whatsoever.
Some other Goodreads reviewers point to the last 30 pages or so, when Mudclaw’s treachery comes to the fore as he (along with Hawkfrost) attack WindClan in hopes of overthrowing Onewhisker, as a highlight of the book. Brambleclaw faces off against Mudclaw in pounding rain with bolts of lightning striking behind them. Personally, I didn’t find this all that satisfying for the reason I mentioned above: Hunter’s staging of action scenes is generally muddled. I will admit there is a nice moment after the face-off where a tree falls, forming a bridge to the island in the middle of the lake. It had been mentioned a few times throughout the book as an optimal place for the clans to meet to have their monthly Gatherings, but there was no way for elder cats or kits to swim to the island so it had been regretfully rejected. So this is a good payoff to all of that lead-up, as now the island is accessible to all and it appears that StarClan has shown their favor.
One last thing I want to mention before I close this out. That moment when Tallstar calls Onewhisker in to make him the new leader of WindClan, with only ThunderClan cats Firestar and Brambleclaw as witnesses so that it can seem as much like a lie to the rest of WindClan as possible, shortly thereafter Tallstar dies. Onewhisker questions whether he is really the cat for the job of being clan leader but realizes he has to announce Tallstar’s death to the rest of Windclan. Firestar, mostly to be polite, offers to make the announcement on his behalf. Onewhisker jumps at the offer. They then go outside and call WindClan together, except Onewhisker does not sit in the space reserved for the clan leader. Brambleclaw, seeing this, “fought down a prickle of impatience. It was time Onewhisker got over his shock and started behaving like a leader.” It has been literally seconds!! My god.
Anyway. When I finished reading ‘STARLIGHT’, I initially gave it 3 stars, thinking that it was, y’know, fine. But upon reading some of the other reviews here I realized that really it was slower than the rest and had those elements – the Fireheart brand self-pity, the dumb miscommunication, the poor staging of action scenes – that are the worst parts of the WARRIORS series. So I went down to 2 stars. I’m now 10 books into the series and it really doesn’t seem like it’s going to get much better than it already is. I wouldn’t be surprised if I push on with the series regardless, but at this point I’m feeling like I’m not going to get much more out of it if I go on to the next cycle. There are still two books left in the “New Prophecy”, though, and it was the sixth of the first set that encouraged me to continue into this one, so, I dunno, we’ll see what happens.