Not Warriors debuting the graphic novel edition right when I'm in the middle of my low-key obsession with this damn series. *ded*
This is good, for whaNot Warriors debuting the graphic novel edition right when I'm in the middle of my low-key obsession with this damn series. *ded*
This is good, for what it is. It combines the first two novels into one graphic novel, so the plot is condensed, the pacing quicker, and you therefore miss out on a lot of what was in the novels. Most people would hear that and think it's a no-brainer to read the novels instead, and I mostly agree. Where I can see the graphic novels having value is for younger readers who aren't yet ready for the full chapter books (with the constant reminder, though, that this is basically Game of Thrones but with cats)....more
Let me just say that previously a kit falls down a hole to its instant death and the other cats shrug helplessly and move on, because yes there is notLet me just say that previously a kit falls down a hole to its instant death and the other cats shrug helplessly and move on, because yes there is nothing they can do, but JFC these books go so hard, Game of Thrones would never (they would, but you know what I mean)....more
Definitely didn't have "getting Warrior-pilled" on my 2024 Bingo card, but here I am, just a girl, standing in front of StarClan, asking for deep-diveDefinitely didn't have "getting Warrior-pilled" on my 2024 Bingo card, but here I am, just a girl, standing in front of StarClan, asking for deep-dive video essays and long-form podcasts about this damn series.
A bit of a gateway drug to the Redwall series and Game of Thrones, it's easy to see the appeal of this series, without having read it. It's very high action, violence, and political intrigue...but for kids? Kind of? Like, I wouldn't recommend it to every middle grade kid, particularly those sensitive to animal violence and suffering (I suppose there is a difference though between violence at the hands of humans and at the hands of other animals, and so far there isn't too much of the former; my kid likes to refer to the series as "Cat vs. Cat, Cat Wins", lol).
But for kids with a higher tolerance for that kind of drama, this is a brilliant metaphorical insight into a lot of philosophical ideologies and a catalyst for thinking critically about the ways we work together to live and survive. Of the youths I work with, it seems that 95 percent of them grew up loving this series, and one of them eventually convinced me to read it when describing cat clan life as, essentially, a socialist society where cats work as a community to take care of elders and newborns. Then my kid started reading it and I thought, well okay, sign me tf up.
And I got so much more out of the first series than I expected. The constant questioning of religious faith and morality, the ambiguous relationships between clans that provide food for each other one minute and threaten war the next, the code of ethics and whether it should always be unquestioningly followed. In human life, things are messy and nuanced, but sometimes they really aren't, and all of that is on display in the forest where these cats live, whether it's someone breaking the rules for the benefit of another or a true evil actor hell-bent on power and control at the expense of anyone in their way.
High points for me:
(view spoiler)[Bluestar is such a complex female character, a leader who sacrificed motherhood for her "career" advancement up the ranks of her clan. That is...a whole mood. Especially the honesty in her questioning, and potentially regretting, that choice (that said, men hardly ever find themselves pondering these choices, though we do see one - Graystripe - put his family over his clan loyalty). Her grappling with her faith after experiencing betrayal and subsequent spiraling out is hard to watch but also very relatable, even if you aren't religious (I'm def too old to determine this, but I think she is Brat?). Her arc was a bit like watching a car crash in slow motion; you don't know how much longer you can keep sympathizing with her, as she makes increasingly terrible choices.
Tigerstar...is a dick. It's a too-easy comparison, but he is basically Trump, drunk with power and strangely invested in ethnic cleansing. After he attempts to assassinate Bluestar, the series barrels toward an assumed final battle between him and Fireheart, and the plot twist at the end really threw me in a not-bad way. He is right up there with the Hitlers and Homelanders of the world, and he deserved the end he got.
Fireheart is girlboss and babygirl simultaneously, and I relate to that on a micro-level, I will be taking no questions at this time. (hide spoiler)]
I'm also very interested in critiques of the series as I go on (flat female characters and ableism currently topping my list). Hoping romances stay in the background and Cloudpaw becomes less annoying because I love a good atheist, hahaha. Onward, to series two!...more
Absolutely did not have "Soldier Cat Series Mirrors My Life Exactly" on my 2024 bingo card, but here we are.Absolutely did not have "Soldier Cat Series Mirrors My Life Exactly" on my 2024 bingo card, but here we are....more
I'm not sure why this series never crossed my radar in the '90s, but probably I was a bit too old by the time it debuted (added to the fact that the lI'm not sure why this series never crossed my radar in the '90s, but probably I was a bit too old by the time it debuted (added to the fact that the lack of YA books back then meant I was reading adult genre fiction before I hit middle school). But this...goes hard?! Much like a lot of '80s/'90s kids' entertainment I guess, but not in the traumatic way, haha. It's dark and complex and the action is ongoing and well-paced. The ending leaves the characters' fates up in the air in a way that makes you want to read on.
Reading the vintage cover really ups the enjoyment, ngl. Young reader book covers were so metal back then, it baffles me that anyone would think to change these....more
This is my second shot at Ito and yeah, I dig it. I don't really like to be scared, but I'm down with body horror, the grotesque, the simplicity of thThis is my second shot at Ito and yeah, I dig it. I don't really like to be scared, but I'm down with body horror, the grotesque, the simplicity of the premise that there is a town slowly going mad/dead because...spirals? Also fuck yeah, labyrinths? I don't know how, but Ito pulls it off....more
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