Erin Hunter facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Erin Hunter is a special name used by a team of authors. This team works with the HarperCollins publishing company and Working Partners, a company based in London. These writers create exciting children's fantasy novels, mostly about animals and their amazing adventures.

Some of their most famous book series include Warriors, Seekers, Survivors, Bravelands, Bamboo Kingdom, and Renegades. For many of these books, Victoria Holmes first creates the main story idea. Then, other authors take turns writing the actual books. Dan Jolley also writes the stories for the manga comics published under the Erin Hunter name. Several talented illustrators, like James L. Barry and Natalie Riess, also contribute to the graphic novels and manga.

The Story Behind Erin Hunter

In 2003, the HarperCollins publisher asked Victoria Holmes to create a fantasy series about wild cats. Even though she loved cats, she wasn't very familiar with fantasy stories at first. After she developed the first storyline, Kate Cary joined to write the book. Victoria Holmes then worked behind the scenes, helping to supervise and edit the details.

Later, when the third Warriors book, Forest of Secrets, was being written, Cherith Baldry became part of the Erin Hunter team. Tui T. Sutherland then wrote the first Warriors guide book, becoming the fourth main author.

The name "Erin Hunter" was chosen for a few good reasons. If each author used their own name, their books might be scattered in different places in a library, making them hard for readers to find. The team also wanted a last name that would place their books near the popular Redwall series by Brian Jacques, which also features animal adventures. "Hunter" was chosen because it fit well and also brought to mind the image of a cat. Victoria Holmes suggested "Erin" because it was one of her favorite names. It was accepted because it sounded strong and wasn't too "girly."

Meet the Authors

Victoria Holmes

Victoria Holmes was born in Berkshire, England. She was the original creator of the Warriors series. After inviting Kate Cary to write the first book, Victoria focused on editing and guiding the series from behind the scenes.

She grew up on a farm in England and later studied at the University of Oxford. Its historic buildings sparked her interest in history. Victoria lived in London and worked as the main editor for the series for many years. In 2017, Victoria Holmes stepped back from her main role in the Warriors series.

Kate Cary

Kate Cary was the first author to join the Erin Hunter team to write for the Warriors series. Victoria Holmes chose Kate to write the first Warriors book after the storyline was ready. Kate has written many books in the main series and several special "Super Editions."

She was born in England on November 4, 1967. Kate lived in Scotland for 12 years before returning to England, where she lives now. Besides the Warriors series, she has also written other books like Bloodline. In late 2024, Kate Cary left the Erin Hunter team to focus on other exciting projects.

Cherith Baldry

Cherith Baldry was the second author to join the Erin Hunter team. She was born on January 21, 1947, in Lancaster, England. She studied at the University of Manchester and St. Anne's College, Oxford. Victoria Holmes invited her to join when they were writing the third Warriors book, Forest of Secrets. Victoria felt that Cherith's writing style was very similar to Kate Cary's.

Tui T. Sutherland

Tui T. Sutherland was born on July 31, 1978, in Caracas, Venezuela. She now lives in the United States. Her first contribution to the Erin Hunter team was the guide book Secrets of the Clans. She wrote several other Warriors guides and the first book in the Seekers series. Tui also worked as an editor for the Warriors series before becoming a full-time writer. She is also well-known for writing the popular Wings of Fire novel series.

Inbali Iserles

Inbali Iserles was born in Israel. She wrote the third, fifth, and sixth books of the Survivors series: Darkness Falls, The Endless Lake, and Storm of Dogs. She also writes other animal fantasy novels under her own name, such as The Tygrine Cat and the Foxcraft trilogy.

Gillian Philip

Gillian Philip was an author for several books in the Survivors and Bravelands series. She lives in the northeast Scottish Highlands. Gillian traveled to the United States twice to represent the Erin Hunter team for the Survivors series. She has also written several novel series under her own name. Gillian Philip is no longer part of the Erin Hunter writing team.

Clarissa Hutton

Clarissa Hutton has written several shorter Warriors stories called novellas. These include Thunderstar's Echo and the three stories found in Path of a Warrior.

Rosie Best

Rosie Best is the author of The Exile's Journey and several books in the Bravelands series. She has also written every book in the Bamboo Kingdom series.

Dan Jolley

Dan Jolley is the author who writes all the Warriors manga comics. He also works on his own projects and writes for video games from companies like Ubisoft and Activision.

Gibson Twist

Gibson Twist wrote the graphic novel adaptation of the The New Prophecy arc, which was released in 2026.

Conrad Mason

Conrad Mason wrote StormClan's Folly. He is also the author of the 20th Super Edition, which was released in 2026.

Talented Illustrators

James L. Barry

James L. Barry illustrated most of the Warriors manga comics. This includes the trilogy sets, standalone stories, and extra chapters in the Super Editions.

Bettina M. Kurkoski

Bettina M. Kurkoski illustrated the Warriors manga The Rise of Scourge.

Don Hudson

Don Hudson illustrated the Tigerstar and Sasha manga trilogy.

Natalie Riess

Natalie Riess is one of the artists who illustrated the graphic novel adaptation of the first Warriors arc, The Prophecies Begin.

Sara Goetter

Sara Goetter is also one of the artists for the graphic novel adaptation of the first Warriors arc, The Prophecies Begin.

Sammy Savos

Sammy Savos is the illustrator for the graphic novel adaptation of the second Warriors arc, The New Prophecy, which was released in 2026.

Popular Book Series

Warriors

The Warriors series is about clans of wild cats and their adventures, challenges, and friendships. It is divided into several main arcs, each with many books.

Warriors: The Prophecies Begin
- Into the Wild (2003) by Kate Cary, and many more exciting adventures.
Warriors: The New Prophecy
- Midnight (2005) by Cherith Baldry, and more books in this arc.
Warriors: Power of Three
- The Sight (2007) by Kate Cary, and other stories.
Warriors: Omen of the Stars
- The Fourth Apprentice (2009) by Cherith Baldry, and more.
Warriors: Dawn of the Clans
- The Sun Trail (2013) by Cherith Baldry, and other books.
Warriors: A Vision of Shadows
- The Apprentice's Quest (2016) by Cherith Baldry, and more.
Warriors: The Broken Code
- Lost Stars (2019) by Cherith Baldry, and more.
Warriors: A Starless Clan
- River (2022) by Cherith Baldry, and more.
Warriors: Changing Skies
- The Elders' Quest (2025), and more.

Warriors Graphic Novels and Manga

There are also many graphic novels and manga comics that tell new stories or adapt existing ones.

Graphic novels
- The Prophecies Begin: Volume 1 (2024) illustrated by Natalie Riess and Sara Goetter, and more volumes.
- The New Prophecy: Volume 1 (2026) written by Gibson Twist and illustrated by Sammy Savos.
Manga series
- Graystripe's Adventure (first book The Lost Warrior (2007) by Dan Jolley), and other manga series like The Rise of Scourge and Tigerstar and Sasha.

Warriors Super Editions and Guides

Special longer books called Super Editions explore the lives of important characters. There are also field guides that offer more details about the world of Warriors.

Super Editions
- Firestar's Quest (2007) by Cherith Baldry, and many other Super Editions.
Field guides
- Secrets of the Clans (2007) by Tui T. Sutherland, and other helpful guides.
Novellas
- Hollyleaf's Story (2012) by Victoria Holmes, and many other short stories.

Seekers

The Seekers series follows the adventures of four young bears from different species who embark on a quest together.

Seekers: The Original Series
- The Quest Begins (2008) by Tui T. Sutherland, and more books.
Seekers: Return to the Wild
- Island of Shadows (2012) by Cherith Baldry, and more books.
Manga
- Toklo's Story (2010), and Kallik's Adventure (2011).

Survivors

This series tells the story of a group of dogs trying to survive after a terrible disaster.

Survivors: The Original Series
- The Empty City (2012) by Gillian Philip, and more books.
Survivors: The Gathering Darkness
- A Pack Divided (2015) by Gillian Philip, and more books.
Novellas
- Alpha's Tale (2014) by Gillian Philip, and other short stories.

Bravelands

Bravelands is set in the African savanna and follows the adventures of a lion, an elephant, and a baboon.

Bravelands
- Broken Pride (2017) by Gillian Philip, and more books.
Bravelands: Curse of the Sandtongue
- Shadows on the Mountain (2021) by Rosie Best, and more books.
Bravelands: Thunder on the Plains
- The Shattered Horn (2023) by Rosie Best, and more books.

Bamboo Kingdom

This series tells the story of pandas in a hidden kingdom.

Arc 1
- Creatures of the Flood (2021) by Rosie Best, and more books.
Arc 2
- The Frozen Forest (TBA), and more.

Renegades

The Magic Awakens (2026)

How the Books Are Made

The main characters of Warriors: Power of Three

For series like Warriors, Seekers, Bravelands, and Bamboo Kingdom, a special process is followed. First, a team of editors creates the main story ideas and outlines. Then, an author takes these ideas and writes the full book. This draft is sent back to the editors for a final review and any necessary changes. After that, it goes to HarperCollins for publication.

For the Survivors series, the whole team worked together to create a detailed story outline and develop the characters. Then, a single author wrote the book. This author could still make important changes to the plot or characters if they felt it made the story better.

The Erin Hunter Writing Style

Even though several different authors write under the Erin Hunter name, the books all have a similar "voice." This means they sound like they were written by the same person. The editors make sure that the writing style is consistent across all the books. Erin Hunter books are usually told from the perspective of one character at a time, so you get to see the world through their eyes.