Firestar's Quest facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Erin Hunter |
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| Cover artist | Wayne McLoughlin |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Warriors (novel series) |
| Genre | Children's literature Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | HarperTrophy |
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Publication date
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21 August 2007 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 510 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-113164-6 |
| OCLC | 86090263 |
| LC Class | PZ7.H916625 Firs 2007 |
| Preceded by | The Darkest Hour |
| Followed by | Midnight (Chronologically) and SkyClan's Destiny (Plot-wise) |
Firestar's Quest is a special book in the popular Warriors series. These books are about wild cats living in different groups called Clans. The Warriors series is written by Erin Hunter.
This book tells the story of Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan. He goes on an exciting journey to find SkyClan, a fifth Clan that was lost a long time ago. Firestar starts having dreams from the past leader of SkyClan. Because of these dreams, he and his mate, Sandstorm, leave their home. They travel far to find and rebuild this forgotten Clan. By the end of the book, SkyClan is strong again, with its own leader, medicine cat, and territory. The story happens between the books The Darkest Hour and Midnight.
Firestar's Quest is special because it goes back to being told from Firestar's point of view. Earlier Warriors books were also told by him. Later books in the series focused on other characters. This book allowed the authors to explore the old forest territories again. This was before the cats moved to new lake territories in the book Dawn. An early part of Firestar's Quest was shared to help promote the book. It became very popular and received good reviews from readers and critics.
Contents
About the Book's Creation
All Warriors books are listed as being written by Erin Hunter. But "Erin Hunter" is actually a pen name for four different people. Victoria Holmes creates the main storylines and edits the books. Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and Tui Sutherland take turns writing the actual stories.
When the Story Takes Place
Firestar's Quest fits into the Warriors timeline between the first two series. It happens after the events of The Darkest Hour. It also takes place before the start of Midnight. This book was released as a "Super Edition." This means it's an extra-long special book in the series.
Future of SkyClan: A Sequel Story
After Firestar's Quest came out, Victoria Holmes, one of the Erin Hunter authors, said that SkyClan would appear again. She mentioned plans for another Super Edition book in 2010. This new book would be set in SkyClan. She said it would be a waste not to use the new characters and names created for SkyClan.
SkyClan's Destiny is the third Super Edition and a sequel to Firestar's Quest. It tells about a civil war within SkyClan. This book was released on August 3, 2010. SkyClan also appeared in a series of manga comics called SkyClan and the Stranger. These comics include The Rescue, Beyond the Code, and After the Flood. They show how a character named Sol lived with SkyClan for a while. They also explain why he later had a strong dislike for the other Clans.
Summary of Firestar's Journey
Firestar's Quest happens between The Darkest Hour and Midnight. The story follows Firestar, the leader of ThunderClan. ThunderClan is one of four groups of wild cats living in a made-up forest. Firestar goes on a journey to find a fifth lost Clan called SkyClan.
Finding the Lost Clan
Firestar and his mate, Sandstorm, travel up a river to find and rebuild this long-lost Clan. When they reach the old home of SkyClan, they meet Skywatcher. He is a descendant of SkyClan. Skywatcher tells them the history of SkyClan. He also shows them the Whispering Cave. They find SkyClan's old home empty. The caves have strange, tiny claw marks that look like they were made by rats.
Rebuilding SkyClan
Firestar gathers several cats to help rebuild the Clan. These cats include Leafdapple, Sparrowpelt, Sharpclaw, Echosong, Rainfur, Petalnose, Clovertail, Patchfoot, Shortwhisker, Cherrytail, Sagekit, Mintkit, Tinypaw, Rockpaw, and Bouncepaw. Firestar successfully re-establishes SkyClan. He then helps the new Clan fight against the rats that destroyed the ancient SkyClan.
Victory and Loss
SkyClan wins the battle against the rats. However, the warrior Rainfur is killed. Firestar also loses one of his nine lives during the fight. As Firestar and Sandstorm get ready to go home, Leafdapple is made the new leader. She is renamed Leafstar on the Sky Rock. This rock is used to connect with SkyClan's ancestors. Sharpclaw becomes the deputy of SkyClan, and Echosong becomes the medicine cat.
New Beginnings
In the final part of the book, Sandstorm and Firestar's new kits are born. They decide to name one Squirrelkit, because of her sleek tail. The other is named Leafkit, in honor of SkyClan's new leader, Leafstar. The book also reveals that SkyClan's blood runs through ThunderClan. For example, Tigerclaw is a descendant of Cloudstar, a SkyClan leader from long ago.
Important Events Before the Journey
Before Firestar left the forest, several things happened that were not shown in The New Prophecy series. For example, the warrior Longtail lost his sight when a rabbit clawed his eyes. Willowpelt was killed by a badger. Bramblepaw received his warrior name, Brambleclaw. Also, Sootpaw got a new mentor, Thornclaw. This book is also where the famous prophecy comes from: "There will be three, kin of your kin, who hold the power of the stars in their paws." Skywatcher passed this important prophecy on to Firestar.
