The Darkest Hour (novel) facts for kids
First edition cover
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| Author | Erin Hunter |
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| Cover artist | Wayne McLoughlin |
| Country | United States United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Warriors |
| Genre | Children's literature Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
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Publication date
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1 October 2004 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 336 (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-000007-3 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 54035392 |
| LC Class | PZ7.H916625 Dar 2004 |
| Preceded by | A Dangerous Path |
| Followed by | Ravenpaw's Path Firestar's Quest Midnight |
The Darkest Hour is an exciting fantasy novel for young readers. It is the sixth and final book in the first Warriors series. This book follows the adventures of a brave cat named Firestar.
The Warriors series is all about wild cats. These cats live in four main groups called Clans. They are ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. The Darkest Hour was released on October 1, 2004. It was published by HarperCollins Publishers. The story picks up right after the events of A Dangerous Path. It builds up to a huge battle for the forest home of the Clans.
Contents
The Story of The Darkest Hour
This book begins with Firestar becoming the new leader of ThunderClan. This happens after the sad passing of Bluestar. Firestar travels to the Moonstone to receive his nine lives. During this special ceremony, he gets a mysterious message from StarClan. The message is a prophecy: "Four will become two, lion and tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest."
New Leaders and Dangerous Plans
After becoming leader, Firestar chooses Whitestorm as his deputy. Whitestorm is a wise and respected warrior. At the next big meeting of all the Clans, called a Gathering, Tigerstar tries to unite everyone. He suggests that all four Clans should join together. He believes this will help them survive.
Leopardstar, the leader of RiverClan, agrees with Tigerstar's idea. However, Tallstar of WindClan and Firestar both refuse. They do not want to join this new group, which Tigerstar calls "TigerClan."
A Risky Rescue Mission
Later, Firestar and Graystripe visit RiverClan. Their friend Ravenpaw joins them. They want to investigate TigerClan and what is happening. They discover that Graystripe's kits, Stormpaw and Featherpaw, are being held captive. Bluestar's kits, Mistyfoot and Stonefur, are also prisoners.
Tigerstar accuses these cats of being traitors. He says they are "abominations" because they have mixed Clan heritage. Firestar, Graystripe, and Ravenpaw manage to save Mistyfoot, Stormpaw, and Featherpaw. Sadly, Stonefur is killed by two ShadowClan warriors during the rescue attempt.
The Threat of BloodClan
Tigerstar tries again to make Tallstar and Firestar join his alliance. He brings in a dangerous group of rogue cats called BloodClan. These cats live in the alleys of a nearby human town. When both leaders still refuse to join, Tigerstar orders BloodClan to fight for him.
But BloodClan only listens to their own leader, a fierce cat named Scourge. Firestar bravely reveals Tigerstar's violent past to everyone. He explains that Tigerstar cannot be trusted with power. Scourge then announces that there will be no battle.
The Final Showdown
Tigerstar becomes furious when Scourge refuses to help him. He attacks Scourge, but Scourge is surprisingly strong. Scourge easily defeats Tigerstar. He uses his claws, which are reinforced with dogs' teeth, to deliver a fatal blow. This terrible wound causes Tigerstar to lose all nine of his lives at once. He bleeds to death.
Scourge then gives all the forest Clans three days to leave their homes. If they don't, they will have to fight BloodClan for the forest. To face this huge threat, the four Clans finally unite. They form a powerful alliance called LionClan.
The Great Battle and Its Aftermath
During the big battle, Whitestorm, Firestar's deputy, is killed by Bone. Bone is BloodClan's deputy. However, Bone is soon defeated by a group of brave Clan apprentices. The battle is finally won when Firestar defeats Scourge. Firestar loses one of his own nine lives in the process.
Without their leader, BloodClan scatters and runs away. With the danger of BloodClan gone, the four Clans decide to separate again. They become independent from one another once more.
