Long Shadows (Hunter novel)

Last updated
Long Shadows
LongShadowsWarriors.jpg
Author Erin Hunter
Cover artist Wayne McLoughlin
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Series Warriors: Power of Three
Genre Children's literature
Fantasy novel
Publisher HarperCollins
Publication date
25 November 2008
Media typePrint (Hardback)
Pages364
Preceded by Eclipse  
Followed by Sunrise  

Long Shadows is a children's fantasy novel, the fifth book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: Power of Three , and was widely released on 25 November 2008. The book follows the adventures of Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, and Jayfeather. The book has sold over 250,000 copies. [1]

Contents

Plot summary

When Sol persuades almost all of ShadowClan to give up belief in StarClan, Tawnypelt takes her kits to ThunderClan, hoping to find refuge there, because she did not want to be part of a Clan that does not believe in StarClan. In hope of helping ShadowClan, Jaypaw, along with his siblings and Tawnypelt's kits, create a fake sign from StarClan to show Blackstar that StarClan is real. Blackstar is not convinced until the fake sign turns real when StarClan cats Raggedstar and Runningnose appear, and tell Blackstar to get rid of Sol.

A greencough outbreak begins in ThunderClan, and the Clan is short of the remedy, catmint. Jaypaw has a dream telling him there is a fresh supply in WindClan territory. Jaypaw asks Lionblaze to fetch the catmint. He gets the catmint and gives it to Jaypaw, but not without a tense encounter with his former friend Heathertail. Soon the Clan is healed and Jaypaw finally receives his full medicine cat name, Jayfeather.

Later, Jayfeather has a strange dream. In his dream, he has traveled back to a time before the Clans. The lake territories are inhabited by a group of cats who loosely resemble a Clan. Jayfeather awakes as a young cat called Jay's Wing. The cats, threatened by human expansion, hold a vote to move to the mountains. Jayfeather realizes that this group of cats will become the Tribe of Rushing Water, which in turn becomes the modern Clans, so he casts the deciding vote to send the group to the mountains in order to ensure the existence of the future Clans. He then awakes back in the present time.

During a storm, the ThunderClan camp catches fire, trapping Jayfeather, Lionblaze, Hollyleaf, and Squirrelflight. Squirrelflight manages to escape and tries to save her kits, but Ashfur interferes, separating Squirrelfight and the three. Squirrelflight begs him to let them through, but Ashfur insists that he never forgave her for choosing Brambleclaw over him. He says that he will now kill her kits in another attempt to hurt her. Squirrelflight then reveals a crucial secret: they are not her biological kits. Ashfur lets the three cats live, but he threatens to tell her secret.

The fire burns out and the camp is cleaned up. Three days before the Gathering, Ashfur asks Firestar if he can go. Hollyleaf, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Squirrelflight are worried that he is going to publicly announce their secret. Between then and the day of the Gathering, the three warn Ashfur that he will regret it if he reveals the secret, but he refuses to listen to them. Right before the Gathering, the patrol of warriors going notices that Ashfur is missing, and on the way, they see Ashfur's body lying in the stream next to WindClan territory as if he had drowned. They take him back to camp and have a vigil for him. However, Leafpool notices a gash in his neck, implying he was murdered. After the Gathering, Firestar announces that Ashfur's death was unknown and suspects a cat from WindClan may have killed him. The three vow to keep the recent events involving them, Squirrelflight, and Ashfur a secret.

Reception

Long Shadows received mostly positive reviews, praising the tension and characters. Horn Book Review said that Long Shadows moves very slowly, but that fans who have read the previous books would still enjoy it. It received a rating of 4.31 stars on Goodreads [2] and a rating of 4.8 stars on Barnes and Noble. [3]

Related Research Articles

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Warriors is a series of novels based on the adventures and drama of multiple Clans of feral cats. The series is primarily set in fictional forests. Published by HarperCollins, the series is written by authors Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry, as well as others, under the collective pseudonym Erin Hunter. The concept and plot of the pilot series were developed by series editor, Victoria Holmes.

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<i>Firestars Quest</i> 2007 novel by Erin Hunter

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<i>Cats of the Clans</i> 2008 book by Erin Hunter

Cats of the Clans is a field guide in the Warriors novel series. The novel itself consists of biographical details and paintings of the most notable cats. The information is given the form of stories told to three StarClan kittens. The narrator is Rock, a mysterious hairless blind cat.

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<i>A Clan in Need</i> 2010 OEL manga by Erin Hunter

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<i>Yellowfangs Secret</i> 2012 novel by Erin Hunter

Yellowfang's Secret is a children's fantasy novel written by Cherith Baldry under the pseudonym Erin Hunter. It is the fifth "Super Edition" in the Warriors novel series. Yellowfang's Secret was first released in hardcover on 9 October 2012.

<i>Warriors: The New Prophecy</i>

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Warriors: Omen of the Stars is the fourth arc in the Warriors juvenile fantasy novel series about feral cats who live in Clans. It is made up of six novels published by HarperCollins from 2009 to 2012: The Fourth Apprentice, Fading Echoes, Night Whispers, Sign of the Moon, The Forgotten Warrior, and The Last Hope. The novels were written by Erin Hunter, a pseudonym that refers to authors Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and Tui Sutherland, as well as plot developer and editor Victoria Holmes. Omen of the Stars details the experiences of Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Dovewing, who, as part of a prophecy, have special powers. The arc's themes deal with forbidden love and the effect that being different can have on relationships. Though the Warriors series has appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list, none of the novels in Warriors: Omen of the Stars have won a significant literary award.

Warriors: The Prophecies Begin is the first story arc in the Warriors juvenile fantasy novel series about feral cats. The arc comprises six novels which were published from 2003 to 2004: Into the Wild, Fire and Ice, Forest of Secrets, Rising Storm, A Dangerous Path, and The Darkest Hour. The novels are published by HarperCollins under the pseudonym Erin Hunter, which refers to authors Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry and plot developer/editor Victoria Holmes. The sub-series details the adventures of the housecat Rusty, who joins ThunderClan, one of four Clans of feral cats living in a forest which adjoins the human town in which he originally lives. The arc's major themes deal with forbidden love, the concept of nature versus nurture, and characters being a mix of good and evil. Though the novels have appeared on the New York Times Bestseller List and have been nominated for several awards, none of the novels in the Warriors sub-series have won a significant literary award.

References

  1. "Big fall children's books.(On-Sale Calendar)(Calendar)". AccessMyLibrary. Publishers Weekly. July 21, 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
  2. "Long Shadows (Warriors: Power of Three, #5)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.
  3. "Long Shadows (Warriors: Power of Three Series #5)|Paperback". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved 2021-03-17.