fantasy novel
Fantasy literature is literature set in an imaginary universe, often but not always without any locations, events, or people from the real world. magic (paranormal), Magic, the supernatural and Legendary creature, magical creatures are common i ...
, the second book in the ''
Warriors
A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, class, or caste.
History
Warriors seem to have been p ...
'' series, written by Kate Cary under the pen name of
Erin Hunter
Erin Hunter is a collective pseudonym used by the authors Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Clarissa Hutton, Inbali Iserles, Tui T. Sutherland, and Rosie Best in the writing of several children's fantasy novel series which focus o ...
. The plot centers around Fireheart and Graystripe, newly promoted warriors of ThunderClan, which is one of the four groups of
feral cats
A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact; it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...
living in the wilderness. Fireheart learns that his best friend Graystripe has fallen in love with Silverstream, a warrior from RiverClan, even though it is against the cats' "warrior code".
The book was first published on 1 June 2003 in the US as a hardcover. Since then, ''Fire and Ice'' has been released in paperback and
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...
format in other languages. The main theme of the book is that the type of person one is inside is more important than the way one seems from the outside. The book received mixed reviews: the negative reviews criticized the flat characters, and how troublesome it was to flip back to the characters list due to the large number of cats; positive reviews praised the suspense and rising tensions in the book.
Synopsis
Setting
''Fire and Ice'' takes place in a fictional forest which is home to four Clans of wild cats, ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan and WindClan, each of which lives in a territory best suited to their skills/abilities. The authors based the forest on
New Forest
The New Forest is one of the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in Southern England, covering southwest Hampshire and southeast Wiltshire. It was proclaimed a royal forest by William the Conqueror, featu ...
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
of the book. Originally a house cat named Rusty, he left his human owners to become an apprentice in ThunderClan. He is sent with Graystripe to find WindClan, who were chased out of their home by ShadowClan. Later, he realizes that Graystripe is in love with Silverstream, a warrior in RiverClan. Although he advises Graystripe against meeting her secretly, Fireheart agrees to keep it a secret.
* Graystripe is Fireheart's best friend. After receiving his warrior name, Graystripe is sent with Fireheart to find WindClan, who were chased out of their home by ShadowClan. During a patrol, Graystripe is saved by Silverstream, a RiverClan warrior, when he falls into the river, and almost drowns. As a result, Graystripe and Silverstream fall in love and begin to meet each other in secret, against Fireheart's warnings.
* Silverstream is a RiverClan warrior and the daughter of RiverClan's leader, Crookedstar. After saving Graystripe from drowning in the river, the two fall in love. Since the warrior code forbids cats from different Clans to be in love, they begin to meet in secret, sneaking out of camp in order to see each other.
* Tigerclaw is the main
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.full moon, is held.
As their first task as warriors, Fireheart and Graystripe are assigned to find WindClan (cats that live primarily on the open moors), which had been driven out by ShadowClan, and bring them home. They go to the WindClan camp and search for clues there. On the way, they see some RiverClan warriors hunting on WindClan territory. Graystripe finds the correct scent trail, and they follow it to a makeshift WindClan camp. Fireheart spots Barley's farm a little ways off the trail and the pair hurriedly leaves in fear of the
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...
s that live on the farm chasing them after they get let out.
Eventually, Fireheart and Graystripe succeed, finding WindClan under a tangle of Thunderpaths (a highway interchange). When Fireheart and Graystripe first find the Thunderpaths, they are confused by the mixed-up scents. After figuring out WindClan is under it, they decide to spend the night right outside the makeshift home and wait until morning to greet the Clan. Then they bring them home.
Soon after, Bluestar apprentices Cinderpaw, a smoky-dark gray she-cat to Fireheart, and Brackenpaw, a golden-brown
tabby
A tabby cat, or simply tabby, is any domestic cat (''Felis catus'') with a coat pattern distinguished by an M-shaped marking on its forehead, stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, along its back, around its legs and tail, and characteris ...
tom to Graystripe. During a hunting patrol, Graystripe almost drowns after chasing a vole onto thin ice, falling in the river separating RiverClan and ThunderClan, but is rescued by Silverstream, a slender, light silver-gray-and-black tabby she-cat who is a RiverClan warrior. Graystripe and Silverstream fall in love; however, this is against the warrior code, a code of honor that all warriors must follow. And according to the code, warriors cannot fall in love with those not from their own Clan. Fireheart discovers their relationship, and unsuccessfully attempts to discourage them from seeing each other. Graystripe finally agrees to meet Silverstream only at the full moon at the Gathering, when the four Clans meet to share news. Fireheart later realizes that Graystripe has not been keeping his promise. Because Graystripe is often gone to see Silverstream, Fireheart takes over training Brackenpaw along with Cinderpaw.
Tigerclaw, in his ambition to become leader, sets a trap for Bluestar by another Thunderpath, intending to kill her, thus bringing him closer to becoming leader. Instead, Cinderpaw is crippled by the trap. Her leg is broken, and when it heals, she has a permanent limp, preventing her from becoming a warrior. She then trains under Yellowfang to become a medicine cat.
At one point, Fireheart is reunited with his sister,
Princess
Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...
, a fluffy light brown tabby she-cat kittypet living in a Twolegplace (human town). Princess gives Fireheart her oldest kit, Cloudkit the snowy-white young tom, to take into the Clan as a new apprentice. Although Fireheart agrees to accept his nephew as his new apprentice, his Clanmates, with the exception of Frostfur and Graystripe, are reluctant to accept him because of his kittypet blood, even though Fireheart himself also has kittypet blood. Bluestar allows him to stay, and Brindleface the pale gray tabby she-cat becomes his foster mother.
Brokenstar, the former ShadowClan leader, eventually attacks ThunderClan, along with several other exiled ShadowClan warriors. After the battle, the rogues are driven off, with the exception of Brokenstar himself, who is blinded by Yellowfang and is kept as a prisoner. When Fireheart suggests they kill the evil cat, Yellowfang refuses, sadly revealing that she is Brokenstar's mother.
Later, ThunderClan becomes involved in a fight against RiverClan and ShadowClan, when RiverClan and ShadowClan unite and try to drive WindClan out again, and WindClan ally themselves with ThunderClan. When Fireheart is attacked by Leopardfur, a dappled golden tabby she-cat who is the RiverClan deputy, Tigerclaw watches as Leopardfur and Fireheart fight, and does not attempt to join in. Silverstream attacks Fireheart but releases him; he then attacks her but, seeing Graystripe's look of dismay, he releases her. Darkstripe the large, lean, sleek, thin-furred, dark gray tabby tom witnesses the event and reports it to Tigerclaw. Consequently, Fireheart becomes certain that Tigerclaw is not to be trusted.
Publication history
''Fire and Ice'' was first published as a hardcover by
HarperCollins
HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
in the US on 1 June 2003. The paperback version was released on 1 June 2004, and an
e-book
An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled as e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices. Al ...
version was released on 9 September 2007. An English Kindle edition is also available.
''Fire and Ice'' was published in Canada on 20 May 2004, and in the United Kingdom in June 2003. Other languages that ''Fire and Ice'' has been released in include German, Japanese, French, Russian, and Korean. A Chinese version has also been released that includes a 3-D card made of stereoscopic lenticular prints featuring Bluestar.
Themes
The main theme of ''Fire and Ice'' is that "it doesn't matter where you come from, only who you are inside". Fireheart is challenged by other cats because he was once a kittypet (house cat), despite having proven his loyalty and bravery as a warrior. Similarly, Cloudkit was initially not accepted by the Clan because he had kittypet parents. Other themes include loyalty, betrayal, and forbidden love.
Reception
''Fire and Ice'' received mixed reviews. The novel was well received by ''
Voice of Youth Advocates
''Voice of Youth Advocates'' (''VOYA'') was a bimonthly magazine that provides book reviews and information for librarians with a focus on young adult materials.
History and profile
''VOYA'' was established in 1978. The founders were Dorothy M ...
'', which observed that "Hunter works hard at incorporating authentic cat mannerisms and behaviors" and that "although more sophisticated teens might be put off by the coy dialogue attributes, younger readers probably will not notice and will be caught up in Fireheart's adventures". ''
Children's Literature
Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...
'' found the plot to be "flat, repetitious, much too long, and in the end unsatisfying except perhaps to devoted cat lovers or readers who revel in invented worlds". ''
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...
'' observed that readers unfamiliar with the first novel would find this one difficult to follow and that the "characterizations of the animals are somewhat flat, although it is possible to tell them apart, and the plot's twists and turns seem mapped out and predictable". ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...
'' praised the increased tensions, noting that "Hunter's world keeps getting more finely drawn, and her characters more complex" though readers may be disappointed that Fireheart fails to resolve his "conflicting responsibilities". ''
Booklist
''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is ...
'' likewise praised the novel's tension, noting that the "characters remain true to their feline natures, adding to the plausibility of events in this tension filled story". In a review for both '' Into the Wild'' and ''Fire and Ice'', ''
Horn Book Review
''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...
'' suggested ''
Redwall
''Redwall'' is a series of children's fantasy novels by British writer Brian Jacques, published from 1986 to 2011. It is also the title of the first book of the series, published in 1986, as well as the name of the abbey featured in the book, ...