Warrior's Return

''Warrior's Return'' is an original English-language manga volume written by Erin Hunter as part of the ''Warriors'' series. It is the third and final in a trilogy following Graystripe, a fictional wild cat trying to find his Clan. It was released on 22 April 2008. It is drawn by James L. Barry.

Publication history

The three-part Graystripe manga series was announced as the first part of a partnership between Tokyopop and HarperCollins. Erin Hunter and Dan Jolley would write the stories and James L. Barry would illustrate it. After the release of '' The Lost Warrior'' and ''Warrior's Refuge'', focus turned to the third volume. On the ''Warriors'' website, an excerpt was released, but was later removed. ''Warrior’s Return'' was released as a paperback on 22 April 2008, the same day '' Outcast'' was released, a novel in the '' Warriors: Power of Three'' series. To promote these two stories, Erin Hunter went on tour in the US. She visited several bookstores across the states. ''Warrior’s Return'' was also published in the UK and Canada. At the back of ''Warrior's Return'' were promotions for ''The Rise of Scourge'', ''Cats of the Clans'', ''Secrets of the Clans'', and ''Firestar's Quest'', all from the ''Warriors'' series, and ''The Quest Begins'', from the ''Seekers'' series.

Story

Setting

The cats from the Warriors series live separated as four Clans (called ThunderClan, WindClan, RiverClan, and ShadowClan). They believe in StarClan (ancestors who sometimes give them advice and prophecies). Humans, called Twolegs by the cats, are a threat. Graystripe, the focal point of the manga trilogy, is a cat from ThunderClan. During the events of ''Dawn'', he is captured by Twolegs. The Graystripe trilogy has followed him as he tries to find his Clan. He has a traveling partner, Millie, a former kittypet (domestic cat) that has joined him.

Plot

''Warrior's Return'' picks up from the previous volume, with Graystripe and Millie just having found the ruined ThunderClan camp. The duo leave it behind and find Ravenpaw (a former Clan cat) and Barley, loners introduced earlier in the series. Ravenpaw and Barley help them continue their quest to find the Clans before returning to their barn. Graystripe and Millie plan to go to the sun-drown-place (Atlantic Ocean), which was where Ravenpaw told them the Clans had planned to go.

On their travels, a fight emerges between Graystripe and Millie about how much help they can accept from Twolegs. At a gas station, Graystripe is hit by a car, and is nursed back to health by Millie and Diesel, a loner who lives by the gas station. As Graystripe recovers, he tries to confess that he is sorry to Millie, though Diesel gets in the way. Millie tells Graystripe that the fastest way of getting to the ocean (where they will find the Clans) is by a truck, which forces him to make a choice; to use Twolegs to help him find his Clan and go against the warrior code, or take longer to find his Clan. The duo decide to use the truck to get to the Clans. The volume concludes with Graystripe and Millie finding the Clans and Graystripe apologizing to Millie and also asking her to be his new mate. When Graystripe and Millie see the Clans in the middle of a Gathering, Firestar welcomes Graystripe and Graystripe introduces Millie.

Characters

* Graystripe: A muscular gray tom who was separated from his Clan.
* Millie: A former house cat or "kittypet" who has come with Graystripe and befriended him on his journey back to his Clan.
* Ravenpaw: A former Clan cat, became a loner during ''The Prophecies Begin'' when Tigerstar (then Tigerclaw) threatened to kill him. Ravenpaw currently lives at the barn with Barley, another loner.
* Barley: A loner. He currently lives at the barn with Ravenpaw.
* Diesel: A friendly cat that lives at a gas station/truck stop.
* Firestar: Leader of ThunderClan (Graystripe's Clan), briefly appeared at the end of the story, also Graystripe's best friend.

Critical reception

A review by ''School Library Journal'' praised the drawing that "captures the cats' expressive faces, action-packed battle scenes, and familiar surroundings as these animals travel through the realm of the Twolegs and recommended the book for "reluctant readers, manga fans, or "Warriors" enthusiasts". ''Booklist'' felt that the first two chapters would be confusing for new readers, but would still be able to understand what is going on after reading through the book.

See also

* Warriors (novel series)

References

External links

The official ''Warriors'' website

James L. Barry's online portfolio

{{Warriors (Erin Hunter)

2008 American novels
American fantasy novels
Tokyopop titles
Warriors (novel series)
HarperCollins books
2008 children's books
Novels about cats
Comics about cats
Original English-language manga