WARRIORS

The plight of the four cat Clans becomes desperate in this third installment of a series with good plotting but cloying diction. Twolegs (humans) and their monsters (bulldozers) are destroying the woods and moors where the Clans live. The Twolegs fell oaks, capture and cage any cats they get their hands on and rip ShadowClan’s den right out of the ground. Prey is dangerously scarce. There’s been a message from StarClan (ancestor gods) about the Clans striking out for new territory. But where and when? Should the Clans travel together or remain rivals? Hunter intersperses action sequences with stretches of plot-appropriate waiting, during which the cats are hungry and anxious. Religion and conflicting loyalties are well-integrated themes. “Meowed” and “mewed” (replacing “said”) and the twee term “kittypet” lower the narrative’s dignity, while the cats’ annoyingly similar names (Leafpaw, Squirrelpaw, Brambleclaw) run together. However, a current of warmth runs underneath the distractingly precious prose, making the cats easy to care about. (name chart, maps) (Fantasy. 8-11)