Survivors (novel series)

Survivors
Boxed set containing the first three books
The Empty City
A Hidden Enemy
Darkness Falls
The Broken Path
The Endless Lake
Storm of Dogs
The Gathering Darkness: A Pack Divided
The Gathering Darkness: Dead of Night
The Gathering Darkness: Into the Shadows
The Gathering Darkness: Red Moon Rising
The Gathering Darkness: The Exile's Journey
The Gathering Darkness: The Final Battle
Author Erin Hunter
Illustrator Julia Green
Country United Kingdom
Genre Children's fantasy
Publisher HarperCollins
Published August 21, 2012 – present
Media type Print, e-book

Survivors is a children's novel series written by a team of authors under the pseudonym Erin Hunter, who also wrote the Warriors series. Survivors follows the adventures of a group of pet dogs who form a pack with the help of Lucky, a lone dog, after an earthquake separates them from their owners. The first book The Empty City was released on 21 August 2012, and was followed by A Hidden Enemy, Darkness Falls, The Broken Path, The Endless Lake, and Storm of Dogs, released on 10 February 2015.

There are currently two sub-series, each containing six books. The first, Survivors (later retitled Survivors: The Original Series), was published from 2012 to 2015. The second sub-series, Survivors: The Gathering Darkness, is still on its third book and halfway finished. The first book of the second series, A Pack Divided, was released on 13 October 2015 followed by Dead of Night on 7 June 2016 and Into the Shadows on 7 February 2017.

Other books have been released in addition to the main series, including three e-book novellas entitled Alpha's Tale, Sweet's Journey and Moon's Choice, the latest novella, released on 5 May 2015. The Survivors series has been released in e-book format for popular e-readers such as the Barnes & Noble Nook and Amazon Kindle. The series has also been translated into several languages. In addition, the series has a website featuring games, promotional videos, quizzes, and news. Survivors has garnered positive reviews, with critics praising the pacing, characters, and "magical" style of writing while a reviewer called the story "confusing" due to its large number of characters.

Inspiration and origins

When the Seekers series was being created, it started as a request from HarperCollins to Victoria Holmes, saying that the team should develop another series about a group of animals, but this time not cats. HarperCollins first suggested that they write a book about dogs, but Holmes was reluctant to create stories that would be too close to Warriors, and dogs lived in packs, hunted for food, had a strict hierarchy, and guarded their territories, like the cats.[1] Eventually it was decided that the series would be about bears instead. In another chat two years later, Holmes said that, though she was "happy to focus on cats and bears right now", she would consider doing a series about dogs.[2] Gilian Philip said later that "dogs just felt like a natural progression" from cats.[3]

The authors later invited Inbali Iselris, author of The Tygrine Cat, to write a new series about dogs called Survivors.[4] She readily accepted the offer after learning that Philip was also writing the series. According to her, cats are more mysterious when compared to dogs, who are easily sociable and full of frentic energy.[4] After joining Erin Hunter, she spent more time with her dog Michi, watching his behaviour closely. Some of his mannerisms that were noted were his tail wagging and his ears flicking back in excitement at the sight of his friends. These gave her lots of material to develop the character of Lucky and his companions.[4]

While the earlier series had the preliminary plot written by a single author, a different approach was taken for the Survivors series. The whole team creates a detailed story outline and develops the characters together, and then the actual writing gets done by a single author, who is allowed to change something significant about the plot or characters if they feel that a certain character would not act in a specific way.[5]

Books

The Original Series

The Empty City

The Empty City is the first book in the Original Series and was released 21 August 2012. It begins with the main character, Lucky the Sheltie-retriever mix, hearing a story of an apocalypse called the Storm of Dogs from his retriever mix mother-dog back when was a pup temporarily called Yap. He and his four litter-siblings (his litter-brothers Yowl and Snip, and his litter-sisters Squeak and Yip) are intrigued, but mostly by the story of the very fast legendary dog named Lightning. Years later, on a Long Light (summer) day in a coastal California city, the "Big Growl" strikes in the form of an earthquake, killing most humans (or longpaws) in the area. Lucky escapes a cage in a dog pound (or Trap House) and strikes out on his own, having frequent dreams of the apocalypse, known as the "Storm of Dogs". Lucky and his friend Sweet the female greyhound swift-dog escape the cages they have been trapped in; eventually, after inspecting the now-ruined human-free city, the two go their separate ways - Sweet wants to be part of a Pack while Lucky feels more towards being a Lone Dog. While searching for food, he encounters a lethal sharpclaw (cat), strange gas mask-wearing humans that do not seem to like dogs, and a mysterious American crow that seems to appear in the same area as him frequently. After saving his old friend Old Hunter the bull mastiff from being electrocuted in a shopping mall, he takes a nap with a piece of steak. When Lucky wakes up, gray foxes have surrounded him. He is saved by his long-lost litter-sister Squeak, now called Bella, leading a group of six other former pet dogs (or Leashed Dogs) who are sure that their owners will come back for them - these include Bruno the German shepherd-chow chow mix Fight Dog, Martha the Newfoundland dog, Alfie the bulldog, Sunshine the Maltese dog, Daisy the West Highland white terrier-Jack Russell terrier mix and Mickey the border collie Farm Dog. Lucky decides to join them temporarily and show them how to survive in this new world before going back to being a loner. He recounts some of his life to Bella, where he was once owned by an abusive longpaw man that he escaped from. It is eventually decided that the Leashed Dogs cannot continue to wait for their lost longpaw owners to return, so they join Lucky as they move off into the nearby wilderness. After Martha saves Bruno from drowning because she has webbed paws as a water-dog, Lucky teaches the Pack how to divide work based on their abilities. When Alfie finds a place (an abandoned dog-training facility) where there is food and other dogs just a little farther off, Bella, Daisy and Lucky follow him. Lucky is unsure about entering the place at first, so he refuses to follow any further. Lucky soon finds that the others have been captured in the facility (termed the Dog-Garden) by a violent yet unintelligent Pack of sixteen Fierce Dogs (Doberman Pinschers) already living there, angry that the Leashed Dogs are eating their leftover kibble. Their female Alpha Blade, their male Beta Mace, and the male third-in-command Dagger debate on what to do with them. He uses trickery to help the three hostages escape and leads them to safety. He makes them bury any trace of their owners, but Mickey holds tight to his owners' son's baseball glove. Lucky leaves his Pack, but is suddenly driven to go back when he hears fighting.

A Hidden Enemy

A Hidden Enemy is the second book in the series and was released on 7 May 2013. It begins in a flashback, with young Lucky's mother-dog telling him that wild gray wolves are not to be trusted, especially since regarding the tale of a scheming wolf named Greatfang. In the present day, Lucky hears sounds of fighting and rushes to help the Leashed Pack from an attack by another Pack, a Wild Pack, and realizes that their Alpha is a wolfdog, who kills Alfie. An aftershock of the Big Growl occurs, causing the Packs to scatter. Lucky rescues the Wild Pack's female Beta greyhound, revealed to be Sweet, who was falling into the opening chasm. Lucky hides that he is affiliated with The Leashed Pack. Sweet invites Lucky to her Pack, but he declines the offer. Bella sends Lucky as a spy to the Wild Pack, where he is temporarily made a patrol dog in the Wild Pack, briefly working with Twitch the male spaniel-beagle mix chase-dog and Dart the female whippet mix hunt-dog - during patrol duty, you are not allowed to eat and can only have a minimum amount of water to drink because Alpha considers it distracting from a patrol dogs duty, and it is mentioned that a now-exiled male member of this Pack broke that rule by eating a rabbit corpse he found while patrolling (not only is this nameless dog banished, but the rest of the Pack do mention his name anymore). During a prey-sharing feast, Mulch the rude male English cocker spaniel mix tries to steal food, but Sweet snaps at him and threatens to demote him from his hunting and patrol duties, shocking Lucky. He later feels a sense of loyalty to the Pack during a nightly howling ritual of theirs called the Great Howl. Days later, Lucky becomes an official hunter within the Wild Pack after winning a challenge with Snap the female beagle-terrier mix, and is now working alongside her, Fiery the male English mastiff, and Spring (Twitch's litter-sister). Mulch is, at the same time, demoted to a patrol dog, resenting Lucky even more. The black-colored male Omega pug mix, who sees Lucky secretly meeting Bella's Pack later that night, blackmails/bribes him and makes him frame Mulch for eating pieces off a freshly-caught mule deer doe before the actual feast. Mulch is then physically harmed by Alpha (and partly by Sweet, who secretly does not like doing it) and is demoted to Omega, while the then Omega Whine is promoted to a patrol dog. Bella and the rest of the Leashed Pack (without warning Lucky) soon attack the Wild Pack with red foxes. The foxes kill Mulch and Fuzz, the border collie-English mastiff mix son of Moon the border collie and Fiery (now they have two pups left, Squirm and Nose). The two Packs together drive the foxes out. Alpha says he should kill Bella, while Moon and Fiery defend her, for she did not know that the foxes would deceive and betray her. Sweet advises Alpha to merge the two Packs and Alpha agrees, but Whine reveals Lucky's secret of being a spy for Bella's Pack, forcing him to choose which side he is on.

Darkness Falls

Darkness Falls is the third book in the series and was released on 3 September 2013. It begins with a flashback to Lucky's pup days, where his mother-dog is fearing that someone may have angered the Sky-Dogs due to a very intense storm. Back in the present, Alpha allows Lucky and the Leashed Dogs to stay and merge the two Packs into one but Lucky is demoted to Omega and about to be scarred as punishment, but Alpha is suddenly frightened after the appearance of a loud sound and black cloud in the distance (volcanic activity) that seems too unusual to be a storm - it even briefly takes the shape of a dog. Lucky temporarily takes charge, Alpha looking incompetent on what exactly to do, and helps the Pack as they evacuate the camp for higher ground. After finding temporary shelter beneath an overhanging rocky outcrop near a small lake, Twitch decides to leave the Pack after breaking one of his forelegs during the retreat and Mickey later leaves thinking the longpaws who used to own him and the other Leashed Dogs of the Pack are back, taking the strange cloud as a sign for this. Alpha banishes Lucky, thinking he angered the Sky-Dogs. After escaping some volcanic ash, Lucky eventually finds Mickey defending his longpaws' abandoned home against other longpaws (ragged-looking, ill ones) but his house collapses. Immediately afterward, Lucky convinces Mickey that his humans are never coming back, much to Mickey's sorrowful disappointment, who leaves the baseball glove on the doorstep. Soon, after returning to the forest and seeing humans riding in helicopters (or loudbirds) in the distance, Lucky and Mickey find three abandoned nameless Fierce Dog pups back at the Dog-Garden (the abandoned prison compound from the first book) whose mother-dog is dead. Seeing that the Pack of adults has left the compound to find more food, they take the pups with them and give them the Pup Names Grunt, Lick and Wiggle, narrowly avoiding a Pack of coyotes (led by a particularly stealthy male coyote named Mangles) and searching for their own Pack's whereabouts since they apparently changed location since Lucky left to find an area with more prey. Meeting up with a patrolling Daisy, they bring the pups back to their own Pack's new camp, in a tranquil glade, where Alpha reluctantly allows them to stay, but leaves Lucky in charge of them as an Omega. Martha also contributes to rearing the four orphans. Lucky and a few other members of the Pack train the Fierce Dog pups how to duel, but do their best to teach them not to play fight too roughly or else someone else will get seriously hurt. Because of this, Alpha puts the three pups to the test to see if they can truly never be ferocious and asks them to follow Daisy's orders during a scouting mission. Suddenly, during this scouting mission, a male giantfur (brown bear) who is out to steal honey from bees is challenged by Grunt. Lucky and the Alpha rescue the pups and Daisy from the giantfur. Later, the Fierce Dog pups' original Pack, Blade ruthlessly in the lead, traps the Wild Pack and takes the pups away, Blade claiming she is their mother-dog even though she is obviously not and is obviously the one who murdered the pups' real mother-dog. Later, Lucky is depressed by the departure of the three pups, believing that they could have grown up to be gentle Fierce Dogs with an unquestionable loyalty to the Wild Pack. Later, at the beginning of Red Leaf (autumn), to prove his own loyalty to the Wild Pack and show he does not want to go back to being a Lone Dog, Lucky challenges Snap to a second duel for hunter status, but loses. Sweet takes this as evidence that Lucky is indeed now a Pack dog (he clearly does not want to be a loner anymore) and is happy that he will not leave. The next morning, Lick returns in the Wild Pack covered with scratches and says that Blade murdered Wiggle and Grunt is staying in her Pack. Hearing this, Alpha allows Lick to stay in the Wild Pack. The Wild Pack also prepares to depart this apparently unsafe area for new territory beyond a sighted white rocky ridge.

The Broken Path

The Broken Path is the fourth book in the series and was released on 11 February 2014. It begins with a flashback to Lucky's pup days, where he befriended a female toddler longpaw and alerted her family to any danger she may have gotten herself into (like playing with matches) - his own mother-dog congratulating him for that as well. In the present, Lucky remembers back to this moment when he heard those kind humans use the term "lucky", and basically understands that has pretty much become his Adult Name now. While he ponders this, he and Fiery teach Lick how to hunt cottontail rabbits in the Wild Pack's new territory. While hunting, they tell Lick about how a Naming Ceremony works since she has never had a proper one, with Fiery in particular telling about how he got his own Adult Name (his Pup Name was Snail because of his taste in snails, which he still occasionally snacks on). They succeed in this hunt and catch and kill some rabbits. When returning to the new camp with their catches, Lucky stops to talk to a patrolling Bella and the two get into a brief feud over betraying each other's trust ever since Lucky was made a spy, though Lick stops the fighting and encourages them to be grateful to still have each other as litter-siblings since Lick herself lost her litter-brothers (one dead and the other traitorous). Bella and Lucky apologize and suddenly battle an American badger during a brief unusual storm similar to the one in the third book. Once they return to the camp, Lucky catches the scent of an unknown pup and who it could have been. Later that night, it is time for Nose and Squirm's Naming Ceremony where they get official Adult Names (Lick does not take part in this one because she is younger than Nose and Squirm). Squirm names himself Beetle (after seeing a beetle crawling nearby) while his litter-sister Nose names herself Thorn as they both sit upon the white pelt of an albino rabbit prepared for them by Sunshine (now the Pack's Omega, which she actually does not mind). After the ceremony is over and everyone is giving Thorn and Beetle affectionate attention while also howling ritualistically, Lucky thinks he hears the distant howls of dogs not from the Wild Pack. Soon, Lucky discovers that the unknown pup scent belongs to Grunt, spying on them, now called Fang (his Pack has even mimicked their dead human masters by maiming his ears to crop them like theirs). From this report, the Wild Pack must move on. As the Pack of eighteen trudges through different regions, they encounter volcanic acid rain, and Alpha starts to show signs of uncertainty when deciding which direction to go - he foolishly tries to cover his incompetence up by taking suggestions from other high-ranking packmates, like Sweet or Fiery. Eventually, they discover a small town (not much affected by the Big Growl) filled with dead longpaws. They spend the night in a food-filled restaurant (or Food House). The next day, while Lucky, Mickey, Bruno, Snap and Fiery go hunting in the forest, they encounter an unorganized Wild Pack of nine dogs that Twitch (now three-legged, missing the entire foreleg he broke) has joined as the ninth member out of sheer desperation. This absurd Pack is led by a mentally-ill pit bull-mastiff mix named Terror, who hurts his own packmates just because he feels like it. He also claims to be the forepaw for a spirit-dog called the Fear-Dog, who rules all the other spirit-dogs (there truly is no Fear-Dog among the spirit dogs). Terror orders his Pack (especially his unwilling and unofficial Beta Splash, a male wiry-haired, black mongrel) to drive the hunting party out of the forest, yet he still chases them back to the town - fortunately the hunting party hides and Terror's Pack gives up and retreats, and Terror himself forces his followers to kill any stranger dog on sight, even when unprovoked, by order of the Fear-Dog. After escaping and telling the rest of the Pack of what happened, Alpha decides the best way to deal with Terror's Pack is to fight him head-on at one point. Soon, due to Alpha's own arrogance, secret incompetence, tendency to blame others for mistakes that aren't technically theirs, and need to find an excuse to get rid of Lick, Fiery challenges the wolfdog for the title of Alpha by nightfall - this will make Fiery the new Alpha and the wolfdog himself would have to go back to using his real name. Later when the hunting band goes back into Terror's forest to find food again, Lick joining them, they encounter more strange longpaws (the same hostile ones form the previous books with yellow jackets and gas masks) that all of a sudden chase the dogs unprovoked, trying to catch them; Fiery, during this chase, is suddenly caught in a net trap and tells the other dogs to leave and find help. Everyone in the Pack agrees that something needs to be done, but Alpha refuses, saying that they should move on to a safer territory and not caring whether Fiery, his own third-in-command, lives or dies mainly because the wolfdog himself is showing signs of arrogance and cowardice. Twitch suddenly appears to tell his former Pack (even though Alpha tells him that he is no longer welcome among their Wild Pack anymore) that he's abandoned Terror's Pack and that he has seen where the bad longpaws are taking Fiery, to the Dog-Garden - both he and Lucky bring Moon, Martha and Bella on this rescue mission while Alpha leads the rest of their Wild Pack away from the town and Terror's forest since it is clearly not safe there anymore. Lick eventually joins up with them. At the Dog-Garden, they discover Fiery is locked in a cage next to cages containing other kinds of innocent animals (several birds, an orange sharpclaw, a male coyote, a preadolescent mule deer, some foxes, some cottontail rabbits and a grown male Fierce Dog named Axe from Blade's Pack), all being experimented on by the strange longpaws by being forced to drink river water that was recently intoxicated by gasoline to make sure it is okay for longpaws to drink - apparently the toxic river is one of the main reasons for why Terror is insane, though he drank it on his own with no longpaws involved. The team frees them all along with Fiery and they leave while Axe (recognizing Lick as one of the pups her dead mother-dog Morningstar) choses to stay behind and fight the humans responsible for all of this. Eventually, the rescue party and Fiery (he is now very injured and sick from the bad water) encounter Terror's Pack again, who are forced to fight because Terror says the Fear-Dog says so. During the battle, all done blindly during a non-acidic rainstorm, Lick actually takes down Terror, ripping off his lower jaw, putting him out of his mentally-ill and intoxicated misery and this sends his remaining Pack of seven retreating, free of his deranged savage tyranny. Fiery, though, is fatally injured, much to Moon's sadness, and once he dies with honor in his heart, the others dig out a grave for him - and even one for Terror too. Lucky then feels as though Lick is now worthy enough, as well as old enough, to get her Naming Ceremony now, before they go to seek out the rest of their Wild Pack. Because of a thunderstorm that suddenly rolls in, Lick chooses the Adult Name Storm. They continue westward, following a strange salty smell.

The Endless Lake

The Endless Lake is the fifth book in the series and was released on 3 June 2014. It begins with another flashback to Lucky's pup days, specifically to where he experienced his first Ice Wind (or winter) and his mother-dog told him to trust all the spirit-dogs (Earth-Dog, River-Dog, Forest-Dog, the Sky-Dogs, the Moon-Dog, the Sun-Dog, and more) even if it seems like the spirit-dogs themselves are making things unfortunate for all mortal dogs (he also developed claustrophobia during this time). Back in the present, Ice Wind is starting, and Lucky, Bella, Martha, Moon, Twitch and Storm are resting in a convenient den on their journey back to the rest of their Wild Pack, tracking the twelve to their new territory, though Twitch plans to become a Lone Dog since the wolfdog Alpha no longer welcomes him. When they all wake up, they continue moving, Moon showing how to warm up by moving your legs. Along the way, they catch a river rabbit (North American river otter) and find that they are being stalked. It is revealed that the ones following them are Twitch's seven former packmates of Terror's Pack. With Terror now dead, they do not ruthlessly harm other dogs anymore, and Splash admits that they were stalking them, but only because they miss Twitch and feel that he belongs with them, and they convince him to even be their new Alpha, which he accepts; he does say goodbye to Lucky, Moon, Bella, Martha and Storm, saying that perhaps they could meet again someday, and that he would really like to see his litter-sister Spring again in addition. Eventually, after arriving on a more open space, Storm chases after and fails to catch an escaped domestic horse; however, the five dogs discover where the mysterious salty scent has been coming from: a huge body of water that fills them with awe, which they call the Endless Lake because it seems to never end (it is really the coast of the Pacific Ocean). They find out, after Bella and Storm taste some of the seawater and spit it back out in disgust, that it is much too salty to drink from - this implies to them that the rest of their Pack would not stop to settle here due to how salty the water here is. Eventually, while traveling north along the beach, they arrive on the outskirts of an abandoned coastal longpaw town and an abandoned fair on a dock and decide to look for food there. After eating their fill of dead and dying fish they found in one of the fair's buildings, they begin to head through the nearby town when they suddenly catch the scent of Blade's Pack of fifteen, who have apparently been marking their new territory here. They then run into Fang and two other vile Fierce Dogs, Fang of which tries to persuade Storm to rejoin their original Pack, which she refuses. When a chase ensues, going back to the fairground, Fang reveals that he actually misses Storm and encourages his litter-sister and her four packmates to hide from Blade. Fang misleads the other members of Blade's Pack that he lost the five and says that they should look elsewhere for them - Blade and Mace, however, quickly abuse Fang for not catching Storm this time. Lucky and the others hide until Blade's Pack has gone far away, and they escape the ruined town and fairground, Moon really needing to be reunited with her son and daughter, Beetle and Thorn, again. By late sunset, the five traveling dogs take shelter in an empty rocky cave right on the beach for the night, though at one point they are woken up to find that the cave has been flooded due to high tide. Fortunately, Lucky finds a tunnel that goes deeper into the cave, and, with him taking the lead, they are eventually led out of the tunnel and back into open air. They soon find that the rest of their Pack is in a small sloping valley not too far from the coast. After all seventeen members of their Wild Pack have a reunion, Lucky, Bella, Martha, Moon, and Storm tell everyone the sad news about Fiery's death (Alpha pretends to show sympathy, but Lucky can tell that he is faking) and the interesting news about how Twitch has now become the new Alpha of Terror's former Pack. Most of their packmates are surprised and happy at that good news about Twitch, but Alpha says that Twitch is a traitor to their Wild Pack for just joining that other Wild Pack in the first place, back when it used to be led by Terror. Lucky also tells of their encounter with Blade's Pack and their new camp location in the nearby abandoned coastal longpaw town; even though the others turn fearful of that, Lucky states that this is also good news because they know where the cruel Fierce Dogs are at the moment. They also tell about the former Lick now having the name Storm, yet while most of the Pack congratulates her for this, Alpha becomes infuriated because it was a Naming Ceremony without his authorization and he insists on still calling Storm Lick; he also continuously tries to provoke Storm by directly calling her by her Pup Name and stating the fact that her former Pack is looking for her - something that Whine actually sort of agrees on. When prey becomes scarce due to it being early Ice Wind, Alpha decides that literally everyone in this Wild Pack, even those not in the hunting party, should go hunt for prey together. The wolfdog still shows strong signs of arrogance and incompetence whenever he believes someone else is trying to take over his command when they really are not. After failing this all-Pack hunt on the beach (Alpha blames it on a recent freezing rain), Mickey, Lucky and Snap are sent out to hunt, to find any prey at all, including some gulls and a white rabbit whose pelt they could use for Storm's "authorized" Naming Ceremony. After so little to eat (with Alpha hoarding most of it selfishly for himself) Storm's "authorized" Naming Ceremony happens that night, though Alpha says she is no longer able to choose Storm as her official name and instead he forcefully names her Savage. At one point, while seeking out a new territory, the Wild Pack comes to an abandoned lighthouse, and the vile Pack of Fierce Dogs finds them and a battle ensues. Alpha, Spring, Beetle, and Thorn fall into the seawater due to windy and foggy conditions during the fight. The bad Fierce Dogs retreat and Martha dives into the water and rescues both Beetle and Thorn, though Spring is pulled out to sea and Alpha sinks down below the waves. The rest of the remaining Pack spends the night inside the lighthouse. The next day, the fifteen dogs move on for a safer place and Lucky decides that, instead of a hierarchal system, they should use a sort of democratic way of deciding something, called the Four Paws, where an idea is agreed upon by at least four Pack members. After taking shelter in a different abandoned building for the night, Storm goes off on her own without permission to confront Blade and possibly redeem Fang. Lucky finds that Storm's former Pack has now taken her hostage (they even tore off a small piece of her ear), and that his Four Paws idea was probably not a good choice because of the constant arguing and bickering it apparently stirs. Sweet is declared the new Alpha and she appoints Lucky as her Beta. They all head back to the town to rescue Storm, who is being forced by Blade and her followers to fight with Fang in what is called the Trial of Rage, a rite of passage in this vile Fierce Dog Pack when a pup reaches adulthood and must pass the test with their inner bloodlust unleashed. This trial is being hosted in Blade's new headquarters, the town's theater. Sweet establishes a plan for most of the Wild Pack to distract the bad Fierce Dogs while Martha escorts Storm out of the theater. Storm, though, does not want to abandon Fang, still feeling a family bond with him. It is then revealed that our Wild Pack's former Alpha actually survived drowning and has now, despite his deeply-rooted Fierce Dog prejudice, joined Blade's Pack willing, but as the Omega. Storm then accepts to take the Trial of Rage and can either leave if she does not give into her inner bloodlust or stay with the bad Fierce Dogs if she does give in. She duels with Fang and does her best not to succumb to bloodlust, and as a result Blade lets her and the rest of the Wild Pack leave, but promises that she will still hunt them down get Storm back. A few days later, when the Wild Pack has left the area of the coastal longpaw town, Sweet and Lucky spread the news about Lucky's recent strange dreams that tell of the Storm of Dogs, in which the rest of the Pack say they have heard this foretold event before. Lucky says that if the Storm of Dogs is coming, no dog will have to stand alone, and that they are in it together.

Storm of Dogs

Storm of Dogs is the sixth book in the series (as well as the final book of the first story arc) and was released on 10 February 2015. It begins with Lucky having a flashback dream to when he and Sweet were in the Trap House during the Big Growl before waking up next to Sweet in their thorn bush den. Lucky and Sweet have officially become mates, and life in their Wild Pack has become generally well-regulated since they are in charge. It has been a full month since the Trial of Rage and the recent fight with Blade's Pack, and so far the Wild Pack is getting along well. Storm is now a hunter, Mickey and Snap are now mates, and Thorn and Beetle are now patrol dogs. The Pack also still remains in its previous territory near the coastal town. During Ice Wind, there is little prey to find, but the best they manage to catch are rabbits and migrating Canada geese. During a fight-training session, Moon and Dart report that Blade's Pack has left the coastal town without a trace and that now the scent of longpaws is there. Sweet leads a patrol down to the town to investigate and find only calm construction workers trying to fix the damaged town. They report back to the rest of the Pack that these particular longpaws mean no harm, as well as saying that they will not seek out a new territory as they constantly have been doing since Long Light. Although most of the Pack is a little worried, Sweet tells them to continue to patrol the territory for Blade's Pack and to avoid the longpaws (just as a precaution) until they have determined whether they are truly friendly or not - Moon is very on edge about this since it was longpaws that were responsible for Fiery's death, though Sunshine insists that not all longpaws are bad. That night, after Lucky has a dream where the spirit of Alfie warns him about something going to happen in the Storm of Dogs, Sweet wakes Lucky and takes him to a private area away from the rest of the Pack for a special and confidential ceremony about his status as Beta. Although she briefly attacks him, leaving him with a hidden scar, she tells him that this scar is proof that he is officially the new Beta and that he is forever loyal to the Pack and she is loyal to him. After Lucky pledges to be loyal to the Pack, the two dogs return to the camp to finish the rest of the ceremony with the rest of the Pack. Later that night, Lucky wakes up to discover Fang nearby, all covered in injuries. Fang claims that he left Blade's Pack because he lost the Trial of Rage and was considered a weakling to Blade, so he came to find Lucky to warn the Wild Pack that Blade's Pack plans to attack the Wild Pack again. Lucky takes pity on Fang and walks with him to a large cave by the beach, only to be ambushed by Blade and her followers. Lucky is captured, brought into the cave and thrown into a pit, temporarily knocking him out cold. When he awakens, Lucky finds Blade staring down at him and she tells him more about why she's obsessed with trying to kill Storm, not really having to do with the Trial of Rage; she tells that she has had strange visions in her sleep involving the Storm of Dogs, similar to Lucky, since the Big Growl and believes that the Spirit Dogs are telling her to specifically kill any Fierce Dog pups born after the Big Growl so they do not truly bring on the Storm of Dogs - basically her reason for murdering her own pup and attempting to kill Storm and her litter-brothers at first with starvation and neglect by killing Morningstar and abandoning them at the Dog-Garden and eventually murdering Wiggle and now trying to somehow get both Storm and Fang killed. Afterward Blade leaves, and Lucky's former Alpha soon shows up and explains that even though he's hated Fierce Dogs due to his bad past experiences with them, he admires Blade's authority and that's why he has joined her Pack (giving her clever plans to work with), as well him arrogantly believing that his former Wild Pack was just a bunch of weaklings deep down. Soon, Sweet, Bella, and Storm show up and save Lucky, only to be cornered by Blade's Pack. Lucky and Storm try to convince Fang to rejoin their Wild Pack, but Blade immediately kills him. Suddenly, the tremor sign of a new big earthquake, similar to the Big Growl, occurs, frightening everyone and sending Lucky, Storm, Bella, and Sweet running out of the cave just as it ends. A few days later, it is announced to the whole Wild Pack that they should inevitably leave the small valley, because of both Blade's Pack and the apparent omens of a new Big Growl. Lucky, Snap and most of the former Leashed Dogs (except Bruno) go on a brief mission to warn the unaggressive construction worker longpaws in the town about new Growl. Although the longpaws don't understand what the dogs are telling them, they eventually see the Endless Lake moving in and make a run for it. Lucky leads the other dogs back up the cliff to where the rest of the Pack is after they quickly rescue a trapped longpaw man from a ground cravasse. After the Wild Pack settles down and the second Big Growl ends, Lucky tells everyone about the dreams he has seen about the Storm of Dogs and how Blade has had similar dreams, yet points out that she believes that any Fierce Dog pup that was born after the first Big Growl must die in order to please the Earth-Dog. Although some of the Pack suggest they should continue to flee, Whine says that they should hand Storm over to Blade to save themselves. Although Sweet and Lucky refuse to do so, they allow the Pack to vote (Whine calling it the Fours Paws idea Lucky had thought up of originally) on whether or not they should give Storm to Blade. However, only Whine, Dart, and Bruno vote that they should give Storm to Blade while the rest refuse - especially Storm herself. Fortunately, Bella has an idea: the Wild Pack will set Blade up to fight and will isolate her, Mace, and Dagger from the rest of the cruel Pack and take them by surprise. Thinking that their plan will fail, Whine leaves the Pack and vanishes without any one trying to stop him. Soon, the remaining fourteen members of this Wild Pack decide to go seek out help from Twitch's Pack in order to increase their numbers against Blade's Pack. At one point in the search, the whole Pack temporarily splits up in order to find Twitch's Pack of eight more easily in the forest formerly owned by Terror, covering more ground, Lucky heading off with Snap, Storm and Daisy. During their search, Lucky, Snap, Storm, and Daisy hear a cry for help and see a member of Twitch's Pack, a male Australian cattle dog-whippet mix named Whisper, whose tail is trapped by a fallen tree (felled by the recent tremor) and is near a female giantfur's den. After Whisper is freed, they tell him that they must speak with his Alpha Twitch and so he takes the four of them back to his own Wild Pack to meet with Twitch. The two Packs fully come together for their meeting. Twitch himself wonders if they really should risk their lives in joining this upcoming battle (he's also saddened by the sad news of Spring's death), though all of his seven packmates insist they should since Storm was technically the one who saved them by defeating Terror. Whisper, Ruff the small black female mongrel Omega, Woody the male beagle mix, Rake the male Irish wolfhound, and Breeze the female Labrador retriever-collie mix most certainly agree to this. Chase the female ginger-furred mongrel and Beta Splash also agree. The two Packs, together numbering twenty-two individuals altogether, plan an ambush near the river and Lucky decides to use himself as bait to lure Blade and her deputies out of hiding. He travels back to Blade's Pack's cave to tell them that Storm accepts Blade's challenge, and along the way takes a nap and dreams of a bright future where the Storm of Dogs has passed and he is a sire-dog of four pups (three daughters and one son), and Sweet is the mother-dog. Lucky returns to the two Wild Packs and suddenly a young male Fierce Dog from Blade's Pack named Arrow, born before the first Big Growl, shows up and tells everyone that he has abandoned Blade's Pack due to Blade's madness and wishes to join one of the two Wild Packs. He also reveals that Blade already knows some of their plans because Whine has recently joined her Pack and revealed some information to her. Later, to throw Blade off guard, Lucky, Sweet and Whisper rouse the same female giantfur who was near Whisper when he was trapped by the fallen tree and lure the agitated hibernator out near the town and fight Blade's Pack in order to weaken to insane Fierce Dog's ranks. Soon, both Wild Packs (now numbering twenty-three) get ready for the fight; and just in time since Blade and her Pack has now arrived near a frozen river, now weakened and reduced in number by the giantfur. A blizzard comes forth and the great battle of the Storm of Dogs now ensues; a few Fierce Dogs from Blade's Pack fall, including Mace; Splash and Martha are killed; Lucky fights and kills his former wolfdog Alpha; eventually it all comes down to Storm versus Blade, who fight on top of cracking ice, which Blade eventually falls through and drowns. The remaining members of Blade's Pack, now led by Dagger, retreat, and banish Whine for being practically useless - the little traitorous dog is also not welcome back in either of the two united Wild Packs. Sweet's Pack, accompanied by Twitch's Pack, return to their small coastal valley home. Sweet agrees to allow Twitch's Pack to join her Pack. Even Arrow is accepted in. Later that night, during the Great Howl ceremony, Lucky sees the Spirit-Dogs and the souls of the deceased Alfie, Mulch, Spring, Fang, Fiery, Fuzz, Splash, Martha, and Wiggle visiting the now bigger Wild Pack of twenty-one.

The Gathering Darkness

A Pack Divided

A Pack Divided is the seventh book in the series and the first book of the second arc, The Gathering Darkness, and was released on October 13 2015. It begins with a flashback to when Storm and her two litter-brothers were yet to be given Pup Names, and had been left behind at the Dog-Garden by their own Pack; it is shown that they were so young at the time that they did not truly understand the concept of death, believing that their mother-dog Morningstar and Blade's little son are just sleeping, and were afraid of being alone, until Lucky and Mickey arrived. Back in the present, Storm is leading a hunt (consisting of herself, Mickey, Snap, Arrow, and Whisper) on a day in early Tree Flower (spring), also called New Leaf, for the first time after the long Ice Wind season. The hunting party dogs decide to try hunting by the hollow to drive out prey by a rabbit warren. Even though she is in the lead of the hunting group, Storm is sometimes annoyed by the advice Mickey and Snap often give her because she feels they are still treating her like a pup. Later that night, as the prey-sharing feast starts and after Storm play-fights with Beetle and Thorn, Thorn and Beetle themselves are suddenly hostile, stating that Twitch had better not try to eat before their mother-dog Moon. Storm is surprised that her two friends would act like this, thinking that prey caught was enough for everybody. Sweet does, however, let Twitch eat before Moon, and Storm notices that the tension between the Pack intensifies. After the prey-sharing, Storm offers to play-fight Thorn and Beetle again, and is declined. Sweet, who is now pregnant with her and Lucky's litter, notices the tension reawakening and offers to tell a story of the Spirit-Dogs, in which most other dogs in the big Wild Pack are eager to hear. Sweet tells the other dogs about the Wind-Dogs, a group of Spirit-Dogs that reside in the sky (similarly to the Sky-Dogs) and are known to be modeled as the first swift-dogs, and how they run all year trying to catch the elusive Golden Deer before Ice Wind. She says that if a mortal Pack manages to catch one of the offspring of the great Golden Deer, then that Pack is truly blessed by the Spirit-Dogs. Storm wants to catch a legendary Golden Deer one day, then wonders if she and Arrow have their own Spirit-Dog modeled as the first Fierce Dog. That night, Storm dreams of herself as a pup again, playing and learning from the deceased Martha, when she sees a shadow moving between the trunks, and asks Martha for reassurance, to which Martha tells her there is no danger out there, and that the darkness is in Storm herself - Storm wakes up from this to find that she has sleepwalked a distance away from the camp and heads back there. The next day, Storm leads the hunting party (consisting of herself, Lucky, Bella, Breeze and Bruno) off on another hunting trip and soon catches a whiff of deer everywhere and suggests that it might be Golden Deer, though Bella disagrees, for she is skeptical on Sweet's tales relating to the Wind-Dogs - Bella even goes so far as to even doubt the existence of any Spirit-Dog at all, to which the others try to convince her to change her opinion (even Breeze insisting that the supposed Fear-Dog is real, because she used to be one of Terror's underlings). They loose the deer scent and catch some rabbits and squirrels instead. Soon, as tensions continue to build, Sweet and Lucky attempt to resolve this by promoting Twitch as the Pack's third-in-command so there will not be any tensions in the ranks of the patrol dogs. At one point, loudbird helicopters show up, meaning that longpaws are returning to the area. Later, when the hunters go investigate that abandoned coastal longpaw town and find the dead body of the female Fierce Dog Ripper, who Arrow used to know from Blade's Pack, Bruno reveals a dark secret of his that he is not very trustful of Fierce Dogs, even now with two noble Fierce Dogs living among them. At one point, Moon is mysteriously framed for stealing food before the food-sharing ceremony and she is thus temporarily sent on the duty of High Watch, overlooking the ocean - though she does not really see anything that could be a threat to the pack out there, mostly just gulls and the occasional floatcages (boats). Not long after that, Storm (after another of her sleepwalking sessions) discovers that Arrow and Bella have secretly formed a romantic relationship with each other; she also finds a red fox kit murdered by an unknown dog, which the kit's family seeks the big Wild Pack of dogs for revenge, to avenge the kit, who was named Cub Fire. At another point, Storm and the other hunters are seeking more prey and Storm herself discovers that Whisper is developing strong feelings for her; during this hunt, they attempt but fail to steal a tusknose (peccary) carcass guarded by a mother bear - the hunters instead return with only a few rabbits and a weasel. Sometime later, after Storm, Lucky and Snap come back after nearly catching a Golden Deer, they and the rest of the Pack discover that Whisper has been murdered.

Dead of Night

Dead of Night is the eighth book in the series and the second book of the second arc, The Gathering Darkness, and was released on 7 June 2016. It begins with a flashback to when Storm and her then-alive litter-brothers first met Lucky and Mickey, who brought them to safety from starvation and named them Lick, Wiggle and Grunt; Lick later muttered in her mind, after she and four companions narrowly avoided the coyote pack led by Mangles, that she is neither afraid of coyotes nor of going to the Earth-Dog when she dies. Back in the present, Lucky becomes paranoid about Whisper's death supposedly having to do with the vengeance-seeking red foxes, so he plots war upon them - this is partly due to the fact that his and Sweet's pups are soon to be born. As Storm investigates how Whisper's killer may have pulled it off, she imagines the scenario and is then frightened by how perfect it appears, as if she committed it herself - she reminds herself that she could not have done it in a mindless rage since she was out hunting a Golden Deer with Lucky and Snap when Whisper was assassinated. Whisper's funeral occurs, his body buried at the base of a tree. All of a sudden, Sweet starts to go into labor, so everyone has to cut the funeral short and head back to camp. Lucky and Sweet soon introduce their litter of four pups to the rest of the Pack; this litter consists of three daughters called Nibble, Tiny, and Fluff, and one son called Tumble. Later, while out spying on the nearby red fox pack, Storm, Thorn, Dart and Snap find that the foxes could not possibly be responsible for Whisper's death - being obviously weaker than the real killer and due to the fact that they left no scent at the site of the assassination - and Storm tells her associates that it must be another dog who committed the crime (Whisper's murder, Cub Fire's murder, and framing Moon for stealing food), most likely one among their own dog Pack. It is later also discovered that coyotes are in the vicinity. Soon, Storm and Arrow discover a putrid packrat carcass was added to the prey pile and Bella, after eating other meat that made contact with it, starts vomiting. Later on, after a number of more mindless conflicts with the nearby red fox pack (and Lucky getting upset with Storm since she could not save Tumble from being bitten by a fox due to her own recent insomnia), a pregnant female fox, named Fox Mist, is caught and held prisoner; she is set free but with a warning that her pack should not attack the dogs ever again. Soon, on a not-so-windy day, Storm is feeling better after some well-deserved rest (and after the spirit of Whisper visited her in her dreams recently), and she, Lucky and other hunters go out looking for more Golden Deer, but instead find ordinary mule deer; they catch and kill two mule deer and drag the bodies back to camp. Lucky apologizes to Storm for his overreaction to her not saving Tumble from injury - the pup in question was instead saved by Breeze and is doing better already. During the prey-sharing feast, after Sweet, Lucky, and their pups eat first, Twitch suddenly starts choking on shards of clear-stone (glass) that were mysteriously stuffed into one of the deer haunches.

Into the Shadows

Into the Shadows is the ninth book in the series and the third book of the second arc, The Gathering Darkness, and was released on 7 February 2017. It begins with a flashback to Storm's pup days, where she and her litter-brothers were being taught how to swim in a river by Martha.

Red Moon Rising

Red Moon Rising is the tenth book in the series and the fourth book of the second arc, The Gathering Darkness, and was released on 3 October 2017.

The Exile's Journey

The Exile's Journey is the eleventh book in the series and the fifth book of the second arc, The Gathering Darkness, and was released on June 26, 2018. The book starts out with a flashback to when Lick and her litter-brothers decided to join Balde's pack. After walking for a while, Blade kills Wiggle and spares Grunt, and Lick escapes, running back to the Wild Pack. In present time, Storm is heading away from her former pack after exile, bitter but sad. She comes to a river bank and is nearly swept away in a flood. Afterward, over time, she begins to get weaker and weaker. She attempts to catch a rabbit, but a wolf catches it. The wolf, to Storm's surprise, is friendly and shares the prey with her. He tells her his name is Thoughtful and warns her to not pass the Dead Tree, the edge of wolf territory. However, a few days after, she ignores it and spies on the wolf camp to see what they are like. SHe does this for a while until she sees an old wolf left to die on a rock as part of a ritual. She approaches the wolf, intending on burying him, but he tells her that is not the way of the wolves. He tells her he gave his name back to the pack and that his new name is Fading. Instead, she keeps watch over him. The next morning, when he dies, she approaches him. Mistaking her for a scavenger, other wolves chase her off their territory, giving her the First Warning. Shortly afterward, she discovered a scent of Fierce Dog and tracks it. Two Fierce Dogs, Pistol and Dagger, confront her and attack her. She manages to escape. She flees the territory and heads father inland, finding a longpaw den. She runs into two Leashed Dogs named Rex and Coco, and Whine, who was renamed Buddy. Whine encourages her to go in and stay the night. The next day, she wakes up in a cage, and talks to Whine, forming an escape plan. When Rex and Coco come back from their walk, Whine has them open her cage and helps her escape through the window. She then realizes that she misses being part of a pack and needs to find Bella and Arrow. After a few days of traveling, she gets to the beach and picks up Arrow's scent. After a while of tracking it, she realizes that he was following her and barks at him to come out and he does. They greet each other and he welcomes her to the pack. While heading back to camp, they hear Bella howl. Rushing back, they realize she is in labor. After a day of being in labor, nothing happens, so Storm goes onto the Wolves' territory, who was right next to the camp, and calls out for help. The Wolf Alpha and her group find Storm and the Alpha scratches her, giving her the Second Warning. After they left, Thoughtful approaches Storm and offers to have his sister, Peaceful, see if she could help. She eagerly agrees to help Bella deliver the pups. The next day, Bella gave birth to three pups: Tufty, Nip, and Scramble. Tufty, the only girl, died. After Peaceful leaves, Storm and Arrow talked about the Wild Pack. Arrow tells her that, after he left, he saw Breeze carrying a rabbit in her jaws that was still alive, it suffering and in pain. Storm was shocked Breeze would do such a thing. Over the next few weeks, Storm leads a happy life with her new packmates. One day, she decides to see how Peaceful and Thoughtful are doing. She spies on the wolf camp and sees Peaceful being branded as a traitor for helping them and is exiled for 2 days. The next day, to thank Peaceful, she kills two rabbits and brings them to her. Peaceful declines, saying she has to remain loyal to her pack. Storm takes the rabbits and accidentally heads deeper into Wolf territory, causing her to be attacked and given the Third Warning. They also took her catch. Storm runs back, telling Bella what happened. She discusses her suspicions about Breeze with Bella, too, and Bella tells her she overheard Breeze call one of the Fierce Dogs, who Bella thought was Arrow but Storm thought was her, a dirty Longpaw fang and a murderer. The next day, Storm wakes up and sees the sky has turned red. seeing this as a sign that the Pack was in danger, she says goodbye to Bella and Arrow and the pups and set off. She thinks about all the evidence and realizes that it makes sense that Breeze is the traitor as she runs. When she arrives, she hides in a bush and tries to figure out a way to ambush Breeze. The next day, she leaves on a hunting patrol, giving Storm a chance. When Breeze runs off to scout good hunting spots, Storm chases her. Breeze stops in a meadow and turns towards Storm, expecting her. Storm accuses her of being the traitor, and Breeze confirms her suspicions. Breeze told Storm she wanted revenge against every dog who was involved with Terror's death, he being the 'only other dog who understood the Fear-Dog.' She told Storm that she killed Whisper because he wouldn't stop praising Storm and Bruno because he realized Storm was innocent. She then bit herself and cried for help, leading to Storm being captured. She is brought back to camp, where she states that Breeze is the traitor and giving her evidence. Breeze suggests they blind Storm, but Sweet decides to keep Storm hostage for a night. She was escorted into the Alpha's Den. Shortly after, Sunshine came in with food, and told Storm that she believed her and that she wasn't the only one who did before leaving, giving Storm some hope.

The Final Battle

The Final Battle is the twelfth book in the series and the sixth and final book of the second arc, The Gathering Darkness (as well as the final Survivors book overall), and will be released on 5 February 2019.

Novellas

On 5 May 2015, all three of these stories were released together in a compilation book called Tales from the Packs.

Alpha's Tale

A novella set before The Empty City/Sweet's Journey and before Moon's Choice, released on 29 April 2014. Long before the Big Growl struck, the wolfdog who was yet to be the arrogant Alpha of the assorted Wild Pack grew up in a Pack of pureblooded wild gray wolves who worship a deity called the Great Wolf and are in minor conflict with a neighboring wolf pack known as the Far-Cliff Pack. His Pup Name was just simply Pup before he got his Adult Name, which was humiliatingly just Dog. Being the only wolfdog hybrid in this Pack, most of the pureblooded wolves made him suffer for it, especially the rebellious female called Daring - until he swore, one day, after escaping being trapped on a farm of sheep and chickens protected by a longpaw rancher and four Fierce Dogs (Sundance, Zorro, Belle, and Calamity) who termed him Wolf, that he would never be the runt of a Pack again; though his pureblooded wild wolf mother, Graceful, and pureblooded wild wolf half-brother, Quick, were probably the only ones in this wild wolf Pack who showed him any affection. At one point he meets and rescues Snail (Fiery as a pup), who has just been orphaned, from a giantfur and the wolfdog gets ideas for a new Pack.

Sweet's Journey

A novella set during the events of The Empty City (and partly in A Hidden Enemy) after Sweet and Lucky went their separate ways, and telling how she came to be the fearless Beta of the Wild Pack led by the Alpha wolfdog, defeating the previous Beta, a rather rude and impulsive female Irish setter mix who was then exiled for her treachery, released on 10 February 2015. It also shows a bit of her past experiences in a Pack of just swift-dogs (seven members total, including herself), where she never really got along with her original Beta named Callie, who used to be a race dog, her former longpaw master naming her Callie because it was short for California Dreamer. It also features Sweet witnessing the moment when Moon went into labor and birthed her and Fiery's three pups: Fuzz, Squirm and Nose.

Moon's Choice

A novella telling of Moon's past, and how she came to join the wolfdog's Wild Pack, set between Alpha's Tale and The Empty City, released on 5 May 2015. Long before the Big Growl struck, Moon belonged to a different Pack, and she and her litter-sister Star were the daughters of the Pack's Alpha and Beta. The Pack also consisted of Hunter the male great dane mix (who was at first Moon's betrothed), Meadow the female terrier mix, Rush the male terrier mix, Pebble the small black female mongrel, and Fly the blunt-snouted long-legged male mongrel. Also in this Pack were Snap, Whine and Mulch. But when that Pack was threatened by a lethal disease (canine distemper), Moon found unexpected help - and a difficult choice - in an English mastiff newcomer called Fiery, who had stumbled across this Pack while he and the rest of his Wild Pack were seeking out new territory. While Hunter, Meadow, and Rush and abandoned Moon's Pack, most of her own Pack died from the illness with only Snap, Whine, Mulch, and Moon herself surviving. They, of course, join Fiery's Pack.

Development

Mythology

The authors knew ahead of time that spirituality was going to be a large part of the lives of the dogs, and that domestication and wildness would affect their dependence on it, and the characters' varying degrees of belief and dependence on religion would vary throughout the course of the series.[5] The Leashed Dogs do not really believe in the pantheon the same way Lone and Pack Dogs like Lucky do, but as they become more wild they become more spiritual, shown when they bury their owners items as an offering to Earth Dog.[6] The dogs have a pantheon of gods for different natural elements, like forests and earth.[6] The series begins with Lucky as a pup being told the story of the "Storm of Dogs", when this pantheon would fight and trap living dogs in the middle; this becomes the "Big Growl" which the story is centered on.[5]

Hierarchy

There are multiple different kinds of dogs, with various hierarchical systems. Leashed Dogs are pets, Lone Dogs are stray but live without dependence on other dogs, and Pack Dogs are stray and live dependent on their leader and packmates. After the Big Growl, most of the Leashed Dogs have lost their owners.[5] The main characters are part of the "Leashed Pack", a group of dogs that are all dependent on one another but without a complex social structure; it can be construed that Lucky is their leader (alpha).[6] The Wild Pack has a stricter hierarchy, with the wolfdog as a leader; Alpha, Beta, and Omega are referred to by their titles, while hunters and patrol dogs are given different names to distinguish.

Terminology

There was a large group effort put into the terminology that the dogs used, as it was to be vastly different from the terminology that the cats used.[5] As opposed to "twoleg", humans are referred to as "longpaws", and their vehicles are called "loudcages" instead of "monsters".[6] The dogs refer to cats themselves as "sharpclaws". In addition, there are four types of dogs: a Pack Dog, who is part of a pack; a Leashed Dog, who belongs to a human; a Lone Dog, who is a stray dog living on their own; and a Fierce Dog, which is a dog bred to fight or defend.

Themes

Philip has said that a main theme of Survivors is "fitting in", as Lucky is a Lone Dog at heart and feels out of place in his Leashed Pack.[3] Philip says that the theme is especially relevant to many of the young readers, who are trying to find "their own place in the world and at the same time keeping hold of their new identity".[3] Philip has also said that an advantage of writing stories is that "[y]ou can do all the romance and war and friendship and loyalty. You can do all that human stuff through animals."[7] Philip has said that an advantage of writing about dogs is that they "are so much less self-reliant than cats", which she believes will "make for some good stories".[8] Another main theme of the series is the complex canine pack structure that is different, but is also familiar to a human family.[3]

Publication history

The first book The Empty City was first published as a hardcover by HarperCollins on 21 August 2012[9] and released as an e-book on the same day.[10] It was released in paperback on 7 May 2013.[11] The sequel to The Empty City, A Hidden Enemy, was also published on 7 May 2013 as a hardcover[12] and released as an e-book on the same day.[13] It was released in paperback on 11 February 2014.[14] The third book in the series, Darkness Falls, was published as a hardcover on 3 September 2013[15] and released as an e-book on the same day.[16] It was released in paperback on 3 June 2014.[17] The fourth book in the series The Broken Path was first published as a hardcover on 11 February 2014 [18] and released as an e-book on the same day.[19] It was released in paperback on 10 February 2015.[20] The fifth book in the series The Endless Lake was also published as a hardcover on 3 June 2014[21] and released as an e-book on the same day.[22] It was released in paperback on 2 June 2015.[23] The sixth book Storm of Dogs was published as a hardcover on 10 February 2015[24] and was released as an e-book on the same day.[25] It was released in paperback on 13 October 2015.[26]

The first book of the second arc A Pack Divided was first published as a hardcover on 13 October 2015[27] and released as an e-book on the same day.[28] It was released in paperback on 7 June 2016.[29] The second book Dead of Night was first published as a hardclver on 7 June 2016[30] and released as an e-book on the same day.[31] It was released in paperback on 7 February 2017.[32] The third book Into the Shadows was also first published on 7 February 2017[33] and released as an e-book on the same day.[34] It will be released in paperback on 3 October 2017.[35] The fourth book Red Moon Rising is set to release in hardcover on 3 October 2017.[36]

Three e-book novellas have released in addition to the arcs. The first e-book novella Alpha's Tale was released on 29 April 2014.[37] The second novella Sweet's Journey released on 10 February 2015.[38] The third Moon's Choice was released on 5 May 2015.[39]

Critical reception

Reviews of Survivors were initially positive, while they began to take on a more negative tone as the series progressed. Booklist enjoyed the "fast-moving" plot and the characterization of the first book. The reviewer also said it was a "promising start" to the Survivors series.[40] Kirkus Reviews gave the novel a starred review, writing, "Hunter expertly explores the tensions between responsibility and freedom; risk and safety; and loyalty and acceptance". The reviewer goes on to say that Lucky's point-of-view made "even the most mundane or familiar seem alive with magic".[41] The Horn Book Magazine criticized the first book for its large number of characters, but added that its "action-packed suspense" makes a "promising start" to the series.[42] Voice of Youth Advocates stated that the new set of words used may puzzle readers, adding that the cliff hanger ending will leave readers "eagerly awaiting" the next book.[42] The second book received another starred review from Kirkus Reviews, calling it "perfectly crafted".[43] Booklist commented on the cliffhanger, stating that it will leave "avid" fans waiting for the next installment, but many readers will be "jarred" by the lack of a satisfying conclusion.[44] The Horn Book Magazine writes that "the large number of characters is hard to keep track of" but states that Lucky's dilemma "adds suspense".[45] In a review for the third book, it comments again about the large number of characters but says that the action will "please fans", calling Lucy a "sympathetic protagonist".[46] It repeats the statement in a review for the fifth book The Endless Lake,[47] and comments about the number of characters again in a review for the sixth book Storm of Dogs.[48]

The Horn Book praised the first book of the second arc A Pack Divided, calling it a "winsome, adventurous installment" of the series.[49] It stated that new readers would have trouble tracking the characters and backstories in a review for the second book, but comments that "Hunter devotees will appreciate how the dogs' saga deepens in this Survivors spinoff series.[50]

In Other Media

Warner Bros. Pictures acquired the film rights along with Legendary Pictures.

References

  1. ↑ "Erin Hunter chat #5 transcript – August 16, 2008". Wands And Worlds. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 2008-08-16.
  2. ↑ "Erin Hunter Chat Transcript 8/14/2010 - part 2". Wands and Worlds. 14 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Carpenter, Susan (26 August 2012). "Erin Hunter goes from cats to dogs in 'Survivors'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  4. 1 2 3 "Q&A – Gillian & Inbali". www.warriorcats.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Brown, Jennifer M. (11 July 2012). "Wednesday, July 2011, 2012: Kids' Maximum Shelf: Survivors | Shelf Awareness". Shelf Awareness. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "The Empty City Book Review - Plugged In". Pluggedin.com. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Barron, Christina (14 June 2013). "Author Gillian Philip tells stories from the animal's point of view". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  8. ↑ MacPherson, Karen (19 May 2013). "Meet animal-fantasy writer Erin Hunter — or, at least, one of them". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 24 July 2013.
  9. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #1: The Empty City - Erin Hunter - Hardcover". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  10. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #1: The Empty City - Erin Hunter - E-book". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  11. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #1: The Empty City - Erin Hunter - Paperback". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  12. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #2: A Hidden Enemy - Erin Hunter - Hardcover". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  13. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #2: A Hidden Enemy - Erin Hunter - E-book". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  14. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #2: A Hidden Enemy - Erin Hunter - Paperback". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  15. ↑ "Survivors #3: Darkness Falls: Erin Hunter: 9780062102645: Amazon.com: Books". Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  16. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #3: Darkness Falls - Erin Hunter - E-book". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  17. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #3: Darkness Falls - Erin Hunter - Paperback". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  18. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #4: The Broken Path - Erin Hunter - Hardcover". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  19. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #4: The Broken Path - Erin Hunter - E-book". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  20. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #4: The Broken Path - Erin Hunter - Paperback". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  21. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #5: The Endless Lake - Erin Hunter - Hardcover". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  22. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #5: The Endless Lake - Erin Hunter - E-book". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  23. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #5: The Endless Lake - Erin Hunter - Paperback". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  24. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #6: Storm of Dogs - Erin Hunter - Hardcover". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  25. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors #6: Storm of Dogs - Erin Hunter - E-book". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  26. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2015-10-13). "Survivors #6: Storm of Dogs - Erin Hunter - Paperback". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  27. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2015-10-13). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #1: A Pack Divided - Erin Hunter - Hardcover". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  28. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2015-10-13). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #1: A Pack Divided - Erin Hunter - E-book". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  29. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #1: A Pack Divided - Erin Hunter - Paperback". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  30. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #2: Dead of Night - Erin Hunter - Hardcover". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  31. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #2: Dead of Night - Erin Hunter - E-book". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  32. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #2: Dead of Night - Erin Hunter - Paperback". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  33. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #3: Into the Shadows - Erin Hunter - Hardcover". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  34. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #3: Into the Shadows - Erin Hunter - E-book". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  35. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #3: Into the Shadows - Erin Hunter - Paperback". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  36. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #4: Red Moon Rising - Erin Hunter - Hardcover". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  37. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2014-04-29). "Survivors: Alpha's Tale". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  38. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Survivors: Sweet's Journey - Erin Hunter - E-book". HarperCollins US. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
  39. ↑ Hunter, Erin (2017-01-26). "Survivors: Moon's Choice". Harpercollins.com. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  40. ↑ "Empty City, by Erin Hunter | Booklist Online". Booklist Online. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
  41. ↑ "The Empty City by Erin Hunter | Kirkus Book Reviews". 1 August 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  42. 1 2 Hunter, Erin. "The Empty City (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons". Kcls.bibliocommons.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  43. ↑ Matlack, James (2013-05-07). "A HIDDEN ENEMY by Erin Hunter". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  44. ↑ "Hidden Enemy, by Erin Hunter". Booklist Online. 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  45. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "A Hidden Enemy (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons". Kcls.bibliocommons.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  46. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Darkness Falls (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons". Kcls.bibliocommons.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  47. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "The Endless Lake (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons". Kcls.bibliocommons.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  48. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Storm of Dogs (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons". =Kcls.bibliocommons.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  49. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "A Pack Divided (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons". Kcls.bibliocommons.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  50. ↑ Hunter, Erin. "Dead of Night (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons". Kcls.bibliocommons.com. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
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