4/9/12

'Midnight'

Author: Erin Hunter
Series: The New Prophesy Warriors
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Harper Collins

I had seen this book on several occasions, so I picked it up at the library over the weekend to preview for my little sister.
Midnight echoes with Redwall-esque themes - clans of animals with their own distinct societies living together in the forest, away from humans, or 'Twolegs' as they call them - only all of the characters are cats.
The many similar names of characters made them somewhat difficult to tell apart (Tawnypelt and Cinderpelt and Dustpelt and Sorrelpaw and Squirrelpaw... you get the idea) but the book still had the potential to be delightful.
Unfortunately, the author took it in the other direction. In this cat society Erin Hunter has constructed, there are separate cat clans - RiverClan, ThunderClan, etc. - and when a cat dies, they become part of 'StarClan'. StarClan in turn is the force that guides the cats in the still-living clans. The books starts off with StarClan sending a prophetic dream to the main character, calling him to some grand but vague destiny he doesn't understand. Throughout the story, the cats use phrases like 'StarClan willing' or 'thank StarClan', which is a deal-breaker for me.
I didn't even bother finishing the book. My little sister won't be reading it, either.
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6 comments:

  1. LostarielApril 9, 2012 at 10:57 AM

    I don't see how that's any worse than another book with false gods. A while back you reviewed Book of a Thousand Days and said you enjoyed it despite the polytheistic religion. Out of curiosity, why is this different for you?

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    1. Mary Ruth PursselleyApril 9, 2012 at 2:01 PM

      Very good question. The main reason, I guess, is that in Book of a Thousand Days the religion of the main characters wasn't the focus. The story was focused on the characters and their situations, and the characters just happened to hold polytheistic beliefs. The religious aspect was very low-key and kept in the background.
      In Midnight, the religion was the whole foundation for the story. The ancestors sent the main character a vision/dream that was what started the entire plot, and the ancestor-based religion was kept much more in the spotlight. There was even a scene that showed the ancestors themselves deciding the destinies of the living cats, choosing who to ordain for a certain mission, etc. For me, this is quite a bit different than, for instance, the culture in Book of a Thousand Days, in which the 'gods' were never more than passing thoughts in a character's mind and their active involvement in events is never really certain.
      Again, great question. Thanks for asking! : )

      Delete
    2. LostarielApril 9, 2012 at 2:04 PM

      Oh, thank YOU for answering in a way that makes a lot of sense. :)

      Delete
    3. Mary Ruth PursselleyApril 9, 2012 at 2:19 PM

      You're welcome.

      Delete
  2. ElfApril 17, 2012 at 4:34 PM

    Just curious. Does this mean you don't like Star Wars?

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    Replies
    1. Mary Ruth PursselleyApril 17, 2012 at 6:01 PM

      I actually have not seen Star Wars (shocking, I know) so I couldn't say whether I like it or not.

      Delete

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