Warrior Cats, a series of books that have sold in excess of 90 million copies worldwide, will be adapted as an animated series.
The new TV series is already in production with Chinese media giant Tencent producing in tandem with El Guiri Studios, an animation studio in Madrid.
The series will likely premiere in 2027.
I read the first volume of Warriors a few years ago to see what all the fuss was about and found a much better story than I expected. The narrative follows a young domestic cat named Rusty who ditches his comfortable life to join a clan of stray and feral cats living in the woods near his former home.
As he adjusts to his new surroundings, he’s welcomed and supported by the clan’s cats, but others mock him as a “kittypet.” Rusty is determined to prove himself and his value to the clan.
The narrative is well paced, and there’s a compelling mix of world-building and action. The series is written for younger readers, probably appealing most to teens and pre-teens, but the authors — who collectively work under the pen name Erin Hunter — don’t condescend to their audience.
There’s tragedy, despair and death, but the book treats them with appropriate gravity, never trivializing events.
At a time when 28 percent of American adults are functionally illiterate, more than half read below a sixth-grade level, and schools are churning out graduates who struggle to read simple sentences, you’ve got to reach younger readers where they are.
We’re living through an unprecedented backslide in capability, one that cannot be fully explained by COVID-prompted disruptions to education.
Well-written books like Warriors are crucial in getting kids to read and turning it from a chore to something they enjoy. In a way, they’re this generation’s version of Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter. Let’s hope the animated series inspires even more kids to pick up the books it’s based on.
Pain In The Bud 
I read almost all of them!! Had to stop because there was a family tragedy. I wish i never gave those books away.
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There are apparently more than 50 of them now, not including graphic novels, manga and stories in other mediums.
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I remember ordering the next one at Barnes and Noble and never picked it up. Might have had a gray cat on that one. My mom was very and never read another one. Might of been 10th book. And what imbeciles are bashing these books? IT’S NOT REAL. The only thing i thought at that time was the reality of feral cats and strays in the streets and how these books kinda of told thier stories. Death. Life. Fight for survival from the elements and humans. This is the life of feral colonies and all the things that happened with my colony. Including a cat that was riddled with cancer and had to be put to sleep.
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Have you checked your local library? That’s where I first found the books. Now I have a small but growing collection.
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That’s excellent news! Why it took so long to get to this point is beyond me, but knowing a tv series is in the works makes up for that.
Reams have been written about the flaws of the Warrior books. Like you wrote, the books – especially the first series – are good reading. I’m waaaay beyond the targeted age group and found the books remarkable.
Cat fans should check out the series, there are a lot of books.
Little Buddy may get ideas from Rusty’s journey from kittypet to greatest leader of all times. You’ve been warned!
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Bud’s more like Smudge, Rusty’s fellow kittypet pal from early in the first book who got the snip. Of course, if he asks, then he’s a brave and meowscular tiger.
I’m surprised there’s been that much criticism of the Warriors books. Why are people unhappy with them?
My only real reservations are about kids separating fantasy from reality. In other words, I hope the books don’t inspire people to let their cats run wild in the woods, or skip spay/neuter.
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There have been complaints that the books don’t accurately depict cats, that they’re too violent, too formulaic etc.
No duh on the depiction, it’s fantasy fiction. I kind of agree with the violence complaint, there are some graphic scenes. As for being formulaic: the first series was to be a stand alone. When the books became popular more series were added, as well as Super Editions and short stories.
Not sure what the chances are of adults/kids getting the wrong idea about cats. The TV series may need a disclaimer! And tone down the violence, too!
Smudge is okay, imagine if Buddy modeled himself after Tigerclaw!
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I was an avid reader and collector of the original series of books. I really loved them, and I was already in my 50s. I got emotionally involved with them like I have with sad movies.
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Same here! I cried my eyes out over some of the storylines.
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Wow! The last ginger cat I lived with, Ortoloni, looked just like Rusty on the cover of Into the Wild. I’ve read every book and own Crookedstar, one of her Super Edition books. I loved the stories and would’ve named Ramses Ravenclaw if it weren’t that he looked like a cat the Pharoahs worshipped.
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Want to hear something crazy? If there are kittens killed in the book series that really happened with a rescuer friend of mine. She put some kittens with a cat mom so kittens can wean from her. These were not her kittens. She killed all 3. Horrible situation.
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