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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
Rereading the Survivors series! Survivors was honestly the series that got me into Erin Hunter, and Erin Hunter was really what got me into reading a lot, so this series holds a special place in my heart. It’s not one of my favorite series as of right now (it used to be), but it’s a still really good series and I’m pretty excited for this reread!
This was a bedtime read aloud that I let my son pick. He is a huge Warriors fan, but it took a lot for him to consider dealing with any of the other series generated by the Erin Hunter author team. He really enjoyed it as a read aloud and zipped through the sequel immediately after. Through my adult lenses, I saw the events unfolding as a nuclear meltdown/earthquake anomaly, but it didn't matter to my son. What mattered is that these scrappy dogs SURVIVED:-)
"Left Behind" but with dogs. and without the biblical basis behind the story, it's terrifying. especially for the intended demographic. i would not let my kids read this.
Cute for a kid's book. I really only stuck with it because there was a part Westie named Daisy. I love those Westies named Daisy. Doubt I will read the rest of the serie though...
I really liked this book. Although it did make me look at my dog every other page like, "I will never leave you". He just looked back at me like "wha?"
Star Rating: 4 stars
Because I still felt that I needed something to cleanse my palate, I decided to pick up another one of my “animal fantasy” books (Too many epic fantasy books in a roll had me feeling slumpy). This time it was my all-time favorite author in this genre’s turn- Erin Hunter (yes, I realize she is multiple people but for simplicity’s sake, I will be referring to her as an individual), and I chose the 1st book in her Survivors series, The Empty City. Although I still vastly prefer Warriors or her new series Bravelands (Those are my 2 favorites), I still greatly enjoyed this novel. It tells the story of Lucky, a Lone Dog who is contained within a “Trap House” or a pound when a “Big Growl” or an earthquake hits. He manages to break free but quickly learns that it is extremely hard to survive on one’s own after such an extensive natural disaster. However, when he meets a group of Leashed Dogs that are also struggling to survive due to the fact that their natural instincts have been eliminated by their owners; he decides to join forces with them in a partnership to survive.
On the plus side, I really enjoyed the themes in this book, especially when it comes to how animals would react after a natural disaster and who would fill the power vacuum at the top of the food chain if humans were to disappear. After the Big Growl, all the humans packed up everything and left, without taking their dogs on most occasions. Side note, I understand that they were scared and in a hurry, but in all honesty, my dog would be the 1st thing that I packed because I literally could not live without him. Anyway, I thought it was interesting learning how different kinds of animals would react to different stimulus. Could former pet dogs actually learn how to survive in the wild if humans were to suddenly disappear? I would like to hope so, for my puppy’s sake, although as previously mentioned, I would never leave him behind like that. I thought it was very interesting to consider how animals like dogs would react to us suddenly dropping off the face of the earth.
On the negative side, I thought that the writing was a little clunkier then it usually is and the mythos that they developed for the dogs was a little confusing and not very concise like normal. When I started reading the book, I was finding it hard to get into, which is unusual for Hunter’s books. I think it is because in her other series, she already has the culture/society set up and just has to put the characters in it. In this story she has to set up a scenario to explain why all these dogs have been left to their own devices, where all the humans have gone to, and what has happened to the environment in which they’re living. I think her having to take these extra steps bogged her writing down and made it hard to get into, however, once everything was set up, the book became completely interesting and engrossing. Also, her mythos was a little all the place. If you are wondering why mythos is necessary, you have to understand that even dogs have to wonder where they came from, what their place is in the world, and what will happen when they die. Because if they don’t, then what is the reason for even existing? Hunter seems like she was having trouble with this mythos, but again this she is probably trying to develop it over the course of the 1st book, which is not something that she is used to doing. However, over the course of the novel, she drops hints that over the course of the next few books, she will have this world all straightened out and we will be able to become fully immersed in the world like we have grown used to from her other series.
All in all, I enjoyed this book, though not as much as I have enjoyed some of her other series. I am interested in continuing because I think the series has promise, Hunter just had some issues with pacing because she was trying to build a whole new world, which is something that she hasn’t done yet, such most of the time she places her characters in an already established world. Although the 1st half was really hard to get through, the 2nd half thoroughly made up for it. 4 stars!
Because I still felt that I needed something to cleanse my palate, I decided to pick up another one of my “animal fantasy” books (Too many epic fantasy books in a roll had me feeling slumpy). This time it was my all-time favorite author in this genre’s turn- Erin Hunter (yes, I realize she is multiple people but for simplicity’s sake, I will be referring to her as an individual), and I chose the 1st book in her Survivors series, The Empty City. Although I still vastly prefer Warriors or her new series Bravelands (Those are my 2 favorites), I still greatly enjoyed this novel. It tells the story of Lucky, a Lone Dog who is contained within a “Trap House” or a pound when a “Big Growl” or an earthquake hits. He manages to break free but quickly learns that it is extremely hard to survive on one’s own after such an extensive natural disaster. However, when he meets a group of Leashed Dogs that are also struggling to survive due to the fact that their natural instincts have been eliminated by their owners; he decides to join forces with them in a partnership to survive.
On the plus side, I really enjoyed the themes in this book, especially when it comes to how animals would react after a natural disaster and who would fill the power vacuum at the top of the food chain if humans were to disappear. After the Big Growl, all the humans packed up everything and left, without taking their dogs on most occasions. Side note, I understand that they were scared and in a hurry, but in all honesty, my dog would be the 1st thing that I packed because I literally could not live without him. Anyway, I thought it was interesting learning how different kinds of animals would react to different stimulus. Could former pet dogs actually learn how to survive in the wild if humans were to suddenly disappear? I would like to hope so, for my puppy’s sake, although as previously mentioned, I would never leave him behind like that. I thought it was very interesting to consider how animals like dogs would react to us suddenly dropping off the face of the earth.
On the negative side, I thought that the writing was a little clunkier then it usually is and the mythos that they developed for the dogs was a little confusing and not very concise like normal. When I started reading the book, I was finding it hard to get into, which is unusual for Hunter’s books. I think it is because in her other series, she already has the culture/society set up and just has to put the characters in it. In this story she has to set up a scenario to explain why all these dogs have been left to their own devices, where all the humans have gone to, and what has happened to the environment in which they’re living. I think her having to take these extra steps bogged her writing down and made it hard to get into, however, once everything was set up, the book became completely interesting and engrossing. Also, her mythos was a little all the place. If you are wondering why mythos is necessary, you have to understand that even dogs have to wonder where they came from, what their place is in the world, and what will happen when they die. Because if they don’t, then what is the reason for even existing? Hunter seems like she was having trouble with this mythos, but again this she is probably trying to develop it over the course of the 1st book, which is not something that she is used to doing. However, over the course of the novel, she drops hints that over the course of the next few books, she will have this world all straightened out and we will be able to become fully immersed in the world like we have grown used to from her other series.
All in all, I enjoyed this book, though not as much as I have enjoyed some of her other series. I am interested in continuing because I think the series has promise, Hunter just had some issues with pacing because she was trying to build a whole new world, which is something that she hasn’t done yet, such most of the time she places her characters in an already established world. Although the 1st half was really hard to get through, the 2nd half thoroughly made up for it. 4 stars!
Didn’t give me the same feel as warriors, this didn’t really have a good plot imo or interesting enough characters
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I remember reading the first book of this series many years prior but actually never finishing the whole series. I also remember that I had lost interest but not why exactly, so i eventually decided to give this another go. After reading this book again, I now understand why I lost interest because it feels like nothing really happens throughout most chapters. The beginning is actually interesting, one can only guess what has happened to the city and then the main character just travels from one place to the next while collecting a group of dogs. He also loves to reminds us all the time that he hates pack life. The middle dragged a lot but the ending was a bit more interesting cause some tension was added and then directly taken away. All the characters felt much alike except for my favorite, Sunshine, such a cutey!
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No