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samantha_duncan 's review for:
The Rise of Scourge
by Erin Hunter
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's my first Warriors manga and I have a dissertation, what else is newwwww.
I'm unaware if all the Warriors manga books have both B&W and full color editions. I'm glad I went with the latter (though possibly there's a nostalgia vibe to reading the B&W editions). We have a different artist from the newer graphic novels, and I enjoyed this art more, for reasons I'm not enough of an art person to explain. These cats were just fun to look at, page after page? They made Scourge look so cute??
Yeah, about that. I don't often read stories like this and don't know how to feel about retconning a villain through an origin story. Scourge isn't a super popular villain from the original series, but he played an integral role intaking down the all-mighty Trumpian dictator villain, Tigerstar , so I guess we can't hate him that much. Still, why turn this ruthless murderer into a big-eyed kitty you'd never refuse to feed? Hurt people hurt people is a worthy message, I guess, and the purpose of this story is to show the trauma that shaped him into a cat that kills.
Also a message worth repeating is that mediocre men can achieve anything. Initially called Tiny, Scourge is made fun of by his siblings and ostracized to the point he runs away. He manages to befriend some city cats by inadvertently pretending to be a badass fighter and keeps up the ruse long enough to become a leader of the pack. Even the dog teeth he collects in his collar, meant to symbolize dogs he's killed, aren't from dogs he's actually killed; the first one landed there purely by accident when he used it to try to get the collar off. It's maddening, but hey, men do this alllllll the time!
Those who are reading chronologically are by now familiar with the scene in which Scourge first meets Tigerclaw, who almost kills him before Bluefur steps in and stops him. This becomes the core of Scourge's origin story, and he vows to seek vengeance on Tigerclaw. I kind of love the interconnectedness of everything, even though much of this is the Erins retroactively developing these backstories. It makes the original series that everyone already loves that much more enjoyable.
There's a rather big revelation in this book, and I was surprised to go to the reviews and not see anyone talking about it. Maybe others don't see it as the bombshell I do, butwe get a subtle reveal that Firestar and Scourge are half-brothers and it blew my ever-loving miiiiiind. It's not a meaningful detail in the grand scheme of Warriors lore. But symbolically, it continues a running theme of this universe - that everyone is connected. Clans are intermixed, going back generations, and good and evil are related by blood (really gives a new significance to the name Bloodclan). It's poignant af that the two cats who both led the clans to success and eliminated a threat are from the same family. AND they're both kittypets, giving ample reason for the clans to shove their bigotry . Anyway, somebody please talk to me about the casual mindfuck the Erins dropped in here before I lose it, thanks.
I'm unaware if all the Warriors manga books have both B&W and full color editions. I'm glad I went with the latter (though possibly there's a nostalgia vibe to reading the B&W editions). We have a different artist from the newer graphic novels, and I enjoyed this art more, for reasons I'm not enough of an art person to explain. These cats were just fun to look at, page after page? They made Scourge look so cute??
Yeah, about that. I don't often read stories like this and don't know how to feel about retconning a villain through an origin story. Scourge isn't a super popular villain from the original series, but he played an integral role in
Also a message worth repeating is that mediocre men can achieve anything. Initially called Tiny, Scourge is made fun of by his siblings and ostracized to the point he runs away. He manages to befriend some city cats by inadvertently pretending to be a badass fighter and keeps up the ruse long enough to become a leader of the pack. Even the dog teeth he collects in his collar, meant to symbolize dogs he's killed, aren't from dogs he's actually killed; the first one landed there purely by accident when he used it to try to get the collar off. It's maddening, but hey, men do this alllllll the time!
Those who are reading chronologically are by now familiar with the scene in which Scourge first meets Tigerclaw, who almost kills him before Bluefur steps in and stops him. This becomes the core of Scourge's origin story, and he vows to seek vengeance on Tigerclaw. I kind of love the interconnectedness of everything, even though much of this is the Erins retroactively developing these backstories. It makes the original series that everyone already loves that much more enjoyable.
There's a rather big revelation in this book, and I was surprised to go to the reviews and not see anyone talking about it. Maybe others don't see it as the bombshell I do, but