Bluestar's Prophecy – Trip Through Time | Warriors Analysis

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At long last, we have come upon another super edition, the second in the series and…I
don't believe I will be making any friends with this one.
While Firestar's Quest was mostly well known for being the first of its kind, but having
a so-so story, Bluestar's Prophecy instantly became and remains to this day a fan favorite
for its emotional narrative and exploration of Thunderclan when Bluestar was growing up…and
I have several fundamental problems with it, some of which I blame for issues we still
have to this day.
Still, it really isn't all bad and I will be taking a look at this book's strengths
as well as its faults, so rest assured this won't be a video purely bashing on your
darlings.
Bluestar's Prophecy came out on July 28th of 2009, almost 2 years after Firestar's
Quest, a month after Return to the Clans and Code of the Clans, 3 months after Sunrise,
and 4 months before the start of the new main series arc.
Additionally, while the first super edition was written by Cherith Baldry, this one was
written by Kate Cary, who has at this point shown off a certain passion for or focus on
emotions and little character moments where Cherith excels in moving forward a plot and
making it captivating.
Even though all of the books at this point were still heavily drafted by and controlled
by Victoria Holmes, there may be a reason this book turned out the way it did.
I would guess that, either, this emotional story was given to Kate because they knew
her style would fit and / or the story became more rich and emotional as it was in Kate's
hands.
Either way, I'm not complaining about this aspect.
Doing a full allegiance check-in for this book is difficult as it covers a period we've
never seen before in full.
Some names like Pinestar, Sunfall, Dapplepaw and Whitepaw you may recognize from the Code
of the Clans book that just came out, some like Sunfall…perhaps one day Sunstar, and
Featherwhisker were even name-dropped back in Secrets of the Clans, and others such as
Smallear, Raggedpelt, and even little Crookedkit and Graykit, later Graypool, we can recognize
from the original series and know where their paths will lead.
However, the majority of this cast is new or won't be recognizable until later on
in the book, so I'll just note some of the important ones we'll come to know.
Thunderclan's current medicine cat is a tom called Goosefeather, and Featherwhisker
is his apprentice.
Moonflower is currently a queen, with Bluekit and Snowkit as her daughters, and the leaders
are currently Pinestar of Thunderclan, Cedarstar of Shadowclan, Heatherstar of Windclan, and
Hailstar of Riverclan.
The cast size of this book is 58 cats, and there will only be three other super editions
with cast sizes this low, so it's safe to say the speaking cast is pretty tight.
That said, many cats get substantial amounts of lines, which is why the top 10 characters
only get 72% of the lines here, pretty average for a super edition.
38% of the cast is she-cat characters but, thanks to Bluestar and her sister having the
highest linecounts in the book, even though almost every other prominent character is
a tom, she-cats still get 57% of the lines.
This is all, of course, background.
A book's quality has never been determined by its statistics, so let's get into the
real meat of the content and dive into the story.
The prologue consists of the famous scene where Bluestar saved Fireheart from the dogs
and died herself, this time from Bluestar's own point of view.
As she falls into the river, what she calls, “Goosefeather's prophecy” courses through
her mind: “Water will destroy you.”
She also hears Oakheart, who we know to be the father of her kits, telling her not to
give up and guiding her in how to swim until she can be saved by their kits.
She speaks to Fireheart and her kits, and, once they forgive her, she is able to serenely
pass on to Starclan.
Now we zoom back to the very beginning, for her, at least.
We start off…uh odd, with a queen complaining that Bluekit hasn't opened her eyes yet
after literally one day.
Eh, we're all aware that the Erins' knowledge of real cats is…shall we say, inconsistent.
Eventually, Bluekit, excited at the idea of being a warrior, opens her eyes and takes
in her surroundings, including her mother, Moonflower, and her sister, Snowkit.
There are a lot of character-building moments here for everyone in the den, and there will
continue to be for the rest of the book, but because this book is so long already I'm
going to have to pass over most of those for the summary.
Just know that the clan is lent a rich sense of culture as a result of these moments.
Bluekit and Snowkit explore and learn more about their clan, including introducing themselves
to several apprentices, warriors, and other cats we'll come to know in this book.
Bluekit shows herself here to be assertive, curious, and not especially respectful of
authority.
She quickly got annoyed by following the older kits and instead got herself and Snowkit in
trouble by wandering off on their own and into the warriors' den.
We also learn at this point that Goosefeather is Moonflower's brother, and therefore Bluekit's
kin.
The next day, they are presented to their father: Stormtail, who they have already been
told is a great and important warrior who doesn't often have time for his kits because
of his duties.
Stormtail is rather flippant towards them, not showing the interest or enthusiasm that
Moonflower clearly has and saying their mentors will take on the duties of teaching them skills
rather than him.
He leaves almost immediately, as well, since Pinestar asked him to share prey that day.
Before he leaves, he says that kits should stay in the nursery when Bluekit asks to accompany
him and briefly chides them for going into the warriors' den the previous day.
They also get to meet Goosefeather, who Moonflower seems uncomfortable around.
Still, to the kits he is teasing and jovial and willingly shares what his job as a medicine
cat is like.
While Moonflower has to step out, Bluekit and Snowkit get into Goosefeather's herbs
and Snowkit ends up swallowing some poppy seeds, which makes Moonflower frantic and
then furious even though Goosefeather is sure they'll be fine.
More clan time passes by, some kits being born, apprentices and warriors being made,
Sunfall the deputy taking Bluekit to climb up the wall out of camp, and I'll just leave
a note here that *Bluekit* was the one that named Thistlekit when he was born, after his
spiky fur, but we will mostly move past this period.
Bluepaw and Snowpaw are made apprentices, to Stonepelt (the warrior they bumped into
and annoyed as kits) and Sparrowpelt respectively.
Taking them away from the discussion of a potential battle with Windclan over stolen
prey, Stonepelt immediately takes Bluepaw for her first day of training, which involves
learning to properly cut, collect, and carry moss for the elders.
Bluepaw is very disappointed, having wanted to patrol or explore the territory or hunt
or fight, but over the course of the day she ends up learning several skills about control,
precision, and efficiency from Stonepelt's training which she is proud of…until an
older apprentice demeans her for it.
Later, though, when she is eating and relaxing after training, she is able to commiserate
over the elders' grumpiness with the other apprentices, and as a bonus is told by Stonepelt
that they'll be able to start hunting the next morning, so she manages to finish her
first day as an apprentice in very high spirits.
While hunting the next day, Bluepaw shows a little bit of the patience and respect Stonepelt
instilled in her on the previous day, listening to them and asking her questions about the
situation and the choices their mentors made while Snowpaw, bored from just touring the
territory the previous day, rushed in and lost some prey as a result.
Thanks to her work, Bluepaw managed to catch a squirrel on the way back, an impressive
feat for an apprentice's first day of practice, and the clan is very enthusiastic, none more
than Moonflower.
Bluepaw was then invited to go to the gathering that night, though Snowpaw stayed behind.
Bluepaw is given the day to just sleep and help with the kits after that point, where
more cats are discussing the tensions with Windclan.
They are cut off, though, when Goosefeather sees an omen in a vole meaning “Destruction
For Us All.”
Some cats don't believe him, hinting at Goosefeather's reputation, but with several
other cats sure that it has to do with Windclan's theft, going into leaf-bare, Pinestar is convinced
enough to launch an attack on them at dawn.
Bluepaw and Snowpaw, because they have received no battle training, will act as messengers
and carry the wounded, but not participate in the battle.
The clan prepares, with a nervous Bluepaw going to both Pinestar and Moonflower for
advice.
Moonflower gives her kits some extra moss and reassurance that the next day will go
fine.
The next morning, before they leave, Goosefeather finds another omen in some catmint attached
to the original vole.
He says they need to take the battle to Windclan's camp and destroy their medicine supply.
Trusting in their medicine cat and Starclan, the clan reluctantly agrees to save their
own clanmates over Windclan's and set off with this new purpose…
It does not go well.
Leopardpaw and Stonepelt are wounded, Hawkheart, the Windclan medicine cat who used to be a
fearsome warrior, almost attacks Bluepaw, and once Moonflower reaches the medicine supplies,
Hawkheart takes her down and kills her.
Stormtail had already rescued Dappletail, another warrior, and was too far away to help.
Bluepaw's mother was dead.
Thunderclan had to retreat and Windclan felt righteous, considering how dishonorable Thunderclan's
tactics were.
Bluepaw vows to take care of Snowpaw, even if she doesn't want it.
Much of the clan blames Goosefeather for Moonflower's death and the other injuries, Bluepaw included,
but Pinestar shuts these accusations down.
Bluepaw grieves heavily over her mother, and it doesn't help that, when Stonepelt's
wound doesn't heal and he retires, Bluepaw is left with a brand new mentor in Sunfall.
Bluepaw is notably more irritable and less eager than before, especially in comparison
to the new younger apprentices like Lionpaw.
Even Snowpaw, it seems, has been starting to laugh more with him, Rosepaw, and Thistlepaw
around, but Bluepaw isn't willing to give up on her grief, because it would feel like
giving up on her mother.
Sunfall stops her alone to talk about her recklessness, poor performance in training,
and irritability.
He knows she misses Moonflower, but wants her to find a way to move forward, knowing
she died for the clan.
Bluepaw has a whole internal monologue during his speech but ultimately decides that she
*will* work harder and be the best warrior, but she won't let go of or forget about
Moonflower either.
She is also invited to the gathering again, even though Sunfall isn't sure she deserves
it.
At the gathering, Hawkheart chides Bluepaw again, Snowpaw points out Talltail, who Sparrowpelt
says might be deputy one day, Thistlepaw is told by his mentor Adderfang to avoid attacking
cats like he did last moon, and generally no one is a fan of Thunderclan at the moment.
Riverclan comes in last and Bluepaw is slid into by another apprentice, although he looked
old enough to be a warrior, with a lopsided jaw, Crookedpaw.
He's a cheerful and extroverted companion at his first gathering, his apprenticeship
having been delayed for some reason, and they enjoy each others' company while the gathering
goes on.
It is here where Crookedpaw's brother, Oakheart, is pointed out to her, and where she declares
vehemently that she would want to be leader.
Snowpaw is accusatory about how close they were behaving, but Bluepaw insists nothing
was going on, now like how Snowpaw moons over Thistlepaw…which she is, flirting with him
quite a bit whenever they're around each other.
Back in camp, Bluepaw is still grumpy and getting increasingly annoyed with Goosefeather
for not thinking enough of others, Sunfall for telling her not to get angry at Goosefeather,
and Snowpaw for flirting with Thistlepaw happily despite their mother's death.
She does help Lionpaw in training, with their mentor's guidance, teaching him to plan
out and execute his moves with precision rather than rushing in blindly, and helping Goldenpaw
to not think so much and to rely more on her instincts in the moment.
Bluepaw accidentally nicks Goldenpaw's ear while in a fight and, while her mother Speckletail
is petrified, Stormtail comes over to compliment Bluepaw's fighting skills and say Moonflower
would have been proud.
Speeding forward a little more, Riverclan attacks at Sunningrocks to try and steal back
the territory and Bluepaw ends up fighting Crookedpaw, who is much less jovial when confronted
as an opponent.
Bluepaw and Snowpaw work together to drive him away.
Later, while hunting, Bluepaw is approached by a kittypet named Jake who asks her about
being in a clan.
She's not receptive to the conversation but does see Pinestar who takes her back across
their border.
He explains kittypets aren't dangerous at all, but they don't mix with clan cats,
and Bluepaw should stay away from the twolegplace.
Bluepaw and Snowpaw get into some trouble with a fox while hunting and end up almost
singed by a fire started by a lightning strike, leading Bluepaw to end up in the medicine
den where, almost halfway through this book, we finally understand what Bluestar said in
the prologue.
Goosefeather tells her the lightning was a sign and that Bluepaw is fire, and will blaze
through the forest.
However, she must beware as even the most powerful flames can be destroyed by water.
Bluepaw thinks about it a lot, but Snowpaw tells her not to bother considering Goosefeather's
track record with prophecies.
Snowpaw also tells her to make an effort to befriend Thistlepaw, like she does, but Bluepaw
isn't receptive at all.
Bluefur and Snowfur are made warriors and spend their first day helping Featherwhisker
gather herbs, where they again see Pinestar hanging around in the twolegplace, but decide
to pay it no mind.
At the next gathering, Bluefur meets Crookedjaw, also now a warrior, who has returned to his
joyful self.
The clans are also, for once, on the same page as they all complain about kittypets
rather than each other, save for Pinestar who seems unwilling to do so.
After the gathering, Pinestar takes Bluefur with him to the Moonstone, as was still tradition
at this time, where she receives a visceral vision of the same drowning sensation Goosefeather
warned her against.
Clan life continues as tensions with Riverclan rise, more kits are finally born, including
a tom named Tigerkit, a bellyache sickness catches three cats and kills Sweetpaw, and
Goosefeather raves about the awful signs everywhere.
Also, Pinestar's interest in the twolegplace is discovered by Lionpaw, and then Bluefur
as well.
Thistlepaw, despite undermining Bluefur on a patrol she leads, manages to save them from
a dog and is made a warrior: Thistleclaw.
After Sweetpaw's death, Riverclan tries to invade past Sunningrocks and into the woods,
which does not go well for them, even though they still have Sunningrocks itself since
Pinestar gave it up without a fight.
Pinestar himself, though, was not present and comes back in time to reenact the scene
from Code of the Clans where he says he is giving up his leadership to become a kittypet,
thanking Lionpaw on the way out.
Sunfall becomes Sunstar with Tawnyspots as his deputy and Rosepaw becomes Rosetail.
This is also when we learn both Thistleclaw and Bluefur are vying for the leadership position.
Snowfur takes Bluefur out to explain she's going to have Thistleclaw's kits, trying
one last time to convince her sister he is a loyal and strong mate.
Bluefur agrees to be happy about the kits, even if she can't begin to like Thistleclaw.
Snowfur's kit is born: Whitekit, and more kits are born as well to fill up the nursery.
Unfortunately Goosefeather seems extremely agitated by Tigerkit's existence, which
in his case means a lot of lashing out and insults, along with demands to keep “that
creature” away from him.
After talking with Snowfur in the nursery and Thrushpelt and Goldenpaw just outside,
Bluefur runs into Oakheart casually invading Thunderclan territory, laughing as Bluefur
falls into the river trying to drive him off.
As soon as he leaves, Rosetail finds Bluefur and, after helping her out of the water, comments
that she looks moony like Snowfur does over Thistleclaw and assumes it must be over Thrushpelt,
since he moons over her, according to Rosetail anyway.
We are two thirds of the way through this book and this is the first time Bluefur romance
with either Thrushpelt or Oakheart has come up.
Anyway Bluefur takes Snowfur out for a walk so she can stretch her legs like she wanted
to and…while in an argument over whether or not Bluefur is being soft on Riverclan
or loyal to Thunderclan based on her conversation with Oakheart, they spot some Shadowclan warriors
just inside their territory and chase them off.
However, Snowfur chases them onto the Thunderpath and…Bluefur loses another family member.
She tells Whitekit what happened to his mother, heartbreakingly, and Bluefur herself curses
Starclan in the moment for being so cruel as to take away both her sister and mother.
Once again, for a long period, Bluefur is thrown into a depressive episode through grief,
leading her to participate less in and have much less interest in clan life.
However, Featherwhisker points out she does need to put in the effort to be a good role
model for Whitekit, considering his only other familial influence is Thistleclaw.
Oakheart also speaks at the gathering like a leader, which annoys Bluefur to no end,
especially when Rosetail comments on how handsome he is.
Bluefur also begins spending time with Whitekit again, against Thistleclaw's wishes, and
Goosefeather warns her not to let Whitekit get hurt by the thistle's thorns, along
with later warning her that she needs to become deputy precisely because Thistleclaw also
wants the job, and he has “blood in his path.”
She must concentrate only on becoming deputy and let absolutely nothing else distract her.
Bluefur is asked to bring Thistleclaw and his new apprentice Tigerpaw to check on reports
of kittypets at their border, where we see another familiar scene play out: this time
of Tigerpaw attacking and driving off Tiny, later named Scourge, with Thistleclaw goading
him on.
For Bluefur, this convinces her to never let Thistleclaw become deputy.
More time passes, Tigerclaw and Whitestorm are made warriors, Bluefur takes on Frostpaw
as an apprentice, and cats start pushing her into finding a mate now that she has finished
essentially raising Whitestorm.
She meets Oakheart again for another 2-minute conversation and brushes it off.
Thunderclan also takes Sunningrocks back, without a fight, by using what one might call
firm diplomacy on Sunstar's part.
On the way back, Oakheart demands to talk to Bluefur in secret and says that he can't
stop thinking about her, that he wants to know her deeply, and to meet her the following
night at Fourtrees at moonhigh.
Bluefur knows it's wrong but feels a strange attraction to him and, ultimately, against
her better judgment, decides to meet him.
They climb and chat and tease each other but other than saying they've both waited so
long to be with each other, nothing specific is shared between them and Bluefur calls it
off there, knowing this could never happen and she wouldn't ever think of him again
after this night.
Thrushpelt is also trying to be nice to her but, now that she knows he likes her and she
does not like him, it is uncomfortable.
Oh and to add to the misfortune, after literally one night, Bluefur is expecting kits, and
Tawnyspots is old and sick enough that Sunstar is looking into a new deputy.
Bluefur immediately tells Oakheart who, to his credit, says he's ready to move to Thunderclan
with her in a heartbeat, even despite his personal ambitions.
However, Bluefur doesn't want him to give his dreams up and insists they stay separate
and keep their relations a secret.
Oakheart accepts but says he will be there if she needs him and they'll always be his
kits as well.
Thrushpelt, too, finds out about the kits because Rosetail preemptively congratulated
him on being their father and tells Bluefur that she doesn't need to reveal anything,
but can tell the clan he is their father if it would be easier.
Thistleclaw also finds Oakheart on Thunderclan's side of the border and, again, ruthlessly
chases him off.
Bluefur tries to warn Sunstar about him but he won't hear of it and tells Bluefur to
stay back from patrols because of her kits.
He had hoped she would succeed him but she has another path now, that of a mother…which,
you know, totally means that you can't be deputy, and fortunately (looking at Thistleclaw)
there's another cat who can be.
Bluefur has her kits, which she names Stonekit, Mistykit, and Mosskit (a she-cat as in Secrets
of the Clans).
She has also chosen to accept the clan's assumption that Thrushpelt is their father,
though not confirming it openly.
While she is nursing, Goosefeather comes in to remind her of her prophecy and openly tells
her that the kits have a father who would raise them instead of her.
Bluefur does also get a vision of Thistleclaw covered in blood which does not help.
Realizing the choice she has to make, she contacts Oakheart about her plan and sneaks
her kits out of camp, even through a snowstorm, even as they grow weak and tired, and even
as…Mosskit dies from the cold and is taken to Starclan by Snowfur.
Oakheart takes the remaining two, Bluefur claws a hole in the back of the nursery, and
though she grieves for them, she is now free to become deputy.
Goosefeather comes to congratulate her for making the right decision and at this point
Bluefur openly hates the prophecy and is getting perturbed with Goosefeather too.
But she knows her duty and she will stick to it.
Sunstar offers her the position of deputy, she accepts, and at that point learns that
Sunstar only ever had 8 lives since Pinestar kept his ninth.
Her ascension to leader will be sooner than expected.
Even sooner for us as we now skip to her leader ceremony, where Pinestar, Mumblefoot, Larksong,
Sweetpaw, Sunstar, Goosefeather, Mosskit, Moonflower, and Snowfur give the gifts of
compassion, endurance, humor, hope, courage, patience, trust, love, and pride respectively.
Now skipping all the way to the days before the first arc begins, we see the new generation
of warriors, Redtail as Bluestar's deputy, and Spottedleaf as her medicine cat.
We hear what happened to many of the cast we came to know and, finally, return to what
is the prologue of Into the Wild, with the prophecy that would herald Firepaw's entrance
into Thunderclan.
As you can guess, Bluestar then spots, a few times in a row, that flame-colored kittypet,
and eventually decides to ask Graypaw to stalk him and see if he shows promise, which we
know he does.
Thunderclan's legacy is secured, and we are finally done with this book.
It should be obvious from the length of this video alone that this is a dense book, and
I'll be the first to admit that I didn't even get to touch on half of the beautiful
or telling character moments that take up the majority of the reading time.
Jumping into this book, with how fleshed out the culture of this era's Thunderclan is,
it is easy to forget that this is the first time we have heard of most of them.
Everyone in Thunderclan, and some cats outside it, have core identities and relationships
with other cats that are established and reinforced quickly, and no one is ever pulled drastically
out of their characters for the sake of moving the plot.
Among others, Snowfur is a surprisingly forceful and adventurous she-cat despite many portraying
her to be as soft and moony as Honeyfern was for Berrynose, Thrushpelt is a kind and accommodating
tom who really doesn't take up as much of Bluestar's life or time as many fans have
imagined (although you can go watch my video on him specifically to hear more about that),
and Stormtail and Moonflower, as mates and with their kits, have a remarkably complex
and somewhat dysfunctional relationship that still ends with Stormtail mourning her greatly
and always sticking up for Bluefur and her talents despite not being especially present
in either of their lives.
The various warriors, kits, apprentices, and even elders all have roles to play, though,
and Bluefur has a remarkable number of notable connections among her clanmates.
It's a very immersive experience that is sometimes difficult to find in certain periods
of Warriors history.
Not only that, but it is obviously a very emotional story, telling the whole tragic
life of an already beloved character.
It is no surprise then that Bluestar's Prophecy was so instantly loved by the fandom, and
that it remains a fan favorite to this day.
Countless pieces of art, stories, shipping battles, and animations were inspired by this
book's story and the relationships it established have become second-nature grounding for other
stories and relationships in the time since.
Getting into more specifics, I actually appreciate Bluestar's general characterization and
trajectory through the book.
We knew she would eventually become a firm, wise, and compassionate leader and now we
can see her beginnings as an assertive and tactical kit and apprentice, watch as she
learns from two different mentors how to be patient and value less immediate rewards,
and see her retreat into herself and become more volatile in depressive episodes following
her mother and sister's deaths.
This is behavior she would eventually lean substantially more into following Tigerclaw's
betrayal in the original series, so it's nice to see the consistency that she always
had the potential for it, but had simply never gone so far.
It's also even nicer to see her pull herself out of her depression by focusing on her relationships
and being there for the cats she cares for, especially Whitekit.
This selfless nature and giving all she could to help her clan was very consistent in the
first arc, and was part of what made it so hard for her when one of those cats she had
always protected and trusted turned traitor.
That said…okay I'll get more into this later because I'm trying to mostly start
with the positives but…I think making Whitestorm Bluestar's nephew was a fundamentally bad
idea and clashes with the first arc's depiction of their relationship as old peers, perhaps
as siblings or just friends who grew up in the same generation.
There are a lot of people who can and have retroactively looked back on the first series
and taken it for granted that they have this specific familial bond, but it really isn't
something that showed through in the original story.
The biggest deviation from the facts we were presented with in the first arc, though, at
least in regards to Bluestar, has to do with the situation surrounding Thistleclaw, Oakheart,
and her choice to give up her kits.
In Forest of Secrets, Bluestar did say she and Oakheart weren't mates for long, but
even that seems like a stretch for two cats who, in this book, are never mates at all.
They were apparently silently pining for moons but only met to talk and…accidentally get
kits for one night.
One night is really all it was.
They had only barely talked before that at a couple of border meetings, never about anything
personal, and although Bluestar had originally said they met at a gathering, who she really
met was Crookedjaw, who only pointed out Oakheart to her.
They never actually spoke at a gathering.
Additionally, Thistleclaw's portrayal by her in Forest of Secrets was of a fine, strong,
brave, and loyal warrior who simply believed the answer to any problem was a fight.
A tom who she witnessed nearly killing a kittypet kit, being far too aggressive in battles,
and openly had a vision from Starclan of being covered in blood is a further stretch than
that.
However, I could excuse these points as Bluestar learning to think less harshly of Thistleclaw
and more fondly of Oakheart by the time she was old.
It's not in the text, but it is an excuse I am okay with.
What I'm really not happy about is how this book strips Bluefur of the agency she displayed
in Forest of Secrets.
There, she explained that it was she who explicitly wanted to keep the kits for Thunderclan, she
who wanted to be the deputy despite her kits, she who thought of how plentiful Riverclan's
prey was in leaf-bare, and she who chose to give up her kits in the hopes of being deputy.
She did say that the medicine cat mentioned Starclan had a great destiny for her, but
that too is far different from Goosefeather being the one to tell her she *had* to be
deputy or Thistleclaw would drive the clan on a path of blood, and the one to tell her
that she can't be deputy with her kits, and the one to tell her to take her kits to
Riverclan with their father.
Bluefur before his intervention might have made the same choices and had the same ideas,
but she wasn't given a chance to because of Starclan or Goosefeather's intrusive
demands.
Goosefeather in general is an element I really don't like in this book because of that.
Most of his appearances consist of telling Bluefur her prophecy and what she must do
or else calamity will strike and it robs who we know even from this book to be an assertive
and selfless character of making decisions based on her own values and understanding.
The other key appearances are just of showing that Thunderclan doesn't trust Goosefeather,
even before Moonflower's death, him not liking Tigerkit before the tom has done anything
evil, and of him seemingly just being wrong about some omens and leading to his sister's
death.
He's definitely a unique medicine cat but I think the story could have been better if
he wasn't so influential in Bluefur's life.
I can't blame it all on him though because the clans really do have that sexism problem
in the forefront now where naming a queen deputy or even promising her the position
after she finishes nursing is unthinkable, leading Bluefur to think she only has the
choices she does.
Okay having finished with Bluefur and her family…I think it's time to address the
big thing that I have against this book.
This is the first full-length story taking place in the period before the first arc,
so it was where a lot of familial and age choices had to be decided, including for some
characters who would appear in the first arc.
As much as the culture and characters and relationships this book manages to establish
are a strong point for it, it is also a double-edged sword, because some of the choices it made
created…problems, either contradicting the first arc's vision immediately or twisting
up the family for generations down the line.
I already touched on Whitestorm but another of the strange choices comes in making Redtail
and Spottedleaf littermates, and the time in which they were born.
Both are substantially younger than Bluestar but would also be adults for a long while
before the first arc begins, which feels wrong for both of them.
We don't know much about Redtail but he was portrayed as Bluestar's wise old deputy,
again, like Whitestorm, being a peer of her's and her deputy since she became leader.
In contrast, Spottedleaf is explicitly supposed to be very young.
Making them littermates and having them be medium in age destroys both those notions.
We also already knew from Code of the Clans that Pinestar's mate and Tigerclaw's mother
was named Leopardfoot, but the book choosing to make her Bluestar's age while keeping
Pinestar as an old leader already on his ninth life when she was born…it isn't exactly
the choice I would have gone with to keep that relationship uncomplicated.
We also have seemingly much more innocuous things like Robinwing and Fuzzypelt being
the parents of both Brindleface and Frostfur, along with briefly being shown fostering Whitestorm.
However, since Brindleface and Frostfur, and Whitestorm if you imagine that as creating
a familial relationship, are the parents of most of the kits born in the first arc, this
will create several problems down the line when their kits and grandkits start needing
to find mates.
However, there are also a lot of pitfalls avoided.
None of the original arc apprentices (Graypaw, Ravenpaw, Sandpaw, and Dustpaw) or some of
the younger warriors (Longtail and Darkstripe) get confirmed familial relations of any kind
here, which I think is ideal considering that the first arc wasn't written with those
relationships in mind and adding any random parent or sibling connections would retroactively
make the first arc cats seem odd for not caring about or interacting with their families.
Good thing the series will never try to give us any of these relationships retroactively
and they stop here forever.
Thank you guys!
The book also has a couple of points that, while not destroying this book specifically,
begin trends that hurt the following books.
First is just that um…Bluestar was given a prophecy from birth.
Starclan heralded her special coming with a prophecy of her own, just like Firestar
had.
Not a horrible thing now but let's see how rare or special these become later.
Secondly, this book explicitly tells the story of Bluestar's whole life, beginning in kithood
and going day by day or moon by moon until she gets old enough to consider a mate, kits,
and the deputyship before speeding off to show some of her leadership tying into the
beginning of the first arc.
I can't be positive about this, but I believe this book's structure may have influenced
how the Erins felt they needed to write super editions for a long time.
Similarly, the very fact that it tells the life of a character you know in a time period
you've heard about before, even if you haven't seen it to this degree, was also likely an
inspiration for future choices.
And finally, and most minorly, a lot of facts about battles, ranks, specific lines of dialogue,
personalities, and timings of various key events were solidified here which will have
to be carried on if any other stories take place in this time period.
But who's to say they will be, at this point?
Definitely not me.
Moreso than Firestar's Quest ever was, Bluestar's Prophecy became a blueprint for several super
editions over the next many years, likely thanks in part to its engaging emotional plot,
rich characterization and clan life, and exploration of a past we only partially knew before.
On its own, it really is a captivating story based on the world and characters we get to
see and Bluestar's journey as a character through loving, dissociating from, hating,
and accepting that world.
However, being part of a much longer series where influence like this book has can change
how people, even authors, look at future and past entries, there are still some things
I wish had been done differently, or better understood going into the future.
Despite my gripes, though, I really did and do enjoy reading this story, and I think if
you decide to revisit it, you will too.
But for now, it's time to leave the past behind and zoom into the future, for we will
soon be starting a brand new main series arc with some fresh protagonist faces when we
return for a future episode, of our trip through time.