| Sunset | |
|---|---|
 First edition cover, featuring Hawkfrost in the center image.[1] |
|
| Author | Erin Hunter |
| Cover artist | Wayne McLoughlin |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Warriors: The New Prophecy |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | December 26, 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 978-0060827694 |
| OCLC Number | 70673118 |
| LC Classification | PZ7.H916625 Sun 2007 |
| Preceded by | Twilight |
| Followed by | The Sight |
Sunset is the sixth and final book in Erin Hunter's Warriors: The New Prophecy series.
Plot Summary
Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight's fight is over. Their love for each other has become stronger than before, but Brambleclaw must choose once and for all if he will follow in his father's pawsteps or reject the power that Tigerstar promises and concentrate on being a loyal warrior.
Tigerstar continues to visit Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw in their dreams and their sister Tawnypelt appears in one of the dreams also, firmly rejecting Tigerstar's offer of power.
In addition, it seems that something has happened in the Tribe of Rushing Water. Stormfur and Brook are unwilling to return to the Tribe and do not say why. Even at the end of the book it is not known what the reason might be. Stormfur and Brook go back to RiverClan, but Hawkfrost has them thrown out of the Clan. After egging Stormfur on to attack him, which he does, Leopardstar exiles Stormfur for his disregard for the warrior code. Brook leaves RiverClan with him. Brambleclaw, who witnessed the exile, takes Stormfur and Brook back to ThunderClan, and Firestar lets them stay as long as they want. Firestar doesn't get all the support he wants from his Clanmates, but having Graystripe's son in the Clan, Firestar is not as devastated about his capture.
After moons of waiting and persuasion from Brambleclaw and Sandstorm, Firestar admits to himself that Graystripe isn’t going to return. When the Clan begins to challenge the weary leader for accepting cats that do not belong to ThunderClan (Daisy, her kits, Stormfur, and Brook), Firestar appoints a new deputy, Brambleclaw. The decision is first met with objection, because Brambleclaw had never mentored an apprentice. The matter is soon cleared when Firestar declares that his new deputy will mentor Berrykit when he comes of age.
As for Cinderpelt, all of the Clans are grieving for her. Leafpool finds herself struggling between grief and betrayal, for she has not seen Cinderpelt in the ranks of StarClan. During a visit to the Moonpool, Spottedleaf comes to Leafpool in a dream and shows her that Cinderpelt has been reborn in the form of Cinderkit, a fluffy gray she-cat (one of Sorreltail's four kits).
Leafpool also realizes that after overhearing a fight between Mothwing and Hawkfrost, and then receiving a vision from Spottedleaf, that Hawkfrost planted the moth's wing outside of Mudfur's den back in the forest (the sign which made Mothwing a Medicine Cat apprentice, now is not a sign) so he could use Mothwing to become leader.
Fox traps have also been discovered in the forest, and cats are warned to avoid and also spring them (by putting sticks into the traps) if they see any. Two known victims of the traps are Berrykit (who loses part of his tail as a result of getting it caught) and Firestar.
When Firestar is found caught in a fox trap, Hawkfrost urges Brambleclaw to kill the ThunderClan leader, as it is part of Tigerstar's plan for Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw to take over the four Clans. After struggling with his desires, Brambleclaw refuses to kill Firestar and he frees him from the trap. Because Brambleclaw has betrayed their father's plans, Hawkfrost attacks Brambleclaw, but Brambleclaw kills Hawkfrost with the trap's sharp stick. Before he dies, Hawkfrost claims to Brambleclaw that he had help with his plan and that their fight is not over. This leads Brambleclaw to think that there is a traitor in ThunderClan, though nothing is revealed when the book ends. After Hawkfrost's death, Brambleclaw expects to be exiled by Firestar. Firestar, however, praises Brambleclaw for what he did.
With that, the prophecy "Before there is peace, blood will spill blood and the lake will run red" is fulfilled. Leafpool realizes this when she and Squirrelflight reach Firestar and Brambleclaw, after following Ashfur's fear-scent to the lake. Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost are half-brothers, thus they share the same blood and are kin, and as he stumbles down to the lake, blood pours from Hawkfrost's neck, making the waves red.
The cover features Hawkfrost.
Critical reaction
Sunset managed to secure #2 on the New York Times Bestseller List (children’s series section), first place being held by Lemony Snicket's final book in A Series of Unfortunate Events.[2] It also received praise with Barnes and Noble, which said the book had an "addictive bite". A review from Children's Literature compared the novel to a soap opera, with conflict after conflict. These conflicts, the reviewer noted, added depth to the novel. The reviewer closed by saying that while not well written and difficult to understand without knowledge of previous books, it still was entertaining. A second review, also by Children's Literature, was lukewarm, saying it had a "steady pace" but could be "more frustrating than satisfying" for readers.[3]
References
- ^ http://www.warriorcats.com/warriorshell.html The official Warriors website uses this portion of the image for the image of Hawkfrost.
- ^ HarperCollins Authortracker email, Erin Hunter. Feb. 8, 2007
- ^ "Sunset (Warriors: The New Prophecy Series #6)". Barnes & Noble.com. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?z=y&EAN=9780060827717. Retrieved 2008-01-13.
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