Customer Reviews

Warriors: Power of Three #4: Eclipse

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This book is officially my favorite Warrior Cats book now. It's a far cry from the other PO3 books, as there is more action, the three begin to do more with their powers, and more is revealed than ever before. This series is obviously the most mysterious of all the three series, and this book both unlocks and spins mysteries right and left. A new character is introduced, Sol, the mysterious (there's that word again!) newcomer who begins to turn ShadowClan away from the lake and StarClan. The three contemplate and act on their powers like never before, Lionpaw with his strength in battle and Jaypaw with his power to step into other cats' minds. Hollypaw has no clear, defined power yet, but she will come. Or rather, i should say Hollyleaf. And Lionblaze. This book is well worth the purchase, and if you're feeling unsure after the last three books, this one will definitely change your mind.

The review title says it all: this is BY FAR the best book thus far in The Power of Three. For all those of you who were unsure of the series, well... read this book- it's bound to change your mind.
The Power of Three is turning out to be quite the mystery- way more so than the original series or The New Prophecy. In Eclipse, as some questions are answered, even more are asked, and you're left wondering and waiting for the next book.
The Three delve deeper into the prophecy and what it means for them and for the Clans. Jaypaw's powers to walk in the dreams and thoughts of others deepen, as does Lionpaw's power of strength in battle.
And, speaking of battles, if one of the things you didn't like about the other three books in this series were their lack of action, you're in for a pleasant surprise. Three words: Three Chapter Battle.
Hollpaw is the only one with no clear ability yet, though her deep-set faith in the warrior code shows promise.
And speaking of the warrior code... What will happen when the arrival of a mysterious stranger, Sol, who made a prediction even StarClan could not make, arrives? He knows of the prophecy- will he help the Three? Or will his arrival spell the end of the old ways? What will happen when ShadowClan forsakes their warrior ancestors? So many questions, no clear answer.
What IS clear is that Eclipse was a book definitely worth the read. And it'll keep you longing for the sequel.

I really liked Eclipse because although usually there is some drama that happens in these books like a fire, flood, storm etc, this time it had an eclipse. None of the cats knew what was happening and they thought that Starclan (warrior cats ancestors who have died) was mad at them for fighting with other clans. In the book a strange cat named Sol comes to Thunderclan asking to speak with Firestar. At first I liked Sol and I thought he was going to help Hollypaw, Lionpaw, and Jaypaw (later Hollyleaf, Lionblaze and Jayfeather) understand the prophecy, "Three kin of your kin (Firestar's kin) will hold the powers of stars in their paws." But it turns out that he goes to Shadowclan and makes them stop believing in Starclan! That's when it really got interesting because Erin Hunter usually does not make cats stop believing in Starclan (especially a whole clan!). The only reason I rated this book four stars is because I didn't like Jaypaw one bit! I mean, it's okay to be aggravated because you can't see, but to be grumpy all the time at everything is just plain annoying. The only thing I like about Jaypaw is that he has a special connection with Starclan that allows him to walk in other cats' dreams. Lionpaw (Lionblaze) thinks he is the best fighter (which he is) but Erin Hunter drags it out a little tooooo much, I mean I get the point already! I feel really sorry for Hollypaw/Hollyleaf because she doesn't (as far as I know) have any powers. Even though I love Erin Hunter's books very much I am getting tired of the names that all end in heart, tail, fur, claw, foot etc. I think the names could be more interesting, like ending in night, shade, sparkle, willow etc. I don't know about other people but I read Warriors Super Edition: Firestar's Quest and I would love to see Skyclan again in another book. All in all, Eclipse is a really good book and I would recommend it to anyone who loves cats, but you have to start at the first book (Warriors #1: Into the Wild). --Sincerely, Sydstar

When I first started the warrior series I was addicted, I couldn't read them fast enough. Now, it just seems they are not as sharp as it was in the beginning. I will cont with the books, but now I don't rush out the first day it is released to grab the book up but wait till its on the used book shelf.

The three apprentices --- Jaypaw, Lionpaw and Hollypaw --- along with traveling companions Stormfur, Brook, Tawnypelt, Squirrelflight, Breezepaw and Crowfeather, have been on an astounding journey to the mountains. Now they have begun their trip home at last. Hollypaw is homesick and feels like they've been gone forever. However, she is still recovering from the news that Stormfur and Brook will only accompany the group to the foothills since they have decided to remain in the mountains.

Hollypaw is frustrated with Lionpaw's casual attitude toward their prophecy and their powers. She wants to know exactly what the prophecy means, but Lionpaw urges her to get on with her life in the real world. Lionpaw also irks her by casually wondering if their great powers put them above the warrior code, a suggestion that causes Hollypaw to feel a great sense of overpowering dread. That ominous feeling is heightened when Lionpaw hints that he believes his great power may be enormous physical strength, enabling him to win any fight. Jaypaw cautions them to keep their powers secret; he doubts their Clanmates would be glad to know that they have more power than StarClan. Meanwhile, they must attend to their hunting chores as they travel toward home.

Back in ThunderClan camp, the apprentices can't help noticing a general undercurrent of unease. WindClan warriors have been crossing their border to hunt in ThunderClan territory. Their thievery of prey and increasing hostility angers ThunderClan. Although some warriors hunger for a violent battle with WindClan, Firestar wishes for a peaceful outcome. He commands a group to travel to WindClan's camp in order to warn Onestar that ThunderClan will increase border patrols and that they will not tolerate being disrespected.

After the talk with WindClan, Hollypaw and Lionpaw disagree drastically on what action should be taken against the thieves. Again, Hollypaw is filled with foreboding about her hot-headed brother and the future. Will the siblings' opposing philosophies lead to problems she can't even bear to consider?

Meanwhile, more immediate problems need their attention. As ThunderClan warriors patrol, Hollypaw glimpses a stranger, a cat resembling a lion. Soon after, Jaypaw has an urgent premonition that something dark is heading toward them. Suddenly, Sol, the mysterious stranger, arrives in ThunderClan camp with a terrible warning for the Clan...of oncoming emptiness and darkness that will change life for the Clans forever. Sol also has news for Jaypaw about the mystical powers he and his siblings are gifted with, and the awe-inspiring repercussions in store for them in the future. But meanwhile, ThunderClan's camp is under attack...and then the sun vanishes.

ECLIPSE is another gripping fantasy thriller filled with portents, secrets, relationships and battles. The apprentices' internal conflict surrounding their prophecy and power continues to be an intriguing thread. What their destiny means for the future of the Clans is balanced by the ever-escalating conflict between the Clans. Warriors fans will devour ECLIPSE and then begin counting the days until the fifth Power of Three volume, LONG SHADOWS, is available.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

For those of us who have read the other two series, this book is as insulting as it is badly written.

For some reason known only to them, the Erin Hunter team embarks in this book on a mission to assassinate the characters of cats we've known since they were kitted in the first series.

As the book opens, Onestar, whom we've known - mostly - as a friend since Firestar and Graystripe brought Windclan home from Twolegplace, attacks the Thunderclan camp in the middle of the night. We don't know why. We never find out why. He just does.

And Riverclan helps. Again, we don't know why. We never find out why. It's all just a set up for an eclipse, which stops the fighting and leads Blackstar to question his faith and which introduces a new character named Sol who briefly takes over Shadowclan.

As if that weren't nonsensical enough, the book climaxes with yet another deus ex machina in the form of a thunderstorm that sets fire to the Thunderclan camp. As Squirrelflight tries to help "her" three kits escape the flames, who should block her way but Ashfur. You remember him. Brindleface's kit, Ferncloud's brother, excellent warrior.... He is trying to murder the kits to punish Squirrelflight for choosing Brambleclaw as her mate. Oh, and by the way, he was the one who set up Firestar to be murdered at the end of the last series.

It doesn't make any sense at all, but the Erins don't stop there. When Squirrelflight spits out that she's not the kits' mother, Ashfur threatens to tell everyone. Instead of telling him that he'd be better off keeping his mouth shut if he doesn't want the Clan to know he has, at last count, tried to murder four Clan members including Firestar, Squirrelflight and the kits panic and worry and completely "forget" Ashfur's own confession.

The book ends with Ashfur's murder. The kits treat Squirrelflight horribly, even though Jayfeather can sense how much she loves them all. In fact, the kits move from being fully fleshed out characters to one-dimensional spiteful power-hungry freaks. They don't care about each other, their "mother," or anything other than that they might not be the cats of the prophecy and, in Hollyleaf's case, might not even be fullblood Thunderclan. That nasty little bit of cryptoracism in Hollyleaf is just unforgivable. And inexplicable, considering the thorough airing the issue already received in the first series.

~~~~All I can say is that I am deeply disappointed with this book.~~~~
The first three books in PO3 were great, but this one... not so much.
First, let me say something.
Dapplewing, I must say as a side-point, if you're reading this than I am laughing my head off. I remember in your review with The Lost Warrior you stated you deep dislike for Millie and, "She'd just better not have kits with Graystripe," or something like that. Well, she went on ahead and did!
LoL!

The Clans are living through interesting times as ShadowClan begins to lose their faith in StarClan and a strange yet powerful newcomer named Sol comes to the Clans, warning them that the sun will disappear. Meanwhile, Lionpaw begins to show more signs of giving into, "the dark side", and has an interesting new meeting with Heatherpaw. Hollypaw finds Clan life suddenly hard and cold when Jaypaw revealed to her and Lionpaw the prophecy, and Jaypaw continues to find more secrets he wishes to understand yet are so thick and dark that even he seems to start losing faith...

Let me give a small spoiler here- six cats are named warriors. And I have to admit, Erin Hunter... or Firestar... or both... sure chose strange names. Lionpaw becomes Lionblaze, Hollypaw becomes Hollyleaf, Honeypaw becomes Honeyfern, Poppypaw becomes Poppyfrost, Cinderpaw FINALLY becomes Cinderheart :), and Willowpaw becomes Willowshine. Now, I know that these are all neat names, but they all seem too "alien" to the normal Clan names... like Rowanclaw, Dappletail, Mousefur... almost like a new age for the Clans. Perhaps this is because some names are repeated... like BrightHEART, FireHEART, CinderHEART. Or DappleTAIL, LongTAIL, SpeckleTAIL. Or even MouseFUR, BrackenFUR, StormFUR, StoneFUR, BlueFUR, SnowFUR, AshFUR, and so on. It seems like "Firestar" is just choosing names out of thin air. Like, Graystripe makes sense, but Honeyfern makes NO sense whatsoever. I do like Cinderheart, though. And in this book, for the first time ever, all the cats of all the Clans are listed, unlike in the past when only the cats that appear in the story are listed. However, I dislike some... like Antpelt, Emberfoot, Dewspots, Kinkfur, Ratscar... are all too weird. I liked the normal Brokentail or Stonestream more. Also, one mistkae was that the book described Firestar snapping at Lionpaw, not Tigerstar, who it should have been.
I waited so long, and the book ended way too fast. I read the thing in seven hours FLAT. It is WAY too thin! I do love the picture on the cover, though.

As for this new thing with losing faith in StarClan? I feel like my brain's been ripped out. Losing StarClan is beyond strange and alien. The books can only go downhill from here. Dark times lead on from here- and strange books. Warriors is changing. And I don't think I like it.
I yearn for the good old times of Lionheart, Yellowfang, Fireheart, and Whitestorm in the first series.
Yours truly,
~~~Moonwhisker~~~

I would give most of this book five stars. The authors raise and address extremely sophisticated religious and political concepts from the point of view of cats in a way that doesn't overly anthromorph the cast of felines but has broader application to the world in which we humans live. And they do so in the context of a fantastic action/adventure story.

As is so often the case with these books, the very deftness with which these authors execute that which they do well makes it doubly disappointing when they do something poorly. Eclipse suffers, almost fatally, from stunningly inconsistent characterization.

The book opens with an act that is completely out of character for the clan leader who initiates it. The inconsistency is never explained, leading to the conclusion that the choice was purely plot-driven with no thought given to the fact that it makes no sense for this particular character to do this.

Near the end of the book, secrets are revealed, including one that ties up a loose plot thread from the previous series. However, that particular secret is immediately and completely forgotten: a nasty little contrivance that allows the next stupid plot twist to occur (but only with the help of at least two more personality transplants for cats we have come to know quite well).

As if it were not bad enough that the main characters "forget" a secret that gives them just as much, if not more, power over a cat who knows something about them, a magical cat who can read other cats' feelings begins speculating that cats will do things the readers know would never ever happen.

While it might makes sense for any number of cats to engage in such speculation, this particular cat should know better, and the authors have spent nearly 1500 pages explaining to us exactly how and exactly why he would know better.

And the cat who might engage in such speculation, because she has a gift for working hypotheticals and applying rules to facts, doesn't. Instead, even though she has been shown repeatedly to possess much better than average compassion for others and burgeoning diplomatic skills, she's an unthinking, unfeeling mess.

It's as if the authors have forgotten everything they have told us about these characters.

The action scenes are amazing, and I will love these books forever for the way they keep my son excited about reading, but the authors need to have more respect for their readers' investment in these characters. It's part of what keeps them reading.

I didn't find this as exciting as her last book, but feel it definitely laid groundwork for the next installment. I can hardly wait for the Nov. 25th release, I think we're in for many surprises. Will lionpaw choose good or evil????????????????

I LOVE WARROIRS!!!!ME THERE NUMBER ONE FAN!!!!!!I LOVE YOU ERIN HUNTER AND I LOVE THE WORLD.IM NOT PERFECT BUT STORY WRITING IS WHERE IM PERFECT!I HEART WARRIORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!