The structure, reading order, and chronology of Warrior Cats
BY THE EDITOR
Warriors celebrated its twentieth year of publishing earlier this year, and while it is a triumph for any series to run this long, it also means there are twenty years’ worth of main series books, novellas, graphic novels, and other books for new fans to contend with when starting on the series. Here, we are going to go over how the series is structured, the chronological order of the series, and the recommended reading order for new fans.
Structure of the series
The first thing to cover is the main series, which is broken up into arcs, each focusing on a new generation of feline protagonists and a new storyline, though characters and story aspects from previous arcs do make appearances. Each arc is made up of six books, numbered in chronological order, and each arc has its own name to differentiate it from other arcs, such as The Prophecies Begin and A Vision of Shadows.
With the main series explanation out of the way, it’s time to turn to the side material. First up are the super editions. These are extra-long books that focus on one character and either part of their backstory, a new chapter in their life, or something else about them that has not yet been explored. Novellas are also explorations of one character, but they are only half the length of a normal book. Collections of three novellas with a connecting theme were sold as individual books.
Field Guides, on the other hand, don’t tell just one story like the other book types we’ve looked at, or even necessarily a story at all. They serve as informative guides about an aspect of Clan life, explaining it to the reader and providing story pieces and anecdotes related to it. Battles of the Clans, for example, tells readers about different battle strategies, gives lists of terminology, and features short stories in which different iconic battle moves are being used in fights.
Graphic novels are, so far, the only form of visual storytelling in the Warriors roster. They tell a particular story in the Warriors universe in comic form. They can either be single stand-alone adventures, or three shorter books that serve as a small graphic novel arc. All of the currently published graphic novels tell new stories not depicted in other Warriors books, but starting next year, we’ll be releasing a new set of graphic novels that retell the story of the first main series arc, The Prophecies Begin, in comic form!
Chronological order
If you’ve ever become lost trying to understand which Warriors books take place in which order, then this handy guide is for you! We’ve created this list to show the chronological order of every Warriors book.
Recommended reading order
The beginning… but not really
For fans who’ve taken a look at our list of the series in chronological order, it might seem like the best place to begin your Warriors adventure is with the first book of the Dawn of the Clans arc, The Sun Trail. However, while the Dawn of the Clans series stands alone enough to be an okay place to start reading, what we really recommend is starting with the first arc that was published.
The first arc is The Prophecies Begin, which begins with Into The Wild. Follow house-cat Rusty as he enters the world of the Clans as a warrior-in-training, and learn about the customs and traditions of these wild cats through his young eyes.
Fun fact – The Prophecies Begin was originally supposed to be the only arc written in the series, so it wasn’t given its own arc title. For years, fans just referred to it affectionately as “The Original Series”, before it was finally given its official title, The Prophecies Begin, some years later.
From The Prophecies Begin, it’s onto the second arc, The New Prophecy, and then the third and then fourth arcs after that, Power of Three and Omen of the Stars respectively.
The fifth arc, Dawn of the Clans, is a bit of an outlier, in that it takes place many generations before any of the other arcs. It can technically be read after reading Firestar’s Quest, but we recommend reading it after completing Omen of the Stars.
The sixth arc, A Vision of Shadows, takes place after Omen of the Stars, and can be started after completing both OOTS and Bramblestar’s Storm. After A Vision of Shadows, it’s time to read the seventh arc, The Broken Code, A Starless Clan, then begin the most recent series Changing Skies with its first book The Elder’s Quest, and then wait for the next release this upcoming fall.
When can I start reading the super editions?
A quick glance at our books page will show you that the Warriors series includes more than just the main arc books. There are side stories galore, and sometimes it can be hard for new fans to judge where they fit in the timeline and when it’s safe to start reading them without being spoiled. Never fear! Our guide can help steer you in the right direction.
You’re safe to start reading some of the super editions as soon as you’ve finished the first arc. Bluestar’s Prophecy, Yellowfang’s Secret, and Crookedstar’s Promise all take place before the first arc, all with spoilers for the arc’s last few books.
Firestar’s Quest takes place between the final book of The Prophecies Begin and the first book of The New Prophecy, Midnight, and has a few minor spoilers for Midnight. It is recommended you start it after at least reading up to Midnight. SkyClan’s Destiny serves as a direct sequel to Firestar’s Quest, so it can be safely read as soon as Firestar’s Quest is completed.
Leopardstar’s Honor and Tallstar’s Revenge both take place before and during the first series, just as some of the previously mentioned super editions, but unlike them, these two contain spoilers for books in the second arc. It is recommended that Leopardstar’s Honor not be read until Dawn has been completed. Tallstar’s Revenge can be read after completing Starlight.
Bramblestar’s Storm takes place after Omen of the Stars, and serves as a lead-in to the sixth arc, A Vision of Shadows. It is recommended that you read Bramblestar’s Storm after completing Omen of the Stars and before beginning A Vision of Shadows.
Moth Flight’s Vision takes place after Dawn of the Clans, and can be read after completing that arc–but be forewarned that it also contains spoilers for Firestar’s Quest and the first arc, so be sure to read those first. Riverstar’s Home takes place during Dawn of the Clans, through Moth Flight’s Vision, and after it, so feel free to read it once you’ve read Moth Flight’s Vision.
Like Bramblestar’s Storm, Crowfeather’s Trial takes place between Omen of the Stars and A Vision of Shadows; however, it contains heavy spoilers for the fourth book in A Vision of Shadows, Darkest Night, so it is recommended that you do not read it until having completed Darkest Night. Tigerheart’s Shadow takes place between Darkest Night and River of Fire, and so can be read between those two books, and Hawkwing’s Journey can be safely read after completing the third book in A Vision of Shadows, Shattered Sky, as can Onestar’s Confession, which covers events preceding The Prophecies Begin all the way up to the end of Shattered Sky.
Squirrelflight’s Hope takes place between A Vision of Shadows and The Broken Code, and should be read after completing A Vision of Shadows and before beginning The Broken Code. Graystripe’s Vow takes place after the third book in The Broken Code, Veil of Shadows, and should not be read until completing that book. Ivypool’s Heart takes place before and during the events of Star, the final book of A Starless Clan, and can be read before reading Star as it takes place away from the lake and does not spoil any of the events of that book.
When can I start reading the novellas?
Now for the novellas. The novellas are currently sold in bundles of three, so we’ll arrange them based on spoilers from all three books within a set.
The Untold Stories includes the tales of Cloudstar, Hollyleaf, and Mistystar. Hollyleaf’s novella takes place during Omen of the Stars, and has heavy spoilers for the fifth book in Omen of the Stars, The Forgotten Warrior, so it is not recommended that you read this novella set until after completing The Forgotten Warrior. It is also recommended that you complete Firestar’s Quest before reading this novella set, as Cloudstar’s novella contains spoilers for that book.
Tales of the Clans contains stories about Leafpool, Tigerclaw, and Dovewing. Dovewing’s novella takes place directly after the final book in Omen of the Stars, so it is recommended you complete Omen of the Stars before beginning this novella set.
Shadows of the Clans includes stories about Mapleshade, Goosefeather, and Ravenpaw. Ravenpaw’s tale ends just before the start of Hawkwing’s Journey, and has minor spoilers for that book, so it is recommended that you complete the first four arcs and Hawkwing’s Journey before reading this novella set. It is also recommended that you complete Crookedstar’s Promise before beginning this novella set, as Mapleshade’s novella has spoilers for that book.
Legends of the Clans has stories about Spottedleaf, Pinestar, and Thunderstar. Thunderstar’s novella contains heavy spoilers for Dawn of the Clans as well as Moth Flight’s Vision, so it is recommended you complete those books first. It is also recommended you read the first arc and Bluestar’s Prophecy before beginning this novella set, as the Spottedleaf and Pinestar novellas contain spoilers for them.
Path of a Warrior contains the tales of Redtail, Tawnypelt, and Shadowstar. Tawnypelt’s novella takes place between the fifth and sixth books in A Vision of Shadows, so it is recommended you complete those books before beginning this novella set. It is also recommended that you complete Dawn of the Clans, Moth Flight’s Vision, and “Thunderstar’s Echo” before reading this novella set, as Shadowstar’s novella contains spoilers from those books.
A Warrior’s Spirit tells tales of Tree, Pebbleshine, and Mothwing. Pebbleshine and Tree’s novellas contain heavy spoilers for the final book of A Vision of Shadows, The Raging Storm, so it is recommended you complete that arc before reading this novella set.
A Warrior’s Choice includes stories about Blackfoot, Daisy, and Spotfur. Daisy’s novella contains spoilers for the final books in The Broken Code, so it is recommended that you read at least the fourth book in that arc, Darkness Within, before beginning this novella set.
When can I start reading the field guides?
The field guides aren’t single stories within the Warriors world, but instead are looks into certain aspects of Warriors life, with short stories and anecdotes along the way. Here’s our guide on which ones to read when.
Secrets of the Clans contains spoilers for Dawn of the Clans, Bluestar’s Prophecy, and The New Prophecy. While it can be read before Dawn of the Clans and Bluestar’s Prophecy without revealing too many spoilers, as it was published before those books, it is recommended that you read to at least the fifth book in The New Prophecy, Twilight, before beginning this field guide.
Code of the Clans also contains spoilers for Twilight, so it is recommended that you read to at least Twilight before beginning this field guide.
Cats of the Clans contains spoilers for the second book in the Power of Three arc, Dark River, so it is recommended that you not read this field guide until completing Dark River.
Battles of the Clans contains spoilers for the third book in Omen of the Stars, Night Whispers, so it is recommended you wait until completing Night Whispers to read it.
Enter the Clans is simply a combination of Secrets of the Clans and Code of the Clans, and thus may be read after completing The New Prophecy.
The Ultimate Guide contains spoilers for the final book of Omen of the Stars and for books within Dawn of the Clans, so it is recommended that you read those books before beginning this field guide.
The Ultimate Guide: Updated and Expanded Edition contains spoilers for River, the first book of A Starless Clan, so it is recommended that you read it before reading this field guide.
When can I start reading the graphic novels?
Warriors features a number of illustrated stories in comic form to go along with its text-based adventures. Here’s a guide on when to start reading each of these books.
The graphic novel adaptations of The Prophecies Begin are stand-alone adaptations and can be read without having to read any other books in the series!
Exile from ShadowClan takes place just before and during the events of Into the Wild and contains spoilers for A Dangerous Path, so it is recommended you read at least that far before reading this book.
The stand-alone graphic novel The Rise of Scourge takes place before the first arc, but contains heavy spoilers for the final book of The Prophecies Begin, The Darkest Hour, so it is recommended you complete that arc before beginning this book.
A Thief in ThunderClan takes place just before and during the events of Firestar’s Quest, so it is recommended you read at least that far before reading this book.
The Tigerstar and Sasha trilogy takes place during the final books of The Prophecies Begins, and contains spoilers for the second book of The New Prophecy, Moonrise, so it is recommended you read to at least Moonrise before beginning this book.
A Shadow in RiverClan takes place around the same time as the Tigerstar and Sasha books and has some spoilers for Midnight and Moonrise, so it is recommended you read at least to Moonrise before beginning this book.
The Ravenpaw’s Path graphic novel set takes place after Firestar’s Quest, and contains minor spoilers for Midnight, so it is recommended you read at least as far as Midnight before beginning this book.
The Graystripe’s Adventure graphic novel set contains some spoilers for the third book in the New Prophecy, so it is recommended you read at least that far before beginning this set.
Winds of Change takes place during the fourth book in The New Prophecy, Starlight, so it is recommended you read at least as far as Starlight before reading this stand-alone adventure.
The SkyClan and the Stranger arc takes place after SkyClan’s Destiny, but does contain spoilers for Power of Three, so it is recommended you wait until completing that arc to begin this graphic novel set.
