Navigation Bar

Friday, September 07, 2007

Woo Hoo! Ratha Lives! (and Other YA Giddiness in the Tradition of Watership Down)

One of my favorite authors from my youth, Clare Bell, has written a new book! For a long time, she hadn't written anything, and fans of her Named series pined for a new book--especially since the original books had gone out of print.

Ratha's_Courage is the newest book in the series, which is about the coming of age and subsequent trials of the title character, Ratha, a prehistoric cat. The new book is due out October 18th. It's been 13 years since the last Named book, and I know fans will be delighted to see Ratha's return. The best part is, Firebird Books is re-releasing the others, which are as follows, if you're interested in delving into this series. (Believe me, they're worth it for anyone who likes fantasy or cats!)

Ratha's Creature
Clan Ground
Ratha and Thistle-Chaser
Ratha's Challenge
Ratha's Courage (out 10/18)

She has also written some cool novels outside the Named series, particularly Tomorrow's Sphinx, which I loved. Check these books out! You won't regret it.

While we're on the subject, Firebird Books is becoming my new best friend. A short while back, they re-released the Firebringer series by Meredith Ann Pierce, which had also been out of print for a while. That series is a coming of age tale of Aljan, the unicorn. The Firebringer series is as follows:

Birth of the Firebringer
Dark Moon
The Son of Summer Stars

So, if you can't tell, I loved books that went along the same vein as Richard Adams' Watership Down. Besides THAT book (which is rabbits), there is The Wild Road & its sequels (domestic cats), Tailchaser's Song (also domestic cats), and The Heavenly Horse from the Outermost West and Piper at the Gate (horses). I still have my original copies of most of these books, if that tells you anything, something like 20 years later. I couldn't let them go.

Go Read! Nicki out.

No comments:

Post a Comment