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Contributors | November 10, 2009

Zachary Lazar: IMG Evening's Empire

0 comments By Zachary Lazar

Without knowing it, I'd always had two unspoken arrangements with the world. The first was that I would not trouble it with unpleasant conversation... Continue »
  1. $17.49 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    Evening's Empire: The Story of My Father's Murder

    Zachary Lazar

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- Local Warehouse Children's- Science Fiction and Fantasy
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Other titles in the Named series:

  1. Clan Ground: The Second Book of the Named
  2. Ratha's Courage

Ratha's Creature

by Clare Bell

Ratha's Creature Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Ratha and her clan are the Named, a band of intelligent wild cats whose society is based on herding deer. the Named have laws, language, traditions, and leaders. they also have enemies. the predatory raiders of the unNamed are driving them close to the edge of survival. then ratha, a mere yearling, discovers what she calls the "red tongue"Fire. Her new weapon gives the Named a new defense, but it also rouses the ire of Meoran, the tyrannical clan leader. soon ratha finds herself in exile among the un- Named, but determined to survive.

Review:

A remarkable book. (Book Talks)

Synopsis:

Twenty-five million years ago, a descendant of the sabre-toothed tiger discovers how to control fire. But her discovery threatens her clan's leader, and she is banished to a hostile environment. Soon the wildcat Ratha finds another cat to love.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Spirithunter, March 3, 2009 (view all comments by Spirithunter)
"Ratha's Creature" is an engaging roller coaster of a story about Ratha, a young member of a clan of large sentient cats, the Named, from the mid-Miocene era. Her clan is under the harsh rule of its leader Meoran, who believes the females should not hunt and herd prey for the clan. Ratha is a promising herder, however, and he is forced to make an exception for her. Here starts Ratha's battle for control, whether she knows she's fighting it or not.

"Ratha's Creature" is wonderfully written in an older style displaced by the somewhat simpler and less lyrical style in which most YA books are written nowadays. It's original and one of the best books I've read. I was enraptured by the story and, unlike so many books I've read, I couldn't tell what would happen next. The sequels are only better. Clare Bell writes the cats as cats, not as humans in cat skin as so many animal characters seem to be now. She isn't afraid to write about them as true wild beasts, either.

I recommend this series to fans of books such as Warriors in particular. The content is more mature, however, and is written in a style that should appeal to any age group.

I found "Ratha's Creature" and its sequel, "Clan Ground", tucked away between some hefty hardcovers from popular series. The bright, fiery colors on the spine caught my eye, and the cover pretty much had me hooked. I'd heard nothing of them before, but I went ahead and bought both. I rushed back to the store as soon as I could when the re-release copies of books 3 and 4 came out. These books deserve so much more publicity than most others get. I hope whoever else reads the tales of the Named can enjoy it as much as I did.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780142408438
Author:
Bell, Clare
Publisher:
Firebird
Subject:
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
Subject:
Animals - Cats
Subject:
Fantasy & Magic
Subject:
Cats
Subject:
Fantasy
Series:
Named
Series Volume:
01
Publication Date:
August 2007
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
- Up
Language:
English
Pages:
272
Dimensions:
6.96x4.78x.65 in. .39 lbs.
Age Level:
12-UP
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