What Is The Best Reading Order For Erin Hunter Warriors?

Honestly, if you asked me back when I was devouring every 'Warriors' book under my blanket with a flashlight, I'd say Firestar is the one everyone thinks of first. He’s the classic hero: brave, fair, and tied to so many of the series’ big moments—from 'Into the Wild' to the battle scenes and leadership arcs. He’s the kind of character who got plushies, fan art, leadership debates, and endless takes about his choices. But popularity isn’t just about being the main hero. Firestar’s status comes from longevity and symbolism: he’s the gateway cat for new readers and the moral anchor for long-time fans. In fan polls and at conventions, his name pops up constantly, yet there are huge shout-outs for characters like Jayfeather or Tigerstar depending on what the community values—mystery, depth, or villainy. For me, Firestar remains the most iconic, but part of the joy is arguing with friends about whether a cunning villain or a complicated medicine cat truly steals the spotlight.

I go a little nuts for rare editions, and if you’re hunting down hard-to-find Erin Hunter 'Warriors' books, there are a bunch of places I check (and tricks I use) that actually work. First off, the biggest concentrated marketplaces are eBay and AbeBooks — I have a permanent eBay watch list for specific ISBNs and older covers. AbeBooks and BookFinder aggregate smaller sellers and antiquarian shops, which is gold when you want a specific printing or a boxed set. I’d start by noting the exact edition you want (ISBN, publisher, year, and whether it’s a UK vs US release — the cover art and dust jackets often differ between them). That makes searches far more precise and helps you filter out reprints and later printings that aren’t “rare.” If you prefer something a little more curated, Biblio and Alibris are great for independent sellers and often have items that don’t show up on eBay. For bargain hunting, ThriftBooks and Better World Books can surprise you — I once found a beat-up first print of 'Into the Wild' tucked behind a stack of YA novels at a local chain shop. Local used bookstores, community library sales, and even thrift stores are underrated: I’ve picked up weirdly valuable copies for pennies simply because nobody else was hunting the series that day. Don’t forget local antiquarian shops or the ABAA members’ lists if you’re truly chasing a first edition or signed copy — they’ll have rare, authenticated pieces, though expect to pay a premium. For community-driven finds, join niche Facebook groups, Reddit threads (there’s an active Warriors fan community that trades and sells editions), and Discord collectors’ channels; I’ve traded duplicates with other fans more than once. Instagram seller accounts and smaller Etsy shops sometimes list box sets or out-of-print editions too. Set up saved searches and alerts on eBay/BookFinder so you get pinged the second something appears. For pricier items, ask sellers for clear photos of the copyright page (that’s where first printing info lives) and the dust jacket flaps; condition matters deeply for value. Always check seller feedback and return policies — request tracked shipping and keep documentation. PayPal or card transactions with buyer protection give me peace of mind when a listing looks too good. A couple of practical tips from my countless late-night hunts: 1) Know what makes a copy “rare” — first printings, special covers (UK vs US), signed copies, or publisher promos are what collectors drool over. 2) Compare multiple listings (check ISBN and printing lines) before paying. 3) Watch for scalpers and wildly inflated prices; sometimes waiting or negotiating will get you a fairer deal. 4) If you’re willing to trade, collectors’ meetups and conventions are perfect — I’ve swapped duplicates for rarities. Prices vary wildly — you can still snag common used volumes for under ten bucks, but sealed first editions or signed books can climb into the hundreds. Happy hunting — tell me which edition you’re chasing and I’ll help you narrow the best spots and price ranges for it.

There are 48 core novels in the main 'Warriors' saga — that comes from eight epic arcs with six books each. The arcs start with 'The Prophecies Begin' and move through 'The New Prophecy', 'Power of Three', 'Omen of the Stars', 'Dawn of the Clans', 'A Vision of Shadows', 'The Broken Code', and 'A Starless Clan'. If you’re counting just the numbered arc books, that’s the clear, tidy total. Beyond those, the world is much bigger: there are dozens of Super Editions, novellas, field guides, and a whole line of manga. Super Editions like 'Bluestar's Prophecy' or 'Ravenpaw's Farewell' give long standalone stories, while the novellas fill in side characters and moments. Add in guides such as 'Secrets of the Clans' and the various manga miniseries, and you’re looking at many more titles — easily pushing the complete Warriors reading list well past 70 books. I love recommending people start with a single arc and then binge the rest, because once you meet these cats, it’s hard to stop.

Few author pseudonyms are as fun to dig into as 'Erin Hunter' — it sounds like one person, but it’s actually a whole creative team. As I geek out over the 'Warriors' series and its sprawling lore, I always tell friends that Erin Hunter is a name you can trust for tight plotting and cat drama, but behind that name are several real writers. The core people most often associated with the pseudonym are Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, and Tui Sutherland. Victoria Holmes is the one who conceived the idea of the shared name and acted as the guiding editor and plot architect, while Kate Cary and Cherith Baldry wrote many of the early and beloved novels. Tui Sutherland contributed her own voice to some of the books as well, especially in shaping character moments and action scenes. I like to split this into little personalities the way I think of them when re-reading the series on slow Sundays: Victoria Holmes as the team’s mastermind and continuity guardian (she plotted arcs and kept the series coherent across many books), Kate Cary as the writer who can make the cats’ emotional arcs land with quiet, human-feeling beats, Cherith Baldry as the author who brings atmosphere and steady pacing, and Tui Sutherland as the one who often injects intense, cinematic moments. Those roles sometimes overlap, and the group worked closely so that the voice across books stayed recognizably 'Erin Hunter'. That collaboration is part of why 'Warriors' reads like a vast, consistent saga rather than a patchwork. Over the years the team has evolved — Victoria moved more into an editorial role and other writers and contributors have worked on different arcs, special editions, and spin-offs in the same shared universe. If you dig through interviews and author notes in UK/US editions of the books, you can find which individual wrote which volume; the Erin Hunter brand keeps the continuity and marketing unified, while the individual creators bring their own touches. For fans who like to spot stylistic differences, it’s a fun hobby to compare early arcs to later ones, noticing how the collaboration shifted tone or focus. Honestly, that behind-the-scenes teamwork is part of the charm for me — it turns the series into a community project of sorts, where editorial vision, multiple writers, and long-term planning all come together. If you want, I can point you toward a few specific books and say who wrote which one so you can hear the differences for yourself.

There’s a super-simple verdict I keep telling my fellow book-loving friends: as far as I can tell, none of Erin Hunter’s 'Warriors' novels have been made into an official TV series or TV adaptation that’s been released. I say that with the kind of slightly disappointed shrug I give when I open a wishlist and then remember my wallet is not infinite — the books are massively cinematic in my head, but studios haven’t actually delivered a finished, widely released show based on them (at least up through mid-2024). I’ll admit I’m the kind of fan who stocks my social feeds with fan art and clips from small creative projects, so I’ve seen plenty of things that feel like TV: fan-made live-action shorts, animated sequences made by talented folks on YouTube, and a surprising number of roleplay or serialized audio/story projects. Those community creations scratch the itch a lot — talented indie creators have turned 'Into the Wild' and other early arcs into little mini-episodes or animated scenes that feel televisual. But they’re not official adaptations; they’re passion projects by fans, often short and episodic, sometimes taking liberties with how Clans look and act, and usually living on platforms like YouTube or Instagram. On the official side, the franchise has branched into different formats that are worth pointing at: there are graphic-novel-style releases, shorter manga-esque stories, collectible editions, and of course audiobooks. The audiobooks are great for listening on a long drive or while making tea, and they’re probably the closest ‘watching’ experience for some readers because of the full-cast-ish feeling some productions manage to imitate. Still, none of those are the same as a proper TV show with seasons and episodes adapting whole arcs like 'Into the Wild' or 'The New Prophecy'. If you're hunting for something that feels like a TV adaptation, my recommendation is to follow official channels (the author team and publisher social feeds), subscribe to major streaming-news outlets that cover option deals, and dive into fan projects in the meantime — some of them are genuinely cinematic and creative. I keep pinning my dream casting lists and imagining how the moonscape of the Clans would look on screen; until the studios fully commit, that’s where my imagination and the fan community keep the series alive.

I still get a little thrill thinking about how everything kicked off. The very first 'Warriors' book, 'Into the Wild', was published in 2003 under the pen name Erin Hunter. That name was a team effort—authors and editors working together—so the series felt like it had a built-in community from day one, which probably helped it take off the way it did. I picked up my copy years after that first release, but knowing 2003 was when the world met the clans gives me a weirdly warm nostalgia. After 'Into the Wild' came the rest of the original arc, often grouped as 'The Prophecies Begin', and then a steady stream of sequels, special edition novellas, manga, and companion books. If you’re tracing the timeline, 2003 is the starting line—and from there it exploded into a multi-arc saga that still reels in new readers and collectors with box sets and reprints.

I’ve been revisiting my old childhood comforts lately, and yes — you can definitely find audiobooks for Erin Hunter’s 'Warriors' series right now. I’ve been listening to them on walks and on the occasional long bus ride, and it’s been such a cozy trip back into the clans. Most of the main arcs — like 'Into the Wild' from 'The Prophecies Begin', the 'New Prophecy' books, 'Power of Three', 'Omen of the Stars', 'Dawn of the Clans', 'A Vision of Shadows', and 'The Broken Code' — have audio editions published, typically through HarperCollins/HarperAudio. They’re widely available across major platforms, so whether you prefer buying, subscribing, or borrowing, you’ve got options. If you like owning tracks, Audible, Apple Books, and Google Play Books usually carry the audiobooks (often in unabridged form). For people who support local bookstores, Libro.fm sometimes has the titles or equivalents depending on region. If you’d rather borrow, check your local library apps — OverDrive/Libby and Hoopla often have multiple 'Warriors' audiobooks available to borrow digitally. I’ve snagged a few through Libby during a rainstorm and it felt like getting the same magic back without the clutter of new physical books. There are occasional regional differences — the UK and US releases sometimes use different narrators or production styles — so if you sample a chapter and the narrator doesn’t click for you, try another platform where a different edition might be listed. A couple of practical tips from my own playlist: sample the narration before committing, because voices and accents can change the whole vibe of a reread; check for 'unabridged' if you want the full experience; and look out for box sets if you’re trying to binge a whole arc — they can be cheaper per book. For libraries, put holds on popular titles early; the 'Warriors' audiobooks can be in high demand. Also, some special editions or re-releases might update cover art or metadata, which is nice if you like matching your digital library with the latest prints. If you’re scouting where to start, 'Into the Wild' is a perfect first listen and is almost always available in audio format. I prefer listening when I’m doing something mindless — cooking, folding laundry, or walking my dog — because the narration lets me relive all the little clan politics and character beats without staring at the page. Fan communities and bookstore staff can also tip you off when new audio editions or boxed sets drop. Anyway, if you want, tell me which arc you’re eyeing and I’ll recommend where I’ve found the cleanest audio or the edition with the narrator that grew on me the most.

I still get a little giddy talking about all the fringe stuff around the main Warriors arcs — the franchise really exploded into a whole ecosystem. If you mean the spin-off series (the books that aren’t one of the main multi-book arcs), they generally fall into a few clear categories: the 'Manga' mini-series, the longer standalone 'Super Editions', the short-story 'Novellas' collections, and the various 'Field Guides'/'Reference' books like 'Warriors: The Ultimate Guide'. For some concrete examples I always point people to: the manga volumes such as 'The Lost Warrior' and 'The Rise of Scourge', Super Editions like 'Bluestar\'s Prophecy' and 'Crookedstar\'s Promise', and the reference titles bundled as field guides. Those are the bits I recommend if you want extra perspectives on side characters or one-off adventures outside the numbered arcs. I love picking one of the Super Editions on a rainy afternoon — they read like cozy epilogues or big sidequests to me.