Ravenpaw's Path
A Warriors manga trilogy about Ravenpaw and Barley's farm life.
Ravenpaw's Path is a trilogy of original English-language manga within the Warriors series. Tokyopop and HarperCollins published the three installments, which first appeared as separate books: *Shattered Peace* (24 November 2009), *A Clan in Need* (23 March 2010), and *The Heart of a Warrior* (3 August 2010). Dan Jolley, writing under the pseudonym Erin Hunter, authored all three volumes, with illustrations by James L. Barry. On 26 June 2018, the three books were colored and released together as a single volume.
In *Shattered Peace*, Ravenpaw shares a quiet life on a farm with another cat named Barley. Their routine is disrupted when a group of strays arrives at their barn, one of whom is about to give birth, so the pair lets them stay. The strays soon take advantage of Ravenpaw's hospitality, which makes Barley suspicious. Eventually, the group decides to move on and leaves. The next night, the barn catches fire, and Ravenpaw and Barley barely escape. They find the strays back on the farm, where the cats attack several chickens and fight the two owners. It emerges that these strays are former members of BloodClan, a group Barley belonged to as a young cat. The BloodClan cats drive Ravenpaw and Barley off the property. Unsure what to do, Ravenpaw realizes in a dream that he can seek help from his former Clan, ThunderClan.
In *A Clan in Need*, Ravenpaw and Barley travel to ThunderClan's camp and meet its leader, Firestar, a childhood friend of Ravenpaw's. Firestar explains that BloodClan cats have also been harassing his Clan, so he cannot immediately spare warriors, but he invites the two to stay. Firestar later assembles a battle patrol to attack BloodClan's camp. ThunderClan wins the fight. BloodClan's leaders, Snake and Ice—who are also Barley's brothers—try to avoid punishment by blaming the rest of BloodClan. The group turns on them and drives the leaders away. The ThunderClan cats leave, and Firestar promises Ravenpaw that their next task will be to drive the remaining BloodClan cats from the farm.
In *The Heart of a Warrior*, a battle patrol returns to Ravenpaw and Barley's farm to force out the BloodClan cats still there. Firestar plans an ambush while the strays sleep, but the plan fails when chickens give away the cats as they try to sneak into the barn. The barn holds far more strays than expected, including some BloodClan refugees. The farmer
- Author
- Dan Jolley (as Erin Hunter)
- Illustrator
- James L. Barry
- First publication
- 24 November 2009
- Final publication
- 3 August 2010
- Publisher
- Tokyopop and HarperCollins
- Genre
- Manga, fantasy
Lore & Background
The trilogy follows Ravenpaw, a cat living on a farm with another cat named Barley. In Shattered Peace, a group of strays arrives at their barn; one is about to give birth, so Ravenpaw and Barley allow them to stay. The strays take advantage of Ravenpaw's kindness, drawing suspicion from Barley. The strays leave, but the barn catches fire, and the strays return, attacking chickens and fighting Ravenpaw and Barley. The strays are revealed to be former members of BloodClan, a group Barley belonged to in his youth. The BloodClan cats chase the two off the property, and Ravenpaw realizes in a dream he can ask for help from his former Clan, ThunderClan.
Reader's Guide
In A Clan in Need, Ravenpaw and Barley travel to ThunderClan's camp and meet its leader, Firestar, a childhood friend of Ravenpaw's. Firestar reveals BloodClan cats have been harassing his Clan as well, so he cannot immediately spare cats, but invites the two to stay. Firestar gathers a battle patrol to fight BloodClan's camp; ThunderClan wins. BloodClan's leaders, Snake and Ice (Barley's brothers), try to avoid punishment by claiming the rest of BloodClan is at fault. BloodClan turns on them and drives their leaders away. Firestar promises Ravenpaw their next task will be to drive the other BloodClan cats from the farm. In The Heart of a Warrior, a battle patrol returns to the farm to drive out remaining BloodClan cats. Firestar's plan to ambush them in their sleep is foiled by chickens. A far larger number of strays is found, including BloodClan refugees. The farmer hears the fighting and scares them all off. ThunderClan regroups and drives the strays out in another battle. Barley's brothers, Snake and Ice (now using birth names Hoot and Jumper), are the only BloodClan cats left. Barley reluctantly allows them to stay, but they are rude and do not respect farm rules, so Barley kicks them out, leaving the barn to just Ravenpaw and Barley again.
Did You Know?
- The trilogy was written by Dan Jolley under the pseudonym Erin Hunter.
- The three books were colored and republished in a single book on 26 June 2018.
- Barley's brothers, Snake and Ice, are also known by their birth names Hoot and Jumper.
- A review by Joanna K. Fabicon noted that the original drawings were black-and-white.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ravenpaw's Path?
Ravenpaw's Path is a three-volume manga trilogy set in the Warriors universe that follows a cat named Ravenpaw and his companion Barley living a peaceful life on a farm. It was published as an original English-language manga series by Tokyopop and HarperCollins.
Who wrote Ravenpaw's Path?
Dan Jolley authored all three volumes under the shared Warriors pen name Erin Hunter. James L. Barry provided the manga-style illustrations for the series.
What are the three books in Ravenpaw's Path?
The trilogy runs from Shattered Peace through A Clan in Need to The Heart of a Warrior, spanning late 2009 to mid-2010. In June 2018 the three titles were reissued together in a single colored volume.
When was Ravenpaw's Path published?
The first installment, Shattered Peace, hit shelves on 24 November 2009, and the final book, The Heart of a Warrior, followed on 3 August 2010. A combined colored edition of the full trilogy was released on 26 June 2018.
Is Ravenpaw's Path part of the main Warriors canon?
It is a standalone manga spin-off within the broader Warriors franchise rather than a continuation of the core novel series, so its farm-life story exists separately from the main Clan narratives. Tokyopop and HarperCollins published it as its own three-book manga arc.
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