A Dangerous Path

When prey vanishes and a leader loses faith, the forest becomes a battlefield of loyalty and survival.

A Dangerous Path is a fantasy novel, the fifth book in the Warriors series, written under the pseudonym of Erin Hunter. This individual book was written by Cherith Baldry. The story revolves around Fireheart, deputy of ThunderClan, as he attempts to keep his Clan safe with the help of his ailing leader, while fighting off outside threats such as dogs and enemy Clans. The book was first published in the US as a hardcover on 1 June 2004. It has since been published as a paperback and as an e-book, and been published in other countries. A Dangerous Path has also been published in foreign languages, including French and Chinese. The book received positive reviews from reviewers such as Booklist and Horn Book Review, who praised the tensions and fast pace.

Quick Facts

Author: Erin Hunter
Cover artist: Wayne McLoughlin
Country: United States
Language: English
Series: Warriors
Genre: Children's literature; Fantasy novel
Published: 1 June 2004 (Avon)
Format: Print (Paperback and Hardcover)

Lore & Background

The story takes place in a fictional forest populated by four groups of feral cats: ThunderClan, RiverClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan. Each Clan has their own territory in which they live and hunt for prey in. They protect themselves from enemies such as rival Clans and wild animals. The forest is based on New Forest, which is located in Southern England.

Besides New Forest, Loch Lomond, the Scottish Highlands, and the Forest of Dean also inspired the fictional locales in the novel. Prey in ThunderClan's territory has gone missing, and Fireheart believes that Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan, is behind it. Meanwhile, Bluestar is mentally shaken by Tigerstar's betrayal, for she once thought he was a loyal warrior and deputy. Bluestar believes that if StarClan had been on her side, none of this would have happened.

She refuses to believe in StarClan, and declares war with them, shocking her clanmates. Bluestar decides to name Cloudpaw a warrior because he does not believe in StarClan. Two other apprentices, Swiftpaw and Brightpaw, both choose to track down the animals who have been stealing ThunderClan's prey. Unfortunately, the prey-stealers are a pack of deadly dogs.

Swiftpaw is killed, and Brightpaw loses half of her face, making her blind in one eye. Bluestar, thinking Brightpaw will die, promotes Brightpaw to the status of a warrior, but names her Lostface. Meanwhile, Graystripe returns to ThunderClan, and his loyalty is questioned among ThunderClan.

Reader's Guide

It sits between Rising Storm (Book 4) and The Darkest Hour (Book 6). CENTRAL CONFLICT: Fireheart, deputy of ThunderClan, must keep his Clan safe from outside threats—a pack of deadly dogs and enemy Clans—while dealing with his ailing leader Bluestar, who has lost faith in StarClan. Tigerstar, leader of ShadowClan, orchestrates the dog threat by killing Brindleface to give the dogs a taste of cat blood. CHARACTER ARC TRACE: Fireheart transitions from deputy to leader of ThunderClan after Bluestar's death. Bluestar moves from mental instability to a clear mind in her final moments, reconciling with her kits and restoring her faith in her Clanmates. Tigerstar is established as a manipulative antagonist who kills Brindleface to set the dog attack in motion.

Did You Know?

The Chinese version was published on 31 December 2008 and is packaged with a 3D trading card of Tigerstar.
Bluestar loses her final life by pushing the pack leader off the edge of the gorge.