Ratha's Creature
The First Book of the Named
by Clare Bell
What if there were prehistoric cats who took the first steps towards civilization? That's the premise behind Ratha's Creature and The Named series. The Named are a tribe of large prehistoric cats who have learned to keep herds of prehistoric herdbeasts. Ratha is a yearling in training to be a herder. Females are discouraged from becoming herders under the dictatorial rule of clan leader Meoran, but Ratha's teacher Thakur believed she had promise and convinced Meoran to allow him to train her. In addition to keeping the herdbeasts from wandering, the herders have to protect them from the Un-Named, cats who have no clan and no name and who live by preying on the herds of the Named.
When a forest fire temporarily drives the Named from their home, Ratha discovers that fire is not just an enemy: it's a tool that can be used and controlled. Her discovery frightens the clan and threatens Meoran's leadership, and Ratha is driven out of the clan. Exiled and alone, Ratha lives on the edge of survival until she meets one of the Un-Named, and discovers that not all of the Un-Named are as dimwitted as she has been led to believe.
Ratha's Creature is an intense, emotional roller coaster of a book. It's the coming of age story of a remarkable adolescent, but it's also a story of the eternal battle between social status quo and social change. Ratha is the perfect change agent: she's impulsive, rebellious, and stubborn, but also creative, courageous, and determined. She's a remarkable character that you can't help but like in spite of her shortcomings, and teens will identify with her struggle to make sense of the world around her and find her place in it.
It's the characters - and the interaction between them - that really make this book. Besides Ratha there's Bonechewer, appealing arrogant and sardonic, yet amazingly patient with Ratha's occasionally irascible nature. Then there's Fessran, courageous and loyal, who stands by Ratha even when Ratha loses faith in herself. And finally Thakur, who loves Ratha in his own way, yet fears the change that she represents.
Ratha's Creature is a fast read - I think I read it in less than 24 hours, which is fast for me, because I couldn't put it down. Yet there's a lot to chew on here, too, with an emotional depth and a complexity of social and psychological situations. And here's a remarkable thing: the book has 42 reviews on Amazon.com, and EVERY ONE of them is a five star review. How often do you see that happen?
This book is more appropriate for mature teens than for younger readers; there's a fair bit of graphic violence, and a mating scene which is quite intense, although not overly explicit in language.
Ratha's Creature was first published in 1983 and has long been out of print. It was just republished in 2007 by the Firebird Books imprint of Penguin. They also republished books 2, 3, and 4 of the series. The new edition of Ratha's Creature is available from Amazon.com here.
A brand new book in the series, Ratha's Courage, was originally scheduled for publication in 2007 by Firebird, but publication of this eagerly awaited sequel was inexplicably cancelled. Ratha's Courage is available as an e-book from Baen Books here and should be in print soon.
There's an interesting collection of Ratha's Creature fan art here.
8 comments:
0__0 "Intense mating scene"? Great, now I'm having serious second thoughts about reading this. Not that I blame you, Sheila... it's probably better to have that information now than to be surprised by it in the actual book... -_- Thanks for the review, though... [wavering smile]
Hi Runningflame, good to hear from you! I always try to include information about violence and adult themes in books, because I know that not everyone is comfortable reading those things. That way each person reading my reviews can decide for himself or herself.
You could probably skip a few pages if it makes you uncomfortable, and not lose the sense of the story. You'll be able to tell when the mating part is coming, I think.
Ratha's Creature, yeah, I heard of this book, from a friend, it is an old series that has been resirected like some many other stories have. It follows a classic good vs. evil and the hero is oppressed by both sides eventhough she is trying to do the right thing. By the end the hero unites both sides. seems like an interesting, fantastical series with a fast pace. just like you said.
Hi je, Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I'm not sure that I agree that it's a "classic good vs. evil" story: it's really much more complex than that. There's really no person or group that could be identified as evil - not Meoran, who is doing what he thinks is best for the clan, and not the Un-Named, who are just trying to survive. It is an interesting story, though. You should try it.
Oh, no, it was cancelled? Darn. I read this book and the second in the series when I was in seventh grade--I remember doing a book report on this one! I think I picked it off a list and then ended up liking it way more than I thought I would.
Don't worry, a. fortis. I believe that it will be available in print soon, just not from Firebird Books. And it is available now as an e-Book.
To treasure hunters: Check the reviews on a certain fanfic (and no, it's probably not the one you're thinking of X^D).
To everyone else: Kindly disregard this note. ^__^
-RF
P.S. Hi Sheila! =^D
To treasure hunters: Check the reviews on a certain fanfic (and no, it's probably not the one you're thinking of X^D).
To everyone else: Kindly disregard this note. ^__^
-RF
P.S. Hi Sheila! =^D
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