Moonrise

First edition cover, featuring Feathertail in the center image.[1]
Author	Erin Hunter
Language	English
Series	Warriors: The New Prophecy
Genre	Fantasy novel
Publisher	HarperCollins
Publication date	August 1, 2005[2]
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	320 pp
ISBN	ISBN 978-0060744540 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character
Preceded by	Midnight
Followed by	Dawn

Moonrise is the second book in Erin Hunter's bestselling Warriors: The New Prophecy series. It was first published on August 1, 2005 as a hardcover^[2] byHarperCollins. Exactly one year later, the paperback edition was released.^[3] The book has been praised by Barnes and Noble^[4] and Booklist,^[5] although Kirkus Reviews was not as warm.^[4] The plot follows Brambleclaw, Squirrelpaw, Crowpaw, Feathertail, Stormfur and Tawnypelt on their quest through the mountains, their stay with the Tribe of Rushing Water, and the death of Sharptooth and Feathertail. The Tribe of Rushing Water was used to portray the theme of religious conflict.^[6]

Moonrise was published on August 1, 2005 as a hardcover.^[2] The publisher was HarperCollins. On August 1, 2006, the paperback version was released by HarperTrophy. Both the hardback and the paperback have been released in the United Kingdom, the United States,^[3] and Canada.^[7][8] Russia has also released Moonrise.^[9] Later, the book was released as an eBook^[10] and a Kindle. The Kindle version was released by HarperCollins e-books on November 6, 2007.^[11]

Often in chats, the authors have talked about the death of Feathertail and what it was like writing it. Cherith Baldry said that it was hard to write the end of Moonrise.^[6] Asked why the authors kill off characters like Feathertail, Victoria Holmes, the editor, responded:^[12]

"Because deaths are so much fun to write about! Seriously, the essence of all good stories lies in drama and conflict, and what is more dramatic than losing a beloved character?"

In the Warriors world, there are four Clans, all of which believe in a group of their spirit ancestors called StarClan. In the previous book, Midnight, StarClan told four cats from the four Clans, Brambleclaw, Crowpaw, Feathertail and Tawnypelt, to find a badger named Midnight who would tell them what would soon threaten their home. Squirrelpaw and Stormfur (Feathertail's brother) also came along on the quest. Squirrelpaw's sister, Leafpaw, remains home as she continues learning to be a medicine cat. Midnight reveals to them that their forest will be destroyed by Twolegs (humans).^[13]

Several moons (months) have passed since the six cats set out from the forest on an urgent journey to save all their Clans. Stormfur states that he liked Squirrelpaw, but that Brambleclaw was a better mate for her. Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw's relationship grows so much that Brambleclaw is constantly licking the ginger she-cat ear. The six cats are now traveling home. From fear of the dangers that they encountered in the first book, Midnight, they decide to travel through the mountains at the advice of Midnight. In the midst of the snowy mountains, the six cats stumble across a group of wild tribal cats who belong to the Tribe of Rushing Water.

The friendly Tribe takes the questing cats in to shelter and feed them. During their stay, Stormfur falls in love with Brook Where Small Fish Swim (Brook), a Tribe prey-hunter, while his sister Feathertail romances Crowpaw. However, the Tribe cats have their own prophecy to fulfill. They see Stormfur as their only hope, the silver cat mentioned in the prophecy of the Tribe of Endless Hunting, the Tribe cats' spiritual ancestors. Stormfur is forced to protect the Tribe from Sharptooth, a bloodthirsty mountain lion with a taste for the smaller cats' blood. Together, Stormfur and his friends help get rid of Sharptooth by anguishing him and leading him into a trap. However, as they duel the wild cat, it is revealed that Feathertail is the real silver cat. In order to save Crowpaw from being killed, Feathertail loosens a rock spike from the roof of the cave and plummets to the floor with it, crushing Sharptooth, yet Feathertail herself also dies from the impact. Feathertail is buried at the base of the Cave of Rushing Water's waterfall and the remaining five cats continue traveling home towards their Clans. Stormfur is forced to say goodbye to Brook and Feathertail.

Meanwhile, Leafpaw, the ThunderClan medicine cat apprentice and Squirrelpaw's sister, has had to deal with the threats at home. The forest's destruction has begun and the whole forest is being uprooted by Twolegs. Near the end of the book, she enters into what seems to be a cave but turns out to be a Twoleg trap for cats and was captured by the Twolegs. The book ends with Squirrelpaw noticing Highstones at the edge of WindClan territory and exclaiming, "Highstones! We're almost home!"

Moonrise was received warmly by critics. Barnes and Noble said the novel had "intense action" and a "poetic grandeur". Kirkus Reviews criticized the novel for mundane writing, as well as the easy to confuse names and the use of "meowed" and "mewed" instead of "said", but praised the plot and suspense.^[4] A reviewer from Booklist said the following about Moonrise:^[5]

"The conclusion is a cliffhanger that will leave readers eager for the next installment."

Moonrise also reached the New York Times bestseller list.^[14]

Because of the events of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, Victoria Holmes stated she wanted to explore what happened when two religions encountered each other, leading to the creation of the Tribe of Rushing Water. In an author chat, she explained that the book never says who is right about faith, because both are "equally valid". This leads to fear and suspicion between the Clan cats and the Tribe because they are afraid of things they don't understand. Holmes finally said that "Ignorance is a very scary thing!"

• Warriors The official Warriors website.