Thunder Rising

A few months following the events of prequel The Sun Trail, the cats formerly from the Tribe of Rushing Water have settled in to their new home. Thunder, the son of Clear Sky and Storm, a rogue cat who lived in the forest before the Tribe cats arrived, is being raised by his uncle, Gray Wing. A forest fire rages through Clear Sky's territory, forcing him and his group to temporarily seek shelter with Gray Wing . While staying with Gray Wing, Clear Sky asks Thunder if he wants to live in the forest with him instead. Thunder accepts the offer, wanting to get to know his father, and he stays with Clear Sky for a short while. After seeing that Clear Sky is power-hungry and uncaring about the needs of others as individuals, Thunder leaves and returns to Gray Wing and his group.[1]

Thunder Rising takes place in several locations inspired by similar locales in the United Kingdom. With the exception of a disused mine, the forest in which the cats live is based largely on the New Forest.[2] Some other sources of inspiration for the series include the works of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.

The main characters live in two groups, each led by one of two brothers: Clear Sky or Gray Wing. Clear Sky's group consists largely of cats who are adept at hunting in the undergrowth and a few who fish and swim (such as Falling Feather).[3] Gray Wing's group (which includes Wind and Gorse) lives on the moor, and its members are able to run quickly, which is good for catching rabbits on the moor.[3] Both groups are made up largely from the group of cats that travelled from the mountain where prey was scarce.

Thunder Rising was released on 5 November 2013 as the second book in the Dawn of the Clans arc, which is the fifth arc of the Warriors series. It was preceded by The Sun Trail, and followed by The First Battle. A writer for Books-A-Million stated that Thunder Rising was a contributor to a strong children's and young adult's book market for fall of 2013.[4]