Warriors Super Edition: Tigerheart's Shadow written by Erin Hunter, illustrated by James L. Barry
- Cana Clark
- Nov 1
- 7 min read
In the series Warriors: A Vision of Shadows, we found both the return of SkyClan and the destruction of ShadowClan. Warriors Super Edition: Tigerheart's Shadow nestles into this arc with some pretty crucial information — new characters are introduced as well as a major development in StarClan's abilities. It's also a perfect read for someone experiencing a bit of Warriors fatigue: veteran fans will be delighted to explore a new cat colony structure, as well as a new type of medicine cat! But before you dive in, you have to figure out WHEN to read this Super Edition:
When to Read Tigerheart's Shadow
I read Tigerheart's Shadow after A Vision of Shadows #5: River of Fire and before A Vision of Shadows #6: Raging Storm. The official Warrior website recommends: "Tigerheart’s Shadow takes place between Darkest Night and River of Fire, and so can be read between those two books." Personally, I'd still pick up Tigerheart's Shadow between #5 and #6.
Plot
Anyways, I loved Tigerheart's Shadow. The disappearance of Dovewing partway through the A Vision of Shadows series leaves the main POV characters (Twigbranch, Violetshine, Alderheart) wondering where she went, but I would imagine the reader feels even more concerned given that Dovewing is a POV character in the previous The New Prophecy arc. When it's revealed that Tigerheart has also gone missing, all the pieces click: Dovewing, the final cat in the prophesied Power of Three and a majorly important ThunderClan cat, has run away with Tigerheart, the leader's son and deputy of ShadowClan.
Dovewing and Tigerheart's romance is a major point of contention for Dovewing and her now-redeemed sister Ivypool in The New Propechy arc. The reader might throw up their hands in dismay at this final nail in the coffin of the sisters' relationship. Seriously, these sisters cannot win.
In A Vision of Shadows #5: River of Fire, the two missing cats return. Violetshine and Alderheart are shocked to learn that Tigerheart is lying dead at the Moonpool, while Dovewing has returned with strange cats and the last of ShadowClan's missing deserters. Oh, she also has kits. TIGERHEART'S KITS!
Damn! Of course, the Erins can't leave us there... A Vision of Shadows #5: River of Fire ends with Tigerheart somehow coming BACK TO LIFE and now carrying the name Tigerstar. He has returned to lead ShadowClan and take Dovewing (and their half-Clan kits) with him. The Clans are all shocked — up until then, the dregs of ShadowClan had been absorbed into SkyClan and their leader Rowanstar had renounced his leadership to be Rowanclaw. What are we to do with this patchwork ShadowClan and their runaway leader? What's more... what are the Clans to do with a cat named Tigerstar now leading ShadowClan? Any hope for a return to stability is marred by fear. Nothing good can happen when a Tigerstar is in power. (Not to mention this Tigerstar is literally the grandson of the original Tigerstar)!
Thoughts and Analysis
I like Tigerheart's Shadow; it gives us Tigerheart as the POV character and provides a sneak peek at the kind of leader he will be. The reader has to wonder how he can lead ShadowClan when he just ran away with a ThunderClan cat.. But Tigerheart does not easily abandon his Clan for love. It is only when his mate Dovewing announces she is leaving the lake to have her kits at a place she saw in her dreams that Tigerheart even considers leaving. He isn't able to leave with her, either. When two fellow ShadowClan cats attempt to defect to SkyClan on the night of Dovewing's departure, Tigerheart delays to convince them to stay and then fights off a badger who leaves him with a nasty headwound. (Can cats get concussions? If so, I'd describe it as that).
Tigerheart takes a perilous journey to reach Dovewing. He travels with almost no guidance and walks along a dangerous railway. Along this path he meets a cat named Dash who lives at a train station. Tigerheart helps Dash chase a few bullies away from his hunting territory, and then makes his way to the city where Dovewing has taken refuge.
Tigerheart is comforted to find Dovewing being cared for by a colony of self-proclaimed "guardian cats." These cats have no leader but are largely community healers and scavengers. They take in stray and injured cats and live below a church. Happy to live communally but deeply conflict-averse, they even have their own shamanistic cat named Spire who receives visions. The guardian cats have no rules and no territory, which appalls Tigerheart. The lack of defined borders and the sharing of food-filled trashcans causes him immense anxiety. What if encroaching rogues threaten their home and food source?
Territory is probably the biggest theme of this book, which is fascinating considering it's meant for middle schoolers. He convinces Dash to chase off the cats who threaten his livelihood in the train station. Later, when the guardian cats face the consequences of their lack of borders after a group of rogues move into their area and start competing for food. Tigerheart insists that the guardian cats must defend their territory. He settles for training the guardian cats to fight off the foxes who drove the encroaching rogues out of their old nests so that they can leave the guardian cats alone. But Tigerheart is vindicated when the guardian cats admit that they will define and defend their borders in the future.
Why does it feel like the lesson of this book is "defend your territory?" Or maybe, "good borders make good neighbors?" For a cat, this is a good lesson. But in this case, the intended recipient of this message is human children...
Forgiveness is another major theme of Tigerheart's Shadow. Dovewing must forgive Tigerheart for missing their meetup and leaving her to make the journey to the city alone and pregnant. Tigerheart must forgive himself for missing this moment and for leaving ShadowClan in their time of need. The guardian cats forgive the rogues who threatened their territory and offer them aid. Tigerheart forgives the cats who left ShadowClan to join Darktail (and who disappeared after the battle against Darktail), taking them with him when he and Dovewing return to the Clans. Forgiveness and olive branches are rewarded with loyalty and deeper relationships. By teaching the guardian cats about Clan life and being willing to live the guardian cat life, Tigerheart even brings some of the guardian cats to return with him to ShadowClan.
This book isn't just a lesson on foreign policy and forgiveness, however. It's a fabulous exploration of Tigerheart as a character. He's constantly torn between loyalty to ShadowClan and love for his mate. Responsibility is a major driver of his decisions. Unfortunately for Tigerheart, he feels responsible for his family and his Clan. What angst! I loved it.
I loved watching Tigerheart become a leader... At the beginning of the book, mutinous ShadowClan cats question Rowanstar's leadership and Rowanstar offers to step down so that Tigerheart can lead. Tigerheart admits he isn't ready, even though he disagrees with many of Rowanstar's decisions and accidentally undermines him. But Tigerheart comes into his own while living with the guardian cats. Navigating their unique colony structure and adapting to a new lifestyle helps him see the value in Clan life, as well as the importance of compromise. He learns when to show strength and when to let others take the lead. Tigerheart is rewarded for this leadership; his offer of forgiveness to deserters Sparrowtail, Berryheart, Cloverfoot and Slatefur make them even more loyal. Aiding the guardian cats in their fight against the foxes convinces several of them that Clan life is worth trying. Tigerheart's insistence on returning to ShadowClan no matter what makes him a returning hero and welcome leader rather than a defector.
Tigerheart also becomes a father and faces all that it entails. He frets over his kits growing up on scraps in the city and attempts to catch prey so that they can taste freshkill. He argues with Dovewing over how soon they can return to the Clans — even when the kits aren't strong enough to make the journey. He must admit that his own desire for the kits to become warriors is at odds with their wellbeing — and how many parents haven't had to face that unpleasant fact that one's desires for their child may in fact not be in the child's best interests? (It's giving, "No, Dad, that's YOUR DREAM"). Again, what a fascinating choice for a middle grade book. I ate it up.
We also can't ignore that this book expands on the new lore seen at the end of A Vision of Shadows #5: River of Fire — StarClan can bring back a cat from the dead by bestowing the nine lives of leadership. It's worth nothing that StarClan can send visions to non-Clan cats like Spire, and that they bestow visions on kits now. (Poor Shadowkit!)
Conclusion
In the Warriors universe, you have to admit that some Super Editions are not worth reading. There are too many to read them all (there's like eighteen of them at this point). I would argue that Tigerheart's Shadow is worth the read, not just because the plot seems pretty important to understanding the final books in the Vision of Shadows arc, but because it is a perfect encapsulation of everything I love about Warriors books: complicated characters plagued by conflicting desires, complex political intrigue, life-or-death stakes, and well-deserved character growth. Recommend, recommend, recommend!
Book Info
Title: Warriors Super Edition: Tigerheart's Shadow
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 9780062467720
Author: Erin Hunter
Illustrator: James L. Barry
Pub date: Sept 2017
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