Survivors (novel series)

Inspiration and origins

HarperCollins, publisher of the Survivors series, first suggested that the Erin Hunter team write a book series about dogs, but Victoria Holmes, a member of the team, was reluctant to create stories that would be too close to Warriors, the biggest series published under the Erin Hunter name. It was instead decided that the new series would be about bears, which became the Seekers series. In an interview two years later, Holmes said that, though she was "happy to focus on cats and bears right now", she would consider doing a series about dogs in the future. Gillian Philip, a former member of the Hunter team, later said that "dogs just felt like a natural progression from cats".

After the conclusion of Seekers, the team invited Inbali Iselris, author of The Tygrine Cat, to write a new series about dogs. After joining the Erin Hunter team, she spent more time with her dog, Michi, watching his behavior closely. Some of his mannerisms gave her material to develop the characters of Lucky and his companions.

While other series published under the name Erin Hunter had their preliminary plots written by a single author, a different approach was taken for the Survivors series. The whole team created a detailed story outline and developed the characters together. Then, the writing itself is done by a single author.

Books

''The Original Series''

The original series follows golden retriever Lucky. Lucky was once a domestic dog, but when a large earthquake strikes and kills all the humans in the area, he is lost in a destroyed world and must join up with a pack of other former domestic dogs for protection.

The Empty City (21 August 2012)

A Hidden Enemy (29 April 2013)

Darkness Falls (3 September 2013)

The Broken Path (11 February 2014)

The Endless Lake (3 June 2014)

Storm of Dogs (10 February 2015)

''The Gathering Darkness''

The Gathering Darkness follows Lucky's foster daughter, Storm, a Doberman Pinscher, as she grows up and discovers who she is meant to be.

A Pack Divided (13 October 2015)

Dead of Night (7 June 2016)

Into the Shadows (7 February 2017)

Red Moon Rising (3 October 2017)

The Exile's Journey (26 June 2018)

The Final Battle (5 February 2019)

Novellas

On 5 May 2015, three novellas previously published as e-books were released together in a book called Tales from the Packs.

Alpha's Tale (originally released 29 April 2014)

Sweet's Journey (originally released 10 February 2015)

Moon's Choice (originally released 5 May 2015)

Themes

Gillian Philip has said that a main theme of Survivors is "fitting in", as Lucky is a loner at heart and feels out of place in his pack. She has said that an advantage of writing about dogs is that they "are so much less self-reliant than cats," which she believed would "make for some good stories." Another main theme of the series is the complex canine pack structure that is similar to a human family.

Critical reception

Reviews of Survivors were initially positive, but began to take on a more negative tone as the series progressed. Booklist enjoyed the "fast-moving" plot and the characterization of the first book. The review also stated it was a "promising start" to the Survivors series. Kirkus Reviews gave the novel a starred review, writing, "Hunter expertly explores the tensions between responsibility and freedom; risk and safety; and loyalty and acceptance". The reviewer goes on to say that Lucky's point-of-view made "even the most mundane or familiar seem alive with magic". The Horn Book Magazine criticized the first book for its large number of characters, but added that its "action-packed suspense" makes a "promising start" to the series. Voice of Youth Advocates stated that while the terminology used may puzzle readers, that the cliffhanger ending will leave readers "eagerly awaiting" the next book. Booklist commented on the cliffhanger, stating that it will leave "avid" fans waiting for the next installment, but many readers will be "jarred" by the lack of a satisfying conclusion. The Horn Book Magazine writes that "the large number of characters is hard to keep track of" but states that Lucky's dilemma "adds suspense". King County Library System comments on the large number of characters, but says that the action will "please fans", calling Lucky a "sympathetic protagonist". It repeats the statement in a review for the fifth book The Endless Lake, and comments again on the number of characters in a review for the sixth book, Storm of Dogs.

The Horn Book Magazine praised the first book of the second arc, A Pack Divided, calling it a "winsome, adventurous installment" in the series. It stated that new readers would have trouble tracking the characters and backstories in a review for the second book, but comments that "Hunter devotees will appreciate how the dogs' saga deepens in this Survivors spin-off series".

References

References

1. "Erin Hunter chat #5 transcript – August 16, 2008". Wands And Worlds.
2. (14 August 2010). "Erin Hunter Chat Transcript 8/14/2010 - part 2". Wands and Worlds.
3. Carpenter, Susan. (26 August 2012). "Erin Hunter goes from cats to dogs in 'Survivors'". Los Angeles Times.
4. "Q&A – Gillian & Inbali". www.warriorcats.com.
5. Brown, Jennifer M.. (11 July 2012). "Wednesday, July 2011, 2012: Kids' Maximum Shelf: Survivors {{!}} Shelf Awareness". Shelf Awareness.
6. Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #1: The Empty City - Erin Hunter - Hardcover".
7. Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #1: The Empty City - Erin Hunter - E-book".
8. Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #1: The Empty City - Erin Hunter - Paperback".
9. Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #2: A Hidden Enemy - Erin Hunter - Hardcover".
10. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #2: A Hidden Enemy - Erin Hunter - E-book".
11. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #2: A Hidden Enemy - Erin Hunter - Paperback".
12. (3 September 2013). "Survivors #3: Darkness Falls: Erin Hunter: 9780062102645: Amazon.com: Books".
13. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #3: Darkness Falls - Erin Hunter - E-book".
14. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #3: Darkness Falls - Erin Hunter - Paperback".
15. Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #4: The Broken Path - Erin Hunter - Hardcover".
16. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #4: The Broken Path - Erin Hunter - E-book".
17. Hunter, Erin. "Survivors #4: The Broken Path - Erin Hunter - Paperback".
18. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #5: The Endless Lake - Erin Hunter - Hardcover".
19. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #5: The Endless Lake - Erin Hunter - E-book".
20. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #5: The Endless Lake - Erin Hunter - Paperback".
21. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #6: Storm of Dogs - Erin Hunter - Hardcover".
22. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors #6: Storm of Dogs - Erin Hunter - E-book".
23. Hunter, Erin. (2015-10-13). "Survivors #6: Storm of Dogs - Erin Hunter - Paperback".
24. Hunter, Erin. (2015-10-13). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #1: A Pack Divided - Erin Hunter - Hardcover".
25. Hunter, Erin. (2015-10-13). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #1: A Pack Divided - Erin Hunter - E-book".
26. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #1: A Pack Divided - Erin Hunter - Paperback".
27. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #2: Dead of Night - Erin Hunter - Hardcover".
28. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #2: Dead of Night - Erin Hunter - E-book".
29. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #2: Dead of Night - Erin Hunter - Paperback".
30. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #3: Into the Shadows - Erin Hunter - Hardcover".
31. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #3: Into the Shadows - Erin Hunter - E-book".
32. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #3: Into the Shadows - Erin Hunter - Paperback".
33. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors: The Gathering Darkness #4: Red Moon Rising - Erin Hunter - Hardcover".
34. Hunter, Erin. (2014-04-29). "Survivors: Alpha's Tale".
35. Hunter, Erin. "Survivors: Sweet's Journey - Erin Hunter - E-book".
36. Hunter, Erin. (2017-01-26). "Survivors: Moon's Choice".
37. Barron, Christina. (14 June 2013). "Author Gillian Philip tells stories from the animal's point of view". The Washington Post.
38. MacPherson, Karen. (19 May 2013). "Meet animal-fantasy writer Erin Hunter — or, at least, one of them". Detroit Free Press.
39. "Empty City, by Erin Hunter {{!}} Booklist Online". Booklist Online.
40. (1 August 2012). "The Empty City by Erin Hunter {{!}} Kirkus Book Reviews".
41. Hunter, Erin. "The Empty City (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons".
42. Matlack, James. (2013-05-07). "A HIDDEN ENEMY by Erin Hunter". Kirkus Reviews.
43. (2013-05-01). "Hidden Enemy, by Erin Hunter". Booklist Online.
44. Hunter, Erin. "A Hidden Enemy (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons".
45. Hunter, Erin. "Darkness Falls (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons".
46. Hunter, Erin. (3 June 2014). "The Endless Lake (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons".
47. Hunter, Erin. "Storm of Dogs (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons".
48. Hunter, Erin. "A Pack Divided (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons".
49. Hunter, Erin. "Dead of Night (Book) | King County Library System | BiblioCommons".