The lives of the Named are dwindling. The herds are dying, cubs are few, and raiders are taking lives of both the herdsbeasts and of the wild cats of the clan. The peaceful life of Ratha, a yearling cat, is shattered when she is separated from her migrating clan during a thunderstorm. For the few days that she is on her own, she discovers one of the great marvels of nature-- fire. She is fascinated with this "Red Tongue" and nurtures it, keeping it alive to the dismay of her friend Fessran and her teacher Thakur. Her discovery leads to her downfall, and the clan leader banishes her to the lands of the animalistic Un-named. She must suddenly turn from herder to hunter, Aided by an intelligent Un-named cat whom she calls Bonechewer, Ratha builds a new life in these wild lands, finding a voice, love, and a family. When her happy existence is ripped apart by her own fangs, she realizes that she has no other choice than to confront the tyrannical leader of her former clan. Ratha takes up the Red Tongue once more, and, wielding this, must call upon her courage, her intelligence, and her new skills to bring freedom to her former clanmates.
REVIEW
This book has remained one of my personal favorites and has deeply influenced my writing. Bell masterfully builds the world of the Named, her characterization is complex and relatable, and her description is gorgeous. Ratha's Creature, the first in the series, explores the issues of pride and power. Ratha's clan leader abuses his power and the cats in his clan. Ratha, emboldened by her discovery of the Red Tongue, automatically assumes that she will be given a position of authority in the clan. Instead, her pride and disrespect is what removes her from the clan entirely. Her pride and superiority also keeps her from accepting Bonechewer's help at first, causing her to nearly starve. It is only when Ratha humbles herself and puts herself under Bonechewer's tutelage that she is able to thrive. Her relationship with Bonechewer is a beautifully bittersweet, tragic love story that is subtly written. Ratha and Bonechewer end up mating in this story, and this scene is unsuitable for younger readers. Bell's characters are superb, ranging from the serious Thakur to the fiery Fessran to the annoyingly mysterious Nightling, and the dialogue reflects their feline nature with "yarr"s and howls. The fact that this story takes place in a pre-historic land of savannah and forest makes it seem even more otherworldly. The plot is innovative and unique; my favorite thing about this series is that every single book is extremely different from the books before or after it. Bell has done an amazing job setting up her world, writing an engaging story, and somehow making a clan of wild, intelligent cats relatable to human readers. I highly recommend the rest of this series, but this book can definitely stand on its own.
Negative: mating scene that may be unsuitable for younger readers
Positive: beautiful writing, great characters, innovative plot, this is a series so there are more of these, themes of the dangers of pride and power
9 out of 10 stars