Post by Jaybird on Mar 11, 2009 11:38:53 GMT -5
(Hope you don't mind me reposting this, Bookie.)
Original Bookie Post :
Are you ready to read a 1812 words? xD K, I'm sorry, I'm not actually proud of this insane length, but together with all the excellent points you guys gave me, I just couldn't resist writing more and more! xD It's worth reading though, I promise you.
Original Bookie Post :
Are you ready to read a 1812 words? xD K, I'm sorry, I'm not actually proud of this insane length, but together with all the excellent points you guys gave me, I just couldn't resist writing more and more! xD It's worth reading though, I promise you.
Ga'Hoole vs. Warriors
I've always loved Warriors, even now as they're slowly going downhill, but one of my other childhood favorites was Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a beloved animal series written by Kathryn Lasky. In nine words, Guardians of Ga'Hoole is a series mainly about owls - which of course makes it absolutely different from Warriors, right? Actually, not really.
During the past few years, I've reread each series more than a couple times, and have always seen traits of one series appear in the other. However, it was only when I explored this subject more profoundly that I discovered several striking similarities between the two sagas, ressemblances that couldn't be ignored.
My research has led me to believe that there is a strong rivarly between the two sagas, and the authors (or the publishers) are aware of each other's series more than we think. In this article I will discuss the similitude between the characters, the plot, and most importantly the publication of both series which I hope will convince you of my argument.
Firstly, I am aware that many of you might have or might not have read the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series, so I'll try to explain what the chronicles are about as we go along, but keep in mind that you should read and enjoy it yourself if you're interested. Now of course, just like I wouldn't summarize Warriors as being "all about cats", I can't really describe what the Ga'Hoole series is all about in one paragraph, so I'll have to skip some details.
To start off, Guardians of Ga'Hoole is a series where owls live in "chaws", which are kind of like Warrior clans. Instead of becoming Warriors, the owls are trained to become Guardians (hence the name of the series), a group of owls who "rise into the night to perform noble deeds, right all wrongs, make strong the weak, etc." Basically they protect the good innocent owls from the evil ones. =)
Both series are certainly different and unique from each other in many ways, but I'm only pointing out the similarities that cannot be taken for mere coincidences. For example, while apprentices in Warriors are given a mentor and learn every kind of skill that is needed to survive and fight, owls who train to become Guardians are put into chaws, also learning techniques of survival and fighting, as well as other different skills that their unique chaw requires of them (flying chaw, weather chaw, caring for the injured, etc.)
Now of course the whole series isn't based on the characters' training experience - Fireheart quickly undergoes his apprentice duties, after which the books focus on battles, survival, and dangers of the forest. After a dozen books or so, the focus is switched to incorporate a more magical theme (the trio having powers, more prophecies and dreams, etc.) Take a look at Ga'Hoole and you'll see the same thing: training, becoming a Guardian at last, joining in the battles, and finally having magical artifacts like the Ember of Hoole come into the story.
Both series also have a higher power, or a god. Our favorite felines believe in StarClan, made up of deceased cats from the four Clans. In Ga'Hoole, StarClan would be both Glaux, an ancient order from which the rest of the owls descended; and glaumora, the owl heaven. Likewise, hagsmire would be the owl hell, like the Place of No Stars. It's a bit different, granted, but the similarities persist.
Now lets look at talent and skills. There's Fireheart and Brambleclaw, who can can speak with their warrior ancestors through dreams, a rare and special talent that only medicine cats (and sometimes leaders) have. Turn to Ga'Hoole and you'll see that Soren and Coryn, also two main characters in the series, have rare and special abilities themselves: fire-sight and star-sight, which allows them to see fragments of the future.
To continue with the future subject: like Midnight the badger in Warriors who can speak with cats and read the future in the stars, there's a mystic rabbit in Guardians of Ga'Hoole who can speak with owls and read the future in spiderwebs. Both animals only get glimpses and fragments of the future and both animals help a main character in the series. Actually, it's funny, cause here's yet another similarity - the main character who they help isn't the one that started the series (Fireheart vs. Soren), but a newer character that appears later on (Brambleclaw vs. Coryn).
This raises an important question - does GoG also have multiple mini-series of six books like Warriors, allowing a new generation to take the place of the old characters? Literally, no. Each book is part of one series called Guardians of Ga'Hoole, without subtitles like The New Prophecy and Power of Three. There's also no children of the heroes that become heroes themselves in GoG, a prospect Vicky seems to adore now.
However, it should be noted that in the beginning, when Kathryn Lasky (the author of GoG) just started writing the series, she planned only six books* at first - just like Vicky only planned the First Arc in Warriors! Then of course both Vicky and Kathryn realized they could make more money by taking advantage of their devoted fans, so they went on to continue the series - Kathryn continuing with Book Seven and a new character called Coryn, and Vicky starting with Book One of The New Prophecy, with a new character called Brambleclaw.
See the similarity? And the fact remains that originally, there was only six books planned in both series! Vicky ended The Darkest Hour in a complete way (meaning she didn't have to start TNP - everything was answered for the fans). Look at Ga'Hoole and you'll see that The Burning, sixth book of GoG, also ended in a resolute way that didn't ask for more books.
Special thanks goes to Possk who also noticed how Brambleclaw and Coryn (the two new main characters) are both outcasts. Each was mistrusted at first and thought as "villainous", since both their fathers were truly evil (please don't start with the Tigerstar had good qualities!) and played the roles of the antagonist in previous books. As evidence: Brambleclaw's father, Tigerstar, was the enemy of Fireheart in the First Arc; while Coryn's father, Kludd, was the main villain of the first six books of Guardians of Ga'Hoole.
LS would also like to add that our beloved and mysterious Sol is very much like the Striga, a blue owl from an undiscovered sixth owl kingdom. Both are (or try to act) mysterious; both have their own weird and strange beliefs; and both succeed in influencing other cats/owls with their beliefs! Not to mention both of them get banished/exiled/driven away by the cats/owls afterwards.
These are not coincidences! These are simply ideas that one of the authors adopted from the other because they knew they worked. After all, who wouldn't like to see an outcast, shamed by his parent's evil deeds, turn out to be the hero in a story? Who wouldn't want to see a mysterious and calmly influencing character appear amongst the cats/owls? You might think Sol is a completely original character, but I'd like to note that the Striga came into the GoG books long before Eclipse was published!
Am I getting my point across, cause we're seeing some major similarities here! However, what interested me most was not the similarities in the plot and characters, but in the publication of the books themselves. Let me explain. Back when Eclipse wasn't published yet, both series had the same, exact number of books. Both Guardians of Ga'Hoole and Warriors had fifteen books in total; that is, not counting special editions, manga, etc. that Warriors has.
For Warriors fans who doubt this - simply count up the numbers! The First Arc plus The New Prophecy makes up twelve books (six books in each series). Add on The Sight, Dark River and Outcast, and you got yourself fifteen books! But like I said, that's not counting all the special editions, manga, etc or the newer novels like Eclipse, and Long Shadows.
The reason I don't count the two newest novels is because the GoG series has (unfortunately) ended at the fifteenth book, with The War of the Ember. Note though that Outcast and The War of the Ember WERE published at the same time, making both series even at the time. And not only that but both series also have a guide book, Kathryn Lasky releasing her first one only a short while after Erin's Secrets of the Clans! Oh, and did I mention that even though GoG has ended, Kathryn's releasing a second guide book soon, entitled Lost Tales of the Great Tree?
Does this look like rivalry to you, between the two series? It certainly does to me! Just look at at all those ressemblances, the same application of ideas, even the same type of guide books! The only difference is that Warriors is selling much better than Guardians of Ga'Hoole these days, not to mention that the main GoG series already ended, unlike the Warriors which seems to continue forever. And then there's also the fact that Erin Hunter has been publishing lots of extra Warriors books like special editions, more guide books, and even manga adapted to the series!
The only thing Guardians of Ga'Hoole is beating Warriors with, is an upcoming CGI movie based on the first three books - officially confirmed to be released in July 23, 2010. But even Warriors is now announcing it's looking for a movie deal - it's not confirmed yet, but it won't be long now...
In conclusion, it's clear that both authors were aware of each other's series, and more than just a glance at The New York Times Bestseller's list now and then. I expect their publishers (Scholastic vs. HarperCollins) were seriously keeping track at how the rival saga was doing compared to them. Of course now GoG has sadly ended, with only another guide book and a movie in the future for its fans. I'm sure Vicky must be happy, eh? xD
However, it's still worth noting the similarities that were always there between the two sagas, and seeing how it influenced each series in its own way. Will we see a GoG guide book with illustrations for each character, just like in Cats of the Clans? As much as it'd be an obvious rip-off Warriors, I would be glad to see my favorite owls one last time before the series and everything related to it ended for good (hint: it seems like Warriors will never end for good... but that's another article!) :-)
*Although I said that in the beginning, both authors planned to make only six books for their series, it's important to note that Kathryn actually intended to make ONE fantasy book about owls - that is until her publishers thought it'd be better to stretch it out into a six-book saga.
