Warrior Cats reading order (Into the Wild, 2003)

Erin Hunter is the pen name on the books. The shelf is a chain of six-book arcs, plus Super Editions, novellas, manga, and graphic-novel adaptations. This page is an entry map: the original arc, the second arc, and the prequel arc people mistake for book one. It does not list every later prophecy.

A graphic novel of The Prophecies Begin is an adaptation. It is not a new novel order and it is not a shortcut around Into the Wild.

The Prophecies Begin — start here

Read them in this order. The original six were later subtitled The Prophecies Begin. That subtitle is not a different series.

The New Prophecy — second arc

Stop after The Darkest Hour if you only wanted the first arc. The New Prophecy assumes that arc already happened.

Dawn of the Clans — prequel arc, not the door

Contested chrono, labeled: Dawn of the Clans is set before Into the Wild, so chronology charts open on The Sun Trail. The official Warriors article says the opposite for a first read: start with The Prophecies Begin, continue through The New Prophecy, Power of Three, and Omen of the Stars, and read Dawn of the Clans after that. The arc can stand more alone than a mid-series novel. It is still the wrong default for “Warrior Cats reading order.” House rule: Into the Wild first. Dawn of the Clans after the first four arcs if you want the prequel at all.

Later arcs — named, not tabulated

Publication order of the arcs after The New Prophecy:

• Power of Three
• Omen of the Stars
• Dawn of the Clans (the prequel above — publication fifth, chronology first)
• A Vision of Shadows
• The Broken Code
• A Starless Clan
• Changing Skies (in progress when this page was checked)

Those later arcs are not book-by-book on this page. Super Editions (including Firestar’s Quest), novellas, field guides, and manga side stories stay off the novel column. They are not Into the Wild.

House rule: Into the Wild through The Darkest Hour, then The New Prophecy if you want the next generation. Do not start on The Sun Trail, a Super Edition, or a graphic novel.

Common mistakes

• Starting with The Sun Trail because it is “how the Clans began.”
• Starting with Midnight because The New Prophecy box set was the one on the shelf.
• Starting with Firestar’s Quest or another Super Edition because it looks standalone.
• Reading the graphic-novel adaptation and thinking the novels have a different order.
• Treating a later arc (River, Lost Stars, The Elders’ Quest) as a reboot you can open cold.

What to read next

1. Percy Jackson (Rick Riordan) — If you want another long children’s fantasy shelf with later cycles that look like book one.
2. Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer) — If you want a finished eight-book run with a clear front door and later books that are not required.
3. Harry Potter (J. K. Rowling) — If you want the other long young-reader ladder. Start at Philosopher’s Stone / Sorcerer’s Stone.
4. The Inheritance Cycle (Christopher Paolini) — If you want a shorter finished fantasy four after the first Warriors arc.
5. Stop after The Darkest Hour. The first six are a complete visit.

FAQ

Into the Wild or The Sun Trail first?
Into the Wild. The Sun Trail is a prequel arc from 2013.

Do I need Dawn of the Clans?
No. Read it after Omen of the Stars if you want the earlier history. Not first.

What comes after Sunset?
Power of Three, then Omen of the Stars, in publication order. This page does not tabulate them.

Are the graphic novels the same order?
They adapt arcs you have already met. They are not the novel table of contents.

Is Erin Hunter one person?
The name on the books is Erin Hunter. The series is written under that name. The reading order does not change because the byline is shared.

Sources

• Warrior Cats, books — official arc lists, including The Prophecies Begin, The New Prophecy, and Dawn of the Clans. Opened 2026-09-23.
• Warrior Cats, how to read the books — official advice to start with The Prophecies Begin, not The Sun Trail, and to read Dawn of the Clans after Omen of the Stars. Opened 2026-09-23.