The Broken Path

Survivors #4

by Erin Hunter

Erin Hunter, the #1 nationally bestselling author of the Warriors series, is back with book four in the New York Times bestselling Survivors series about a dog named Lucky. This thrilling animal fantasy series was praised by Kirkus as "wild and wonderful adventure" in a starred review. It will be welcomed by all fans of epic animal fantasy adventure.

Lucky and Alpha have reached a shaky truce, but tensions within the newly united Pack are still running high. As the dogs search for a home far away from the Fierce Dog camp, they discover that no territory is truly safe when they encounter a terrifying new Pack.

Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Middle Grade, Fiction, Adventure, Dogs, Childrens

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2014

About the author

Erin Hunter is the pseudonym of five people: Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Tui T. Sutherland, Gillian Philip, and Inbali Iserles, as well as editor Victoria Holmes. Together, they write the Warriors series as well as the Seekers and Survivors series. Erin Hunter is working on a new series now called Bravelands.

Erin Hunter is inspired by a love of cats and a fascination with the ferocity of the natural world. As well as having a great respect for nature in all its forms, Erin enjoys creating rich mythical explanations for animal behavior, shaped by her interest in astronomy and standing stones.

Reviews

[Brittney Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating: 5 stars

Note: This is the 4th book in the Survivors series so this will not be an in-depth review.

I have a few authors that I have gotten really behind on because of the fact that, due to college and life, I couldn’t read very much. Since I am not enrolled in college at the moment, I decided to devote the time that I would usually spend studying to getting caught up on my favorite authors. One of those authors is Erin Hunter, and I am proud to say that because I recently finished book 4 of Survivors, The Broken Path, I am one step closer to my goal. Since The Broken Path is the book 4, I can’t give a synopsis of it, but I can say that it was a great installment that continued the trajectory/storyline that was started with book 3, Darkness Falls.

My favorite part about this book is that we are starting to get a far clearer picture of the changed world these dogs are living in. Because of events that happened in book 3, our Pack has had to flee the territory that they were residing in and strike out into the unknown. While they are travelling, they have many experiences and visit a great number of different places, which allows us, as readers, to get a clearer perspective of the world. At first, I thought that the Big Growl was an earthquake, but as the dogs have had more experiences and explored more of their world, I am starting to think it was something different. We know that the water is poisoned with some kind of substance, and at first, I thought it was poisoned with fluids from broken pipes or cars that were damaged in the Big Growl. I still think that is some of the poisoned water, but it was revealed in this book that the rain is mixed with ash, burns whatever it comes into contact with, and leaves a yellowish salt when it evaporates. Also, there is a point when the dogs discover a town that is perfectly preserved, but all the residents are dead with no visible wounds. This sounds more like fallout from a volcanic eruption to me because volcanic activity could cause earthquakes, acid/ash rain, and sudden mass death from poisonous gas vents opening up. It is only because of the expansion of the world due to the travels of the dogs that I was able to make these inferences, and I really hope that this trend continues as I really enjoy using what the dogs experience and come into contact with to try and figure out what is really going on (We are seeing this scenario from the perspective of a Pack of dogs and it is really interesting to try and figure out what is happening using this narrowed point of view.)

I also really like how the Wild dogs and the Leashed dogs are starting to realize that they have to set aside their differences in order to survive. In this changed world, no one understands what is going on and no one has the complete skill set needed to survive so joining forces is a must. It was really interesting to see which dogs were able to adapt to this new way of doing things and this new world and which weren’t. I can’t wait to find out who is still standing at the end because a lot of dogs that I thought wouldn’t be able to adapt are and the ones I thought would be fine are failing. The parts where dogs from different backgrounds were able to share their knowledge and thus adapt and survive better warmed my heart and I hope we have more instances of this behavior in upcoming books.

Finally, there was a major theme of nature/nurture in this book as one of the dogs is what humans would call an aggressive breed. A lot of the book explores whether this dog will be able to control her instincts and channel her aggression in order to survive with the Pack or whether she will have no choice but to become anger-ridden and untamable. It was a very interesting discussion and I am very keen to see how it plays into the next books as it looks like it is going to be a main factor.

All in all, this was an amazing installment that kept my attention from beginning to end. I can’t wait to find out what happens next. 5 stars!!!!

[Ana Horiuchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I'm gonna cry

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ive read this over the feb break, t'was good

[Lily Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great 4th book with a cliffhanger. Will definitely read book 5!

[Laura Cartledge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the beginning and it got better at the end but the middle of the book was a bit tedious to read. Thankfully I am still curious to see how this pack of dogs will come out of the conflicts inflicted on them. But this was not my favourite book of the series.

[Jerem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Najlepsza ksiazka z serii jak na razie

[Evianrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Broken Path has been my favorite installment in the Survivors series yet!

The Wild Pack and Leashed Dogs joined together in the previous book Darkness Falls. While things are still tense now in The Broken Path it is clear that the two groups are more cooperative and even friendly with each other now. There are still quarrels however, mostly involving Lucky and his newly adopted fierce-dog pup Lick both getting on Alpha's bad side which isn't a difficult thing to do when Alpha dislikes you for just about anything.

In The Broken Path the Wild Pack is forced to continue searching for a new territory due to Blade and the Fierce-dog pack being hot on their heels. While traveling the Wild Pack members learn more from each other (Leashed Dog ways being understood by Wild Dogs and vice versa). Escape methods, burial, and naming ceremonies are all discussed and compared. The Pack also meets another group of dogs led by a crazy Alpha named Terror, who leads his pack with fear and speaks of a Spiritual Fear-Dog. Between running from the Fierce-Dog Pack and bumping into Terror's Pack, the Wild Pack has a lot of trouble in this one!

You might like this book if...
-You like/love dogs
-You enjoy suspense and adventure books
-You enjoyed the Warriors Series

You might not like this book if
-Death / Violence / Fighting disturb you


Thoughts

My favorite character in this book was Lick. While I understand her aggression and easily lost temper could prove to be a danger to the pack, it is clear that her emotions stem from her concern for others. Lick cares about Lucky and the Pack. I have a feeling that if they were more widely accepting of her earlier on, she wouldn't be at stubborn and emotional. Many times in the book she admits to feeling hated and wonders if she is evil. I really want to see Lick grow as a character and become a beloved member of the pack. Especially with her new name Storm which she chooses at the end. I hope the name she chose isn't foreshadowing anything late on in the series.

I was devastated when Fiery met his end in this book. I did not expect him to challenge Alpha but when he did I found it difficult to put the book down. I was so stoked to hopefully see Fiery take the pack over, but that didn't happen. I was thrown for a loop when Fiery was caught, and was broken-hearted to read about his death. He is a character that will definitely be missed.

I wonder what will happen to Twitch now that his old pack has been I suppose, disbanded?

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always difficult to order books in, partly because my bookstore is generally stocked well, so I buy what I see and wait for orders when I get a gift card or can't find anything. I already know I spend far too much on buying books, but I had to have the rest of this series and it was finally time. I ordered this one, books five and six, and the collection of the short stories all together. I'm just waiting on book six to show up now!

This story has always been a little more exciting than the Warriors books, as these are set in the world after some great calamity has hit. I imagine it's something nuclear, since the water has been poisoned and acid rain falls. Humans, or 'longpaws' seem to be capturing animals now to test the effects. Other dogs are threats too, especially the Fierce dogs.

It has been a while since I read the last book, but I still picked this up easily enough and followed along with the story. Lucky is still a frustrating main character, he lacks the focus and drive that made me love Firestar in Warriors. He is growing though, and I wonder where these books will take him (also, that's not the point where you comment what happens, I had that one a review for one of my Warriors reads and posting spoilers sucks, even if I'd already read the series. Who knows if someone else has not?) I obviously have the next couple of books now, except the last, so I'll read on myself and see!

[TheGracefulReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE GOOD

Lucky; In this book, you begin to see a slow shift in Lucky and how he handles things. He's temper is shorter, and his patience nearly non existant. He worries much more, but also stands against Alpha a lot more. I am curious as to where he will go from here.

Fiery: I loved Fiery, but I think we all knew his fate was sealed when he challenged Alpha. It's a shame, because Fiery would have made a fantastic leader.

Moon: We get to know Fiery's mate a lot better in this one, and I was surprised to find I really liked her.

Lick/Storm: Finally Lick has her adult name - Beetle and Thorn, too. They have all earned it! But her name is very ominous, considering the disaster Lucky continues to dream about. Also, Storm is struggling against her fierce dog nature, and I'm afraid it will soon get the better of her.

THE BAD

Alpha: I am ready to see someone take leadership from him. He is growing old as a character.

Terror: The crazy seizure dog was scary, but not useful for much else.

[Michelle Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 4.8*.

I wrote a good review (I thought), but when I clicked 'save' in the word processor, it just disappeared and no amount of searching or restarting could make it reappear again. Anyway, two major points to make.

1) During a fight scene, a dog has its lower jaw torn off. A bit of a shock in a middle-grade book. You've been warned.

2) Hunter seems to perpetrate the stereotype that certain dogs are natural killers. As an owner of blue-nose pitbulls (a dog often used in fights where cruel, degenerate, stupid people make them fight (often to the death) so they can bet on them), I can tell you these dogs are as docile as you raise them to be. Accidents do happen (among all dog breeds!) but a dog who is consistently viscious has been raised that way by PEOPLE.

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good job Erin Hunter, you really know how to make someone hate another. Alpha Is probably one of the most greedy, disrespectful bastards in the whole entire book! If Alpha was a human being, I would find him, and give him a really good kick in the shin. But anyway, this book was really good. And sad. A good adventure book has to at least get rid of a good character. And Erin Hunter succeeded in doing so. Cliffhangers upset me but they are very effective in a way. Its to draw people into getting the next book. And that definitely worked on me. Good job, once again! I love all the books.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! it was so good! i was so relieved when the Erin hunter group moved away from the cats already!!! TOO MANY WARRIORS! WARRIORS ARE TAKING OVER THE WORLD!!! is what i always thought when i saw the one filled up shelf at my school with just warriors. and in that corner of Erin hunter are the 4 books of survivors compared to the hundreds of warriors. I <3 Dogs!!!

[Skylee Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!!

[Yassmina Stefania · Rating 5 out of 5]

That's awesome. The book is good and the characters too.

I think Storm Will be one of the best dogs that the Wild pack ever had.

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Can't wait to read the Next book

[Lia Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book it’s just not as good as the 1 and 2 ones

[Christian Lenz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the fourth book. It was really good. My favorite dog is Lucky beacuse he makes good deseions base on his heart. Can't wait to read the next one !!

[Sally Jennings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book four in the survivor’s series by Erin Hunter. It was enjoyable. Was rooting for Lucky and the member of the combined pack.

[KSena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I’ve figured out what the biggest strength of the Erin Hunter team is. At least to me. It’s the world-building they got going. It doesn’t matter what animals inhabit their world, it’s alive vibrant and you just want to stay in it!

Same thing here. Even though things get a bit… dangerous here. Lucky is, as his name suggests, a lucky dog. Things go well for the pack, of sorts. Apart from the young dog Lick, who is one of the so called ‘fierce dogs’, or as we know them Dobberman dogs. She’s fast, VERY strong and has a quick and aggressive temper. But she is VERY loyal.

She ended up a character I kinda rooted for. She tries SO HARD to fit in with the wild pack, and trusts Lucky with every bit of her being. Her temper and her dreams put her in trouble more than once with Alpha though, the leader of the pack and a half-wolf.

Against my better judgement though, I do like Alpha too. In the previous books he has been this strong leader, a bit of a bully, yes, but still he has always had an answer and has only shown confidence.

Not here though. Not at all. It is very clear that he is very insecure now when they are traveling, does not know what to do most of the time, but at the same time is afraid of showing insecurity. Which makes him mean and a proper bully. Especially against Lick, since he HATES ‘fierce dogs’, despite Lick doing everything asked of her and more.

Alphas second in command Sweet is very very cool. She’s one of those that you first don’t notice, because they keep doing these cool things in the background. I don’t know how else to explain it. She hasn’t changed, she’s still the Beta to Alpha, but the more insecure Alpha becomes the more important and strong she is. It’s kinda cool to see. I didn’t like her earlier, but now I kinda do.

Not any huge twists in this book, just a continuation of the adventure. The biggest mystery for me in the Survivor books is what the heck happened to have all these humans die but the animals survived??? Small clues here and there, but I can’t figure it out! Both frustrating, interesting and exciting!

So yeah, the Survivor books might not be quite as strong as the Warrior books, but they are still very good! And I still enjoy them!

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my least favorite book in this series so far. In the first three, I clearly found worthwhile lessons that would be good to discuss with young readers. In Broken Path, themes and morals are present, but are a little harder to determine. Also because a new, even more vicious pack of dogs appears, there is even more violence than in the earlier books—a clear negative to me.

Lucky, our hero-in-the-making, is trying to parent Lick, the Fierce Dog pup. Like reality in families, however, the practice of setting boundaries and providing guidelines is difficult. Lick proves herself a fighter and valuable to the pack, but Alpha remains reluctant to accept her. Lucky and the hunting party give Lick the important naming ceremony at the end of the book, but the entire pack is not present. She chooses the name Storm. Lucky has had dreams since Book One about a Storm Dog—a clear foreshadowing for events of the next book or two, I suspect.

I definitely choose to continue reading, especially since grandchildren recommend to do so!

[books_by_brunette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten tom po raz kolejny udowadnia, że Erin Hunter umie zaskakiwać i wprowadzić coś nowego!

🐾„Sfora” Erin Hunter po raz kolejny mnie zaskoczyła. Już przy czytaniu pierwszego tomu jakiś czas temu, okazało się, że moje sceptyczne spojrzenie było zupełnie niepotrzebne. Gdy zaczynałam tom 2, niecały tydzień, a gdyby doba była dłuższa na pewno skończyłabym ją jeszcze szybciej! Recenzując „Opuszczone miasto”, czyli pierwszy tom serii, pisałam jak urocza, sympatyczna i przyjemna była tamta książka. obawiałam się, że może jednak jestem już za duża i nie będę potrafiła wciągnąć się w lekturę. Oczekiwałam luźnej rozrywki, przyjemnej odskoczni. Dostałam jednak o wiele więcej! Całą serię pochłonęłam w Oczywiście nadal te słowa podtrzymuję, ale z każdą kolejną częścią, przygody sfory Fuksa stawały się coraz bardziej poważne – wzruszające, wciągające i trzymające w napięciu. Moje obawy odnośnie tego, jak czytelnik w moim wieku będzie się bawił w trakcie czytania, okazały się całkiem niesłuszne – bardzo przywiązałam się do bohaterów i nie mogłam oderwać się od lektury!

[Payson P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Survivors the broken path by Erin Hunter was a relatively good book. The book takes place in the wild in the aftermath of an earthquake. Lucky and Alpha are at a tense peace with one another while they find a new home for their Pack. When Firey is captured by the longpaws on a hunt and Alpha wants to move from the longpaw town and from the insane Terror and his Pack close by and not much prey, but Alpha is convinced to let Lucky lead some dogs to rescue him while the Pack moves on leaving a trail so they can catch up again. When a sickly firey is rescued lucky and his group encounter Terrors Pack and it takes all they can to survive.

Spoiler: Storm kills Terror in battle with his Pack and Firey dies of his wounds and sickness. On the way back to find Alphas pack Twitch is chosen to lead Terrors broken pack and leaves the group.

[Hannah Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were so many conflicting emotions in me as well as in the characters as I was reading this. I felt a surge of pride when Beetle and Thorn chose these names as well as when Lick was able to protect Lucky, Moon, Bella, and Martha before choosing the name Storm for herself. Conversely, I was utterly horrified and deeply upset when Fiery was tortured by the "longpaws" aka humans. and then subsequently died next to Moon's side. Tension between Alpha and Lucky continue to rise, and I sense a change in leadership on the horizon since Fiery challenged Alpha prior to the massive dog's gruesome death. Lick's, now Storm's future intrigues and worries me as she shows conflicting loyalty between her Pack and the Fierce Dogs. Also, with the revelation that Grunt (now Fang) is alive and sharing dreams with his sister, is the feared Storm of Dogs brewing?

[Andre Ouellette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a dog lover, so I was interested in Survivors series, but unsure if authors would be able to satisfy my expectations on novels whose main characters are dogs. I have not been disappointed! The Broken Path was an intriguing follow up to the 4 previous books in series. Authors Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Gillian Phillip, Inbali Iserles, Tui T. Southerland and Rosie Best, (a.k.a. Erin Hunter), do a wonderful job of drawing readers into the exciting post-apocalypse world of wild dogs. Full of action and emotional parts of the story had me misty-eyed. I found it hard to stop reading, as I was drawn into the action and wanted to just keep reading.

[Edwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

-My favorite passage of the book is at the end of lucky says to the other alpha that "you is not cant be the alpha if you are the least most likely to help your pack that help your self"says lucky to other alpha and scared him because lucky was right.
- Even tho the book is dog surviving in the wild its the dog that they talk but the thing is that are they talking like humans do or as the own language like how dog communicate today?
-I did like the book,at the beginning of the book might get boring,at the meddle its getting more into the action,some where at the end is inserting

[Katie Perlmutter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adrian and I sobbed while reading this book. With this being book 4 we felt emotionally invested in each of the characters. To lose a packmate felt like losing a friend. Although there were some gruesomely detailed scenes, we couldn't stop reading... and promptly purchased the 5th book so we could find out what happens next.

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part was when Lick earned her grown dog name storm. My least favorite part was when Fiery died, because he was one of my favorite characters, and I wanted to read the part that was going to be Fiery challenging Alpha.

[Kalindra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good. My favorite part was when Lucky and the others were in the human houses and had to go find food. The saddest part was when Fiery dies and the other animals were being poisoned.

[Reader Bluestorm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Podobało mi się rozwinięcie wątku Lizy i wątek nowej sfory. Mam nadzieje, że w następnym tomie będzie mniej o szczeniętach, a więcej o Słodkiej. Jednak to nie znaczy, że ta część mi się nie podobała. Zakończenie perfekcyjne, wzruszające.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading this series from the beginning and it's very good. I keep wondering if the dogs will ever find safety and peace.

[Grace Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE THIS BOOK