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Survivors #0.1-0.3
Survivors: Tales from the Packs: Three Action-Packed Novellas About Dog and Wolf Pack Survival for Kids
Three novellas from the action-packed world of the bestselling Survivors series by Erin Hunter—together in print for the first time! In Tales from the Packs , discover these thrilling stand-alone Alpha's Tale : Before he became the fierce leader of the Wild Pack, Alpha learned to survive as the only half dog in a Pack of wolves. Sweet's Journey : In the aftermath of the Big Growl, Sweet left her friend Lucky to go in search of a Pack—and found a place as its Beta. Moon's Choice : When disaster struck the Pack that raised her, Moon lost the life she'd always known… and began a new one with the dog she loved.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 5, 2015
8 people are currently reading
947 people want to read
About the author
Erin Hunter
278 books10.8k followersErin 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 3, 2016
The first story, Alpha's Tale, was a bit underwhelming. It is supposed to show why Alpha hates Fierce Dogs so much, but I don't think what happened with them was that bad at all. I like getting back stories that help us understand complicated characters, but I don't think anything that happened to Alpha validates the way he acts. We also never saw him do anything bad, so it didn't really show us how he became the dog we met in the second book.
Sweet's Journey was well written, and I like her character, but it just felt unnecessary. We didn't learn anything we didn't know, except about Callie, who seemed kind of irrelevant. I did enjoy getting to know Sweet and her backstory more.
Now, I really enjoyed Moon's Choice! Before reading this, I didn't know a lot about Moon. I didn't realize she came from another pack. I really liked seeing her story and getting to know a great character like Moon.
Sweet's Journey was well written, and I like her character, but it just felt unnecessary. We didn't learn anything we didn't know, except about Callie, who seemed kind of irrelevant. I did enjoy getting to know Sweet and her backstory more.
Now, I really enjoyed Moon's Choice! Before reading this, I didn't know a lot about Moon. I didn't realize she came from another pack. I really liked seeing her story and getting to know a great character like Moon.
June 10, 2015
So this book took me forever to read. It took me a while to figure out why. It's a book by Erin Hunter! I read all of them! Survivors is a fast read compared to the other series, this shouldn't take long at all!
And then it dawned on me why it was so hard to get through.
I did not care.
I have been pretty vocal about my dislike of Survivors. It doesn't have the same spark to it as Warriors and Seekers did. Due to that, reading a short story collection about three dogs I don't care about? Yeah, boredom!
My thoughts in order of the stories.
Alpha's Story-So the back cover promotes this to explain why Alpha is such a sucky, cruel character in the book series. I didn't get any of that from this story. I do not understand why he is the a-hole he is in the books. Sure, things have happened to him but I cannot connect the dots to how those events shaped the way he is now. Also, in wolf packs, isn't the Alpha the only one allowed to breed? Why was his mother even allowed to stay? It was never touched upon at all.
Sweet's Story-Uh yeah, I don't care much about Sweet. It was alright I guess....
Moon's Story-I will admit, I do like Moon! And this story made me mad because it showed how good of an Alpha she would be! Only nope, she got stuck with the dumb wolf Alpha. *rolls eyes*
And then it dawned on me why it was so hard to get through.
I did not care.
I have been pretty vocal about my dislike of Survivors. It doesn't have the same spark to it as Warriors and Seekers did. Due to that, reading a short story collection about three dogs I don't care about? Yeah, boredom!
My thoughts in order of the stories.
Alpha's Story-So the back cover promotes this to explain why Alpha is such a sucky, cruel character in the book series. I didn't get any of that from this story. I do not understand why he is the a-hole he is in the books. Sure, things have happened to him but I cannot connect the dots to how those events shaped the way he is now. Also, in wolf packs, isn't the Alpha the only one allowed to breed? Why was his mother even allowed to stay? It was never touched upon at all.
Sweet's Story-Uh yeah, I don't care much about Sweet. It was alright I guess....
Moon's Story-I will admit, I do like Moon! And this story made me mad because it showed how good of an Alpha she would be! Only nope, she got stuck with the dumb wolf Alpha. *rolls eyes*
March 3, 2016
This series is very good and I recommend it to anyone who has read the Warrior Cats series, or likes action packed books featuring animals. :)
January 13, 2016
Another book that has spent far too long on my to-read pile! It's no secret that I love both the Warriors and Survivors books (I still haven't tried the Seekers books though) and this one was no exception. Basically it is three short stories, including Alpha's tale, Sweet's journey and Moon's choice. All of these dogs played leading roles in the main series, and all of them had untold stories until now. I really enjoyed getting some background information on all of these characters!
Best of all, I turned the last page in the actual stories to find there is a new series coming for the Survivors Universe! There's already a new book out! I actually just did a Dymocks book order, so I might wait until next pay day to order it, but still....Survivors!!!! More!!!! -drools- Five stars, can't wait to read more from this talented group of authors!
Best of all, I turned the last page in the actual stories to find there is a new series coming for the Survivors Universe! There's already a new book out! I actually just did a Dymocks book order, so I might wait until next pay day to order it, but still....Survivors!!!! More!!!! -drools- Five stars, can't wait to read more from this talented group of authors!
May 24, 2016
The book "Tales from the Packs" was a mix of a few stories in the Survivors series. These stories were tales from before the pack was made. There were 3 main characters in this book, Sweet, Moon, and Alpha and they were all dogs. The dogs were able to talk to each other and they were all born in the wild. They all had different backgrounds and the stories portrayed how they arrived in the same pack and how they got their ranks in the pack. This was a very good book even though it was 3 books in 1. I wish the stories were bigger and longer because I feel I was cliff-hanged in every end of the short story. Nevertheless, I still liked the book and I would reccommend this book to anyone who wants an action-packed book. I rate this book 8.5 out of 10 stars.
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February 4, 2016In this paperback version of Erin Hunter's three Survivors novellas, the past of the central series is revealed. Alpha's past and his connection with the Fierce Dogs is shown, showing his true character. Sweet's journey to the Wild Pack after her encounter with Lucky is detailed every step of the way. And finally, Moon's past with Fiery and the Wild Pack is displayed. These three seperate stories will keep the reader entertained.
November 27, 2025
I’ve been reading a lot of short story collections recently, it seems. Like the others, I’ll decide this book’s star rating based on an average of the three novellas contained within it.
ALPHA’S TALE: This was easily the worst story in the collection. If you’ve read any of my other Survivors reviews, you know I think Alpha is one of the most poorly written characters in the series. This novella certainly wasn’t going to be able to fix all the problems with this character (he’s way to flip-floppy in his personality and beliefs, and he’s only ever as capable or scary as the story needs him to be), but I was hoping to tie together at least some aspects of his character so it at least makes sense where he starts in the series, even if afterward his character remains an inconsistent mess. This book did none of that; in fact, I think it may have made his character worse. Alpha’s backstory with the Fierce Dogs in no way should have yielded the bitter hatred he expresses in the main series. And his personality seems almost completely different in this short story, even at the end, when he should theoretically be at least close to his present-day personality. Alpha just feels like a different character in this book than in the main series; I spent the entire story waiting for something to happen to justify his harshness, insecurity, indecisiveness, antagonism, etc., but there was nothing substantial. Insecurity was acknowledged in his wolf pack, but gone by the time he left them. Nothing else was even close to addressed, leaving this book entirely pointless and confusing from a character and narrative standpoint.
Very disappointing overall. High two stars.
SWEET’S JOURNEY: This was a much better novella, though I don’t think it was amazing. This is probably the most relevant of the three, covering the time between Sweet running from the city to Lucky meeting her again as the Wild Pack’s Beta. I liked getting to know more of her backstory and seeing how she climbed the ranks of the pack. Her conflict with Callie and later the red dog Beta was interesting to read about, too; it added a great driving point for the story. My two complaints with this are as follows: one, the usual Erin Hunter novella problem: everything is way too fast. We only have ten chapters to tell this story, so Sweet’s inner conflict about being the ‘Dog Who Ran Away’ comes out of nowhere and is resolved too quickly. Her fight with Beta would have been more satisfying with more buildup, and it would have tied her fear of cowardice into her current life much more organically. And number two, a plot hole. Sweet doesn’t see Lucky when he comes running to save the Leashed Dogs. They only see each other again once Lucky saves Sweet after the Growl aftershock. That inconsistency really bothered me, since it’s used as the ending stinger here when it didn’t happen in the main series.
Aside from that, though, this was a very enjoyable read! Low four stars.
MOON’S CHOICE: While less relevant to the main series, this was probably the most interesting of the three stories for me. The Erins managed to make a side character have an interesting backstory that doesn’t contradict her previously established personality. And they made her story very compelling, and even tragic in some regards. I especially enjoyed Moon putting Hunter in his place later in the book, and her decision allowing her packmates to help choose to join the Wild Pack made her very likable. My only complaint with this one is that it kind of makes the timeline of the series a bit rushed; it seems like the Wild Pack only recently moved into the lake territory when Sweet joined them. That’s not a bad thing, but it does shift my perspective on the first series a bit.
Just like Sweet’s Journey, I had a great time reading this! Moon was a great protagonist, and she had an unexpectedly interesting story. Low four stars.
Overall, I’d give this book a pretty solid or high three stars, which I’d translate to roughly a 3.7. So definitely not bad, but nothing amazing. I’d only recommend this book to fans of Survivors, specifically the first series, or anyone who really likes Alpha, Sweet, or Moon as a character.
ALPHA’S TALE: This was easily the worst story in the collection. If you’ve read any of my other Survivors reviews, you know I think Alpha is one of the most poorly written characters in the series. This novella certainly wasn’t going to be able to fix all the problems with this character (he’s way to flip-floppy in his personality and beliefs, and he’s only ever as capable or scary as the story needs him to be), but I was hoping to tie together at least some aspects of his character so it at least makes sense where he starts in the series, even if afterward his character remains an inconsistent mess. This book did none of that; in fact, I think it may have made his character worse. Alpha’s backstory with the Fierce Dogs in no way should have yielded the bitter hatred he expresses in the main series. And his personality seems almost completely different in this short story, even at the end, when he should theoretically be at least close to his present-day personality. Alpha just feels like a different character in this book than in the main series; I spent the entire story waiting for something to happen to justify his harshness, insecurity, indecisiveness, antagonism, etc., but there was nothing substantial. Insecurity was acknowledged in his wolf pack, but gone by the time he left them. Nothing else was even close to addressed, leaving this book entirely pointless and confusing from a character and narrative standpoint.
Very disappointing overall. High two stars.
SWEET’S JOURNEY: This was a much better novella, though I don’t think it was amazing. This is probably the most relevant of the three, covering the time between Sweet running from the city to Lucky meeting her again as the Wild Pack’s Beta. I liked getting to know more of her backstory and seeing how she climbed the ranks of the pack. Her conflict with Callie and later the red dog Beta was interesting to read about, too; it added a great driving point for the story. My two complaints with this are as follows: one, the usual Erin Hunter novella problem: everything is way too fast. We only have ten chapters to tell this story, so Sweet’s inner conflict about being the ‘Dog Who Ran Away’ comes out of nowhere and is resolved too quickly. Her fight with Beta would have been more satisfying with more buildup, and it would have tied her fear of cowardice into her current life much more organically. And number two, a plot hole. Sweet doesn’t see Lucky when he comes running to save the Leashed Dogs. They only see each other again once Lucky saves Sweet after the Growl aftershock. That inconsistency really bothered me, since it’s used as the ending stinger here when it didn’t happen in the main series.
Aside from that, though, this was a very enjoyable read! Low four stars.
MOON’S CHOICE: While less relevant to the main series, this was probably the most interesting of the three stories for me. The Erins managed to make a side character have an interesting backstory that doesn’t contradict her previously established personality. And they made her story very compelling, and even tragic in some regards. I especially enjoyed Moon putting Hunter in his place later in the book, and her decision allowing her packmates to help choose to join the Wild Pack made her very likable. My only complaint with this one is that it kind of makes the timeline of the series a bit rushed; it seems like the Wild Pack only recently moved into the lake territory when Sweet joined them. That’s not a bad thing, but it does shift my perspective on the first series a bit.
Just like Sweet’s Journey, I had a great time reading this! Moon was a great protagonist, and she had an unexpectedly interesting story. Low four stars.
Overall, I’d give this book a pretty solid or high three stars, which I’d translate to roughly a 3.7. So definitely not bad, but nothing amazing. I’d only recommend this book to fans of Survivors, specifically the first series, or anyone who really likes Alpha, Sweet, or Moon as a character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2022
Tales From the Packs tells the stories of Alpha, Sweet, and Moon from almost the beginning. Alpha's story is absolutely heartbreaking as his half-brother gives him the name "Dog: to condemn his half-wolf, half-dog parentage. At the end of Alpha's story, I believe he stumbles upon Fiery as a puppy, though this is not 100% certain; however, it would make sense as to why Fiery is so undoubtedly loyal. Sweet's tale serves as reasoning for why she feels so compelled to have a Pack and how she obtained Beta status so quickly. Her fights with Callie were terribly gruesome but described in such intricate detail that I was amazed to see how violent she could become. Moon's story was extremely captivating and moving as she lost nearly her entire pack to illness. She and Fiery forged a deep bond and it was great to see how the two joined packs and became mates prior to the events of The Empty City. Best book of the series so far!
4.5/5.0
4.5/5.0
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 29, 2019
The book Survivors: Tales from the Packs by Erin Hunter is an okay book. This book wasn't really my cup of tea because it had 3 main characters that would switch of almost every chapter. When this happened it kind of confused me because I sometimes didn't know who they were talking about. I would recommend this book to people who like to read animal fantasy books were all the animals go on edventures because that is what this book is all about.
June 18, 2019
I really enjoyed all three of these stories, getting to know where Alpha, Sweet, and Moon all came from. My favorite story was definitely Alpha's. I had no idea that he was bullied when he was younger because his father was a dog and not a wolf.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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November 21, 2022In Sweet's journey, when she finds Callie, on page 116 or something like that of the book, Sweet is actually called 'SWIFT'! I know you may be thinking she is called something like Swift-dog, but no, it's simply Swift!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2018
Read this if you are wondering how things happened and Alpha's name
June 24, 2018
This book told stories of three major pack members and how they got there. I enjoyed the whole series.
July 16, 2019
Awesome!!!!!!!!
June 28, 2023
It was really good !!
Want to read
January 31, 2024SM
October 2, 2025
one of the best things I ever read. and read it after you read at least the 1st series of survivors.💜💜💜
March 5, 2024
It was really cool to see all of the stories! My favorite was Sweet's. Alpha and Moon's are a tie!
August 23, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this first set of Survivors novellas. Three separate reviews (beware of spoilers...this review is LOADED with them):
Alpha's Tale was interesting, to say the least. Very sad to see how he was rejected by the wolf pack, and forced to be a pet later on by a human. There was not enough reason why he would hate Lucky and his pack, but now I see why he hates Fierce Dogs a little bit. Their description of killing his Mother-Dog was too heart-wrenching, and yet he still fell in love with a Fierce Dog, so he contradicts himself. I don't understand what made him so cruel to Lucky and his pack, and why he would later join Blade's pack. I still hate Alpha 100% but it was an entertaining read.
Sweet's Journey was okay, I just wish we knew more about the swift-dog pack. You can't help rooting for Sweet when she joins Alpha's pack, because the antagonist is just so annoying and will make you want Sweet to win! Also, this story does have a mature side to it when Callie the swift-dog (Greyhound) talks about how she was once a Greyhound race dog and how the humans forced her to race. What was even more dark was how she went on to talk about how old Greyhounds are abandoned when the humans have no use for them, and she goes on to say how it's not as bad as racehorses, who inevitably get shot once they get old.
Perhaps the most dark and heart-wrenching of the three was Moon's Choice. Basically, you will fall in love with Moon's original pack, and everyone you love will die (thanks, Erins! Can't be an Erin Hunter novel without the deaths of beloved characters...). It will be hard for you to not love Moon (or Fiery) after reading this novella. I consumed Moon's Choice in a couple of hours, abandoning any responsibility so that I could finish it.
Seriously, a great set of novellas for the Survivors fan. The Erins did not disappoint.
Alpha's Tale was interesting, to say the least. Very sad to see how he was rejected by the wolf pack, and forced to be a pet later on by a human. There was not enough reason why he would hate Lucky and his pack, but now I see why he hates Fierce Dogs a little bit. Their description of killing his Mother-Dog was too heart-wrenching, and yet he still fell in love with a Fierce Dog, so he contradicts himself. I don't understand what made him so cruel to Lucky and his pack, and why he would later join Blade's pack. I still hate Alpha 100% but it was an entertaining read.
Sweet's Journey was okay, I just wish we knew more about the swift-dog pack. You can't help rooting for Sweet when she joins Alpha's pack, because the antagonist is just so annoying and will make you want Sweet to win! Also, this story does have a mature side to it when Callie the swift-dog (Greyhound) talks about how she was once a Greyhound race dog and how the humans forced her to race. What was even more dark was how she went on to talk about how old Greyhounds are abandoned when the humans have no use for them, and she goes on to say how it's not as bad as racehorses, who inevitably get shot once they get old.
Perhaps the most dark and heart-wrenching of the three was Moon's Choice. Basically, you will fall in love with Moon's original pack, and everyone you love will die (thanks, Erins! Can't be an Erin Hunter novel without the deaths of beloved characters...). It will be hard for you to not love Moon (or Fiery) after reading this novella. I consumed Moon's Choice in a couple of hours, abandoning any responsibility so that I could finish it.
Seriously, a great set of novellas for the Survivors fan. The Erins did not disappoint.
August 30, 2015
These stories were okay. I enjoy how they take the reader back in time to explain how certain characters ended up where they were at when the series started. However, in the paperback version, these stories appeared in the wrong order chronologically. Sweet's Journey should have appeared after Moon's Choice to preserve the integrity of the timeline.
Alpha's Tale was supposed to explain to the reader why the half-wolf has become such a cruel alpha but by the end of all three of these stories, I still didn't get it. At the end of his story, he seemed to want to be a kind alpha and to take care of dogs who needed his help. When he is seen in Sweet's Journey and Moon's Choice his personality has done a one-eighty with no explanation whatsoever. When he meets Snail, Alpha is kind but when he passes through Moon's territory (and then again when he meets Sweet), Alpha has become the cruel leader we have always known him to be. So Alpha's Tale is lacking in that regard. It does give his backstory, yes, but it cuts off before the reader gets to see the relevant piece of backstory to describe why he is the way he is now.
After reading these stories, too, I also have a new like for the character Fiery. I'm wondering if perhaps a novella from Fiery's perspective could help fill the hole in Alpha's character as I've described above. It could start when Alpha found Fiery in the woods and end right before the Wild Pack crosses into Moon's territory.
Alpha's Tale was supposed to explain to the reader why the half-wolf has become such a cruel alpha but by the end of all three of these stories, I still didn't get it. At the end of his story, he seemed to want to be a kind alpha and to take care of dogs who needed his help. When he is seen in Sweet's Journey and Moon's Choice his personality has done a one-eighty with no explanation whatsoever. When he meets Snail, Alpha is kind but when he passes through Moon's territory (and then again when he meets Sweet), Alpha has become the cruel leader we have always known him to be. So Alpha's Tale is lacking in that regard. It does give his backstory, yes, but it cuts off before the reader gets to see the relevant piece of backstory to describe why he is the way he is now.
After reading these stories, too, I also have a new like for the character Fiery. I'm wondering if perhaps a novella from Fiery's perspective could help fill the hole in Alpha's character as I've described above. It could start when Alpha found Fiery in the woods and end right before the Wild Pack crosses into Moon's territory.
May 13, 2020
Alpha's Tale- 3 stars. Just doesn't feel like it lines up with the character of Alpha in the other books in the slightest. I appreciate the thought of giving him a backstory, but execution-wise it is rather weak. Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...
Sweet's Journey- 4 stars. A look into Sweet's character that wasn't needed but I appreciate nonetheless. Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...
Moon's Choice- 4 stars. Moon's heart-wrenching backstory that develops hers and Fiery's characters quite a bit. Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...
Sweet's Journey- 4 stars. A look into Sweet's character that wasn't needed but I appreciate nonetheless. Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...
Moon's Choice- 4 stars. Moon's heart-wrenching backstory that develops hers and Fiery's characters quite a bit. Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...
March 22, 2020
I did enjoy this book but didn't LOVE it. Out of the 3 storys Moons was my favorite. It seemed to fit well with her character and i loved seening Moons past since she is one of my favorite characters. Now I haven't been a big fan of Sweet she just seems kinda meh as a character. I think her story let me connect with her more. But Alphas story was a bit of a disappointment. I was expecting a really sad and horrible back story explaining why he is the dog he is now and the beginning was doing just that but the middle and end... well it just seemed like what happened to him wouldn't cause him to be such a vicious and ruthless character.
October 23, 2015
I am really glad that Erin Hunter wrote this book. Ever since about the second book I have been wondering how Alpha, Sweet, and Moon came to the pack. This book is a really nice way of learning new stuff about the characters and the other pack mates as well. Like with Moons story I learned about Moon but also about Fiery, and Multch. But my favorite story was probably Alphas. It tells about how he came to be such a vicious canine and how he became Alpha in the first place. It's just a wonderful story if all you want is more details.
February 27, 2016
This book explained a lot of thing that were not mentioned in the Survivors series. Full of extra facts about the Survivors world before the Big Growl, this book is well connected to the series.
August 10, 2020
A lovely companion book to the main "Survivors" books.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews