Clan Ground

The Named #2

by Clare Bell

The stranger Orange-Eyes, recognizing that the one who controls fire can become absolute ruler, challenges Ratha's authority over the Named, a clan of intelligent wild cats living twenty-five million years ago. Reissue.

Genres: Fantasy, Animals, Young Adult, Fiction, Cats, Animal Fiction, Anthropomorphic

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

I've been really busy with the Ratha's Creature Graphic Novel project! The idea of adapting Ratha's Creature as a graphic novel is now moving much closer to reality. Our Kickstarter is 75% funded, with 5 days left.

http://bit.ly/rathakick

Tod, Dani, Ian, and Sheila have put together a real treat for Ratha fans -- a music video about how the artists are developing and visualizing Bonechewer for the Ratha graphic novel.

See it here at: http://youtu.be/CTJ_UilUX2A




















To promote it, project artist Tod Wills
is doing a Livestreaming art marathon:

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/icon-day

His info headquarters for the livestream is:

http://djinni.livejournal.com/475140....

Here is a graphic you are free to use to link to the kickstarter:
http://todwills.deviantart.com/art/Ra...

Quick Kickstarter link

http://bit.ly/rathakick

If you like what you see, please pledge on Kickstarter.

A sample page from the Graphic Novel and the promo image are in my Goodreads photos, so take a peek.

I've put more info in the blog below:

If this graphic novel takes off, I will also be further inspired to write more Ratha books!



















Another good thing is happening! Imaginator Press and I are exploring the possibility of doing a Ratha's Creature graphic novel! To measure reader interest, we have a survey here, so please participate.
http://imaginatorpress.wufoo.com/form...

By filling out the survey, you'll be entered to win a $25 gift certificate from the offline or online bookstore of your choice. Help us out and perhaps win something nice to read.

Many good things have happened since my last update. The first, and best is that Sheila Ruth of Imaginator Press worked with me to get all of the Ratha books back into print. You have probably seen them on this site, in trade format, and gorgeous new covers by artist Lew Lashmit, re-copyedited (though not word of the story changed!) and lovely new interior and graphic design by 1106 Design.

The books are also available in many formats from E-Reads, Amazon, and other sites. I've set up an online bookstore on my webpage so that people can by autographed editions.

I've been publicizing the series by attending many conventions and events. Sheila and I also ran a Ratha fan art contest on the Facebook series fan page ( http://www.facebook.com/rathaseries ) and Wildfire, which was great fun and the artists enjoyed it. We also showcased about 10 artists by posting interviews and images on my upgraded webpage, http://wwww.rathascourage.com.

Even though many of these activities took me away from Goodreads, I'm glad to be back and to support Imaginator Press's Ratha's Creature giveaway.

I've also been reading lots of good books and I will be cataloging and commenting on those as well.

Clare Bell
11/7/2011




Wow, it has been a great Spring 2009!

From March 14 to May 9, I posted an experimental Ratha novelette on Twitter, entitled "Ratha's Island", which kept me very busy. You can find the entire story archived here:
First archive for Ratha's Island on the Forum http://forum.rathascourage.com/index....
While visiting the Forum, check out the Named role-play at: http://forum.rathascourage.com/index....

Ratha's Courage was a finalist for the Ursa Major Awards, and is still in the running for the ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Award/

In January, I attended Further Confusion 09 in San Jose as a Guest of Honor and had a great time. I plan to go again to FurCon 2010.





Ratha's Courage is on the Ursa Major Awards Recommended Reading List for Novels. The Ursa Major Awards are the furry/anthropomorphic community's equivalent of the SF world's Hugo Awards http://www.ursamajorawards.org/ReadLi...

Ratha and the Named on Twitter! See the ClanChirps, http://www.twitter.com/rat

Reviews

[Michael Harry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who thought a book about talking cats could be so cool?

[Chantelle Mast · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an easy-to-follow plot line littered with all kinds of mischief and struggle sure to please any reader with a love of animals and pack dynamics.
The plot offers some interesting twists and is riddled with deceit, betrayal and cunning. Travel with Ratha once again, as she learns true and hard lessons of life, to welcome change and respect others for their differences. Although this installment is missing some of the excitement and discovery of the first, it brings a new challenge to the pack. This one is written more age appropriate for the targeted audience (mating season is mentioned but unlike the in the first book "Ratha's Creature" comments are even more vague and no details are given as to any part of the acts involved). The brutally and violence are harsh at times but one must admit that they bring to it a more realistic quality.
Overall; A solidly entertaining and well written read appropriate for most any reader age 13+.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was great, but it filled me with ominous fear, because I didn't want everything that Ratha had built to get destroyed. It has gotten to a point where I hate conflict and will flee from it (anxiety), so it took me a bit longer to get through this book. i absolutely dreaded going in and reading about how things had gone wrong for Ratha again. Am I pathetic? No, I just have mental illness. That being said, the story was still excellent. I can see how this book, in contrast to the first one, which contained sexual content, would really appeal to young readers between the ages of 10 and 14. I am a kid at heart, and I adore cats, so I loved it.

[London Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was both surprised and impressed to find that this held out incredibly well as a sequel, and, in multiple aspects, was better than the first.

While I ultimately enjoyed the first book, it almost felt more of a prequel that set Ratha up as a character while giving us a bit of insight into the world without actually delving deep into anything. This book finally gave us insight into the Named customs and how their society functions that was mainly left for interpretation in Ratha's Creature, and while the society does feel quite akin to an early human society, politics and all, the author never anthropomorphized the characters so much to the point where they felt anything other than they were--an advanced clan of cats. The writing is sprinkled with mentions of animalistic behavior, and while the mating season is still mentioned in this one it never got into graphic detail like in the first book.

The plot itself is relatively simple but extremely effective, examining political discourse in a nuanced way that most xenofiction books fall short of. Ratha felt like a very real character to me in the fact that she was devoted to protecting her people, almost to a fault, and it was great seeing past mistakes she committed in the previous book resurfacing as real consequences later on. While it was pretty obvious from the start that Shongshar was set up as the antagonist, the moral dilemmas involving his acceptance into the clan and his slow rise to power as the other clan members fell into the Red Tongue's spell felt realistic and was well-paced. My only complaint would be that his death felt a little rushed and anti-climatic, with the events of the cave's flooding being told to us rather than shown, and I felt a force as intimidating as Shongshar deserved an ending that showcased that.

On the topic of characters, I was glad to see that characters that felt a little one note in the first book finally got some development here. While I couldn't say too much about either Thakur and Fessran previously, I really feel like they got a chance to shine here and both added pretty lasting developments to the plot which could be continuously explored in the sequels, especially Thakur with the addition of the treelings and Fessran's unwavering ability to what she deems right even if it comes at the expense of Ratha's trust within her.

Overall, this was an amazing continuation to the Named series and I look forward to see how more of these themes will be explored in the following books.

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than the first one. My favourite part was when Ratha regained control over the Named, even though she had to kill Shongshar to do so. My least favourite part was when Shongshar managed to convince almost all of the Named to work for him and the firekeepers, be ruled by him rather than Ratha. I like the idea of the Named getting pets, and I like the new character Bira.

[Casimir Laski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing the story of Ratha, Clan Ground sees the leader of the Named facing threats to her young rule from both within and without her clan, and while not quite reaching the adventurous and groundbreaking heights of the first novel, should still whet the appetites of fans of its predecessor. [7/10]

[Kris Mahoney]

Even better than the first


While the first book of the series was interesting, in Clan Ground it really finds its feet. Ratha, who was not the most likable character in book one, has steadied.

[Chosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, high drama, I still wished the unnamed could procreate with the named, as many of the things would rarely have happened, but hey. What are you to do. I wish Nightling also made an appearance....also. Drunk Thakur is something I never thought I would read

[Thomas Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

[Jessi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big cats with lemurs as pets 😻 Loved it!

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read this book since I was in high school. After this Re-read of Clan Ground I have to say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.

I recommend for people who like animal fiction.

[Mackenzie Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t quite enjoy this sequel as much as I enjoyed Ratha’s Creature. However, Clan Ground was a fun read! Shongshar was an interesting character, to say the least. The Red Tongue cult was creepy!

[Lily Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book I love the conflict between Ratha and Shongshar, the argument between Ratha and Fessran and the bonding between Ratha and Thakur

[Thistle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second book of the Named series, sequel to Ratha's Creature (which I reviewed here).

In the first book, we learned about the Named (prehistoric, self-aware big cats) and the Un-Named (the same species, just supposedly not self-aware). The main character discovered that not all Un-Named were dumb animals, which lead to her taking one briefly as a mate. By the end of the book, she was back with the clan of the Named.

Clan Ground was about an Un-Named male who came to join the clan. He recognized the true power of the "Red Tongue" (fire, which they had just started using as a tool), and used it to take control of the clan.

Something about this book didn't work. It didn't work for me when I had originally read it in 1984, and something about it still didn't work for me today. I'm having the darnedest time putting my finger on what though. It's likely one of two things:

- The bad guy, the Un-Named male who took over, never really was defined as a character. He's never even really seen much in the book at all, just the effects of his actions.
- The way he takes over the clan (subtly, slowly, through words and being sneaky and underhanded) was so different than the clan had ever dealt with before (law of tooth and claw -- might makes right, you're the leader until someone kills you, then they're the leader), I might have felt bad for them? Because they were so unprepared to deal with that kind of thing?

I suspect it's my first guess, though I'm far from certain. Maybe it's something else, too.

But, my issue aside, it's still a darned good book. I never didn't want to read it, I read it nearly as eagerly as I had the first book.

A subplot of the book was how they tamed "treelings" (lemur-like creatures) to help them do stuff. That was really interesting, along with the Named in general -- I just love the world and all the characters in it.

[Kat (Lost in Neverland) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ratha rules her clan now with the power of the Red Tongue and her trusty companions, Thakur and Fessran.
On the night of the fire dance, a celebration in honor of the fight against the Un-Named, a weak but determined intruder trespasses on clan ground and begs to join their ranks.
After proving his worth by not running away from the Red Tongue, this orange eyed stranger is allowed to stay.
But larger forces are at work, and the orange eyed stranger wants more from the Red Tongue and Ratha. Even as Ratha's good friend Thakur brings home an intelligent treeling that can handle fire sticks with ease and could be a help to the Firekeepers, Ratha is losing her influence over the clan. She must get it back before Shongshar drives the clan mad with greed and gluttony.

I actually liked this one better than the first book in the Named series. Maybe because Ratha's Creature was so sad and this one had a lighter tone to it, but it was much more enjoyable. I especially loved Thakur and the treeling.
It really has a lot of similarities to the Warriors series, or, I suppose I should say, the Warriors has a lot of similarities to this series, considering it came out in the 80's.
I very much enjoyed it and I'm glad this series was republished. I recommend it to Warriors friends looking for a more realistic cat story.

[Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think this one is my favorite
the concept of religion without actually calling it religion
and sort of the need for these higher intelligent species to have something to worship
idk its very realistic
and shongshar? a conflicted boy
i think he really wanted to do good but rasha was too rash which turned him bitter
love it
so character driven
the the treelings were a super cute addition??

[Rosemary Krystofolski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful second book of The Named Series

Wonderful second book of The Named Series. In this book about the sentient prehistoric cats called The Named Ratha has returned to the Clan and become their leader and now the clan is using fire, which they call The Red Tongue to protect their herds and keep themselves warm in the cold weather and it has made it easier to protect their herds from unnamed cats and other predators. Until an unnamed Sabertooth cat with the ability to speak comes to the clan and begs to be allowed to join them. Ratha allows him to join and everything is going well until he sites a litter of cubs with one of the clan females and his cubs lack the ability to speak and think so, as per their deal when he was admitted to the clan, he is ordered to abandon them. He does but then he becomes very angry with Ratha and starts to turn the clan's fire keepers against the clan's herders and starts trying to turn people against Ratha and take over the clan until Ratha and her closest friends; Thakur, Bira and Fessran find a way to stop him.

[Reeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!!



Clan Ground was a great edition to The Named series. I really enjoyed watching how the clan reacted to the power of the Red Tongue. I liked Shongshar at first, but I knew he would turn evil. Poor thing had to give up his cubs. That would be hard no matter if they were witless. Poor little creatures all alone in the woods, so sad. I hated how the Firekeepers thought they were better and took over the clan. I was glad Fessran at the last minute saved Ratha. I was surprised that Ratha found her and saved her life. I thought she died when Shongshar attacked. I loved the treelings and how much the Named bonded with them, of course at first it was weird but it got better. I like how Ratha changed the clan for the better. Now they have something to believe in and bring out their gentle sides.

[Rose of Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clan Ground is the perfect continuation to Ratha’s story. It had everything I wanted: Ratha expanding her friendships, some new friendships and Clan confrontations, conflicting Clan opinions with the Red Tongue being a MAJOR part of the story (which the first book was lacking), and more insight into the cats behavior and how the Clan works.

I loved Thakur in this book. His point of view in between Ratha’s were very intriguing, and I loved his older father/friend kind of relationship he had with the Clan. His emotional side with Aree and the treelings was sweet to see. I definitely want to read more of his point of view in the next books.

[Xarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I've read this book; the first time was years ago. As with the first book Ratha's Creature, I found I didn't really remember it, though I do remember enjoying it. I still enjoyed this book the second go-around.

There were a couple of times I got frustrated (well, maybe not quite frustrated, more like exacerbated). Ratha would come across a problem, but it would seem to take forever for her to come up with a solution and, at times, it seemed that she couldn’t even reach a better solution. I found myself telling her what to do. But, besides these couple of times, I found the book and characters to be enjoyable and I would forget they weren’t human!

[Sparrowkeeper · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second installment to 'Ratha and the Named' series is as thrilling and exciting as the first. Clare weaves a fantastic and original, captivating tale that hooked me by the first page. I love how Clare develops her protagonists and antagonists - I also love how Shongshar, the main antagonist of this book has a reason for being why he is! It makes the characters all the more believable and realistic. There is external and internal conflict in this novel, which makes it even more exciting, and by the end of the book I was eager to be reading the next one.

~Sparrow

[Loraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequels can become rather lackluster very quickly. But not Clare Bell's second story about Ratha's clan and their "creature." The clan allows an Un Named One with strange amber eyes into their midst. Orange-Eyes, as the call him, thrives, and recognizes that the "creature" can be utilized to manipulate the clan. Of course, Ratha is challenged and almost loses her dominion over the Clan and the Fire Keepers. There is great tragedy, nail-biting tension, and . . . well, I won't give away the resolution! But I am looking forward to the third book in the Named Series!

[Vesper Vesper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clan Ground is a great sequel to The Named's first installment, Ratha's Creature. After mastering the red tongue, Ratha now faces a new challenge -- the change the red tongue has upon her clan. The moment an Unnamed steps foot looking to join the clan, I immediately sensed danger, especially when some of the clan think Ratha should except Orange-Eyes. The way he eyes the red tongue with a sense of knowing, you know something's up... (More via website)

[Heather Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

More great fantasy with an unusual (feline) cast of characters. They're well portrayed - enough 'cat stuff' to make them feel convincing, with a familiar suite of thoughts and feelings that keeps them from seeming alien. This book, with its story of the lure of power-hungry religious smooth-talkers to overthrow a society, hits fairly close to home at the moment. I got these books years ago at a garage sale, and I'm not sure how easy it will be to track down the others in the series, but I'll give it a try.

[Alex T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Actual rating 4.5 stars)

An incredibly strong second installment that really pulls the reader in and deals with consequences of Ratha's actions in the first book.

Full review at: https://skybookcorner.blogspot.com/20...

[ᛚᚨᚱᚲᚨ × ᚠᛖᚾᚱᛁᚱ (Semi hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

She rules the clan, but for how long?

#1 Ratha's Creature 3.5 ⭐
#2 Clan Ground 3 ⭐
#3 Ratha and Thistle-Chaser 3 ⭐

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book, with a lot of character development! I liked it a lot! I can't wait to see what will happen in the next book! :D

[Casey Mage · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was just as good as the first but it made me exteeeeemmely angry. Just one of those frustrating plots where you just want everything to be happy. It was really good!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ratha is has to contend with whether Fire is a good thing or bad for her Clan. Things get complicated when a stranger comes to the Clan causing friction among the Clan. Incredible series.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow, the old covers on this series are even worse than I remember. How did I ever manage to pick these up?