207:
Ratha emerges as clan leader. She makes
Fessran chief of the Firekeepers, those who build and tend fire for the clan. The Firekeepers also wield torches in battle. Ratha gives The People of The Red Tongue each a torch, and they fight the Un-Named. Rathaâs victory is bittersweet, however. Her mate, Bonechewer, was fatally injured in the fight and Ratha finds him dying. Despite everything, she still loves him and is wounded by his death. She is also troubled by the changes Red Tongue has made in her people. However, she knows that with the Red Tongue, the Named will survive.
203:
is as bright as any Named clan member. She dubs him "Bonechewer". He teaches her new ways to hunt, the two mate and she has his young. When the cubs donât develop according to her expectations, she realizes that they are probably not as sapient-minded as her. She flies into a rage, attacking
Bonechewer, biting and crippling the female cub, Thistle-Chaser, and abandoning her mate and the litter.
202:
Meoran, the tyrannical male clan leader, opposes Ratha because of her unusual partnership with fire and drives her out of the clan. In exile among the Un-Named, Ratha meets a lone male and discovers that the clan is wrong about some of the Un-Named - he speaks the language of the Named very well and
190:
called three-horns (or tri-corns), they once hunted more ferally - though they still sometimes hunt prey they do not herd. Surrounding the Named are the more numerous not very sapient Un-Named, who occasionally prey on the Named clanâs herds. Mating between Named and Un-Named is forbidden, since the
206:
Returning to the clan at Thakurâs bidding, Ratha reacquires her "creatureâ, the Red Tongue. With it, she overthrows and kills Meoran. When the Un-Named attack again, she, Thakur and
Fessran lead the Named clan in striking back with a new weapon, fire. The enemy flees in terror. After the battle,
194:
Ratha, a young female of the Named, bucks the clan tradition of male dominance by training with the herding teacher, Thakur, to become a herder. All the herders are male except for
Fessran, a strong-willed fully-grown female who became a herder before Meoran took over leadership. Attacks by the
221:, praised the novel, calling it "difficult", but that it was "charged with powerful emotions". He praised the growth of Ratha as a character, and complimented the writing of the characters as "skillfully developed". Ben and Beth Nelms, writing for the
249:
On 13 February 2013, the
Rekindling the Fire: Ratha's Creature Graphic Novel Kickstarter campaign was fully funded. More than 200 backers pledged a total of $ 6,974 to help create a graphic novel based on the book series.
310:
486:
29:
100:
345:
Ley, Terry C. (November 1988). "Paperback Books for the
Teenage Reader: Celebrate the Paperback! At 50, Education's Valued Partner".
481:
476:
253:
Rewards included digital copies of the graphic novel, physical copies of it, a "making of" book, pins, stickers, and more.
496:
466:
471:
256:
As of June 2024, the graphic novel has not been made and campaign backers have received none of the promised rewards.
501:
273:
491:
391:
217:
179:. They have laws, languages, and traditions and live by herding some of the local prey creatures, such as
150:
51:
135:
139:
280:
195:
Un-Named are driving Ratha's clan close to the edge of survival. Only her discovery of how to tame
131:
62:
429:
364:
287:
28:
410:
Nelms, Ben; Nelms, Beth (September 1984). "Young Adult
Literature: Other Times, Other Places".
327:
95:
421:
356:
319:
412:
347:
223:
237:
180:
460:
227:, said the novel was "slow-paced at first", but praised Bell's attention to detail.
187:
144:
266:
111:
176:
172:
127:
331:
138:(hard-cover edition), the current edition was published in February 2011 by
235:
An animated movie was made based on the book in the mid to late '80s for
163:
323:
167:
433:
368:
191:
clan believes that the resulting young will always be born Un-Named.
183:
241:, which created adaptations of modern and classic children's books.
425:
360:
196:
162:
Ratha and her people (the Named) are a clan of a strong, highly
451:
389:
Jones, Trev (September 1983). "Ratha's
Creature (Book)".
199:(The "Red Tongueâ) offers the clan a chance to survive.
106:
94:
86:
78:
68:
58:
46:
38:
308:Apseloff, Marilyn (1984). "New and Noteworthy".
8:
21:
311:Children's Literature Association Quarterly
27:
20:
300:
7:
384:
382:
380:
378:
14:
142:. This novel is the first in the
1:
130:. First published in 1983 by
487:Children's novels about cats
452:http://www.rathascourage.com
215:Trev Jones, writing for the
518:
26:
482:Novels set in prehistory
274:Ratha and Thistle-chaser
16:1983 novel by Clare Bell
477:American fantasy novels
186:called dapplebacks and
392:School Library Journal
218:School Library Journal
151:The Books of the Named
52:The Books of the Named
136:Margaret K. McElderry
497:Debut fantasy novels
467:1983 American novels
245:Kickstarter campaign
148:, also re-titled as
472:1983 fantasy novels
33:First edition cover
23:
324:10.1353/chq.0.0355
502:1983 debut novels
281:Ratha's Challenge
170:-like species of
119:
118:
101:978-0-14-240843-8
82:Print (Hardcover)
22:Ratha's Creature
509:
450:Author website:
438:
437:
407:
401:
400:
386:
373:
372:
342:
336:
335:
305:
140:Imaginator Press
123:Ratha's Creature
107:Followed by
70:Publication date
31:
24:
517:
516:
512:
511:
510:
508:
507:
506:
457:
456:
447:
442:
441:
413:English Journal
409:
408:
404:
388:
387:
376:
348:English Journal
344:
343:
339:
307:
306:
302:
297:
288:Ratha's Courage
262:
247:
233:
224:English Journal
213:
160:
79:Media type
71:
34:
17:
12:
11:
5:
515:
513:
505:
504:
499:
494:
492:CBS Storybreak
489:
484:
479:
474:
469:
459:
458:
455:
454:
446:
445:External links
443:
440:
439:
426:10.2307/817005
402:
374:
361:10.2307/818950
337:
299:
298:
296:
293:
292:
291:
284:
277:
270:
261:
258:
246:
243:
238:CBS Storybreak
232:
229:
212:
209:
159:
156:
126:is a novel by
117:
116:
108:
104:
103:
98:
92:
91:
88:
84:
83:
80:
76:
75:
72:
69:
66:
65:
60:
56:
55:
48:
44:
43:
40:
36:
35:
32:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
514:
503:
500:
498:
495:
493:
490:
488:
485:
483:
480:
478:
475:
473:
470:
468:
465:
464:
462:
453:
449:
448:
444:
435:
431:
427:
423:
419:
415:
414:
406:
403:
398:
394:
393:
385:
383:
381:
379:
375:
370:
366:
362:
358:
354:
350:
349:
341:
338:
333:
329:
325:
321:
317:
313:
312:
304:
301:
294:
290:
289:
285:
283:
282:
278:
276:
275:
271:
269:
268:
264:
263:
259:
257:
254:
251:
244:
242:
240:
239:
230:
228:
226:
225:
220:
219:
210:
208:
204:
200:
198:
192:
189:
188:protoceratids
185:
182:
181:anchitheriine
178:
175:
174:
169:
165:
157:
155:
153:
152:
147:
146:
141:
137:
133:
132:Atheneum-Argo
129:
125:
124:
115:
113:
109:
105:
102:
99:
97:
93:
89:
85:
81:
77:
73:
67:
64:
63:Atheneum-Argo
61:
57:
54:
53:
49:
45:
41:
37:
30:
25:
19:
417:
411:
405:
396:
390:
355:(7): 89â90.
352:
346:
340:
318:(2): 89â90.
315:
309:
303:
286:
279:
272:
265:
255:
252:
248:
236:
234:
222:
216:
214:
205:
201:
193:
171:
161:
149:
145:Ratha series
143:
122:
121:
120:
110:
50:
18:
267:Clan Ground
231:Adaptations
112:Clan Ground
461:Categories
420:(5): 102.
295:References
173:Dinaelurus
128:Clare Bell
42:Clare Bell
399:(1): 130.
332:1553-1201
211:Reception
177:nimravids
166:, almost
59:Publisher
260:Sequels
168:cheetah
164:sapient
434:817005
432:
369:818950
367:
330:
184:equids
114:
47:Series
39:Author
430:JSTOR
365:JSTOR
87:Pages
328:ISSN
197:fire
158:Plot
96:ISBN
74:1983
422:doi
357:doi
320:doi
90:272
463::
428:.
418:73
416:.
397:30
395:.
377:^
363:.
353:77
351:.
326:.
314:.
154:.
134:,
436:.
424::
371:.
359::
334:.
322::
316:9
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
