Named
5 primary works • 7 total works
Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Ratha is a young herder of the Named, a clan of intelligent prehistoric wild cats who keep deer and horses. The Named fight for survival against Un-Named cats, enemies who raid clan herds. Meoran, leader of the Named, claims that the Un-Named are no more intelligent than herd animals, and Ratha believes him, until a clash with an Un-Named raider who taunts her in Named speech forces her to question everything. Then Ratha tames a power that could upset everything. Threatened by her discovery, the tyrannical clan leader banishes her from the clan. Can a young clan herder who doesn't know hunting, use her new "creature" to survive in exile?
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.
Maimed and traumatized by a childhood incident too frightening to remember, a solitary cat named Newt struggles to survive, haunted by nightmares of a huge monster she calls the Dreambiter. In spite of the trauma, Newt lives a peaceful life in harmony with the sea creatures of her ocean beach. When the Named arrive on her beach in search of a temporary refuge from drought, Newt clashes with Ratha, leader of the Named, over the sea animals that Newt protects. The two cats have more in common than either of them suspects, and to resolve the present, Ratha and Newt must face the demons of the past.
An encounter with a group of unusual cats helps bring Ratha, leader of the prehistoric cat clan called the Named, and her estranged daughter Thistle to a better understanding of each other.
Ratha, the female leader of the sentient prehistoric cat clan called the Named, continues her story in this new novel. In Ratha's Courage, the Named attempt to share the gift of fire with the mammoth-hunting clan introduced in Ratha's Challenge. The contrasting values of two very different cultures lead to misunderstanding, tragedy, and war. Ratha learns that reaching out to others, especially when the chasm is so wide, takes true courage. With rich sensory description, well-developed characters, and intense conflict, both internal and external, this new novel returns to the strengths of the first book in the series, Ratha's Creature. The story envelops the reader in the mind of a big cat, looking out through her eyes while discovering her world.