It's not well-liked, for a variety of valid reasons.

Some of those are structural, some have to do with the arc's continual bad pacing,

some with the poor characterizations or poor associations with a variety of the characters.

But a large part of the criticism has to do with the group that acts as the setting for

the last third of the book: the Tribe of Rushing Water.

And perhaps more than any other entry in the series, this book devalues and weakens the

Tribe to an egregious degree, an especially upsetting thing to recognize when you also

know the real-life cultural parallels that exist for the group.

I am not personally qualified to discuss the real-world implications of this particular

issue, so I have left a detailed document in the description that I encourage you to

read if you haven't already.

Even putting real-world implications aside, though, there is a fair bit to dislike about

this book.

I do apologize ahead of time.

Outcast, the third book in the Power of Three arc, released on April 22nd of 2008, 4 months

after the dual releases of Dark River and Warrior's Refuge.

Unlike the previous two entries in this arc, this one was written by Cherith Baldry.

Given her existing habit for focusing a little more on plot than character interactions where

she has the opportunity to, and the fact that this arc as a whole doesn't yet seem to

have a plot, this could relate to how dry many fans find the story to be, or it could

offer up an opportunity to finally jump-start the arc's plot.

We would just have to see.

However, remember especially for this book that Cherith is just a ghost writer, and it

was Victoria Holmes who was plotting out all of these books with truly extensive notes

that come in at dozens or hundreds of pages, especially with elements as important as what

a main character's power was, how to reveal it, the choice to include the Tribe, and to

have them face the adversities and triumphs that they did.

Vicky herself was never trying to victimize the Tribe.

On the contrary, sources we've seen from her as early as August 19th of 2006 and as

late as June 18th of 2020 say that she designed the Tribe as an arbitrary “other” world

with different customs, beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses from the clan cats that would

push the protagonists outside their comfort zones.

She rather infamously even said that the Tribe was initially designed after a certain event

that took place in the United States in late 2001, not basing their culture on any involved

in that event but by having a different culture and religion interact with the clan cats without

calling either side “right,” allowing both sides to never truly understand each

other but to accept each other anyway.

On a fundamental level, I do think trying to create another cultural group rather than

trying to make the Tribe a group of individuals and then having them follow a certain culture

was a misstep to begin with, but even beyond that, the goals she had for the Tribe, however

noble or secretly sinister they were, were failed by the end of this book.

Just keep in mind that mutual respect and no one group being superior to the other is

what she was aiming for.

That's how we'll know she missed the target.

Sorry about the long introduction.

Fortunately the allegiances are much quicker.

Millie moved to the nursery, so there are now 15 warriors instead of 16 and 3 queens

instead of two, but otherwise the allegiances even for the other clans are unchanged, with

the only difference being the addition of the Tribe of Rushing Water allegiances and

a few more cats outside the clans.

There is a total speaking cast of 79 cats, identical to Dark River, but the top 10% of

the cast has 67% of the lines instead of 70%, quite impressive.

Unfortunately, the percentage of she-cat characters has dropped from 47% to 46%, and they now

get only 33% of the lines despite Hollypaw, our she-cat protagonist, having the most lines

of any cat in the book.

It seems the supporting and background casts will be overwhelming her this time with their

overwhelming prominence of toms.

But putting that aside, it's time to finally get into the book.

Outcast begins with a prey dispute between a group of Tribe Cats and some invaders to

their territory.

The invaders tell the Tribe cats that they all have rights to the prey on this mountain,

since the Tribe cats have no borders and therefore no real territory.

Crag orders Sheer to return to their cave and say the invaders are back, and Stoneteller

himself comes to order them to stop, which they do not, instead teasing the Tribe cats

and attacking them.

The last line tells us that the Tribe of Endless Hunting looks down helplessly from above,

so we're already starting off with some Tribe inferiority even for their ancestors.

Fantastic.

Back in Thunderclan, Jaypaw is thinking about Fallen Leaves and Rock, particularly the drowning

that he and Fallen Leaves experienced together, and he isn't paying attention to his duties

or the other apprentices.

Leafpool notices and asks if he's all right, but Jaypaw isn't interested in talking.

Also Hollypaw apparently beats Cinderpaw in training every time, and Lionpaw is doing

better in training, pointedly making sure that he is the best, most loyal warrior he

can be after everything in the last book.

Berrypaw, Hazelpaw, and Mousepaw all pass their assessments and are made warriors, Berrynose,

Hazeltail, and Mousewhisker, a relief to Berrynose who was worried he would be named Berrystumpytail,

and Jaypaw still doesn't have much interest in the world around him.

Berrynose is also now being condescending to Lionpaw, by the way, and Ashfur doesn't

seem to be defending him very well.

Lionpaw also hears a story about Tigerstar from Longtail which leads him to believe he

has nothing to fear, since Tigerstar has nothing to be ambitious about anymore.

Hollypaw meanwhile is looking at the massive, dramatic crush Honeypaw has on the now-warrior

Berrynose and considering if she would be expected to act like that and have kits one

day.

She doesn't think she'd want to, and asks her mom, Squirrelflight, about it.

She answers that Hollypaw is planning too far ahead and that she should just concentrate

on her training, which even Hollypaw admits doesn't help at all.

While not exclusive to the identity, this conversation is probably very familiar to

anyone who discovered they are asexual, or aromantic.

That said, we quickly move on in this book to Icekit and Foxkit being apprenticed, with

Foxpaw to Squirrelflight and Icepaw to Whitewing.

Wait, hang on!

Wasn't Brightheart promised one of those two back in The Sight since Jaypaw became

a medicine cat apprentice and she was left without one?

In-universe it's only been a moon or two since then so it is truly sad that this promise

wasn't kept.

Hopefully someone will at least remember it in the future and give her a different apprentice.

Right?

Birchfall complains about Whitewing getting an apprentice instead of him, going off to

commiserate with Berrynose after Sandstorm tells him off, and then Hollypaw, Brackenfur,

and Firestar go off on a patrol where Berrynose and Birchfall were caught on Shadowclan's

side of the border and reprimanded.

Starting up the bad-boy club quickly, aren't we?

Blackstar also seems upset, and makes a remark about the journey to the lake being a mistake.

While Hollypaw is out hunting by herself, she finds Jaypaw trying to get into the tunnels.

He explains what interests him about them and Hollypaw understands, but doesn't want

him to risk his life trying to find answers.

Brook also tells her and Cinderpaw about how different hunting is in the mountains, and

she is interested but remarks that she'll never actually go there.

Jaypaw speaks with Rock at the medicine cat gathering, who is very criptique but tells

him that he will find the answers he wants in the mountains.

Leafpool also learned that the Tribe is in trouble from Feathertail, but since it won't

affect Thunderclan she isn't sure if she should tell Firestar, a cat famous for absolutely

never caring about anyone outside of Thunderclan, yep yep.

And when she does decide to tell him, she's still confident that he won't want to do

anything.

I'm glad you know your father *so* well, Leafpool.

Lionpaw gets jealous of Berrynose and has a conversation with Stormfur about his father,

Brambleclaw.

Hollypaw has decided to compartmentalize her training and focus on exactly one thing at

a time, like the Tribe cats do, which Cinderpaw doesn't understand but is supportive of.

Back to Lionpaw, he and Ashfur have a sparring match in front of some of the other apprentices

and mentors, with claws unsheathed, and look like they're really trying to hurt each

other until Brackenfur steps in to stop it.

Ashfur praises Lionpaw and says all the apprentices should be like that, but everyone else is

shaken.

Also, strange cats that we learn are from the Tribe arrive by the Windclan border.

It's Talon and Night, and between their words and Jaypaw diving into their memories

we discover that Stormfur and Brook were kicked out of and declared dead by the Tribe after

Stormfur's battle plan against the invaders failed and that, since the Tribe doesn't

train for battle like clan cats do, they were brutally defeated and need Stormfur and Brook

to return and help.

They agree reluctantly, and Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw ask to join them.

With some determination and Rock's words in his head, Jaypaw secures it so he, Lionpaw,

and Hollypaw can come to, and they also add on Tawnypelt and Crowfeather (the other members

of the New Prophecy journey) and Crowfeather's son, Breezepaw, who does not actually want

to go.

None of our protagonists like him and his attitude either, but they also don't care

for Crowfeather's grumpiness.

After a tense moment between Crowfeather and Leafpool, the group heads out.

Along the way, Breezepaw bemoans needing to help the Tribe.

It's a chore and they aren't sure why they need to do it when the Tribe doesn't

do anything for them.

Crowfeather brings up Feathertail's sacrifice and says that Breezepaw will never understand

loyalty.

No one brings up what the Tribe *did* do for them, sheltering all four clans during the

Great Journey.

They also meet Purdy again for the first time since Dawn.

The adults are happy to see him again and reintroduce themselves but the apprentices

are unimpressed and especially annoyed when Purdy insists on joining them all for the

journey.

However, as he successfully explains strange new creatures to them and then saves them

from a dog attack they ran into while sneaking away from the group, the apprentices learn

to get a little more respect for him, just in time for them to break apart as they reach

the mountains.

They have a run-in with the intruders that Hollypaw accidentally brought to them.

Talon and Night explain that Stoneteller has ordered them not to challenge the intruders

since they can't afford a battle.

Breezepaw is still definitely not getting along with Crowfeather or Lionpaw, and finally

as we reach chapter 20 of this 29 chapter book, we get to the Tribe of Rushing Water,

only to find out that they weren't welcome or expected.

The Tribe is now being characterized as a completely vulnerable entity who is too stubborn

and prideful to even be told that these cats came to offer them necessary help.

Wonderful.

Perfect.

This is exactly what they needed.

Crowfeather mourns Feathertail at her grave, Jaypaw is certain that the three are meant

to be here for their own personal reasons, and then we get to meet Stoneteller, who is

furious to see the cats he banished returned.

He not only berates the visitors, but his own cats, Talon and Night, for going to find

them.

He tells Brook that he didn't take the decision lightly but that their ancestors willed them

to be exiled, and Brook, *Brook*, tells him that their ancestors are wrong because the

Tribe is suffering more than ever.

I'm sorry but if you have any goals of making these societies equal, having the leader blame

a cruel decision on the words of their ancestors, or having the ancestors make that choice but

having a cat originally from that culture decry the ancestors as *wrong* is not your

best move.

Much as they can be just as cruel and irrational, no one ever calls Starclan *wrong.* Brambleclaw

then insists, as Stormfur did before the exile, that the Tribe must mark their borders like

the clans do to solve this problem, and everyone on the clans' patrol defends Stormfur and

says the Tribe needs help.

Guys.

Guys you are literally saying that the Tribe's cultural techniques have failed and they must

take on the superior clan techniques to survive.

These are not equal!

Please stop!

Our protagonists get to know the Tribe's apprentices, by which I mean we learn their

names and that they bicker generically as young cats often do, and both groups explain

their cultural differences to each other.

Jaypaw intrudes on Stoneteller's dream with his ancestors who are saying they were wrong

and they must leave because the mountains aren't safe (oh great we're even devaluing

their home, the thing that most sets them apart now, huh?) before the ancestors themselves

recognize Jaypaw and lead him away to tell *him* to take their message to the Tribe that

they must accept the clans' help, a different message than what they just said to Stoneteller.