1. Development and publication
    Conception  Publication history 

2. Plot summary

3. Writing and themes

4. Reception

5. References

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The Quest Begins is the first novel in the Seekers series. It was written by Erin Hunter, which is a collective pseudonym used by authors Cherith Baldry, Kate Cary, and Tui Sutherland and editor Victoria Holmes. The novel details the adventures of four bears, Toklo, Kallik, Lusa and Ujurak, who are stranded together in the wild and must learn to survive. The declining environment around the bears is a theme explored throughout the novel. The development of the Seekers series began as a result of a request from HarperCollins for another series about animals to the authors who wrote the Warriors series about feral cats under the name of Erin Hunter. The novel was published on 27 May 2008. The book sold well and had generally positive critical reception with reviewers suggesting the series would appeal to fans of Warriors.

Development and publication

Conception

Publication history

Plot summary

The Quest Begins details the adventure of four bears, Kallik (a polar bear), Lusa (a black bear), Toklo (a brown bear), and Ujurak (also a brown bear).

The novel first follows Kallik, who lives with her mother and brother. While out on the ice, she is separated from her family when killer whales attack, forcing her to survive by herself. Kallik decides to go to a gathering place for polar bears that her mother told her about. There, she asks other polar bears if they have seen her family, but none of them have seen them. Kallik befriends another female bear named Nanuk, who helps Kallik around the area. However, Nanuk is killed in a helicopter crash when she and Kallik are being shipped back to the wild. Before she dies, Nanuk tells Kallik about a place where the ice never melts. Kallik sets off to find this place.

In a mountain range, Toklo's mother is bringing Toklo and his sickly brother to a river to teach them how to catch salmon, but when his brother dies, she suffers a mental breakdown and abandons Toklo. Left to fend for himself, he is chased by human hunters and meets another bear who is also being pursued by the hunters, Ujurak. Although Ujurak is injured, they are able to reach safety.Ujurak, then reveals himself to be a shapeshifter by transforming into a human and back. The two decide to continue traveling together.

Lusa is a pampered black bear living in a zoo. Despite being told that the wilderness is a harsh environment, she dreams of one day escaping the zoo and living outside. One day, Toklo's mother is brought to the zoo. She tells Lusa about her regret over abandoning her cubs, but that she was unable to find them after leaving them. Lusa resolves to find Toklo in order to deliver his mother's apology, and successfully escapes from the zoo. As the novel concludes, Ujurak and Toklo encounter Lusa.

Writing and themes

The novel drew comparisons, sometimes not always favorably, to the Warriors series, with Holly Koelling from Booklist noting that "despite the change in species, much will be familiar to readers".^[8][8][10] However, the book's fantasy elements are lightly introduced in this series start.^[8] The Quest Begins has a focus on protecting the environment^[8][8] and in the many ways humans pose dangers to animals.^[14] The bears, by undertaking this quest, are forced to gain survival skills as they go along and to do so without the assistance of adults to mentor and guide them.^[8][14] Koelling noted that while the bears are anthropomorphized they also maintain bear-like qualities and characteristics.^[8]

Reception

Reception to the novel was positive and many reviewers praised the realistic setting and behaviours of the main characters. Koelling noted how the novel has a balance of cute anthropomorphic characterisation and also gives a realistic view of how hard it is for the bears to survive on their own. Koelling also recommended the novel to Warriors fans.^[9] Kirkus Reviews had a more mixed review, noting fans of the genre would , "haunt the shelves for the next volume" despite little advancement of the plot due to the time spent introducing and developing the characters.^[10] In contrast, Jennifer-Lynn Draper in School Library Journal praised the novel's fast pace and Hunter's ability in "creating and sustaining the adrenaline-charged mood".^[11]

References

• Hungary–Malta relations
• Hungary–Mexico relations
• Hungary–Mongolia relations
• Hungary–Montenegro relations
• Hungary–Netherlands relations
• Hungary–North Korea relations
• Hungary–Norway relations
• Hungary–Pakistan relations
• Hungary–People's Republic of China relations
• Hungary – Poland relations
• Hungary–Poland relations
• Hungary–Portugal relations
• Hungary–Romania relations
• Hungary–Russia relations
• Hungary–Serbia relations
• Hungary–Slovakia relations
• Hungary–Slovenia relations
• Hungary–Spain relations
• Hungary–Sri Lanka relations
• Hungary–Sweden relations
• Hungary–Switzerland relations
• Hungary–Thailand relations
• Hungary–Turkey relations
• Hungary – Turkey relations
• Hungary–Ukraine relations