| " An elephant who can read the bones of the dead. A baboon rebelling against his destiny. |
| ―Berry to Thorn in Broken Pride, page 117 |
Broken Pride is the first book in the Bravelands series. Fearless is featured on the front of the cover, with (left-to-right) Sky and Thorn behind him. It was written by Gillian Philip.
Blurb[]
For generations, the animals of the African plains have followed a single rule: only kill to survive. But when an unthinkable act of betrayal shatters the peace, the fragile balance between predators and prey will rest in the paws of three unlikely heroes.
Set in an epic new world and told from three different animals' points of view, Bravelands will thrill readers who love Spirit Animals and Wings of Fire, as well as the legion of dedicated fans who've made Erin Hunter a bestselling phenomenon.
Praise[]
“Deep characters, a complex plot, rich mythology, and a stunning setting. Wild and wonderful." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Detailed Plot Summary[]
In the prologue, a vulture named Windrider is flying over Bravelands when she sees two lion cubs. The smaller cub looks up at her, and she receives a sign — a roar that shakes the sky, that no one else can hear or feel.
In Gallantpride, that cub — Swiftcub — is practicing how to hunt alongside his sister Valor and their mother Swift. The two cubs are disheartened when the meerkats' retreat to their burrows leaves their hunt unsuccessful. When their father Gallant comes to comfort them, Swiftcub swats away a scorpion before it can sting Gallant, prompting Gallant to grant Swiftcub his new name: Fearless Gallantpride. Fearless's pride congratulates him, but Gallant suddenly notices something in the west; it's revealed by Swift that Titan and his cronies have arrived and want to challenge Gallant's leadership of the pride.
Once Titan arrives, the leadership battle ensues, with Gallant remaining victorious until Titan breaks the rules (kill only to survive). With Gallant killed and the Code broken, Swift angrily confronts a remorseless Titan. Soon, the whole pride joins in, but Titan and his cronies keep them at bay, saying that rebels won't be allowed, but then Titan notices Fearless and Valor and tells Cunning to kill Gallant's heirs.
Fearless manages to escape, but Valor is captured, and so the cub is left all alone. While he lays injured and unconscious, an eagle carries him to their nest to eat later. Fearless wakes up and realizes where he is, and the danger that he's in, but slips on his way down the tree — dead if it weren't for a curious baboon who saves him from falling.
The baboon treats Fearless kindly and introduces himself as Stinger, and after sharing minor information about each other, Stinger helps him get to the ground. He brings Fearless to Brightforest Troop, to the curiosity, astonishment, and apprehension of the other baboons. Stinger says that Fearless is the "Cub of the Stars" and was sent by the Great Spirit, and the Starleaf believes his claims as well. However, the other baboons don't trust Fearless not to eat them, especially a baboon named Grub, who tries to convince others that it's unnatural for a lion cub to live in the trees.
A time skip to a year later further introduces the book's main characters and conflicts — Fearless's struggle to fit in with baboons while plotting revenge against Titan, Thorn's efforts to rank up in the troop so he can mate with his love Berry, and the young elephant Sky's increasingly distressing visions of suffering and bloodshed.
Gallery[]
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Trivia[]
- An animal mask at the beginning of each chapter indicates whose point of view that chapter is from — Fearless's, Thorn's, or Sky's.