The Warriors movie is loosely based on this book. For those who watched the movie, there are several notable differences:

"The Warriors" are the Dominators
Cyrus is Ismael Rivera
The Dominators do not kill Ismael Rivera
Loyalty to the gang/family and colors are more played out
Gang rape is present in the book
The Dominators are kids in their teens
The Dominators are a Hispanic/African American gang.
Other gangs don't dress in the outrageous theme costumes.
The characters are not as likable

What is the same:
The journey home through enemy territory
Trouble with the police

It's a good read and for those who enjoyed the movie the differences in the book, there are enough differences so the reader will not anticipate the storyline.






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Darker than the movie. Yurick's afterward is also worthwhile. ( )

NYC will be having a meeting of warring gangs but things don't go as well as planned. This is the basis for one of my favorite movies, only because the film takes itself so seriously while being hilarious. Though I'm not sure they were going for that. The movie is probably 95% different from the book which I can appreciate. I like that they are two separate beasts. But also, why even name the movie after the book if there is not much similar between the two? It seems the movie might have just taken those wacky gangs from the book, or maybe just their clothes (one of the gangs in the book wears ice cream shorts? ) I love the idea of the Others enjoying their day on the Coney Island boardwalk while the Warriors are in a veritable battle zone. Such a memorable image there alone and an interesting way of seeing how gangs might think differently than the Others. Which is an interesting perspective of gang life in general. I also love that the gangs start to wonder why they aren't working together right before everything hits the fan. The book is much more brutal than the movie. The movie wanted to make the main characters, the warriors, much more sympathetic than Yurick cared to write them. Yurick's gang is Lord of the Flies in NYC while the film's gangs could be Disney's interpretation. The book itself switches perspectives occasionally, while mostly staying with Hinton. I feel like there is a ton here in this short book. It's a bit tough for me to unpack. Quite the number of odd scenarios, reminding me a bit of 'Oreo' by Fran Ross. Some of it is a bit Kafkaesque. (Is my life in itself Kafkaesque if every book I read seems inspired by Kafka? It's uncanny.) I do like my edition with Yurick explaining the writing process and discussing actually walking down subway train tunnels to see how long the Warriors journey might take. I can appreciate both the book and the film for different reasons. ( )

The Warriors - Sol Yurick *****

Like many people I saw the film about a New York street gang making their way back home across enemy territory while causing havoc. If you liked the film then there is a fair chance that you will love the book. Although a large number of the details were changed for the film (such as the ages, names, brutality) the plot is basically the same. The problem with the film that becomes apparent is that a lot of the intensity becomes lost in translation. Don’t get me wrong, the film is brilliant, but the book is something else.

Very often books like this include violence only for the shock factor or to have a talking point. The Warriors is very different and although graphic at times, it really adds to the storyline, hammering to the reader the type of world these people inhabit. Sol Yurick isn’t afraid to really show the dark underbelly of society, and what makes it even more frightening is that you tend to forget that these aren’t adults that are running amok, but teenagers. These are the same people that will settle down to read a comic, or complain about being frightened of the dark only moments after viciously raping or murdering a stranger.

The storyline is simple; a meeting of all the gangs in New York is called. An incident occurs which sees all hell break lose, with each gang trying to avoid both the law and enemies. Obviously they have to cross through hostile areas, but do they try and sneak across quietly, or should they make a statement and some additional points for their own reputation? It is hard to believe that life was/is like this for some people, that a civilised society could have such an existence and yet you find that you even begin to sympathise with the characters, rooting for them to succeed, recognising that they aren’t just villains, but victims as well.

A relatively short book (just over 200 pages) but so much is crammed into each page that it feels like an epic long after the last page is finished. Give it a try and see for yourself. ( )

I guerrieri della notte è l’agghiacciante cronaca di una notte di violenza a cui si abbandona una banda di teppisti newyorkesi. Con il calare della notte migliaia di giovani sbandati, provenienti da tutte le parti della città, si radunano in un parco del Bronx, mentre New York festeggia il 4 luglio, nel folle progetto di unirsi e partire alla conquista della città. Durante il raduno scoppiano risse, il grande capo viene assassinato, accorre la polizia e la banda dei Dominatori, ritenuta responsabile dell’uccisione, si dà alla fuga per raggiungere il proprio territorio. Durante il lungo tragitto di ritorno, attraverso i bassifondi di New York, i Dominatori, carichi di paura e dell’odio che scaturisce dalla rabbia, si abbandonano a violenze, a stupri e all’assassinio.
Da questo romanzo di Sol Yurick è stato tratto l’omonimo film "I guerrieri della notte", diretto da Walter Hill.