Customer Reviews

Catacombs: A Tale of the Barque Cats

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really hate to say anything bad about a McCaffrey book, but I have no choice here. I doubt that I will even finish reading this one, and will not buy any more in the series. As others have said, there is no depth or complexity to either the characters or the plot.

I've been a McCaffrey fan since reading a Pern short story, "Weyr Search", years before any of the books came out. I've loved everything she has written, both science fiction and romance, except for this and all but the first of the Acorna series. I stopped buying the Acorna books after the second one, and as I indicated above, won't buy any more of the Barque Cat series.

Some of McCaffrey's collaborations have been great - the Planet Pirates books, for instance, and they introduced me to Elizabeth Moon and Jody Lynn Nye, authors I might not have discovered otherwise. This one, though, leaves me cold.

Looking at a list of her books, it appears that most of the ones I just can't get through are collaborations with Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, so perhaps my criterion should be "If Scarborough is the co-author, don't bother"?

The Barque Cats: and their human Cat Persons bond in an almost mystical way. Each and their human seem to instinctively know what the other wants as if reading minds. Mysterious feline Pshaw-Ra somehow changes the dynamic that leads to a telepathic link between Chester the Barque Cat and his Cat Person; other cats soon follow.

A plague leads to the government order to destroy those considered the carriers, which brings unwanted focus on the Barque Cats. Pshaw-Ra opens up a mousehole to carry the Barque cats and their Cat Persons on the starship Ranzo to Mau where he plans to breed the newcomers with his felines; the offspring will rule the universe. However, he finds problems at home with daughter Nefure claiming the throne while his other daughter Renpet fleeing into the catacombs beneath the Mauan desert. Pshaw-Ra is a target of scorn while something dormant for almost as old as the universe has awakened with a thirst for the light starting with cats for breakfast.

This is a fun feline frolic as the Barque Cats and their Cat Persons try to save the universe from the Mau residents. Faster than the speed of light, readers will enjoy the escapades on Mau although wonder why everyone especially the off-worlders seem emotionally detached from Pshaw-Ro's scheme. Still this is an entertaining human-feline outer space thriller (see Catalyst).

Harriet Klausner

For cat lovers, this book is a gem! Both authors are first-rate, and I, for one, am eagerly waiting for a sequel. Cats that can think and operate in space! Highly recommended! An excellent SF yarn!

a great read !! I hate starting a book that is a series so I waited till I had both books on hand before reading. Following the philosophy that cats rule and always have was an interesting story line !! I cannot wait for future editions of this storyline to be written........

I read the last reviews with surprise. I am a fan of both McCaffrey and Scarborough and have read all their books. Some I liked more than others. This one is one of the more superior ones. The characters in this book are cats and some humans, I felt that there was ample time to get to know the characters and to grow very fond of them indeed. There was enough action to make the book flow fast, but not so much that there was no time to enjoy the emotions, feelings and thoughts of each of the main characters.

The story line is very interesting and for any cat-lover this book is a purfect read! But even for non-cat people it is a sublime story that should be found on every book shelve.

I hope there will be a third book in this series in the same vane.

Anne McCafrey is one of my all time favorite authors. I enjoy her so much. Elizabeth Ann Scarboough is also a wonderful author. Together they create magic. I enjoyed the first book of this series and hope this one will continue to be as well written as the first.

I couldn't get past the first chapter. The planet Mau, which is meow if your Japanese. If you love cats you'll love this book? Really? The author looked around at all her cat toys and created names for the characters from them for God's sake. The lack of plot depth to this book makes me mad. I expected an intriguing alien species and instead was offered kitty litter.

This book is a must for any cat lover. Their purrsonalities explode with cunning and intelligence that we cat lovers all know they have.

Ann McCaffrey and Elizabeth Scarborough have written a romping great tail in the follow-up to Catalyst. The Barque Cats with their Cat Persons (CP) have overcome a plot to destroy all animals thought to be infected with a plague which causes the infected cats to develop telepathic abilities and bond with their CP. This is a grate example of why we have come to love Ann McCaffrey's universe.

I must agree with some of the other reviewers that this book did not seem to be as captivating as the first one. I didn't really have all that much trouble finishing it as I really did get a kick out the writer's insights into cats. These were brought in by casual touches that would be familiar to cat lovers everywhere.

One that immediately comes to mind is where the Grand Vizier, Pshaw-Ra is teaching the kittens to control gravity so as to make themselves heavier or lighter. This shows great insight and experience with the joys of living with one or more cats. I'm sure we can all recall instances when cats could move as light as a feather and others when they could seem as heavy as lead. The latter being the case when one may be lying down and your beloved cat decides to walk across you and each step weighs down upon your body as if the cat weighed 80 pounds.

This is definitely one of those books you'll have problems with if you can't accept the premises established by the authors. If you're willing to cut them some slack and just go with the flow I believe cat lovers will find enough reminders of their experiences with well loved cats to make the book worthwhile reading.