The Catswold Portal [Hardcover]

Shirley Rousseau Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1999

A striking new reissue of an epic fantasy by popular Harper author Shirley Rousseau Murphy, featuring a princess's dangerous quest to reclaim her throne...and, of course, cats!

There is a door in an artist's garden: an elaborate carved passageway into a realm ruled by a dark sorceress queen. There entities strange and wondrous roam the Netherworld––yet none as astonishing as the shape–shifting Catswold...

Raised by the oldwitch Mag, Melissa discovers a perilous secret. She has more than one form––human girl and magical cat––and once inhabited two worlds. And it is her destiny to return to a mystic realm of wonder and terror, to do battle for her people's liberation and the crown that is rightfully hers.

A man beset by tragedy, painter Braden West is intrigued by the calico cat who has charmed her way into his studio. But his "guest" is more than she seems, and Braden's very existence will be radically altered as he follows Melissa from the Hell Pit into the dread perils of an evil ruling court, thrust into the heart of a magical conflict with more at stake than he could possibly have imagined.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This delightful fantasy posits a Netherworld located under modern California and peopled by humans, mythological creatures--including Harpies and Griffons--and shape-changers such as the Catswold, who can shift between cat and human forms. In this land where technology fails but magic works, Melissa, a young woman with no memory of her past, goes to the city of Affandar, ruled by the cruel Queen Siddonie, to learn her history. Taking a strange interest in Melissa, the queen teaches her magic spells far superior to those of the common people. From an imprisoned Harpy she sets free, Melissa learns she is heir to the Catswold throne, but for her disobedience she is turned into her cat form and cast forth in the upperworld. There she is taken in as a pet by artist Braden West, who, unaware of her true nature, falls in love with her. Then Melissa discovers how to regain her human form and returns to the Netherworld pursued by Braden. Murphy, a writer of children's books, balances her rich, detailed Netherworld with a vividly characterized earthly realm. Her cat people, in particular, ring true.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- In 1957 in the San Francisco area, a garden shared by six surrounding houses has a tool shed built into a berm. The shed is closed by a magnificent, intricately carved wooden gate featuring nine rows of nine heads of cats, each projecting out of the wood. Unbeknownst to Earth dwellers, this gate is one of several conduits connecting the underground netherworld with the upperworld. Living belowground is the evil Queen Siddonie, who wants control of both realms; attempting to stop her is Melissa, a kidnapped abovegrounder. The book offers a diverse collection of characters, from the elusive Catswolders who are able to shape shift between human and cat form; to the cantankerous but warm-hearted Harpie; the magnificent, powerful Griffon; and the Black Dragon of the Hellpit, who epitomizes everything that is loathsome. Rich, descriptive imagery is found on every page, making this underground world come alive. And in the end, the power of art, magic, images, and love help Melissa as she overcomes the malevolent queen.
- Pam Spencer, Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Bt Bound (October 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785717544
• ISBN-13: 978-0785717546
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,643,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shirley Rousseau Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. She attended the San Francisco Art institute. Shortly after graduation, she married and worked as an interior designer while her husband attended USC. "When Pat finished school, I promptly quit my job and began to exhibit paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows," Murphy explains. Her work could be seen in many traveling shows in the western States and Mexico. She continues, "But when we moved to Panama for a four-year tour, in Pat's position with the U.S. Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write."

She has published sixteen children's books, a young adult fantasy quintet, the Dragonbards fantasy trilogy, and The Catswold Portal. "It was while working on this adult fantasy that I knew I wanted to explore further the fascinating world of sentient cats. I began to see the gray tomcat, whom I knew well in real life, as a feline detective with a brash attitude--and the die was cast. I launched into the Joe Grey mystery series. I like discovering anew with each book how the three cats interact with their close-knit world of human friends--Joe Grey in-your-face abrasive, Dulcie of a gentler nature, and Kit wildly imaginative."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lifetime favorite, March 4, 2005

By 

J. Mila (CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Catswold Portal (Mass Market Paperback)

Like many others writing this review, I read this book a long time ago, before I was in my teens even, and I love this book. A decade later I still like to reread this book from time to time. Not only do I get pleausre from the feeling one gets from revisiting a childhood favorite, but it really is set in a wonderfully imaginative world, with a unique fantasy plot and setting. It's an incredibly easy read, which kind of adds to the charm, and I would almost consider it young adult, if not for the adult situations and language. It's probably the only reason I'm rating it 4/5. It's such a unique story with lovely characters, but it's not necessarily the most complex writing I've seen or the deepest development. However, as an avid sci-fi/fantasy reader I would say that Murphy gives other writers I've read a run for their money, especially this being a genre that she isnt recognized for, if recognized at all. Imagine my dismay after reading this book so long ago to find that no, there are no further books to let us explore these characters or world more, but that she doesnt even write fantasy.....she writes about cats. Still, I will always love this book.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fond memories of reading this book, July 16, 2004

By 

Sarah Sammis "Avid BookCrosser" (Hayward, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Catswold Portal (Hardcover)

I'm glad to see that in the reprint the cover art has been fixed. While the painting on the first edition is well executed it has NOTHING to do with the story. The new cover art is closer to correct, though I would have loved to see the little calico standing in front of the ornately carved blue door rather than inside the tool shed. I guess the door would have been quite difficult to do justice.

I also have to admit that once I was about 1/3 through this book, I realized and remembered that I had read this book when it had first come out (but had forgotten much of the plot). I can recall reading it for the first time in a salon on State Street as a freshman at UCSB. I remember thinking it would be cool to have a calico cat (I now do). And I remember being annoyed by the cover art.

One piece that confused me about the story is the timing of the events. Only until the last chapter and the epilogue is the story given a timeline of 1957 being the "present" but the way San Francisco and Marin are described, pieces of the story feel like they should be taking place either now (late 1990s when the book was written or 2000s if the present was meant to be the near future). Other events make the book seem like it should be taking place in the 1920s or 1930s. I think the biggest sticking point is the mention of an earthquake being strong enough to kill some characters in the back story. San Francisco is known for two big quakes: 1906 and 1989. Of course it turns out that the earthquake in question is completely fictional but I think it would have been better if the timeline could have been wrapped around an actual quake or the city in qusetion moved to a place not so known for two quakes. In other words, I found the odd details distracting at times that I just wanted the plot to take where it wanted to go.

The author though excels at two pieces of this book: her understanding of cats and her ability to describe paintings. It helps that she is an accompished artist in her own right. When she was describing Braden's series of portraits fo Melissa I could see them so clearly! When she was describing the little calico cat, I felt as if she were in the room with me.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readers grow attached to the characters., December 14, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Ithaca, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Catswold Portal (Paperback)

This is the best book I have ever read. Murphy's descriptions allow the reader to have vivid pictures of the characters and the places. I can picture Melissa's multi-colored hair and feel her pain when she is captured as a little cat. Even though Alice is never in the book, I fell Braden's and Melissa's sorrow about her death. Murphy develops Braden's love for Melissa as a person and as a cat. By the time I finish reading the book, I have grown very attached to Melissa, just as Braden grows attached to the little cat I would reccommend this book to people who like fantasy and romance.