Customer Reviews

A Constellation of Cats

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Five from the viewpoint of a cat (one in first person).

Haber, Karen: "Under the Sign of the Fish" Timandra has one misguided hope: she'd like her cat to *get along* with her goldfish, not just fantasize about eating him. Her next-door neighbour, the wizard, indulges her wish for the two pets to swap bodies for a day.

Hoffman, Nina Kiriki: "Star Song" follows July's viewpoint during her first week in her new house - she left her commune with her younger children since her soon-to-be-ex was staying. Martin was the serious spellcaster, so the family familiar stayed with him; July and her children need to summon a replacement. But both kids are unhappy, and 10-year-old Orion wanted a dog...

Jocks, Von: "Ecliptic" follows the viewpoint of Magdaleine, a medieval village healer who, having saved a man on the point of death, asked only that the people cease killing cats - bringing a mob down on her, shrieking 'witchcraft!' (She *is* a witch - both Wiccan and magic-user - but not evil.) This is told in a nonlinear, braided fashion - one thread following Magdaleine's flight into the forest, the other her earlier arrest and imprisonment.

Luzier, Pamela: "A Light In the Darkness" Gail, hunting for the cabin where her husband has taken their daughter (and his girlfriend) has a very unrealistically constructed encounter with a Wiccan in a nearby cabin, going along with all his suggestions in an unquestioning manner. The Wiccan persuades her (under the comes-back-on-you-threefold rule) to petition Bastet for what's best for her daughter, rather than for custody outright.

McCay, Bill: "Death Song" Tom has always protected his humans from Banes - those disembodied evil things that seek ever to possess a physical body. But in killing possessed vermin in a new apartment, he has been poisoned by insecticide - weakened before a greater Bane is due to appear.

Norton, Andre: "Three-Inch Trouble" follows the viewpoint of Raven, crew member of the Free Trader _Horus_: the ship's cat. During his combing of a fair for new trade items, the Cargo Master bargains for a sealed collection of Survey artefacts. Unfortunately, they contain live pests...

Nye, Jody Lynn: "Purr Power" Almost SF. Horus-Semnet, the general assigned by Pharaoh to defend the chief temple of Bast from the invading Persians, is frustrated. His forces will be outnumbered 6 to 1. The great festival of Bast is underway, and the priests refuse to evacuate. (Finally, Horus-Semnet doesn't care for cats, although he respects them as a proper son of Egypt.) Why is the high priest so confident that the temple will be safe?

Pack, Janet: "Praxis" is Lucien's cat - and despite the ban on astrologers, they've reentered Athens despite the government's fear of this Egyptian art. The ending's too pat.

Putney, Mary Jo: "The Stargazer's Familiar" actually begins with 'It was a dark and stormy night'. :) Leo, the title character, narrates; he learned the family business from his father, just as the royal astrologer was trained by his. Lord Klothe, threatening death, wants to know the most effective moment at which he can assassinate the king, fulfilling a prophecy that he can reach the highest place in the kingdom - taking the Stargazer's wife hostage to ensure truth in reporting.

Reichert, Mickey Zucker: "Every Life Should Have Nine Cats" After one too many groups of sorcerers attempted to take over part of the country, M-squads are busily seeking out anyone with suspicious signs of magic; this story follows the junior member of one such pair investigating a very nice old lady. On the plus side, the presentation illuminates how easily a profile can be used to trap the innocent; on the minus side, the resolution of the story is too pat.

Rusch, Kristine Kathryn: "Star" was the name of Anna Jarrett's cat in New York City; an attack on Star by Anna's abusive boyfriend was followed by a vicious assault that left Anna hospitalized for months, to learn that Star was dead. Now Neil is in Attica, and appears to have found a target close to Anna for his slimy letters: her next-door neighbour says he's been seeing a cat hanging around her place matching Star's description.

Scarborough, Elizabeth Ann: "Mu Mao and the Court Oracle" See the various volumes of _Catfantastic_ for other Mu Mao stories; this time he's been reborn in an animal shelter. He wants to know why he never seems to be reborn into a nice, cushy life as a pampered pet. :) Great events are afoot - the King of the Cats is dead, and since he never appointed a Court Oracle (and didn't keep track of the kittens he sired), the succession is muddled.

Stuckart, Diane A.S.: "Once, We Were Worshiped" Thomas Moonraker doesn't believe the old cats' tales of witches familiars - *he's* not superstitious. But he's uneasy tonight - his kittenhood companion Selena is attempting to reanimate a long-forgotten mummy from the old professor's collection, to find out how humans got to be in charge. (Thomas isn't keen if it means *he'll* be responsible for his caretaker's wellbeing instead of the other way 'round.) Of course, it's a *cat* mummy... (If you'd like a different treatment of Selena's problem, see 'Dream of a Thousand Cats' in Neil Gaiman's DREAM COUNTRY collection.)

Cats and fantasy have a long-recognized relationship, and this themed anthology continues the tradition well. Most of the stories are fantasy, set in environments from Ancient Egypt (10,000 temple cats summon the goddess Bastet to help beat off the Persian invaders) to modern times (an inept witch and her two children settle into their new neighborhood with the help of a stray cat), but there's also a science fiction story that takes place on a traders' starship, and a touching, quiet tale that could have been lifted from today's headlines. This book would make an excellent no-occasion gift for a cat-loving friend as well as an addition to your own collection. (And if you like it, I very strongly recommend the five volumes of "Catfantastic," edited by Andre Norton and Martin H. Greenberg.)

Who could resist a book with thirteen short stories all featuring cats? I know I couldn't, and I'm glad. This anthology of short stories has a little something for everyone, from urban fantasy, to pure fantasy, and science fiction. I loved how each story gave the cats within it a unique personality, as those of us with cats know that no two cats are exactly alike.

I'll be honest, and some of the stories I would have liked a bit more fantasy content to the story. A few of them felt rather modern-dayish without the element of urban fantasy (ala Charles DeLint) or any fantasy at all, but more a story about a cat without any real fantasy trappings at all. And, I would have liked a more uniform presentation to the stories. The title implies astrology or stars, and several of the stories tried to hold true to this theme by using stars or constellations in the cat's names or behavior.

But, for a book to while away the hours, I found this collection more than adequate, and some of the stories are real gems.

This is an enjoyable book that should entertain cat lovers and non cat lovers alike. The stories are well written and fast moving and I did not want to put it down once I had started reading.

I LOVE this book!

But then again, I love all anthologies that have a cat theme.

And I also love all books, anthologies or otherwise, that have Andre Norton's name on it! And if I see a book with Denise Little's name on it, I also know that it will be a good book.

Enough said! For those who are cat lovers, I don't think you will be disappointed in this book. It actually has sat here in my review section for months because I misplaced it in my library. Then when it popped up again, I started a search for it, found it, and was delightfully surprised by all the excellent stories.