The Golden Cat [Mass Market Paperback]

Gabriel King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 7, 1999

In THE GOLDEN CAT, Gabriel King continues the enchanting quest that began with The Wild Road--the novel the San Francisco Chronicle crowned "mythical," and Richard Adams, author of Watership Down, deemed "absolutely magical. . ."

The ancient prophecy speaks of a golden cat whose coming will heal the troubled world. But the Queen of Cats has three golden kittens--and when two are stolen away, the distraught parents turn to Tag, the brave young cat who is the protector of the magical Wild Road.

The desperate search moves from the water-lit Oceanarium and sun-dappled Tintagel to the distant Louisiana bayous and the pyramids of Egypt. As Tag and his friends struggle on, so does a terrifying, unearthly force--a preternatural vortex threatening the Wild Road, tearing at the very fabric of existence. But Tag is disastrously unprepared for the powerful darkness that threatens to consume everything in its wake . . .

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Have you ever wondered what your cats get up to when they go out at night? Do they just sit in the garden and watch the world go by, or do they travel into the night on wild adventures that take them to faraway places human eyes have never seen?

The Golden Cat is a follow-up to the highly successful The Wild Road and the fairy-tale story of Tag the tabby cat, who after the death of his mentor Majicou inherits the task of the caretaker of the wild roads. When two of the King and Queen's three golden kittens go missing, Tag is asked to find them. One of the three kittens is the famous Golden Cat, but which one is it? Tag soon finds himself on yet another perilous journey across the wild roads with Leonora, the third kitten, in tow.

It's obvious that Gabriel King has a great love for the feline species, which shines out with great warmth from her writing. Observational detail rubs shoulders with moments of comedy strong enough to evoke a reaction from the hardest of hearts. There are also elements of high drama as she delves into the darkest side of vivisection and animal cruelty. A great read in its own right and a worthy follow-up to The Wild Road. --Elly Russell, Amazon.co.uk --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

King (actually two authors, both British) continues the adventures of the cats from The Wild Road in this story of ordeals, magic and redemption. Comparisons to Watership Down are inevitable, but these cats are both more and less human than Richard Adams's rabbits, though no less heroic. Through magic, felines ally themselves with foxes and fish; one cat even reads. They travel the wild roads, though something seems wrong with these occult pathways. This mystery drives the book, along with two quests for kittensAone by the golden offspring of the Mau, an archetypical mother, and one by Sealink, a sassy wanderer from New Orleans. The cats of New Orleans also suffer a strange decay. Is it the oppressive domination by the cat Kiki la Doucette? The aftermath of the cats' battle against the Alchemist in the previous volume? Or the stealing of cats for experimentation, ? la Adams's The Plague Dogs? Connections are made and interestingly explored, and the cats become truly human (and humane) characters. A must for cat lovers, this book offers rewards for any fantasy reader who can accept a primarily feline cast.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (December 7, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345423054
• ISBN-13: 978-0345423054
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.8 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,773 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Golden Cat, February 25, 2005

By 

SIS - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Cat (Mass Market Paperback)

I give this book 5 stars, and I think it's much better than "The Wild Road," King's first book. It's not nerely as hard to stay interested to, and I particularly liked the focus on the character of Sealink, and how you learned a lot more about her origins. One thing that I found a little confusing is how the personalities of the characters changed, rather too abruptly into the second book to be realistic, Tag and Ragnar in particular. Other than that I found this book an interseting, enjoyable read, and much better and easier to follow than "The Wild Road".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A purrfect read!, April 27, 2000

By 

Sharon Galligar Chance (Wichita Falls, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Cat (Hardcover)

It's obvious that Gabriel King has a great love and respect for the feline species, which positively purrs forth from his writing. Employing intense observational detail with moments of delightful comedy strong, King's clever prose in "The Golden Cat" will evoke a positive reaction from animal lovers everywhere. Admirably, King also explores and comments on animal cruelty throughout this part mystery/part fantasy tale. As a lover of cats, I found "The Golden Cat" to be a purrfect read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of wonder and mystery, September 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Golden Cat (Hardcover)

I bought "The Wild Road" on a whim; I had read Tad Williams' "Tailchaser's Song" a few years ago, and wondered what it would be like to read a similar story by a more recent author. I was far from disappointed, and "The Golden Cat" exceeded my expectations, quickly becoming one of my personal favorite books of all time.

If there is one point to criticise, it would have to be the sometimes confusing narrative, which strays from the style many reader have come to expect. This, however, strengthens the story in my mind rather than weakens it. The characters are brilliantly presented, the plotline is strikingly complex, and the book makes you want to look for Wild Roads everywhere - I've already spotted a few in our own neighbourhood.

In short, anyone who's willing to stray from Fantasy norms and experience something different and wonderful, look no further!