WINDRUSHER-OP [Paperback]

Victor DiGenti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2004

A dazzling adventure/fantasy that does for cats what Watership Down did for rabbits. In this debut novel, author Victor DiGenti takes readers on a wild ride through the mystical and fascinating world of cats. When Gerry Tremble and his family move from Connecticut to Florida to run his ailing father's hotel, they leave behind one family member who isn't about to take it lying down. He was just a pet cat they called Tony, but Windrusher is determined to find his family and sets off on a perilous journey filled with surprise and discovery.

Windrusher's tension-filled quest builds to a heart-stopping climax, and Windrusher calls on resources he didn't know he had just to survive.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A magical tale, full of wonder and suspense. I was fascinated from beginning to end. -- Barbara Florio Graham, SimonTeakettle.com

Beautifully written, the characterizations, whether human or animal, are so well done that I could visualize each and every character. -- William Kerr, author of Death's Bright Angel

Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. It's a guaranteed good read. -- Nancy Marano, Award-winning author of animal articles

I literally couldn't put it down, it is so beautifully written. What a wonderful read. -- Betty White, actress and animal rights advocate

Touching, mystical, completely engrossing. Put this on your bookshelf next to "Call of the Wild" and "Black Beauty." -- Linda Stewart, author of the Sam the Cat Mystery series

From the Author

Have you ever scratched your head after reading an unbelievable news account of a cat finding its way back home months after being given up for lost, and wondered what kind of internal compass felines possess? That's what happened to me and started me asking a series of "what if" questions that resolved itself in Windrusher, an adventure/fantasy novel with a most unheroic hero -- a four-footed feline with green eyes and a bushy tail. Although tinged with mystic fantasy, our protagonist isn't endowed with superhuman powers (or would that be super-feline powers?) and Windrusher uses just his wits and good fortune to find his way through a treacherous world. Along the way, like a four-footed Frodo Baggins, Windrusher picks up fellow travelers to accompany him on his journey. He first encounters a lonely, seemingly slow-witted young cat, Lil' One, who rescues him from animal control workers. Next, the travelers find a curmudgeonly old female, Scowl Down, and she insists on joining the duo, even though she believes it's the brainless scheme of a floppy-eared snouter. Unfortunately for Windrusher, he also makes an enemy of Bolt, a murderous cat intent on putting an end to Windrusher's journey.

Windrusher is a stirring tale of adventure and homecoming on an impressive scale that will leave readers craving the next installment of this new American hero. Windrusher and the Cave of Tho-hoth is due out late in 2004.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: The Writers' Collective (January 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594110980
• ISBN-13: 978-1594110986
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,761,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After working as a television producer, director, fundraiser, and producer of the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, Victor DiGenti turned to his first love--writing. He first found inspiration in his household of feline critters and wrote three adventure/fantasies with a feline protagonist. His novels--Windrusher, Windrusher and the Cave of Tho-hoth, and Windrusher and the Trail of Fire--have won multiple awards and attracted readers of all ages.
Under the pen name Parker Francis, Vic has published the first in the Quint Mitchell Mystery series, MATANZAS BAY, a contemporary mystery set in St. Augustine and winner of the Josiah W. Bancroft, Sr. Award, and the Book of the Year award from the Florida Writers Association. MATANZAS BAY is available for Kindle as well as trade paperback from Amazon.com. The second in the series, BRING DOWN THE FURIES, will be released in 2012.
Vic lives in northeast Florida with his wife and their many rescued cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Windrusher: His Journey Home, July 19, 2004

By 

Richard W. Klinzman "oneguysview" (Middleburg, FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: WINDRUSHER-OP (Paperback)

I have just finished reading Windrusher, most of it in one day. Mr. DiGenti has contributed a wonderful adventure in his debut novel featuring the brave and resourceful cat, Windrusher (called Tony by his humans). The tiger striped cat, having been left behind by his human family in Connecticut, sets out to rejoin them in Florida. Along the way we are introduced to two other cats who eventually join him on his quest as he learns about the mysteries of life and love from his own kind and the humans he meets along the way. I do not want to spoil the story by giving away too much.
If you love adventure novels starring cats such as Tailchaser's Song, Felidae series or The Golden Cat series, you should not miss the story of Windrusher and I'm sure you'll be craving more from him in the future.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Windrusher's a great book, November 23, 2005

By 

scooter281 "scooter" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: WINDRUSHER-OP (Paperback)

Windrusher does for cats what J.R R. Tolkien did for hobbits. It's a tale of a cat on a mission that's suffused with the mystical power of cats in ancient Egypt. It's very inspiring, as Windrusher surmounts one unbelievable obstacle after another on a long journey, and, at times, it's just heartbreaking. You really can identify with the characters. Di Genti's verbal pallette of words paints vivid pictures in your mind's eye that makes it seem like you're IN the story, and not just reading it. I'd recommend it highly.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprised Me -- a good read, October 10, 2004

By 

Margaret H. Bonham "skywarrior" (Montana, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: WINDRUSHER-OP (Paperback)

I didn't plan on reading Windrusher nor did I think I'd like it, but somehow Victor DiGenti's style caught me and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's about a cat who goes to find his human family after he's given away because they move. He makes a long trek down the eastern seaboard to Florida to find them with help of his cat friends and their psychic communication called the Inner Ear.

Check this book out. I think it'll surprise you.