Customer Reviews:
20 tales of shipscats, familiars, and others.......2002-02-15
Many transformations in this one: people reborn as cats, cats reborn as people, and some who have tried both and need restoration to their preferred shape.
Barwood, Lee "A Woman of Her Word" - Tarberry, after a near-death experience in a breeding mill, uses new-found talents to help his rescuer.
Bell, Claire "A Tangled Tahitian Tail" - Told by the first European to set foot on Tahiti: the ship's cat.
de Lint, Charles "Saxophone Joe and the Woman in Black" - The sax player lost his woman when he stumbled across her true name - was she really human? And did he care?
Dunn, Marylois "Teddy Cat" - Cory Johnson's allergic - to everything her stepfather doesn't want her to have: ice cream, the teddy bear he destroyed. But Cory won't let him take the idea of Teddy Bear away from her - so the wild tom that befriends her is Teddy Cat.
Fontenay, Charles L. "Cat O' Nine Tales" - Adrian is a professional writer who makes a modest living through hard work. When Diana Colfax hired him through his agent to live at her family home and write her family history, he accepted the contract. But on his arrival, the situation at Nine Tales is fishy. A young man and woman greet him, saying that the old lady recently died and no arrangements were made for a book. Angered at having packed up his life, including his cat, for a long trip, then being fobbed off with an obvious lie (his agent's got the contract, only a week old, for goodness' sake), Adrian starts poking around. (The ending is somewhat rushed, but the setup is OK.)
Griffin, P.M. "Partners" - As indicated by the title, this is another Bastet story (as in Catfantastic 2 and 5), rather than the Trouble stories of 1 and 4. The cat facing Bastet before his next reincarnation has never had a human Partner in the full sense of the term. Not that he was physically abused in his past life, far from it; he spent his life as a pedigreed Persian, in show cages and stud cages, with excellent care but no affection.
Johnston III, John E. "...But a Glove" - With every full moon, Tom becomes a cat (a wayward gift shared by some descendants of Clan Chattan). Plays the devil with one's social life...
Inks, Caralyn "Fear in Her Pocket" - Jayle is called to help a camilicat shed her old life for a new one, but the price this time comes high.
Lackey, Mercedes "A Tail of Two Skittys" - See my review of her short story collection _Werehunter_, which contains all the Skitty stories to date.
Mayhar, Ardath "Hermione as Spy" - Hermione's first job as a wizard's familiar, fresh from school.
McConchie, Lyn "Moon Scent" - Tale of the dravencat Many Kills.
McQuillin, Cynthia "Cat's World" - Cat acts as Guardian of the Old Knowledge, preserving the laboratory where his kind were designed before the rest of the world ended, because of a prophecy that their creator had once traveled into their present, her future.
Miller, Ann; Rigley, Karen "Snake Eyes" - Lori's aunt and uncle recently died in a fire, survived by their cat, Silver, and their son, Ray. (No accident that her cousin comes second in that list.) But now the auditor hired as part of the proposed sale of the family business has been killed by a hit-and-run driver...
Miller, Sasha "One Too Many Cats" - Continues the tale of young wizard Ferdon, his wife, and his familiar. Ferdon's familiar was once a woman; she's now enduring life as a cat. (She's not much help as a familiar, has a hate / hate relationship with Ferdon's wife, and is *allergic* to cats even after her transformation). Ferdon, who's now aware of the nature of her problem, persuades his wife to help him return the cat to human form. At least, that was the idea...
Norton, Andre "Noble Warrior Meets with a Ghost" - "Noble Warrior" is the translation of Thargun's full name, a Siamese sent by a grateful Princess to young Emmy, the daughter of an Englishman who saved her father's life (see all Catfantastic volumes in sequence for his complete adventures). Here a thief seizes his traveling basket in a train station.
Reyes, Raul; Waters, Elisabeth "Connecticat" - The lama's young nephew hadn't learned the discipline necessary to successfully evade all the traps along the path to rebirth. When his uncle finally locates his reincarnation, he's a LONG way from home...
Scarborough, Elizabeth Ann "The Cat Quest of Mu Mao the Magnificent" - The secret valley of Shambala is the only haven left, after the world ended in blinding light and thunder. Mu Mao, who has achieved the highest state of enlightenment (rebirth as the last cat in the world), is, alas, now subject to feline urges - and having gone to so much trouble to get In to Shambala, he must now go Out.
Straub, Mary H. "The Cat, the Wizards, and the Bedpost" - A continuation of the Flax & Drop stories from 1 & 2 (which are concluded in 4). Drop, the stray accidentally changed into a human boy, may finally return to normal: the wizard who developed the keep-shape spell has asked Flax for help in another matter.
Schimel, Lawrence "To Skein a Cat" - The lonely Fates have adopted 3 kittens - and we all know about mixing kittens with thread.
Schwartz, Susan "Asking Mr. Bigelow" - Lisa isn't a cat person - she's more of a mouse: the kind of mouse who waits in lines forever while the cats get served first. Now she's suffering from a migraine after losing yet another promotion, and someone on the street directs her to Bigelow's (an upscale drugstore). But Mr. Bigelow is a cat, and he can see what she *really* needs for her problem. If you like this, try "Cat Tale" by Vicki Ann Heydron (M.Z.Bradley's _Greyhaven_ anthology).
Wonderful collection!.......2000-11-26
I loved this continuation of stories about our most beloved pet-the cat. I especially liked the diversity of styles. Glad to see continuations of Skitty and Noble Warrior
A great collection!.......1998-03-09
Once again a delightful blend of authors have come up with tales about cats and the people who are owned by them. I always enjoy a collection of shorts and this was no exception!
Customer Reviews:
Grand feline adventures! ^_^.......2002-10-22
Nothing quite like curling up with a purring cat in your lap and an adventures cat in your book! ^_^
As with all compendiums there are some good, and some bad stories, but I feel that the good drasticaly outweight the bad. I've found this to be a well collected anthology series and would highly recommend it to anyone who is fond of cats!
Cat Lover Heaven!.......2002-01-17
This series of short story books is an absolute pleasure to read!
Totally enjoyable short fantasy stories. Enough to get a taste of the author's style. A whole lot of fun.
Please keep them coming!
A mixed bag of 18 fantasy stories (no sci-fi this time)........2001-02-25
Bell, Clare: "Bomber and the Bismarck" - The HMS Ark Royal rescues a cat with bomber-jacket markings from the North Sea, and takes him on as their new ship's cat - to discover that they have the only (unofficial) survivor of HMS Hood aboard.
Belden, Wilanne Schneider: "A Puma and a Panther" - Belden's stories tend to be about exceptional children, but in this case, the story isn't told from the viewpoint of Christine or her little brother Ian. Instead, we have Bat's viewpoint - who's settling for life as Christine's pet, since he's denied his rightful place as her familiar, having been born into a non-magical world.
Boyer, Elizabeth H.: "The Last Gift" - My favorite story in this book. Isolf, presented to the jotun on her 16th birthday, is lonely, so the jotun decides to create a new creature to be her companion - but he only has tiny scraps of spirits left from the making of the world's animals, and they're a mixed bag. Combining them in his cauldron to make a bigger piece produces unexpected results. "I don't remember adding claws - or teeth!"
Cirone, Patricia B.: "Papercut Luck" - Ling Mei is now alone on the family junk; by chance, she wasn't aboard when the Emperor's soldiers seized her family. All the lucky papercuts in the market have been sold, so she buys one for courage, since courage can make luck.
Dunn, Marylois: "Shado" - Cat and White Cat are back (see _Tales of the Witch World 1_ and _Catfantastic_). White Cat is deeply depressed, having been prevented from having kittens for the last 2 winters. Cat, out hunting field mice on a foggy morning, finds just the thing to cheer her up.
Griffin, P.M.: "In Bastet's Service" - No relation to her stories in Catfantastic 1 or 4, but rather to those in 3 & 5. These stories begin with a cat facing Bastet prior to reincarnation, and by their very nature have dea ex machina situations, but not quite in a way that makes sense. For instance, the cat facing his 2nd incarnation in this story died of abuse in his 1st life; Bastet now intervenes to try to help him recover. We're never told why, if she can do this, she left him to his fate before.
Inks, Caralyn: "Shadows" - The world setting here is unfamiliar to me, and we're never told much about it. Jariel Belldancer and his camilacat partner break an ancient trap, to free a tortured human and the shadow of an immortal Pierdon.
Major, A. R.: "The Execution" - New York City is divided into many `kingdoms' of cats (a cross between kingdoms with formal courts and gang territories). Since Flintface the dog killed a kitten after receiving his only warning, the local king put out a contract on him - and Sir Ex has been assigned to get Flintface to `the place of execution' at 5:30 Wednesday morning.
Mayhar, Ardath: "Hermione at Moon House" - See also Catfantastic 1, 3, and 5 (but not 4). After the distressing end of her last job as a (19th century) wizard's familiar, Hermione was happy to relocate to the home of a nice, quiet astronomer. Unfortunately, kittens have a talent for finding trouble wherever they happen to be, despite a mother's best efforts. Written in the same old-fashioned diarist style as the previous entry in volume 1. If you like the content here, try Robert Lawson's _Ben and Me_.
Miller, Ann & Rigly, Karen: "Quest of Souls" - The cat and apprentice must rescue the souls of the rest of the castle's inhabitants from a `soul robber.' We don't see enough of the victims to care much.
Miller, Sasha: "Ede's Earrings" - Ede is the familiar of Ferdon, a young wizard (just out of the Academy) with his first practice. He depends on her, so she's able to keep him out of most kinds of trouble - until he meets Dala one market day. This one is continued in Catfantastic 3 & 5.
Moon, Elizabeth: "Clara's Cat" - This story is told from Jeanine's point of view - Clara's closest relative, a divorced alcoholic who's moved in to take care of Clara in more ways than one. This one's pretty disturbing, since Jeanine's intention of murdering Clara for her money is made clear.
Norton, Andre: "Hob's Pot" - 2nd installment of the adventures of Noble Warrior, Siamese cat (in his own language, his name's Thargun Neklop), and his `princess' Emmy. (A Noble Warrior story appears in each of the 5 volumes of Catfantastic to date.) Emmy's father has now returned from his work with the East India Company - but one of his parting gifts bears a curse.
Scarborough, Elizabeth: "The Queen's Cat's Tale" - Camelot, from the viewpoint of the aforementioned cat, now that she has retired with the Queen into a convent.
Schaub, Mary H.: "The Keep-Shape Spell" - These characters reappear in Catfantastic 3 & 4, but not 5. This time, the spell revealing a creature's true shape accidentally hit the wizard's *cat*, so Drop (formerly Raindrop) must adjust to life as a human for awhile.
Schlobin, Roger C.: "Of Age and Wisdom" - A tale of ancient times, when cats and dragons (of the Chinese variety) ruled the earth, but don't expect Dunsany here.
Schwartz, Susan: "Critical Cats" - The protagonist, Puff, has spent his life in a wire cage, as a blood donor for the animal hospital, and is embittered toward humans. Nevertheless, he's drawn as a poor soul whose attitude needs changing, to be `saved' by the pet-patient in the next cage. (Puff is left in hospital by the grateful owner.) Stylistically well-written, I suppose, but the preachy aspect isn't to my taste.
Springer, Nancy: "In Carnation" - The nameless cat, whose previous 8 `lives' have spanned millenia, can take a human shape, but forgot human speech 4 lives ago. In this life, she takes human shape (naked, of course) and gets a job as a carnival stripper.
Wonderful stories!.......2000-01-27
This is a great book, filled with lots of stories of cats and magic. Any cat fanatic should love it!
A delightful collection of shorts!.......1998-03-09
These are great stories not only for cat people, but fantasy/si-fi readers as well. A collection of shorts is a wonderful place for authors to get exposure and feel out new story lines as well as giving beginning and long-time genre followers a chance to expand their tastes. It is always fun when you see someone new in the older collections grow to become a fine author!
Customer Reviews:
Plenty of variety in voice and theme.......2003-10-18
This collection of 17 tales of fantastic felines and their humans has plenty of variety in voice and theme, but not in feline gender. Why, or WHY, have only male felines as protagonists? Through all 17 stories? What an odd editorial decision (or weird coincidence, to give the editor the benefit of the doubt).
With that pet peeve of *this* cat-loving science fiction writer soundly petted (I've got six girls and only one guy-cat in my current menagerie), my highest compliments go to Elizabeth Ann Scarborough for "Born Again" and to Anne Braude for "The Quincunx Solution." In each of these very different tales, we have a cat who is simply that - a feline without any telepathic, telekinetic or other special powers - responding in kind to his human companion's love and devotion. Each tale has plenty of fantastic elements (this is a scifi/fantasy anthology, after all!), but its feline hero remains delightfully ordinary in the midst of extraordinary happenings. That's why these two stories pleased me most, because they capture so beautifully the bond between human and companion animal.
With one exception, the rest of the tales kept me reading and made me glad the editor saw fit to include them. The one that I stopped reading after a few pages had almost no dialog, with the writer spending most of her prose providing backstory - which indicates to me that this particular tale would have been better as a novella, at least (or maybe even as a novel). Its author clearly needed a great deal more space than the short story format provides in order to tell her story engagingly.
--Reviewed by Nina M. Osier, author of "Mistworld"
Love cats? Then grab a copy and find a sunbeam! ^_^.......2002-10-22
Nothing quite like curling up with a purring cat in your lap and an adventures cat in your book! ^_^
As with all compendiums there are some good, and some bad stories, but I feel that the good drasticaly outweight the bad. I've found this to be a well collected anthology series and would highly recommend it to anyone who is fond of cats!
Another catly assortment of 18 stories........2001-02-26
Belden, Wilanne Schneider: "The Last Answer" - Perielle is the precocious child in this one (look for one, generally a very interesting character, in almost every Belden story). The conspirators who are trying to seize power upon the disappearance of her father the king need her to be able to steal the Royal Relics; she herself has shown no signs of developing Royal Power, but the ability to use the magic of the relics isn't necessary for what the conspirators have in mind.
Braude, Anne: "The Quincunx Solution" - Quincunx lives with Margaret and her father (who, after inheriting a modest legacy, retired from his work as an apothecary to squander the family's money on alchemy). Sensible daughter/scatterwit father story.
Carr, Jayge: "Circus" - The felines here include both housecats and an alien masquerading as a lion in an interstellar circus. Cool.
Edghill, India: "Tybalt's Tale" - Here is the tale of the Prince of Cats (who have no king, since a cat speaks for himself).
Fontenay, Charles L. "Miss Hettie and Harlan" - Harlan's the cat; he can talk.
Gladney, Heather; Clayton, Don; Osborne, Alan Rice: "The Tale of the Virtual Cat" - Decades ago, when mice were still used, somebody thought it was funny to hook up their drivers in the new lattice software to data about *real* mice. Now Mice are a big problem for Virtual Reality operating theaters, so a surgeon suggests a tried-and-true method for exterminating mice. (In case anybody gets the notion that it's always easy to shut down a computer system and reboot, consider why the phone company is stuck with a lot of antiquated computers before posting negative reviews.)
Griffin, P.M.: "The Neighbor" - Finally, a followup to "Trouble" from _Catfantastic_, rather than one of the Bastet stories from 2, 3, and 5.
Hamilton, Jane: "Arrows" - The arrows in this case are elfshot; 2 mischievous jinn have accidentally messed up a stray cat's life, and are trying to undo the damage.
Horwood, Sharman: "Tinkerbell" - The spirit of the former ship's cat still helps her human companion through Jump in times of great need.
Lackey, Mercedes: "SCat" - See my review of her collection _Werehunter_.
Linaweaver, Brad & Fredsti, Dana: "Professor Purr's Guaranteed Allergy Cure" - Bastet, for reasons never explained, decides to kill all dogs, all humans who don't like cats, and `return the world to the true religion'. Only one cat hater, portrayed as a complete sleazeball, is to be spared when the cats take over. (The cat massacres of the 14th century, which contributed to the Black Death, are mentioned, but didn't merit such treatment.) Apparently Bastet only approves of freedom in that you're free to agree with her or die. I'll pass up this `paradise.'
Lindskold, Jane M.: "Noh Cat Afternoon" - The Daimyo offended the Fox Spirits' lord, so the Fox Spirits have entered a troupe in his Noh competition, to use his generosity against him when they win the prize. But the geisha Okesa, a cat in human guise, has other ideas.
Major, A.R.: "Totem Cat" - Who's in charge, he who sits on the cushion or those who hold doors and empty litter pans? :)
McConchie, Lyn: "Deathsong" - A dravencat story (see also Catfantastic 5).
Norton, Andre: "Noble Warrior, Teller of Fortunes" - Installment #4 (see the other volumes of Catfantastic). Thargun was separated from Emmy at the beginning of tale #3, and has now been picked up by a band of Gypsies.
Pack, Janet: "One with Jazz" - Jeff's cat Satchmo has an uncanny ability to tell good jazz from bad, so Jeff makes a foolish wager.
Scarborough, Elizabeth: "Born Again" - Peaches has earned Nirvana, but he isn't interested unless it's his cushion by the heater back home.
Schaub, Mary: "The Cat, the Sorcerer, and the Magic Mirror" - Concludes the Flax & Drop stories from 1, 2, & 3; Drop is now back in cat shape.
Again Mr. Norton pulls together a great collection.......2000-11-26
I just can't get enough of cat antics! There is something for everyone in this charming set. And I usually don't even like short stories!
A must reed for cats & the people who love them!.......1998-03-08
I am NOT owned by a cat...dogs are my weakness. However, these stories are a great read & I have many friends who ARE cat people who, though they don't usually read this genre, read these because I hooked them on them! Sigh, if it were just dogs it would be perfect...one can but hope!
Average customer rating:
- Grand anthology series!
- Grand anthology series!
- 24 stories, a mixed bag.
- The Best Collections Series
- Catfantastic V
|
Catfantastic 5
Manufacturer: DAW
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Greenberg, Martin H. | ( G ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Norton, Andre | ( N ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Anthologies | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Greenberg, Martin H. | ( G ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Norton, Andre | ( N ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Anthologies | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0886778476 |
Book Description
In these all-original stories, you'll meet the cats of the past, cats of the stars-wide future, cats who take power into their own paws, and cats who can face down Death itself. These are 24 tales certain to capture the hearts and imaginations of feline-lovers everywhere.
Praise for the Catfantastic series:
"Will be relished by cat lovers, whether science-fiction/fantasy fans or not."-- Booklist
"A must for science fiction/cat lovers."-- Kliatt
Customer Reviews:
Grand anthology series!.......2002-10-22
As always, this is a great series for cat lovers! The stories are more good than average and there is always some new twist to the theme to keep you interested.
Go forth and read! ^_^
Grand anthology series!.......2002-10-22
As always, this is a great series for cat lovers! The stories are more good than average and there is always some new twist to the theme to keep you interested.
Go forth and read! ^_^
24 stories, a mixed bag........2001-02-26
Bailey, Robin Wayne: "The Golden Cats" - The_Judgment Night_ never reached the established colony of Tucker's World, but crashed on Cirrun, stranding the survivors on a world seasonally wracked by the Fever Winds - and which may have a native intelligent race.
Barwood, Lee: "Grow Old Along with Me" - Aging cat is abandoned by the heartless humans he lives with, to be rescued by an elderly neighbor, who cares for his Alzheimer's-stricken wife.
Carr, Jayge: "Puss": `Puss in Boots', rewritten as OK science-fiction.
Davis, R: "Goliath": A `cats are aliens' story. See Norton's _Star Ka'at_ for a better example.
Drake, David: "Dragon, the Book" - Foolish magician trusts his familiar, although he killed her mate in an ill-considered attempt to get a powerful magic tome.
Edghill, India: "The Courtesan Who Loved Cats" - A cat asks for an incarnation to avenge her beloved human companion. This one is set in India, complete with Hindu deities in the afterlife.
Edghill, Rosemary: "The Maltese Feline" - A hard-boiled detective story in an Arthurian setting, where magic is used in place of machines. See Simon Hawke's _The Nine Lives of Catseye Gomez_ if you like this one.
Goode, Paul: "A Cat's Tale" - Lt. Mufasa Mubaric (not *my* spelling) of Monroe, Louisiana went to Antonio's to meet the anonymous informant who e-mailed him - who turns out to be Giacomo, the restaurant cat.
Griffin, P.M. "Tenth-Life Cat" - Another Bastet story (see Catfantastic 2, 3). This time the petitioning cat has completed her 9th life, and asks to go back in time and avert a disaster that occurred in her 1st life. No explanation is offered for why she left her 1st-life partner's soul to suffer so long, or why Bastet did not intervene sooner (dea ex machina is a feature of these stories, but only when convenient for the narrative). I recommend instead her Trouble stories from Catfantastic 1 and 4.
Inks, Caralyn: "Kindred Hearts" - `Kitty Kitty' is used as `furry love therapy' for seriously ill patients - but he can mindspeak, and has real healing ability, unknown to the families of his clients.
Lackey, Mercedes: "A Better Mousetrap" - see my review of her collection _Werehunter_.
Lee, Sharon: "The Big Ice" - Not a Liaden story, but the human protagonist reminds me of Zhena Trelu in _Carpe Diem_.
Longyear, Barry: "Preliminary Report" - Cats have the task of trying to shape up their human companions; the cat delivering this report (in a hard-boiled style) has a few choice words to be passed up the line to whoever dishes out these assignments, as well as for his fellow cats who are getting tangled in bureaucratic nonsense and touchy-feely meetings. (They've been watching too many talk shows.)
McConchie, Lyn: "Lullaby" - A dravencat story (see Catfantastic 4), dealing with the descendants of Many-Kills and her human sister.
Mayhar, Ardath: "The Very Early Hermione" - See also Catfantastic 1, 3, 4. Hermoine, in her later years (now with a new human charge, a witch) has been asked for a story of her youth with her parents and their wizard. This Hermoine story's contents reveal that the 19th century England in which she lives is not on our own timeline, since magic is accepted there.
Miesel, Sandra: "Miss Lotte" - Miss Lotte isn't an ordinary 1955 New Orleans voodoo.
Miller, Sasha: "Kitten Claws" - See Catfantastic 2, 3 for the preceding stories, or you won't follow this very well. Ede (now a human woman and Ferdon's wife) is expecting her first child - but will it be a normal human infant?
Norton, Andre: "Noble Warrior and the `Gentleman'" - See also Catfantastic 1 - 4; Thargun was reunited with Emmy after the events in 4. Her father has unexpectedly inherited a title and estate, so the family is relocating.
Schaub, Mary: "The Cat, the Sorceress, the Buttons, and WHY" - NOT a Flax & Drop story. The feline protagonist remains anonymous for most of the story; as it happens, when he's caught spying on the sorceress who's just taken over the castle, she takes a liking to him, and exempts him from the warding spells around the fortress. Bad move...
Schwartz, Susan: "Hobson's Choice" - Hobson's humans foolishly named their vineyard `Pindar', and their wine `Mythology.' They're unaware that by night, they've attracted the visits of satyrs, Dionysius and his Maenads, and other creatures of wild magic.
Traylor, Estelle: "Rosemary for Remembrance" - The injured stray, swept through a gate into our world, is named `Kaththea' when adopted, after the Witch World character Kaththea Tregarth (see Norton's _Sorceress of the Witch World_).
Underwood, Laura: "Patches' Pride" - Shona, the local mageborn in this Scottish-like fantasy setting, acts as a kind of exterminator, keeping local crofts bogie-free. But she foolishly falls for a bogie's request to help its young, despite her cat's better judgment.
Watt-Evans, Lawrence: "Trixie" - Unlike the Noble Warrior stories, the brownies here are cute and harmless, and Trixie the cat isn't written with human-level intelligence. Pleasant, but not gripping.
Wolf, Rose: "Pick, Cry, and Grin (Ag'in)" - Pick and Dolly live with a country-music composer. A couple of whackos in a pickup truck run over Pick (a Manx) in mistake for a rabbit soon after he learns of his impending fatherhood. Pick wakes up in Noah's lap (St. Francis gets all cats except the Manx breed, due to the legend of how they got their tails).
The Best Collections Series.......2000-06-13
Catfantastic V is a pleasant addition to theis series. I waited a long time with baited breath for this book to be published and it was well worth it. Old stories continue with Skitty, Scat and Ferdon The Magician as well as delightful stories that introduce new authors and characters. Many of the stories are sad to read but force you to think, reflect, remember and IMAGINE. Can't wait for the next edition to publish!
Catfantastic V.......2000-04-21
I have enjoyed other books in this series, and find that the publishers reviews are accurate if shallow. This volume is plagued with uneven writing, and many of the stories are written in worlds created by other writers rather than the original ones that I prefer. As I was reading this, I noticed that each story seemed to deal with death, mortal illness, and tragedy. It is certainly worth buying, reading, and keeping, but the overall tone is much more serious than others in this series.
Customer Reviews:
I've always loved this series..........2002-10-22
Nothing quite like curling up with a purring cat in your lap and an adventures cat in your book! ^_^
As with all compendiums there are some good, and some bad stories, but I feel that the good drasticaly outweight the bad. I've found this to be a well collected anthology series and would highly recommend it to anyone who is fond of cats!
Mostly great.......2002-06-30
It's short stories. What are you going to do? After all, some are bound to be fantastic, and others... well others just aren't as good. That's how I felt about this book. My favorite was The Dam Cat, but many of the others were good too. Cat lovers everwhere: it's a wonderful must read.
If Cat's are your cup of tea, with a dash of SF or Fantasy.........2001-08-24
...then you've got to try this anthology. Any one who enjoys seeing the world through the eyes of these not-so-usual cats can find something to sink their claws into here. There's SF, there's fantasy, humor, drama . . . almost any style you could wish for. Not all the stories will appeal to everyone, but the collection offers the reader a buffet of good choices with quality stories. I admit, I liked the second anthology slightly better, but "Critical Cats" had me seriously teary eyed. The fun of an anthology is that these are short stories and you can pick one to read anytime! It's my favorite travel reading!
Great Beach Book.......2001-05-17
I am thoroughly pleased with the variety of stories in this book. I intentionally got it for light summer reading but sadly I am through it...will be purchasing the rest of the series.
15 tales of familiars, shipscats, et al........2001-02-25
Belden, Wilanne Schneider: "The Gate of the Kittens" - Yes, the title is a reference to Norton's novel _The Gate of the Cat_; this is a Witch World story, although not directly related to the novel.
Bell, Clare "The Damcat": The writing style here reminds me of Lilian Jackson Braun's `oral history' stories, without an interviewer. The elderly narrator worked on the Black Canyon dam project in 1934, along with a Hopituh and his wildcat, and has his reasons for saying that it can't be demolished.
Boyer, Elizabeth H. "Borrowing Trouble" - No relation to "Trouble" later in this volume; the human protagonist is a fire wizard's apprentice who gets a familiar to keep from being expelled as hopeless. The character's names are all Scandinavian, but there aren't many other Scandinavian overtones.
Cahoon, Blake "Day of Discovery" - Toys with the `cats are aliens' theory (see Norton's _Star Ka'at_ for an example). The human characters are physicists who may answer the eternal question, how can a cat disappear in a small apartment?
Carr, Jayge "Wart" - Spacers' shipscats run the gamut from the Biotech shipscats in Lackey's SKitty stories, where they've been genetically modified for greater intelligence, to this story. Wart and his rival Grimalkin not only don't mindspeak each other or the humans aboard ship; Wart doesn't think in particularly sophisticated terms, although this story is told from his point of view.
Dunn, Marylois "Yellow Eyes": Cat and White Cat also appear in _Tales of the Witch World 1_ and Catfantastic 2's "Shado". White Cat, the female, acts as a familiar to the lady of the castle, while the macho Cat spends his time hunting, bossing the other cats and dogs around, and cadging food in the kitchens. `Yellow Eyes', a new hound bought at a fair, is much brighter, by cat standards, than the other hunting dogs. She's detected the presence of a strange animal in the countryside that's scaring the game away - a giant `leaf-ear.'
Farley, Donna "It Must Be Some Place" - "Imagine tossing a pair of magic socks straight through a dimensional doorway!" Butterfly, a magical tortoiseshell tom, knows more about magic than Jack, the apprentice doing laundry, and his master put together, but he's no familiar. Fortunately, he has enough of a soft spot for Jack to help him find out where lost socks go, before his master gets home from a wizards' convention. (Farley is well aware that all tortoiseshell cats are female; that's how you know that the toms are magical. Read the story, OK?)
Friedman, C.S. "The Dreaming Kind" - The genetic experiment's sole modification to the kittens was to enhance their vision. Why, then, did their minds seem to be affected, so that they reacted to things that weren't there? Or at least, to things the researchers couldn't see...
Griffin, P.M. "Trouble" - Dory has tremendous potential, but she's too young either to protect herself from a lynch mob, or to mindspeak with Trouble, the cat who will become her familiar when she grows up - so he takes matters into his own paws. This story is continued in Catfantastic 4 "The Neighbor"; Griffin's stories in Catfantastic 2, 3, and 5 are unrelated, unfortunately.
Lackey, Mercedes "SKitty": See my review of Lackey's _Werehunter_, which contains all the SKitty stories to date.
Mathews, Patricia Shaw "The Game of Cat and Rabbit" - Another ship's cat story, but this is an ordinary, non-bioengineered cat (although the narration is much more sophisticated than Wart's, for example). The ship has a crew of 2, counting the cat - and an unwanted, invisible passenger that *sounds* like a rabbit. (No, this is not a rip-off of Norton's novel _Plague Ship_.)
Mayhar, Ardath "From the Diary of Hermione" - Hermione is a 19th century professional familiar, but her human associate recently made a serious error in judgment. The style is a deliberate imitation of a certain type of old-fashioned diarist, capitalizing words at odd intervals to indicate emphasis (like Miss Climpson in the Lord Peter Wimsey novels, but less energetic). Hermoine reappears in Catfantastic 2, 3 and 5, but not 4.
Miller, Ann and Rigley, Karen Elizabeth "It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's...Supercat!" - The narrator is a science fiction writer who actually *has* seen UFOs. Her cat, with neutral coloring, eyeglass-markings, and a timid disposition, is named Clark Kent. :)
Norton, Andre "Noble Warrior" - The title is just the English translation of the main character's name, Thragun Neklop, a *real* Siamese cat, given by a princess to a British East India Company officer in thanks for saving her father's life. Upon Thragun's arrival in England, he finds that even this strange country has thewada - house elves or brownies, in English terminology, but don't think `Harry Potter's Dobby' here. Hob doesn't do housework; he plays spiteful tricks, sometimes fatal, if he's crossed. A `Noble Warrior' story appears in each volume of Catfantastic (5 so far). Incidentally, Thargun is the first to say, in #2, that a house guard and a thewada normally have very little to do with one another.
Scarborough, Elizabeth Ann "Bastet's Blessing" - Shuttle is left behind when his archeologist companion heads out for the excavation season in Egypt. Soon Dr. Mercer is facing the old Imhotep two-step, and her best defense is her soulwalking cat. (After all, in life the ancient Egyptians worshipped cats.) Shuttle's speech patterns are very dignified; he sounds as though he stepped out of a Victorian novel into the home of a modern archaeologist. Upon his first meeting with Dr. Mercer at an animal shelter, although she can't understand his speech: "Madam, please disregard my present habitation. I was evicted from my former lodgings because of xenophobic tendencies toward my species..."
Average customer rating:
|
Catfantastic
Manufacturer: DAW Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 9993972258 |
Customer Reviews:
Very Good.......2000-09-26
I'm a cat person so when I saw this I knew I had to read it. Even some of my friends who aren't cat people liked this book because the stories are very original and heartwarming most of the time.
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Catfantastic 5
