Catopolis

Did you know that cats can travel the astral plane--and help humans learn how to do it? That they can see ghosts? That they always *know* when death is near--even if the victim is human? That they have their own literature and books? That they can see the sparkly, glittery traces of positive emotion and the tangled webs of depression and hate? That many nowadays are computer-literate and even write blogs? That some of them can foretell the future or work magick? These 17 stories take us into their secret world and introduce us to an array of felines, some of them closely bound to the workings of that world, others so focused on their own survival that they know nothing of it at all. "Catopolis" is a logical step forward for anyone who has enjoyed The Town Cats and Other Tales in childhood, and would also suit readers of Diane Duane's Cat Wizards duology To Visit the Queen (Cat Novel) The Book of Night with Moon). Here you'll meet Lulu, a feline seer facing the threat of a jealous tomcat; Silent, a Knight of the Queen seeking the answer to why black cats are disappearing; Cassie, a pampered penthouse pet in search of the Perfect Tom to settle down and have kittens with; Tai Pan, whose task it is to train a young lama in astral travel; Vincenzo, a "cat burglar" who penetrates a museum in search of a rare piece of sheet music for his boss, Don Luigi; Sophocles, struggling to save the newsstand that has been his home his entire life; Mhari, the bilingual serval (she speaks both Serval and Domestic) enlisted by the neighborhood ferals to help stop a cat-killer; Robie, who steals from apartments to feed the alley cats living far below; the unnamed hero of "The Scent of Death," who is adopted as the mascot of a hospice and becomes the herald of the Grim Reaper; Drags, who seems to live somewhere in the Middle East and is caught up in the bloody fighting between the Calicoes (Muslims) and their enemies; Sam, partner of a human ghost-hunter; Scamper, a "copper cat" seeking to destroy a "dark doing" at large in the city; and my favorite, Myrrthin Starfur, an aging cat wizard who becomes a hero to the clowder he lives with. Sometimes sad or violent, sometimes funny, and sometimes inspiring, these stories of cats and the strange parallel world in which they live will please all lovers of felines and fantasy. (Also look for Catfantastic. Nine Lives and Fifteen Tales and its sequels.)

Feline fantasy fans will enjoy these seventeen tales of life in a magical "city of cats" that resides alongside our mundane world, but is kept hidden. Each tale is well written, but because the theme is somewhat limiting in terms of its catastrophic anthropomorphosis theme, readers should spread out enjoying the visit to Williams Lake, Wisconsin over a few weeks. The contributors are a nice blending of famous writers like Esther M. Friesner, Ed Greenwood, Richard Lee Byers, Jean Rabe and Donald J. Bingle with relatively newcomers; though some have had several short stories published. The tales range the spectrum from political to criminal to fantasy thrillers. Once again all seventeen are interesting with personal favorites being "I Am King" by Edward Carmien which has relevancy in DC right now, Lee Martindale's "Old Age and Sorcery" as "the life of Free Cats was not without its dangers", and "The Persian, the Coon, and Bullets (Matthew Woodring Stover) as cats learn bullets may be the means but its humans who kill. Readers will enjoy following the escapades of feisty felines like "The Guardian of Grimoire Hall" (Christopher Welsh) and the "Mentor of the Potala" (Bruce A. Heard) as CATOPOLIS is an entertaining compilation. Harriet Klausner