Tails of Wonder and Imagination

December 21, 2009
Few things alarm the experienced reader more than the prospect of a science fiction, fantasy, or mystery book that involves—or worse, fetishizes—cats. This reprint anthology is the exception, an assortment of 40 stories by authors who are for the most part willing to take cats on their own ground. Datlow avoids the trap of a too-narrow premise: though there appears to be a slight bias toward horror, the stories are various within that field, from Jack Ketchum's ghost story “Returns” to Michaela Roessner's highly scientific “Mieze Corrects an Incomplete Representation of Reality” and Edward Bryant's brilliantly repellent “Bean Bag Cat.” Other tales are amusing, like Lawrence Block's “The Burglar Takes a Cat,” or gently sentimental, like Dennis Danvers's “Healing Benjamin.” This is that rarity of rarities: an anthology of cat stories worth reading.

February 15, 2010
From an excerpt about Dinah and her kittens from Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass" to Theodora Goss's "sequel" to H.G. Wells's "The Island of Dr. Moreau" ("The Puma"), the 40 stories in this collection focus on cats of all sizes and temperaments and their interactions with humans. Though some tales are not for the squeamish and not all have happy endings, others shine with brilliant wit or poignant melancholy. VERDICT This broad sampling of cat tales from authors including Tanith Lee, Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, and Michael Bishop is a good overall anthology that should appeal to short story fans and cat lovers.

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