For March, our Book of the Month feature spotlights two books devoted to fantastic felines. The first, Cats and More Cats, is the latest anthology from editor Fred Patten and features authors from the fandom and beyond:
The not-so-humble feline has fascinated mankind for generations. From the noble jungle hunter, to the witch’s familiar, to the stray on the back porch meowing to be let in, cats have snuck into our hearts and dreams for as long as mankind has made homes. They have become our companions, and we tell stories about their secret lives and the strange magic they might possess.
This is a collection of those stories, gathering some of the best fantasy and science fiction stories featuring our feline friends, from authors like Clare Bell, Mary E. Lowd, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Bryan Derksen, Lawrence Watt-Evans, James M. Ward, and Renee Carter Hall. These fourteen stories will give you a glimpse into the world of cats, and leave you wanting more.
Trouble by P. M. Griffin
Bomber and the Bismarck by Clare Bell
… But a Glove by John E. Johnston III
Born Again by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
Masters and Students by Bryan Derksen
Trixie by Lawrence Watt-Evans
Destiny by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Three-Inch Trouble by Andre Norton
Defender of the Small by Jody Lynn Nye
The Luck of the Dauntless by James M. Ward
After Tony’s Fall by Jean Rabe
Magtwilla and the Mouse by Mary E. Lowd
A Spoiled Rotten Cat Lives Here by Dusty Rainbolt
The Emerald Mage by Renee Carter Hall
Furry Fandom and Cats by Fred Patten
A Bibliography for Bast by Fred Patten
Parental rating G. Available from FurPlanet.
The second book, The Necromouser and Other Magical Cats, features a variety of cat-themed stories from Mary E. Lowd, including four that appear for the first time in this collection:
An angry cat who discovers the techno-mystical ability to raise mice from the dead…
A starving kitten who discovers a secret hidden in the San Francisco bay…
A witch’s cat, a scientist’s cat, and a cat who recognizes no owner…
In this collection, follow the adventures of the beloved tabby cat Shreddy as he faces off with zombies, ghosts, gryphons, foolhardy dogs, and all sorts of household appliances.
Then meet a series of cats whose stories will take you from heartbreak to joy, showing the magic in our own world through the reflection of a cat’s eyes.
Necromouser contains four all new stories and five Ursa Major nominated stories, including “Shreddy and the Carnivorous Plant.”
Contains the following stories by Mary Lowd:
The Necromouser
Shreddy and the Zomb-dogs
Shreddy and the Silver Egg
Shreddy and the Christmas Ghost
Shreddy and the Dancing Dragon
Shreddy and the Carnivorous Plant
Songs of Fish and Flowers
Katelynn the Mythic Mouser
The Wharf Cat’s Mermaid
Magtwilla and the Mouse
Cold Tail and the Eyes
All the Cats of the Rainbow
In a Cat’s Eyes
Parental rating G. Available in print from FurPlanet and as an ebook from Bad Dog Books.
(The editor of this blog wishes to call attention to the fact that she did not use a single cat-related pun in this post. You’re welcome.)
Furry Writers’ Guild 