Catfantastic I

~ A Collection of Original Stories by Various Authors

Edited by Andre Norton & Martin H. Greenberg

Contains a Short Story from the "Noble Warrior Series"

Contains ~

• vii~ Introduction (in) Speaking of Cats- A Very Weighty Subject by Andre Norton
• 09~ Gate of the Kittens (nv) by Wilanne Schneider Belden
• 30~ The Damcat (nv) by Clare Bell
• 61~ Borrowing Trouble (nv) by Elizabeth H. Boyer
• 82~ Day of Discovery (ss) by Blake Cahoon
• 99~ Wart (ss) by Jayge Carr
• 116~ Yellow Eyes (nv) by Mary Lois Dunn
• 137~ It Must Be Some Place (nv) by Donna Farley
• 172~ The Dreaming Kind (nv) by C. S. Friedman
• 204~ Trouble (nv) by P. M. Griffin
• 227~ SKitty (ss) by Mercedes R. Lackey
• 243~ The Game of Cat and Rabbit (ss) by Patricia Shaw Mathews
• 250~ From the Diary of Hermione (ss) by Ardath Mayhar
• 255~ It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s...SUPERCAT! (ss) by Ann Miller & Karen Elizabeth Rigley
• 273~ Noble Warrior (nv) by Andre Norton
• 303~ Bastet’s Blessing (ss) by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

Synopsis ~

Write-up from the front flap of the 1989 dustjacket ~

They prowl our homes, lords of all they survey.
They gaze intently at seemingly empty space, spying on things no human is equipped to see. They choose their friends with care, and once they have chosen, their loyalty is unswerving. This volume of original stories is for all the catfriends upon whom those furry felines have worked their special magic: a unique collection of fantastical cat tales, some set in the distant future on as yet unknown worlds, some set in our own world but not quite our own dimension, some recounting what happens when beings from the ancient past and creatures out of myth collide with modern-day felines.
So, pad along this paw-print-covered pathway to such fur-raising adventures as those of a noble Siamese out to defend its young mistress from evil, a bio-engineered tabby who proves a diplomat beyond all human expectations, a wizard's hazardous encounter with his own familiar's kittens, and other imaginative escapades certain to capture the hearts of fantasy and cat lovers alike.

Write-up from back of paperback ~

A Purr-fect spell...
They prowl our homes, lords of all they survey. They gaze intently at seemingly empty space, spying on things no human is equipped to see. They chose their friends with care, and once they have chosen, their loyalty is unswerving.
This volume of original stories is for all cat-friends upon whom those furry felines have worked their special magic; a unique collection of fantastical cat tales, some set in the distant future on as yet unknown worlds, some set in our own world but not quite our own dimension, some recounting what happens when beings from the ancient past and creatures out of myth collide with modern-day felines.
So, pad along this paw print covered pathway to such fur-raising adventures as those of a noble Siamese out to defend its young mistress from evil, a bioengineered tabby who prove a diplomat beyond all human expectations, a wizard's hazardous encounter with his own familiar's kittens, and other imaginative escapades certain to capture the hearts of fantasy and cat lovers alike.

Review of Catfantastic by Fred Patten in Yarf! (1990) The Journal of Applied Anthropomorphics #3, Published by Yarf!, Edited by Jeff Ferris, $4.00, 60pgs. ~ cover by Bill Fitts (pg. 5)

     This anthology contains fifteen new stories, plus a brief introduction by Norton, written especially for it. All of them deal with cats in S-F or fantastic situations, and all are well written. Other than that, the editors have aimed at a wide variety of moods, styles, and treatments. There are grim dramas and comedies; adventures on distant planets and in wizards’ dens; tales told by the cats themselves and stories in which humans observe strange things that happen to cats. Some cats are normal; some stories reveal that humans have no idea what ‘normal’ means when dealing with cats. There are ghostly cats, magically enchanted cats, and scientifically bioengineered cats.
     The most anthropomorphized cats are the witches’ and wizards’ familiars, in Elizabeth H. Boyer’s Borrowing Trouble, Donna Farley’s It Must Be Some Place, P. M. Griffin’s Trouble, and Ardath Mayhar’s From the Diary of Hermione. Cats encounter, and in some cases save Earth from, interstellar or pandimensional vermin in Jaygee Carr’s Wart, C. S. Friedman’s The Dreaming Kind, Mercedes Lackey’s SKitty, Patricia Shaw Mathews’ The Game of Cat and Rabbit, and Ann Miller and Karen Elizabeth Rigley’s It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s … Supercat. (One of those is actually an old English folk tale in a S-F setting; see how quickly you recognize it.) There is a shared-world story, Wilanne Schneider Belden’s The Gate of the Kittens, which is set in Andre Norton’s Witch World universe; although Norton’s own story here, Noble Warrior, is a Victorian thriller with a nod to Kipling’s Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. There are stories in which cats are revealed as benevolent galactic guardians of inferior species (humans), as brave protectors of mistreated children, or as cupids who help their humans find romance.
   Technically, not all the stories in Catfantastic deal with anthropomorphic cats, but enough do to justify a review of it here. Besides, I hope that none of Yarf!’s readers will be so narrow-minded as to ignore a good story just because its cats happen to be ‘normal’. And several stories feature more than one anthropomorphized cat—not to mention anthro birds, mice, dogs, and even a sea serpent and a hobgoblin or two. The wide variety in Catfantastic means that not every story may be to your taste, but the majority of them should be.

Bibliography of English Editions ~

• (1989) Edited by Andre Norton & Martin H. Greenberg, Published by DAW, PB, 0-886-77355-5, No.785, UE2355, $3.95, 320pg ~ cover by Braldt Bralds

• (1989) Edited by Andre Norton & Martin H. Greenberg, Published by Puffin (Penguin), PB, 320pg ~ UK printing ~ questionable

• (1997) Edited by Andre Norton & Martin H. Greenberg, Published by MJF Books, HC, 1-567-31153-9, LCCN 960078809, $7.98, 320pg ~ cover by Braldt Bralds {Black Paper Boards, Maroon Paper spine}

Non-English Editions ~

• (1993) Published in Amsterdam; by De Boekerij, PB, 90-225-1483-8, 254pg ~ translation by Jan Smit ~ cover by Braldt Bralds ~Dutch title Superkat en andere fantastische kattenverhalen [Super cat and other fantastic cat stories]

• (1993) Published in Germany; by Bergisch Gladbach: Bastei-Verl, 34-042-0220-1, Bastei Lübbe 20220, DM9.00, 441pg ~ cover by Braldt Bralds ~ German title Zauberkatzen: Fantasy auf samtweichen Pfoten [Magic cats: Fantasy on soft paws]

• Catfantastic 1 - 1989 pb Catfantastic 1 - 1989 pb
• Catfantastic 1 - 1997 hc Catfantastic 1 - 1997 hc
• Catfantastic 1 - Germany - 1993 Catfantastic 1 - Germany - 1993
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