Mysterious Cat Stories - Hardcover

Stephens, John Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0881849480 ISBN 13: 9780881849486

Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub, 1993

Synopsis

A collection of supernatural tales about mysterious felines contains fiction, nonfiction, and legends from noted writers such as Edgar Allen Poe, Cervantes, Saki, Bram Stoker, and others.

About this title

From Publishers Weekly

The supernatural is central to this collection of 26 cat tales, gathered from the 13th century to the present. Rarely warm or cuddly creatures, the cats met here speak to humankind's deep-seated fears and misgivings about the feline. Aiming to embrace the unusual, the editors have included H. P. Lovecraft's masterly "The Cats of Ulthar" and Robert Bloch's chilling "Catnip," both tales of well-deserved justice administered by cats. "The Great God Mau" by Stella Whitelaw brings ancient Egypt to life in the adventures of a pharoah's cat. In August Derleth's "Balu," an orphaned boy and his cat settle their score with Cousin Harold in a delightfully grotesque manner. M. J. Engh's "The Tail" is told by a cat whose tail takes on a life of its own. "The Last Temptation of Tony the C." by Christopher Fahy, merging reality and hallucination, is one of the more effective stories in the volume, an honor matched by Nancy Etchemendy's "Cat in Glass," in which a murderous cat statue sets off a blood-curdling chain of events. Although the stories are uneven in quality (the stiff Edwardian prose of Algernon Blackwood's 1911 "The Empty Sleeve" and its obvious ending suggest reasons for his neglect over the years), this is a thoughtfully chosen and engaging collection.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-A collection that offers something for almost every taste. Selections range from early English myths to modern mysteries and horror tales. Although cats are involved in all of the stories, they sometimes play a minor role. H.P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker, Algeron Blackwood, and Lilian Jackson Braun are among the authors included. All-around good reading.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0881849480
• ISBN 13: 9780881849486
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 303
• Editor: Smith Kim