Mark of the Cat

'Ware of the Cat

Since the school year is drawing to a close, I decided to include reviews of favorite books -- in keeping with the theme of this blog, most of them will have a feline twist. The first is an old favorite that I uncovered while packing my library for storage.

Many fans grew up reading Andre Norton; now most of her books are out-of-print, and younger readers must find her in local libraries stacks -- if the older books haven't been culled to make space for newer authors. It's a shame, since many current SF favorites based their writing styles and plots on Andre's tried and true hero journeys. In other words, if you like Mercedes Lackey (and almost any other female SF/ fantasy writers), you should check out Andre Norton, the grandmistress of them all.

Mark of the Cat uses notes from a fantasy artist, Karen Kukendall, who created a world of 5 queendoms under an emperor. This book traces Hynkkel's journey from outcast to emperor -- and Anne McCaffery used the same tropes in her dragon books. Lissa goes from the scullery maid to the Queen's Rider ... and rejuvenates the Weyrs of Pern. Along the way, Hynkkel makes the great sand cats his allies, one becoming his blood brother ... Norton wrote her books with male protagonists (since those sell more books), but she didn't leave out the females of the species. When he reaches the capital city, Hynkkel has three important females supporting his imperial claims: his sister, a master craftswoman in jewels; Ravinga, a dollmaker who is more than she seems; and Allita, her apprentice who also has a secret in her past.

Norton weaves all the storylines together to show how the people who are least appreciated by a society as a whole can become more powerful when they work together and have the strength and courage to follow their destinies. Allita and Hynkkel don't want to walk the paths of power; however, Ravinga forces them to understand that they must, if they don't want the Queendoms to fall to the rats & their hidden master. Yes, if good has a human actor in Ravinga, evil has its herald in the rat-lord ... who makes his appearance in the sequel, Year of the Rat. The sequeal may not have as compelling a storyline as Mark of the Cat, but most readers will want to know how Hynkkel and Allita will escape the webs woven by their enemies, the Queen of Valapa, her war leader Shank-ji, and the Rat Lord.

As a teen reader, I would've read these novels for the characters; however, as an adult, I'm more impressed by the 6 lands that Norton created from Kukendall's notes. From the harsh desert of Kahuwela (where Hynkkel grew up) to the lush garden city of Valapa (where Allita lived), each land has its own people and customs. We meet them in the first book when Hynkkel goes on his quest to prove he's worthy of the last trial to be Emperor; we encounter them a second time on Hynkkel's royal progress.

Most critics would dismiss Norton's works since they tend to end happily for the main characters -- good or evil, characters get their just desserts. Call me old-fashioned, but it beats the downer "realistic" endings of many modern authors. So, the next time that you go to the library or a used-book store, check out Andre Norton's novels. They're good reads.

On a totally different note: GO MAVS!! They have beaten the LA Lakers 3-0 in the semi-final NBA series ... True, I'm not that into professional sports. (I didn't watch the games, after all.) Still, I am a Dallas girl, so -- win or lose -- all the teams get my support. Joy doesn't understand it; I don't get it either. It's just a fact of life down here in Texas where football is king.

Joy & I have started building the yahoo news group for "Four Winds Blow." The newsletter was rather popular while the faire ran. I hope to continue the bi-monthly editions. Right now, I don't want to invite other people until there's more than a calendar of events. Sigh! Another job to do -- still, as Bruce says, faire is like an 8-week family reunion. Therefore, someone gets to do the fairemily newsletter during the off-season.