This book was the first Sci-Fi book I ever read, and it hooked me on the genre. This book starts with a being searching for game, and finding evidence of an invader. He makes his way back to the caves of his clan, where he reports on the trouble. Unfortunately, this also happens to be the time of the mating ritual - the Choosing - where the females choose mates from the visitors from other clans. Our intrepid hero, a cat who walks like the Demons (humans) who long ago fled Earth for the stars, chased by viral diseases they created, is cast out when he loses a fight for the mate of his choice. He goes to Gammage, an elder, who also happens to be his several-generations-past grandsire, and asks to join what amounts to a group of archaelogists. While there, he gets involved with a group of Demons who return to try to reclaim the Earth.This book is a strong cautionary tale of things that could come to pass, both to humans and to their animal companions. It reminds us that just because something looks different, it isn't necessarily bad, and someone who sweet talks you isn't necessarily the good guy.
Norton's futuristic tale centers on a group of felines who have evolved into one of the planet's dominant species in the absence of humans. Where the humans went and how this evolution began is one of the book's central questions. Dogs, pigs and rats have become more advanced as well and there is conflict between each of these groups. One far-thinking leader attempts to unite the groups called Barkers, Tuskers and People in the event the "Demons" (humans) return. It is expected the Rattons will side with the Demons. Norton's world-building is excellent, as is his characterization of each species. This complicated thought experiment also includes dramatic, suspenseful passages which elevate the story and keep the reader enthralled. Although the ending seems rushed and a little anti-climactic, it is an enjoyable read and well worth your time.
A nostalgic read, since I first picked this up in elementary school. The writing style relies heavily on The Syntax Pretentious, and the story ends fairly abruptly -- basically, a bunch of stuff gets set up, and then a character introduced midway into the story spends the last few pages explaining that everything got resolved off-screen.I read an OCRed eBook, which consistently converted several Science Fictiony terms to words it found in the dictionary -- "rumbler" to "nimbler," "Ratton" (the evolved rat antagonists) into "Ration," and most amusingly, "com" to "corn," leading to "corn belt," "corns bean," and "corns officer."
—John
Oh, I loved this book. It's a story about The People, who are genetically engineered cats, though they don't really remember this. The People are fighters, survivors, but their lives, and the lives of all the others on their world might be threatened by the return of the demons (human beings, who engineered the animals, then left the planet). I cannot say how many times I re-read this book when I was in middle and high school. I'd recommend it to any cat lover, or fan of YA science fiction. I'd like to find it and re-read it, and see if Ms. Norton's writing stands up to my memories.
—Shazza Maddog
My favorite book. I read it for the first time when I was in 5th grade (I think, I know it was before 6th). After switching to a new school building I couldn't find it anymore, though only remembering the front cover image, and the basic storyline, along with the quote at the beginning of the book didn't help. After about 9 years (with details fading and reemerging during this time) of idle searching for the book using various keywords in Google, I finally found it again. I instantly purchased it on Amazon, one of surprisingly few copies available from what I saw.
—Ash
