I read this novel right after a novel about a mother dealing with the suicide death of her teenage son, and well, I think I needed this one.
So this is an early 1960s science fiction novel by the pseudonymous writer Andre Norton, who I can’t say I know a lot about, and it is NOT the Margaret Atwood novel.
We find ourselves on an Earthlike planet, a colony that is also the temporary housing ground of a refugee people who though given safe passage and a place to live are treated as second class citizens. We follow young Troy Horan, of the Dipple, who can only find work in a pet store where exotic animals are shipped in to the colony. It turns out that this mostly means cats. Also, he realizes he can speak to cats.
So obviously this is some real wish-fulfillment for a lot of us. Although I don’t know if I want to speak to my cats.
So yes, anyway, then tropes abound! It’s a colonial space adventure…there’s conspiracies and governmental corruption and adeventures and you love the cats. It’s a lot of fun, not a great novel, but great in the way of imagining a hero running into battle followed by a herd of cats and kinkajou and other animals that he can talk to and is trying to save.
I am not sure how I feel about Andre Norton moving forward. I liked this novel for the most part, but she wrote like 1000 novels.
(Photo: https://www.amazon.com/Catseye-Ace-F-167-1ST-janus/dp/B000UCMBRI/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=catseye+norton&qid=1554649140&s=gateway&sr=8-7)