#77 S.F. Said: Varjak Paw

[bellinghman]

S.F. Said: Varjak Paw (illustrated by Dave McKean)

Paperback: 259 pages
Publisher: Corgi Childrens (3 Jun 2004)
ISBN-10: 0552548189
Category(ies): Fantasy/YA

This is story about a kitten who lives in a Big House, one of a family of Mesopotamian Blues (presumably something like an Abyssinian Blue breed). He's the troublemaker, the one who won't go with the flow, who questions whether things are right or not. And when the aged owner of the house dies, and a sinister man takes over, it is he that flees out into the dangerous city, and who must learn to The Way if a great threat to all cats is to be averted.

The illustrations in this are stark monochrome. Since most pages have an illustration visible, this has an effect on the mood. I didn't like them at first - too spiky - but after a while, they seemed to fit the air of menace that swelled in the later parts of the book.

Did I like it? Well, I bought the second one, in front of the author.