Rating: 
Summary: A catty classic
Review: There are very few books I've reread as many times as "Tailchaser's Song." The characters could very well be human, and very little would change about the story. However, by focusing the book around cats Williams is able to create a world with very few restrictions based on human perceptions and codes. The settings vary widely, and each one feels real enough to step into, something that I think is lacking in many stories. I believe that readers who complain that the ending is unsatisfying and doesn't resolve enough have not really been paying attention to this book. I was surprised by the ending, but loved it and the way it tied everything together. Many critics like to compare "Tailchaser's Song" to "Watership Down," but I feel that this is an unfair comparison. "Watership Down" has nowhere near the imaginative flair nor the dreamlike magic of Williams' cat adventure.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Adventure
Review: What Adams did for rabbits in "Watership Down", Tad Williams accomplishes for cats in "Tailchaser's Song." But this is no mere rehash of Adams's work: Williams creates his own mythic world; and his characters, while certainly "human" enough to pull our heartstrings, retain their feline natures.
The story of Fritti Tailchaser is a beautiful adventure, and reaches epic and mythical proportions. Fritti's initial quest to find his missing female friend takes him beyond the daily "average" life of a cat: his eventual journey through a cat "hell" skillfully mirrors the epics and myths of the ancient world. This is an amazing novel, often overlooked, and I would highly recommend it to any lover of myth, folklore or adventure!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: If you like cats. If you simply like a good story. If you like a book you cannot put down after reading the first page...this one is for you! I first read this book in 1987 and have to admit to having reread it several times. It has a haunting guality about it. The authors's insight to cat behavior is wonderful. The author is also a top story teller. You will not be sorry that you read this one. My highest recommentations!
Rating: 
Summary: what a great story..
Review: Well this book follows the great journey of a cat named fritti tailchaser. the writer takes us to the adventures of this cat along with his side kicks he picks up along the way. The story line does not differ from from "Watership Downs" by Richard Adams. Mr williams use great stories that the cats tell one another about past heroes and great cats. It is a simple book to read quite a catchy book. The book deals alot with the world issues, opressed people strugging to be free. A harse life for the cats and what they have to endure to be free.
Rating: 
Summary: Decent fantasy but there's better stuff out there
Review: I had to struggle a bit to rate Tailchaser's Song. On the one hand it's a fairly well-written fantasy novel with a likable hero, hefty challenges along the way, and a seriously evil foozle to get rid of. On the flip side the story didn't really grab me and the feline slant on things seemed to merely be a thin veneer on otherwise human characters. Apparently I'm one of the few readers who failed to be captivated by the novel; the previous reviews are for the most part gushing with praise. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Many years ago I read Richard Adams's "Watership Down" and "The Plague Dogs". I have very fond memories of those works and even though I was a teen then, my feeling is that they are far superior to Tailchaser's Song w.r.t. adventure books written from animals' perspectives.There were quite a few delightfully humorous moments. The tales told by the older cats were noteworthy, especially the ones about the origin of man and about the horrific discovery of neutering. Williams did a nice job describing the unlikely and fragile alliance between the cats and squirrels. The sad ending surprised me and added some emotion that was generally lacking throughout the story. Characterization was nothing special but not poor either. I could say the same about the story. The young and inexperienced Fritti Tailchaser sets out to find his missing beloved and along the way encounters a great menace. He sets aside his personal quest to tackle the more noble cause and manages to save the animal world. He doesn't actually do any major fighting, but instead acts as a catalyst for allowing far more powerful forces to take care of the problem. Then he goes back and finishes his personal love quest. Yeah, you've seen variations on these themes before in other novels and movies. Ho hum. Based on other reviews I've got a bunch of Tad Williams's fantasy novels sitting on the bookshelf. I really hope that they're more mature and involving than this one. Tailchaser's Song is a good effort for a first major novel and Williams shows promise. I think it'd be good for young teens. For adults my overall recommendation is to read something else.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST IN RECENT YEARS
Review: If you like cats. I you simply like good stories. If you like a book you cannot put down after reading the first page...this one is for you. I first read this book in 1987 and have to admit to rereading it several times. It has a haunting quality about it. The authors insight in to cat behavior is wonderful. The author is also a top story teller. You will not be sorry that you read this book. My highest recommendations!
Rating:
Summary: A Unique Look at a Fantasy Feline World
Review: Fritti Tailchaser is chosen among The Wall Council of cats to go and discover what is happening to a large number of their kin who have suddenly begun to disappear. And Tailchaser has his own agenda, too, that will clash with the world he once thought he knew; he has to find Hushpad, his chosen mate who is one of the cats who�s disappeared. As Tailchaser leaps upon this heroes journey, he finds that all is wrong with the cat world. A strange darkness has descended upon their Ka (spirit), and the further Tailchaser gets from his home, the more prevalent this sensation becomes, weighing him down. Something terrible is amiss. The cat Gods of long ago may still be battling it out for supremacy. But how is Tailchaser, a little tabby with a small white star on his head, supposed to help out? He has some help from some companions. Pouncequick, a youngling feline, starts the journey with Tailchaser. Pouncequick is an energetic but inexperienced hunting cat. Tailchaser feels him more of a burden (initially) then a benefit. Along the way Tailchaser and Pouncequick pick up Roofshadow, a female feline with more experience in the world then either of them. Now a trio, this band of brethren cats move from unfamiliar territory to unfamiliar territory, searching for clues to all the cats� disappearance. They soon bump into Eatbugs, a strange cat that speaks incomprehensibly at times. He follows the trio and becomes a �pain in the tail.� But nothing, not even Eatbugs irrationality, could�ve prepared them for The Mound: a horrible underground domain built by one of the Ancient Cat Gods. It is here that Tailchaser and his group of friends find the answers to the disappearing cats. Tailchaser, along with his companions, must foil the plans of Hearteater, one of the firstborn Gods of this cat-ish realm. Hearteater has unleashed a terrible power upon the world with his evil ways and has created the underground world of The Mound to bring light and darkness under his control. An impressive amount of research went into the writing of this novel. Most notably is the cat behavior, cat language (singing, not talking, and High Singing), the movement of the moon and sun across the sky as seen from a felines perspective, and much work on the curious names given to all the characters. Now I�m not a cat person. I don�t own one and haven�t been in a home with one since I was a teenager living with my parents (back in the late 70's and early 80's), but this story didn�t require that I be so inclined toward cats. It was interesting enough to read the heroes journey, and that kept me turning the pages night after night. So why only 4 stars and not 4-and-a-half or 5? Well, the parallels to Tolkien and other fantasy worlds were smackingly obvious. But Mr. Williams (the author) kept it entertaining enough, and varied enough, to make it a fun read. I think this would be a good gateway book for younger readers who might later want to tackle that magnum opus of a book: The Lord of the Rings. Good Dancing to you all. B+ rating
| 
