Milk Treading

Rating:
Summary: Life isn't easy for a small cat with a big mouth
Review: "Milk Treading" is the only completely cat-centered political thriller/detective story I've ever read. The characters are all cats, dogs, and assorted rodents, and British author Nick Smith does an amazing job of capturing real cat behavior. I'd give it an A for staying in character throughout, a B for plot (as in B movies), and a B/B+ for social commentary.

Parts are gritty -- this isn't your mother's fuzzy kitty story. These cats hunt, scheme, love, and fight for their survival in a world of political intrigue and fierce territorial disputes. And it's a fun -- and funny -- novel, with a quirky, dry wit. I've bought copies for grown-up gifts and told my more adventurous friends to check it out. "Animal Farm" meets "Trainspotting," or maybe "Die Hard" meets "The Aristocats."

Corrupt politicians, illicit romance, hack journalists, venal church officials, deadly gang rumbles, slums, class conflict, catnip parties, pro wrestler-turned-celebrity, murder, mayhem, and milk treading -- this has it all!

Rating:
Summary: The Cat's Pajamas
Review: A must buy. I'm getting two copies for friends as Christmas gifts. An all-cat thriller based in a city filled with felines. This is an exciting and intriguing novel - I couldn't stop reading til I got to the end. An excellent novel, the best I've ever read. Good cover too!

Rating:
Summary: Gritty thriller set in a world of felines and canines
Review: I picked this book up after hearing an interview with the author on NPR. It is a fascinating work in that it is written from the unusual perspective of anthropomorphized cats and dogs (ie, they have human feelings and drives). It is definitely not a book aimed at children, like many of those based on animal characters. Some parts are even shockingly harsh, but the author captures the behaviors and style of actual cats and dogs very well.

I felt like there could have been a little more background, since the setting is left deliberately vague. We never get an idea of scale, or how these cats and dogs ended up in acting like humans, living in cities, having a religion, and so forth.

A unique work, and well worth a look for that alone.