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Leviticus #1
Through the Woods
A secret government research facility set deep in the woods is exploring the possibility of using the strange mental properties of a litter of unusual cats for national defense.
The cats are exploring the possibility of eating everybody.
The cats are exploring the possibility of eating everybody.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2012
10 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Troy Blackford
24 books2,477 followersTroy Blackford lives in the Twin Cities. He has nineteen published short stories, and eight longer works available for Kindle and in paperback.
He's right behind you!
He's right behind you!
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 10, 2013
A tale of secret governmental testing, and of psychic cats. Sounds farcical, i know, but Troy Blackford delivers this tale in his own original style, drawing you in, telling the story from multiple viewpoints, including the cats'!
A delightful read, filled with humour, lots of horror, and of course, the cats!
A delightful read, filled with humour, lots of horror, and of course, the cats!
April 5, 2017
They look like ordinary cats. Same shapes and sizes. Don’t let that fool you. These little kitties are killers. It only takes some flesh and blood to turn them into monsters. And some fool gives it to them.
What could be more horrific than giving these cats powers. How about being able to turn living things to ash. Or how about mind control? Or consuming a living creature until there’s nothing left? What makes the scientists think they can make them into lethal weapons and control them?
As you can surmise, things go every which way but the right one and these killer cats get down to business. I found it particularly fun that they can think and plot. The litter of odd cats all have unique abilities. Some that can’t be weaponized and some that can. But the furry critters aren’t cooperative and one in particular has a dastardly agenda all it’s own.
Fur flies. Claws scratch. Teeth gnash. And all out war comes to man. You’ll look at felines in a different way after this story.
What could be more horrific than giving these cats powers. How about being able to turn living things to ash. Or how about mind control? Or consuming a living creature until there’s nothing left? What makes the scientists think they can make them into lethal weapons and control them?
As you can surmise, things go every which way but the right one and these killer cats get down to business. I found it particularly fun that they can think and plot. The litter of odd cats all have unique abilities. Some that can’t be weaponized and some that can. But the furry critters aren’t cooperative and one in particular has a dastardly agenda all it’s own.
Fur flies. Claws scratch. Teeth gnash. And all out war comes to man. You’ll look at felines in a different way after this story.
November 13, 2014
I don't want to write about the content here. Other reviewers made a lot better job than I could have done.
What makes this book special for me is the fact that the author signed it and sent it all the way to Germany. Thank you, Troy!
Now I try to get my hands on the two follow-up novels (which have been written before THROUGH THE WOODS): OUT THE DOOR and UNDER THE WALL. It seems as though these books are no longer in print. Pity!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
What makes this book special for me is the fact that the author signed it and sent it all the way to Germany. Thank you, Troy!
Now I try to get my hands on the two follow-up novels (which have been written before THROUGH THE WOODS): OUT THE DOOR and UNDER THE WALL. It seems as though these books are no longer in print. Pity!
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
November 8, 2013
It had me from the first Meow. Fascinating characters are well developed. Plot was intricate but not difficult to follow. By the time I was half way through I literally could not stop. I HAD to know what happened. The walk through the woods became a mad dash and worth every labored breath. The ending is satisfying but still has that Troy Blackford twist which I enjoy so much. Definitely a new twist on science gone crazy and so believable it's scary. Worth every dime!
January 15, 2014
This was a really fun read and would make an excellent SyFy movie.
January 14, 2013
Psychic cats. What more need be said to draw you in?
A litter of genetically modified ("enhanced") cats is developed/created to examine for the ultimate goal of how to apply the genetic manipulations to human subjects (never people). As with people, not all cats are created the same. The psychic abilities manifest themselves in different manners, from sucking the life out of animals to creating a vortex-sucking...vortex.
Ultimately, the power struggle comes to two of the litter, Deinonychus and Leviticus. One is seemingly innocuous and powerless, the other extremely aggressive and powerful. (Thanks for the wonderful name Deinonychus, Mr. Blackford, both hard to spell and harder to pronounce, even though you provided a handy phonetic pronunciation. If you just shorten it to "demon cat", you'll do okay. I don't apologize for that mild spoiler -- you know well before the naming starts that cat ain't right. In this case, knowing isn't even close to half the battle.)
The cats take matters into their own paws, much to the shock and awe of the scientists involved. And denied by the very same (they're only cats, after all; what can they do?).
Intriguing story, fast-paced, and just enough off the beaten path to maintain interest throughout. The characters are effective, and some are pitiable -- not in a pathetic way but in a used-unwittingly way. If you like your fiction "off", and Mr. Blackford seems to relish (frolic/romp/indulge/revel) in writing "off" (so he must be a nice guy), or if you like cats a great deal, this book is for you. The different cat personalities are dead on, as though Mr. Blackford mind-melded with one or more felines and did their bidding.... Preposterous.
Also, impending Armageddon, and a showdown between the unstoppable force and the unmovable object.
A litter of genetically modified ("enhanced") cats is developed/created to examine for the ultimate goal of how to apply the genetic manipulations to human subjects (never people). As with people, not all cats are created the same. The psychic abilities manifest themselves in different manners, from sucking the life out of animals to creating a vortex-sucking...vortex.
Ultimately, the power struggle comes to two of the litter, Deinonychus and Leviticus. One is seemingly innocuous and powerless, the other extremely aggressive and powerful. (Thanks for the wonderful name Deinonychus, Mr. Blackford, both hard to spell and harder to pronounce, even though you provided a handy phonetic pronunciation. If you just shorten it to "demon cat", you'll do okay. I don't apologize for that mild spoiler -- you know well before the naming starts that cat ain't right. In this case, knowing isn't even close to half the battle.)
The cats take matters into their own paws, much to the shock and awe of the scientists involved. And denied by the very same (they're only cats, after all; what can they do?).
Intriguing story, fast-paced, and just enough off the beaten path to maintain interest throughout. The characters are effective, and some are pitiable -- not in a pathetic way but in a used-unwittingly way. If you like your fiction "off", and Mr. Blackford seems to relish (frolic/romp/indulge/revel) in writing "off" (so he must be a nice guy), or if you like cats a great deal, this book is for you. The different cat personalities are dead on, as though Mr. Blackford mind-melded with one or more felines and did their bidding.... Preposterous.
Also, impending Armageddon, and a showdown between the unstoppable force and the unmovable object.
July 17, 2018
Updated review:
The author responded a while back on Twitter, informing me that the book had been updated. I had no intention of coming back to it. But the premise of the story really stuck with me and I wanted to see how it might play out.
I made sure the book was updated and gave it a second try. This time around there were far fewer mistakes. There are still quite a few errors and a couple sentences that could be written much more clearly. It could use another round of editing. However, it's readable now and I was happy to be able to do just that.
The story is imaginative and unique. But it's definitely not for everyone. It's strange in a delightful way. You need not be an animal or cat lover to enjoy the story. It might not be a great story for people who are squeamish.
I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, and it's not great literature by any means. But it's fun and a good exercise in imagination. I'm going to read the next book because I need to know what happens.
Old review :
Not reading this anymore. I have better things to do than try to read through a book and interpret its spelling/grammar mistakes. There are plenty of people who can write with few errors and have good editors.
The author responded a while back on Twitter, informing me that the book had been updated. I had no intention of coming back to it. But the premise of the story really stuck with me and I wanted to see how it might play out.
I made sure the book was updated and gave it a second try. This time around there were far fewer mistakes. There are still quite a few errors and a couple sentences that could be written much more clearly. It could use another round of editing. However, it's readable now and I was happy to be able to do just that.
The story is imaginative and unique. But it's definitely not for everyone. It's strange in a delightful way. You need not be an animal or cat lover to enjoy the story. It might not be a great story for people who are squeamish.
I wouldn't recommend this to everyone, and it's not great literature by any means. But it's fun and a good exercise in imagination. I'm going to read the next book because I need to know what happens.
Old review :
Not reading this anymore. I have better things to do than try to read through a book and interpret its spelling/grammar mistakes. There are plenty of people who can write with few errors and have good editors.
March 20, 2013
This second delving into Troy Blackford's skewed looks into mystery, science fact and fiction, and plain action was much better received. There wasn't a single point in the story that I wanted to just set it down and move on - quite the opposite, I was trying to find any time I could to continue reading this work.
Call it my love for cats, or just that Troy seems to have found his stride with this telling, I found this one much easier to read and much more palatable than "Critical Incident".
There are a few minor typos in the work, and some of the overlapping repetition could probably be pulled out, but I really liked reading about Leviticus and Deinonicus and the humans that toy with their lives.
I have a feeling after the way the story ended, we won't be seeing the last of these two VERY powerful litter-mates!
Way to go Troy! I'll be picking up another of your works very soon!
Call it my love for cats, or just that Troy seems to have found his stride with this telling, I found this one much easier to read and much more palatable than "Critical Incident".
There are a few minor typos in the work, and some of the overlapping repetition could probably be pulled out, but I really liked reading about Leviticus and Deinonicus and the humans that toy with their lives.
I have a feeling after the way the story ended, we won't be seeing the last of these two VERY powerful litter-mates!
Way to go Troy! I'll be picking up another of your works very soon!
December 12, 2012
This book was so well written. It kept me glued to my iPad. I couldn't wait to see what happened to little Leviticus and whether Deinonychus got what he wanted. I will be reading on to find out. If you are a cat lover I really think you would really like this book. The imagination that Troy Blackford has is truly amazing.
September 23, 2013
Troy has a vivid imagination and this is a great book. A completely different take on government experiments and psychic powers, with different viewpoints that switch around to keep the story flowing quickly. You'll be rooting for some characters and booing and hissing at others like a pantomime baddie. Definitely worth a read!
March 5, 2013
Truly an amazing book featuring cats with very special powers. There is nothing else I've read that is quite like this. From the experimentation to everything falling apart, you will not be able to put this book down until you've read the final page. Nor will you look at cats quite the same again.
Read
March 22, 2013Cats with psychic powers -- what a fun thing to read about! I really admire Troy for being such a prolific writer while having a lot of things going on in his life. Looking forward to reading the Critical Incident series next.
May 9, 2012
Excellent book! Make sure you read Under The Wall and Out The Door first! This is the 3rd book in that series. It will answer all of your questions from the first two! :)
November 14, 2012
Great read! Couldn't put it down. Leads right into the previously written sequel "Out the Door"....though there's one life that I'm not sure where it goes after the sequel....will there be a third?
August 9, 2014
Light reading but very entertaining. Kept me enthralled. I mean come on...psycho-killer cats?? Yes please!
December 13, 2016
Mmm ... Where do I begin ?!
The positives first, perhaps.
The story has potential (even though it reminded me of Jurassic Park) : a litter of psychic kittens escape a secret testing facility, wreaking havoc wherever they go.
The negatives : this book needs editing !!!
There are so many errors that I felt I was reading a draft rather then a polished, final product (I read revision 2, from 2013). Some examples : sentences that don't make sense, random font size changes for entire paragraphs, serious plot holes, ...
Personally, I also didn't care very much for the unnecessary swearing and the rather strange metaphors.
I bought 'Under the wall' (book 2) together with 'Through the woods'. I'm not really looking forward to reading it.
The positives first, perhaps.
The story has potential (even though it reminded me of Jurassic Park) : a litter of psychic kittens escape a secret testing facility, wreaking havoc wherever they go.
The negatives : this book needs editing !!!
There are so many errors that I felt I was reading a draft rather then a polished, final product (I read revision 2, from 2013). Some examples : sentences that don't make sense, random font size changes for entire paragraphs, serious plot holes, ...
Personally, I also didn't care very much for the unnecessary swearing and the rather strange metaphors.
I bought 'Under the wall' (book 2) together with 'Through the woods'. I'm not really looking forward to reading it.
October 9, 2025
I Want a Sequel!
This book got me engaged right away and my heart was in my throat a good part of my reading. There's no cliffhanger, but there is definitely room for another book. Aside from a very few typos, it's a well-written book. I could definitely see this as a movie.
This book got me engaged right away and my heart was in my throat a good part of my reading. There's no cliffhanger, but there is definitely room for another book. Aside from a very few typos, it's a well-written book. I could definitely see this as a movie.
November 26, 2013
I liked the premise of cats with powers. The secret research facility the government had and the people who worked there seemed believable. It would have been nice to have a little more backstory on why those particular powers where chosen to imbue the animals with.
What I didn't like was the ending. I just couldn't see the cat with the unpronounceable name calmly staying in his cage waiting to be adopted when he had all those lives around him. The personality the author infused the cat with didn't come off as real at that point for me. I'm wondering if there will be a sequel at some point.
The three star rating is because of editing, half-way through the book, it's like the editor quit. The mistakes were jarring enough that it brought me out of the story and I had to work hard to get back into it.
What I didn't like was the ending. I just couldn't see the cat with the unpronounceable name calmly staying in his cage waiting to be adopted when he had all those lives around him. The personality the author infused the cat with didn't come off as real at that point for me. I'm wondering if there will be a sequel at some point.
The three star rating is because of editing, half-way through the book, it's like the editor quit. The mistakes were jarring enough that it brought me out of the story and I had to work hard to get back into it.
May 19, 2016
I recieved this book in exchange for an honest review.
I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I started reading Through the Woods. The story starts with Ben (our main character) landing his dream job. From the very beginning the story revels in the mystery that swarms "the agency" and it's projects. The plot moves rather quickly and kept me turning pages.
Halfway through and I can only describe Through the Woods as a feline take on the movie "Bats". We are met with totally creepy cat experiment gone deadly wrong. I'll admit that there were several parts to this story that seemed to go over my head. I'll chalk them up to it being more my own lack of knowledge than anything the author did.
All in all, this was a very original story and I encourage you to give it a fair shot.
I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I started reading Through the Woods. The story starts with Ben (our main character) landing his dream job. From the very beginning the story revels in the mystery that swarms "the agency" and it's projects. The plot moves rather quickly and kept me turning pages.
Halfway through and I can only describe Through the Woods as a feline take on the movie "Bats". We are met with totally creepy cat experiment gone deadly wrong. I'll admit that there were several parts to this story that seemed to go over my head. I'll chalk them up to it being more my own lack of knowledge than anything the author did.
All in all, this was a very original story and I encourage you to give it a fair shot.
August 22, 2014
A lot of spelling and grammar mistakes detract very severely from what would have been an interesting premise. Instead, I found myself having to try to interpret exactly what it was that the author wanted to say. The ending, also, was a real let-down, with all the build-up going absolutely nowhere. Is it meant to be a cliffhanger-type thing for a sequel? Did the author run out of steam? I don't know, but it did spoil what the spelling and grammar didn't manage to. I also think that the human characters could have been a bit more developed, but I did think the personality of the cats was incredibly well-done, and was, for me, the high point of the novel.
January 6, 2014
Ok. Well. This book had a lot of excitement right up until the end. Then it ended with a series of dates like it wasn't finished. It certainly didn't seem like it was finished. I was utterly disappointed. Unless there is a second book.
Read
July 7, 2014I think it's just not the right time for me to read this book. I've liked other works of Troy Blackford, but this one just hasn't grabbed me, no matter how many times I've tried in the past 6 months. Hopefully I'll pick it up again someday and will fly through it and love it.
September 11, 2014
I give this 4 stars because it's strange and unique, very unlike any other cat book I've read. The writing is a bit amateurish and the ending is abrupt with many unanswered questions. Looking forward to reading the rest of his books.
May 24, 2016
Although this book could have definitely benefited from better editing, the mistakes were not enough to distract me from the overall story. I was engaged and interested all the way to the end. I enjoyed the story and looked forward to reading the sequel.
January 3, 2014
Abandoned. Just not my cup of tea at all.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews