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Moggies Back in Space
Cats go where they want. Moggies even more so. When humans go to space, obviously cats will come along to make sure their staff are doing what they're supposed to.Join these 10 authors as they explore what cats can do in space.
188 pages, Paperback
Published October 25, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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December 10, 2023I decided not to give this a rating because it was a mixed bag, ranging from 1-star to 5-star stories, and it didn't seem fair to lump them all together.
In general, I'd consider this a 2-star book. The variegated quality of writing, a need for better editing, and a lot of discrepancies in style (en vs. em dashes, curly vs non curly quotes, etc) drag down the average, but I'll give reviews for a few specific stories below.
"Muse" by Amanda Montandon - 1 star
A muse cat consoles an author.
This was the hardest for me to get into, so I'm going to follow Thumper's mother's advice.
"Chosen One" by Spearman Burke - 3.5 star
Crewman finds himself responsible for a cat and takes his responsibility very seriously.
Great concept and colorful setting. I'm hoping to see clearer character definition and stronger revision choices in future writing, but a great intro to these characters and place.
"Voyage of the Porth Ia" by Ted Begley - 2.5 star
How do you solve a rat problem on ship? Mother Goose knows how.
Hilarious idea, the execution just needed work. Stronger pacing and giving the reader a chance to catch on to the joke would have made this a stronger read, but I still thought it was funny.
"An Unexpected Cargo" by AC Young - 3 star
A crew comes to the aid of a distressed ship and investigates them for illegal trafficking.
Strong world building and themes, and an interesting premise. Needed trimming for some info dumping and passive voice, but I was genuinely invested in the racial tensions the author set up, which in some works just feel forced.
"Cat Math" by A. Kristina Casasent - 2.5 star
Crewmember's stowaway cat comes to the rescue.
This story had some really fun one liners, and I am obsessed with the cat being trained to get coffee from a vending machine. Also, always love learning some new profanity. Rated lower because the story felt slow to start ( I wanted more cat! ) and a lot of the world building information felt shoehorned in.
"Midshipman Molly" by David S. Bock - 2 star
A cat must deliver emergency supplies to trapped crewmembers.
I had trouble getting into this one, too. I wasn't bought into the characters before the accident, so I didn't really care if Molly saved them. I did enjoy the sections from the cat's POV, though. Cat POV is always a delight.
"Cats! In! Space!" by Moze Howard - 4 star
The cat captain of a cat crew learns a thing or two... maybe.
The narrating voice for this was hilarious--Garfield meets Sgt. Carter from Gomer Pyle. The plot was a little weak at points, but I had a hard time caring because I was having too much fun.
"Rats on the Ship" by D. J. Swift - 5 star
Ship cat comes to the rescue when something spooky is going on.
SO GOOD. The plot was fascinating and worldbuilding was strong without being over-explained. I definitely hope to see more from this author in the future!
"Red River Boots" by Matt Green - 3 star
Stranded alone on a ship, cat stands its ground against all invaders.
I had trouble getting into the human sections of the story--I felt like there was backstory I was missing. But the cat POV sections were great. (see above--always a delight!)
"Constellations" by M.C.A. Hogarth
Crew makes up new constellations while waiting for rescue.
I couldn't buy into this story and consequently had a lot of time following the plot. I think I got lost, because I never found a cat in this story?
In general, I'd consider this a 2-star book. The variegated quality of writing, a need for better editing, and a lot of discrepancies in style (en vs. em dashes, curly vs non curly quotes, etc) drag down the average, but I'll give reviews for a few specific stories below.
"Muse" by Amanda Montandon - 1 star
A muse cat consoles an author.
This was the hardest for me to get into, so I'm going to follow Thumper's mother's advice.
"Chosen One" by Spearman Burke - 3.5 star
Crewman finds himself responsible for a cat and takes his responsibility very seriously.
Great concept and colorful setting. I'm hoping to see clearer character definition and stronger revision choices in future writing, but a great intro to these characters and place.
"Voyage of the Porth Ia" by Ted Begley - 2.5 star
How do you solve a rat problem on ship? Mother Goose knows how.
Hilarious idea, the execution just needed work. Stronger pacing and giving the reader a chance to catch on to the joke would have made this a stronger read, but I still thought it was funny.
"An Unexpected Cargo" by AC Young - 3 star
A crew comes to the aid of a distressed ship and investigates them for illegal trafficking.
Strong world building and themes, and an interesting premise. Needed trimming for some info dumping and passive voice, but I was genuinely invested in the racial tensions the author set up, which in some works just feel forced.
"Cat Math" by A. Kristina Casasent - 2.5 star
Crewmember's stowaway cat comes to the rescue.
This story had some really fun one liners, and I am obsessed with the cat being trained to get coffee from a vending machine. Also, always love learning some new profanity. Rated lower because the story felt slow to start ( I wanted more cat! ) and a lot of the world building information felt shoehorned in.
"Midshipman Molly" by David S. Bock - 2 star
A cat must deliver emergency supplies to trapped crewmembers.
I had trouble getting into this one, too. I wasn't bought into the characters before the accident, so I didn't really care if Molly saved them. I did enjoy the sections from the cat's POV, though. Cat POV is always a delight.
"Cats! In! Space!" by Moze Howard - 4 star
The cat captain of a cat crew learns a thing or two... maybe.
The narrating voice for this was hilarious--Garfield meets Sgt. Carter from Gomer Pyle. The plot was a little weak at points, but I had a hard time caring because I was having too much fun.
"Rats on the Ship" by D. J. Swift - 5 star
Ship cat comes to the rescue when something spooky is going on.
SO GOOD. The plot was fascinating and worldbuilding was strong without being over-explained. I definitely hope to see more from this author in the future!
"Red River Boots" by Matt Green - 3 star
Stranded alone on a ship, cat stands its ground against all invaders.
I had trouble getting into the human sections of the story--I felt like there was backstory I was missing. But the cat POV sections were great. (see above--always a delight!)
"Constellations" by M.C.A. Hogarth
Crew makes up new constellations while waiting for rescue.
I couldn't buy into this story and consequently had a lot of time following the plot. I think I got lost, because I never found a cat in this story?
December 27, 2023
I like cats. I like science fiction. Mixing them together should be fun, right?
This is a book of short stories about cats in space. Some are over-the-top make-the-spacemen-spacecats with all that entails. At least one doesn't even make it clear why it's in the collection, since there are no obvious cats in the story.
But the cats in the stories do, ultimately, prove their value to the humans around them. How they get to that point is the fun to be had.
This is a book of short stories about cats in space. Some are over-the-top make-the-spacemen-spacecats with all that entails. At least one doesn't even make it clear why it's in the collection, since there are no obvious cats in the story.
But the cats in the stories do, ultimately, prove their value to the humans around them. How they get to that point is the fun to be had.
February 4, 2024
Excellent sci fi anthology
This gathering of stories includes humor, a parody, a sci fantasy, a slightly horrific offering (but I knew Cosmo would save the crew), a stowaway, and a lot of cat-loving spacers. Even if you aren't a person, you will enjoy these inventive adventures.
This gathering of stories includes humor, a parody, a sci fantasy, a slightly horrific offering (but I knew Cosmo would save the crew), a stowaway, and a lot of cat-loving spacers. Even if you aren't a person, you will enjoy these inventive adventures.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews