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Stray Cat Strut #3
Stray Cat Strut 3
A wave of kidnappings leads cybernetic samurai Cat LeBlanc deep into the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the city in this action-packed cyberpunk adventure.
In the megacity of New Montreal, those with wealth and power live in towers high above the teeming masses struggling to get by day after day. When the poor and destitute vanish, the police can’t be bothered to spend time and resources investigating. But Franny, a nun who isn’t afraid to practice what her religion preaches, sets out to find the missing by confronting street gangs with nothing but a baseball bat . . . and a lot of pent-up frustration.
Afraid for Franny’s safety, pyrotechnic nun-samurai Gomorrah recruits Catherine “Cat” LeBlanc to protect her zealous friend and get to the bottom of the mysterious mass disappearances. And get to the bottom is exactly what Cat must do when she discovers the gang known as the Sewer Dragons has been abducting people into their underworld.
Within the cavernous channels that spread below the entirety of the city, the Dragons have created their own society of towns and nations. Their bodies have been augmented to withstand the poisonous toxins of waste so they can work cleaning out sewers and ensuring New Montreal has fresh water. In return, the city authorities leave the Dragons alone.
But Cat isn’t willing to sacrifice people, simply because they lack money, just to keep the plumbing on. And when she, Gomorrah, and Franny descend into the Dragons’ lair, they’ll uncover the horrific truth behind the kidnappings—and be led into battle with not only sewer-dwelling cyborgs but also the dirtiest of politicians . . .
The third volume of the hit LitRPG sci-fi series—with more than five million views on Royal Road—now available on Audible and wherever ebooks are sold!
In the megacity of New Montreal, those with wealth and power live in towers high above the teeming masses struggling to get by day after day. When the poor and destitute vanish, the police can’t be bothered to spend time and resources investigating. But Franny, a nun who isn’t afraid to practice what her religion preaches, sets out to find the missing by confronting street gangs with nothing but a baseball bat . . . and a lot of pent-up frustration.
Afraid for Franny’s safety, pyrotechnic nun-samurai Gomorrah recruits Catherine “Cat” LeBlanc to protect her zealous friend and get to the bottom of the mysterious mass disappearances. And get to the bottom is exactly what Cat must do when she discovers the gang known as the Sewer Dragons has been abducting people into their underworld.
Within the cavernous channels that spread below the entirety of the city, the Dragons have created their own society of towns and nations. Their bodies have been augmented to withstand the poisonous toxins of waste so they can work cleaning out sewers and ensuring New Montreal has fresh water. In return, the city authorities leave the Dragons alone.
But Cat isn’t willing to sacrifice people, simply because they lack money, just to keep the plumbing on. And when she, Gomorrah, and Franny descend into the Dragons’ lair, they’ll uncover the horrific truth behind the kidnappings—and be led into battle with not only sewer-dwelling cyborgs but also the dirtiest of politicians . . .
The third volume of the hit LitRPG sci-fi series—with more than five million views on Royal Road—now available on Audible and wherever ebooks are sold!
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 21, 2023
71 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
RavensDagger
52 books215 followersA bird that likes comfy and happy things, and also knives. Once ate a god’s eye and awakened the ability to see all that is good in the world. Known to steal shiny ideas and baubles. Currently forbidden from writing his own bios.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
November 11, 2024
This is third in a LitRPG series that you should read in order.
This is something of a left turn for the story to date. This has Cat following her friend, the pyro-nun Gomorrah, to figure out a mystery in the undercity of the megalopolis central to the story so far. This means both are more than a little out of their milieu because they aren't fighting alien invaders, they're solving mysteries and chasing leads and the bad guys they're shooting are, nominally, people.
And it doesn't help that there are two distinct phases to the story where they first solve the mystery and then have to deal with the fallout for the wider city. So the stakes are lower and the pace tamer. It leans into character moments and building friendship and a bit of worldbuilding to establish the dark side of corpo-political intrigue. Which simply wasn't as fun.
And it doesn't help that I didn't understand the choices Cat makes once they more-or-less understand the greater picture. I mean, .
So this is 3½ stars that I'll round up to four on the strength of the relationships and snark. I'm still interested in the series. But I take the background a lot less seriously now.
A note about Steamy: There are no "Interlewd" chapters, but there's enough low-grade banter plus a bit of sexualish action to make this steamy. In the very lowest possible sense. But enough to trip the tag.
This is something of a left turn for the story to date. This has Cat following her friend, the pyro-nun Gomorrah, to figure out a mystery in the undercity of the megalopolis central to the story so far. This means both are more than a little out of their milieu because they aren't fighting alien invaders, they're solving mysteries and chasing leads and the bad guys they're shooting are, nominally, people.
And it doesn't help that there are two distinct phases to the story where they first solve the mystery and then have to deal with the fallout for the wider city. So the stakes are lower and the pace tamer. It leans into character moments and building friendship and a bit of worldbuilding to establish the dark side of corpo-political intrigue. Which simply wasn't as fun.
And it doesn't help that I didn't understand the choices Cat makes once they more-or-less understand the greater picture. I mean, .
So this is 3½ stars that I'll round up to four on the strength of the relationships and snark. I'm still interested in the series. But I take the background a lot less seriously now.
A note about Steamy: There are no "Interlewd" chapters, but there's enough low-grade banter plus a bit of sexualish action to make this steamy. In the very lowest possible sense. But enough to trip the tag.
February 23, 2023
Hilarious
This book might be the funniest of the series so far. I love the digs at the government and their corporate cronies and all the “shit” sewer jokes. I love all the parody quotes that open the chapters and how they relate to Cat’s view on things. The characters are all quite lovable (Lucy and Rac especially), and I love the dynamic between Cat and Gomorrah. Franny is another great addition to the characters, but I wish there was more Junior Deus Ex! I love the world building and alien system; it’s really a great mix of fantasy and science fiction, whimsical and touching, sweet and brutal. Good stuff.
This book might be the funniest of the series so far. I love the digs at the government and their corporate cronies and all the “shit” sewer jokes. I love all the parody quotes that open the chapters and how they relate to Cat’s view on things. The characters are all quite lovable (Lucy and Rac especially), and I love the dynamic between Cat and Gomorrah. Franny is another great addition to the characters, but I wish there was more Junior Deus Ex! I love the world building and alien system; it’s really a great mix of fantasy and science fiction, whimsical and touching, sweet and brutal. Good stuff.
March 19, 2024
Back on track, best since the first!
So DESPITE the fact that book two constantly went so far afield with very unappealing elements. . . like horrifyingly cringy naughty relationship bits . . . that I was utterly appalled by and felt compelled to be very verbose about deriding, the series has been salvaged by book three! With very few exceptions, Strut 3 is right back on track, and it has tons of the content that has kept me buying and reading everything from the author and series. There's simply too much diverse, imaginative, witty, enjoyable entertainment to stop.
As always, I really appreciate and look forward to every chapter heading. Those are a shining example of many techniques that do amazing things seemingly effortlessly for the verisimilitude this author deftly wields. That seamless grounding aids my immersion even when I'm feeling particularly ADHD and in a very distracting atmosphere. Note: the awesome narrator does even more to assist me in staying enjoyably immersed. If you haven't tried listening while you read along with whispersync, you're truly missing out!
I am relishing the ever-growing character interactions and world building of the series, and I even thoroughly enjoyed Cat's first real foray into the political arena. The best part in the book for me was when said MC showed a seriously wise hidden depth when talking to the nearly human (the highest possible praise for a politician) governor hopeful. It has to do with bougie boys and guillotines. You'll see, just read it!
The ending was extremely well done, managing to excite me quite a lot for the next book while also not leaving me on a painful and tortuous cliffhanger. Once again, this author showcases many versatile talents in transcribing these wonderful stories for our enjoyment. On to the next!
So DESPITE the fact that book two constantly went so far afield with very unappealing elements. . . like horrifyingly cringy naughty relationship bits . . . that I was utterly appalled by and felt compelled to be very verbose about deriding, the series has been salvaged by book three! With very few exceptions, Strut 3 is right back on track, and it has tons of the content that has kept me buying and reading everything from the author and series. There's simply too much diverse, imaginative, witty, enjoyable entertainment to stop.
As always, I really appreciate and look forward to every chapter heading. Those are a shining example of many techniques that do amazing things seemingly effortlessly for the verisimilitude this author deftly wields. That seamless grounding aids my immersion even when I'm feeling particularly ADHD and in a very distracting atmosphere. Note: the awesome narrator does even more to assist me in staying enjoyably immersed. If you haven't tried listening while you read along with whispersync, you're truly missing out!
I am relishing the ever-growing character interactions and world building of the series, and I even thoroughly enjoyed Cat's first real foray into the political arena. The best part in the book for me was when said MC showed a seriously wise hidden depth when talking to the nearly human (the highest possible praise for a politician) governor hopeful. It has to do with bougie boys and guillotines. You'll see, just read it!
The ending was extremely well done, managing to excite me quite a lot for the next book while also not leaving me on a painful and tortuous cliffhanger. Once again, this author showcases many versatile talents in transcribing these wonderful stories for our enjoyment. On to the next!
June 30, 2024
Again, really enjoyed the book from Ravensdagger. It was an interesting idea to have an entire book that involved zero alien incursions. I like the idea of it, but I'm not sure this story or characters are best suited for politics and intrigue. There is a bit of whodunnit going on, especially in the end. And the beginning has some find the lost to it. But that isn't what drew people to this series. I feel like the author took a chance, but I'm glad the next books are back to dealing with aliens.
The two story lines felt more coherent this time. You could still tell that they were two separate storylines, but they were connected by an overarching plot for the book. That's a big improvement over the last book.
Still loving the characters. Cat is both becoming more human and less human in a way. More of her flaws and personality are coming out as the books progress. But she's also starting to really lean into her Samurai mystique a lot more and expecting certain reactions from others because of it. I wasn't super into her questioning herself why she hadn't killed someone just for upsetting her. I feel like that leads to pushing her into a direction I'm not comfortable going as a reader. Hopefully with the focus returning to alien killing moving forward that it won't come up much more.
The two story lines felt more coherent this time. You could still tell that they were two separate storylines, but they were connected by an overarching plot for the book. That's a big improvement over the last book.
Still loving the characters. Cat is both becoming more human and less human in a way. More of her flaws and personality are coming out as the books progress. But she's also starting to really lean into her Samurai mystique a lot more and expecting certain reactions from others because of it. I wasn't super into her questioning herself why she hadn't killed someone just for upsetting her. I feel like that leads to pushing her into a direction I'm not comfortable going as a reader. Hopefully with the focus returning to alien killing moving forward that it won't come up much more.
August 1, 2023
Stray Cat Strut 3 was a gigantic and very interesting world building exercise in which Cat discovers that the sewer system of her city is kept functioning by a homeless gang who are essentially paid to keep the filth in check. The problem? The filth is toxic and to keep their numbers up, they are kidnapping people and cybernetically augmenting them to become the new work force. And the mayor’s office seems to be fine with this as it keeps the sewage from backing up into the rest of the city.
The premise is obviously disturbing, but it creates a situation where Cat can shoot up the bad guys which is obviously the point of the whole series. Overall, this book was probably slightly better than the second one, but not nearly at the level of the first.
The premise is obviously disturbing, but it creates a situation where Cat can shoot up the bad guys which is obviously the point of the whole series. Overall, this book was probably slightly better than the second one, but not nearly at the level of the first.
April 14, 2023
So so good I need book 4
Book 3 is more of the same action as the previous two, except the bad guys aren't plant space aliens, but crazy scientists, human gangs and skeevy politicians. Cat is her usual amazing self and we get more time with Lucy. A few new characters are introduced as well. The world building continues to be just as excellent as the previous two books and as usual there is a cliffhanger at the end that leaves you wanting more. If you haven't started this series, go back but book 1 and start reading. They are seriously binge reading sci-fi goodness with a super hero who is relatable and in some respects average.
Book 3 is more of the same action as the previous two, except the bad guys aren't plant space aliens, but crazy scientists, human gangs and skeevy politicians. Cat is her usual amazing self and we get more time with Lucy. A few new characters are introduced as well. The world building continues to be just as excellent as the previous two books and as usual there is a cliffhanger at the end that leaves you wanting more. If you haven't started this series, go back but book 1 and start reading. They are seriously binge reading sci-fi goodness with a super hero who is relatable and in some respects average.
July 6, 2023
As much as I miss the fighting from book 1 I like that the author showed us what the vanguard would be doing in between incursions. This book is more political than the others but it is still very well written.
The author has always mentioned that incursions can be rare so of course they won’t be back to back. This was a really imaginative way to create world building for when it’s the “down time”
The author has always mentioned that incursions can be rare so of course they won’t be back to back. This was a really imaginative way to create world building for when it’s the “down time”
October 3, 2025
A fascinating bit of worldbuilding from Ravensdagger as Catherine “Cat” Leblanc heads down into the sewers of Montreal and meets the tribal people there. Unfortunately, the vital infrastructure there is incredibly decayed. Catherine can serve justice at the cost of maybe thousands of lives or she can let them go to continue kidnapping them borgying people fpr te greater good. Or maybe she’ll just do something insane like she always does.
May 19, 2023
Great story and interesting enemy aliens
This series is really interesting, and I'm enjoying the weird alien invader plants. It looks like things are about to really ramp up in the next book, with a potential for a global activation of a lot of hidden alien nests.
This series is really interesting, and I'm enjoying the weird alien invader plants. It looks like things are about to really ramp up in the next book, with a potential for a global activation of a lot of hidden alien nests.
April 10, 2025
These books are so addictive. Book 3 has Cat and Gomorrah investigating kidnappings. It was interesting, had some good fight scenes, but also had a couple of dips in the action. I did like that Lucy got a chance to shine.
Still love the humor and world building.
Still love the humor and world building.
February 25, 2023
A small interludium
Taking a break from killing plants, Stray Cat has to mix with other humans and a new danger rears it’s head: shitty politics. Literally.
Taking a break from killing plants, Stray Cat has to mix with other humans and a new danger rears it’s head: shitty politics. Literally.
February 27, 2023
Overall this was an enjoyable book. Gets a little tedious with the affection between the MC and her girlfriend. It's not bad, just messes with the pacing of the book.
March 4, 2023
Awesome!
Absolutely love these books, damn I need more! Can’t wait to read the rest, off to RR I go I guess! :-)
Absolutely love these books, damn I need more! Can’t wait to read the rest, off to RR I go I guess! :-)
March 26, 2023
Business is about to pick up! 👍🏽👍🏽
May 7, 2023
Politics, stealth, and snark
Cat gets into politics and finds out just how messed up it all is. If you read the second one already, don't stop there.
Cat gets into politics and finds out just how messed up it all is. If you read the second one already, don't stop there.
July 11, 2023
Good stuff keeps being good!
October 3, 2023
a grim dark first half
The plot in the first half of this book is nightmare fuel. Skip to the second half if you don’t like horror.
The plot in the first half of this book is nightmare fuel. Skip to the second half if you don’t like horror.
February 23, 2024
This is a great series. I will be sad when I get through all the books currently published.
July 23, 2025
Stray Cat's story continues with her investigating disappearances of civilians near the sewers and running head long in problems that cannot just be resolved with violence although there is plenty of that as well as the sus we are used to. As previous volumes, the book is an entertaining read, funny witty conversations with a nice amount of action thrown in. The plot is relatively simple, but it is about something besides aliens. All in all, a good read.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews