Book Review: Swashbuckling Cats Edited by Rhonda Parrish

A book about pirate cats, conceived on Twitter. Do anthologies get better than this?

14 stories concerning felines of the high seas make up this adorable, imaginative and invention anthology of short fiction, edited by Rhonda Parrish.

I am predisposed to love this book. Filled with cats, as well as other animals, cheese (yes, cheese!) and adventure, there was not one story that I disliked. However, there were several that stole my heart.

My favourite story of the anthology was Lizz Donnelly’s The Growing of the Green, about a feline version of Irish pirate, Gráinne O’Malley. It’s a nicer depiction of life for the Irish in 16th century Ireland, set in space with cats. I loved it.

Second place goes to Beth Cato’s A Royal Sabre’s Work is Never Done. I’m a fan of Cato’s work, and this short story is a tour de force. How she manages to build a world, as well as characters, so completely in so few words astounds me. This is a story with heart.

Honorable mentions to The Furgeldt Collector by Joseph Halden, which manages to be deep, inventive and fun all at the same time. Pirates Only Love Treasure, by Frances Pauli, which is sweet, and a little bit icky. And The Cat and The Cook, by Blake Liddell, which set fire to my desire for adventure.