Catalyst: A Tale of the Barque Cats
In the first of two books representing something of a departure from their previous collaborations, McCaffrey and Scarborough posit a future in which, Earth having lost the atmosphere required to sustain life, governments develop colonies on other worlds, Earth’s megacompanies profit by supplying transport and other necessities, and the Galactic Government controls all planets, moons, and space stations in the galaxy. Crucial to spacefarers are the telepathic Barque Cats, trained to patrol their spaceships, looking for leaks, varmints, and other problems. When corrupt government officials declare a plague and plan to destroy animals across the galaxy, including the Barque Cats, two young people (a veterinarian and a cat person), a clever Barque kitten and the boy who is its special person, an ancient Egyptian cat with mysterious powers and a hidden agenda, and a con man join forces to try to prevent the tragedy. The story’s universe is painted in broad strokes, giving a rough sense of planets, ships, and space. The human-feline interactions work well, and the intriguing plot is sure to entertain genre readers. --Sally Estes