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Catalyst: A Tale of the Barque Cats Audiobook
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(3.00) - 868 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Since the early days of interstellar travel, Barque Cats have been highly prized crew members, responsible for keeping spacecraft free of vermin, for alerting human crews to potential environmental hazards, and for acting as morale officers. Even among Barque Cats, Chessie is something special. Her pedigree, skills, and intelligence, as well as the close rapport she has with her human, Janina, make her the most valuable crew member aboard the Molly Daise. And the litter of kittens in her belly only adds to her value. Then Chessie is kidnapped—er, catnapped—from Dr. Jared Vlast’s vet clinic at Hood Station. And Chessie’s newborn kittens turn out to be even more extraordinary than their mother. For while Chessie’s connection to Janina is close and intuitive, the bond that the kitten Chester forms with the kidnapper’s son, Jubal, is downright telepathic. And when Chester is sent into space to learn his trade, neither he nor Jubal will rest until they’re reunited. But the announcement of a widespread epidemic affecting livestock on numerous planets throws the future into doubt. Suddenly the galactic government announces a plan to impound and possibly destroy all exposed animals. Not even the Barque Cats will be spared. With the clock racing against them, Janina, Jubal, Dr. Vlast, and a handful of very special kittens will join to save the Barque Cats, other animals, and quite possibly the universe as they know it from total destruction.
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"Had this on the shelves for a while before I got around to reading it. Obviously written by a couple of cat fanciers, I saw a lot of my old Maine Coon in the feline characters. The youngsters are in charge of saving the universe. Ends in a shameless cliff-hanger."
— Sharon (4 out of 5 stars)
Catalyst Listener Reviews
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" Oh, what a disappointment! I will chalk it up to having read too much Carol Goodman lately and not being open to the shift in genres. Definitely lost interest when the character of Pshaw-Ra was introduced and thumbed through the remainder. I hate giving up on a book, but I hate having to plod through one even more. Perhaps if it had been catalogued as a young adult novel, it might have made more sense. "
— Helga, 2/14/2014 -
" Loved the idea of the role that cats played in this society. Not sure I'm really a sci fi kind of gal. "
— Kimberly, 2/1/2014 -
" I enjoy this book, its was a fun way to look at cats and how they can help their shipmates. It show what folks well do for their cats, that help keep them safe. One of the co-writers, send me a cd-verson of this book. "
— Virginia, 1/30/2014 -
" The shelves say it all: science fiction; animals "
— Odetta, 1/17/2014 -
" This was pretty cute. It almost seemed more like fanfic than a full novel, though. Obviously something they wrote just for fun. "
— carmen!, 1/17/2014 -
" Strange book written from multiple points of views - including cats, and. I found the characters very simple. It's was a different plot, but a little to much like a kid book when it's not meant to be. Don't think I will read the sequel... "
— Katherine, 12/12/2013 -
" Pleasant enough. Had a very YA feel too it. A little too sweet for my taste. "
— Samantha, 12/7/2013 -
" Telepathic cats try to take over the galaxy with dung beetles. Not McCaffrey's best work. "
— Leah, 11/19/2013 -
" I couldn't get all the way through it because I kept crying when one of the cats' characters died. :( "
— Cottageunderhill, 10/30/2013 -
" If you're a sf fan, an Anne McCaffrey fan, or you love cats, you'll enjoy this book. "
— Bev, 6/16/2013 -
" Sci-fi/fantasy story. Fun, mostly from cats' perspective, so a little weird if you're not into animals. "
— Sara, 2/13/2013 -
" It's nice to get a tale starring the Barque Cats from Anne's sci-fi futuristic setting, but the plot was a little spastic at times. It was a fun read though, and I'm hoping some of the ideas will be more developed in the planned sequels. "
— Joy, 2/13/2013 -
" Fun, easy fluff read. This is a light-hearted read about cats in space. Quick and enjoyable. "
— Marissa, 11/3/2012 -
" Good premise but a little stilted, characters are a bit two-dimensional or caricatured. Barque cats are essential space crewmembers but their faithfulness and service is discounted by unscrupulous politicians. "
— E., 10/19/2012 -
" Cute book, not as sophisticated as some of her writing, but cute none the less! warning, not for cat haters. "
— Beth, 8/22/2012 -
" Start of a new trilogy, and it explains the origins of the Barque cats from her Talent series. "
— Jenny, 5/18/2012 -
" Still reading seems interesting so far. "
— Brian, 1/28/2012 -
" Five stars! I have read this twice and can't wait for the next book! "
— Rebecca, 1/8/2012 -
" This was cute and whimsical and so Anne McCaffrey. May she rest in peace! "
— Chrystal, 7/18/2011 -
" Not a bad book, fun, easy read. Not McCaffrey at her best but sometimes a little Anne McCaffrey is better than nothing. A pleasant way to escape this world for an afternoon or evening. I am a little interested, though, in how she paints the world if the cats take over... "
— Lynn, 6/26/2011 -
" Thin characterization, an unfortunate marriage to young protagonists, and a far-fetched plot even for McCaffrey, along with a jarring inconsistency in nickname choices probably due to the coauthorship. This would probably appeal to young sci-fi readers who like cats. "
— Erin, 6/19/2011 -
" I found the parts narrated by the Cats pretty funny/witty and think that they give another dimension to the story. <br/> <br/>I particularly like the megalomaniac cat called Pshaw-Ra (who is, btw, the "hero" of book two) "
— Wogc, 6/14/2011 -
" Excellent book! Makes me wonder about my cats now. "
— Jeffrey, 6/5/2011 -
" Like others said, this book is lacking in plot and character developement. I will have my 12 year old daughter read it on the chance that I am just not in the target demographic for this book, but I am not optimistic that she would rate it higher. "
— Dire, 5/26/2011 -
" 5/11 Pre-teen and early teen girls who love cats and are starting to think about romance would enjoy this story. After enjoying the breath and complexity of McCaffrey’s Pern novels, this rather shallow story was a disappointment. "
— Susan, 5/23/2011 -
" I started out enjoying the movie but then it just went south about 2/3 of the way into it. I probably will read some of her more popular books but I wont read from this series. "
— Heather, 5/8/2011 -
" This was pretty cute. It almost seemed more like fanfic than a full novel, though. Obviously something they wrote just for fun. "
— carmen!, 4/30/2011 -
" Fun, easy fluff read. This is a light-hearted read about cats in space. Quick and enjoyable. "
— Marissa, 4/23/2011 -
" It was okay.......I usually enjoy Anne McCaffrey, even when collaborating with other writers but didn't enjoy this as much as I'd expected to. <br/> <br/>Personally, I think we may be past the heights of the Dragonriders, Talents and Acorna series. "
— Linda, 4/11/2011 -
" Five stars! I have read this twice and can't wait for the next book! "
— Rebecca, 4/10/2011 -
" Loved the idea of the role that cats played in this society. Not sure I'm really a sci fi kind of gal. "
— Kimberly, 3/19/2011 -
" I read this before, but I barely remembered reading it. Still, pretty good. "
— Louise, 3/10/2011 -
" I really like Anne McCaffery, but this was a little too juvenile for me. Cats in outer space, telepathy...unfulfilled romance. No violence really...redemption. Other worlds. "
— Patty, 3/8/2011
About the Authors
Anne McCaffrey (1926–2011), one of the world’s most popular authors, was best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series. She was the first woman to win the two top prizes for science fiction writing, the Hugo and Nebula awards. She was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and was named a Science Fiction Writers of America Nebula Grand Master. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1926, McCaffrey relocated to Ireland in the 1970s, where she lived in a house of her own design, named Dragonhold-Underhill.
Laural Merlington is an audiobook narrator with over two hundred titles to her credit and a winner of multiple Earphones Awards. An Audie Award nominee, she has also directed over one hundred audiobooks. She has performed and directed for thirty years in theaters throughout the country. In addition to her extensive theater and voice-over work, she teaches college in her home state of Michigan.
About Laural Merlington
Jeff Cummings, as an audiobook narrator, has won both an Earphones Award and the prestigious Audie Award in 2015 for Best Narration in Science and Technology. He is also a twenty-year veteran of the stage, having worked at many regional theaters across the country, from A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle and the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City and the International Mystery Writers’ Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky. He also spent seven seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.