The Outlaw Varjak Paw - S.F. Said

Having read the exceptional 1st book in this series I was keen to get my hands on a copy of this. I paid £4.50 for the paperback version of this on Amazon. I should say that I really purchased this for my 9 year old son, however I must confess that I read it before passing it on! Cover ===== The wonderful illustrations of Dave McKean set the atmosphere of this book wonderfully. The tagline at the top was a bit of a let down for me, I saw no need for a reference to kung fu, the original book worked hard at removing the writer from the human workd and I felt that this tagline undid some of that good work. Story ===== The story ...  Read the complete review

Sequel to a gripping and original kids book featuring Cats. This must not be easy to pull off, but the rich atmosphere and yet simple, exciting narrative ensured the first one was a success. It also featured the scratchy, lean, impressive illustrations from visionary graphic artist Dave Mckean (see Mirrormask and other Neil Gaiman collaborations). The world of cats in fact is described how it must be: an often edgy, brutal, cutthroat place. However, this means that the good aspects, such as the friendships that Varjak makes along the way, with dogs etc, are all the more potent. We also have the mystique of Martial Arts, that gives Varjak the edge ...  Read the complete review