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Tooth and Claw #1
Tooth and Claw
Abandoned in the depths of winter, the once-pampered pets of men are left to their own fate. It's a battle to survive the cruel weather and the feral cats and dogs. But Man becomes the worst enemy. To survive, the animals must unite in the most desperate fight of their lives.
260 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 15, 1998
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714 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Moore
8 books36 followersI'm a British author who's written several successful fantasy novels for older children, young-adults and adult readers. The very first book I wrote, a fantasy adventure called SPILLING THE MAGIC, was published in 1996 by Hodder Children’s Books. Its sequel, FIDDLESTICKS AND FIRESTONES, quickly followed. My most notable success came in 1998 with the publication of the highly acclaimed TOOTH AND CLAW and its sequel SKIN AND BONE, both gritty, 'talking animal' fantasies. THE BRUGAN followed in 1999. DEAD EDWARD, a fantasy ghost story, in 2001, and FAY, an urban fairy tale, in 2006. Finally, 2015 saw the appearance of my first fantasy novel for adults when Harper Voyager published GRAYNELORE, my ‘grown-up fairy tale’. Along the way I’ve had books translated into Hebrew, Italian and Russian. I live in the North of England, a landscape which has been a strong influence on many of my fictional worlds. However, I have no plans to write more. That said, I'm definitely not dead; life's big adventure goes on…
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 17, 2016
With the new treaty between nations, a particular town finds itself in a no man’s land, and all its inhabitants are escorted out by force. They must gather up their things with little notice and ultimately leave many things behind, including their pets. Left without humans, Byrna, a house cat, tries to adapt to this new world. She sees many deaths along the way, until finally coming face to face with a living nightmare.
It was a good read—plain and simple. Like I said, the heavy description dragged and the loose narrative with only a final, clinching element made it fall a bit flat in the end, but in no way does this detract from it if read as an adventure book. Like Watership Down, it is a series of escapades that lead up to some unique, new world, like a Pilgrim’s Progess…but for cats and dogs.
On a side note: if you enjoy this book, you'll be happy to hear, the author, Stephen Moore, will be publishing his next book soon with one of the big publishers. So good luck to him as well!
It was a good read—plain and simple. Like I said, the heavy description dragged and the loose narrative with only a final, clinching element made it fall a bit flat in the end, but in no way does this detract from it if read as an adventure book. Like Watership Down, it is a series of escapades that lead up to some unique, new world, like a Pilgrim’s Progess…but for cats and dogs.
On a side note: if you enjoy this book, you'll be happy to hear, the author, Stephen Moore, will be publishing his next book soon with one of the big publishers. So good luck to him as well!
May 1, 2015
This is a completely different kind of book from Stephen Moore's first two stories for younger children, 'Spilling the Magic' and 'Fiddlesticks and Firestones'. 'Tooth and Claw' is, on the face of it, a story about talking animals, but much more 'Watership Down' than Beatrix Potter. It's aimed at an older juvenile audience although, like the best children's books, it's a gripping read for adults, too.
The world is perfectly described from the point of view of the cats and dogs, and the story really pulls you in. The basic premise is a simple one - if the humans disappeared, how would pampered pets survive? The story twists and turns, and doesn't shy away from fatalities along the way. There is a powerful supernatural element to the story, which lifts the events above the purely physical world, and a strong message about banding together to support your friends as well as your enemies. I loved this book, and recommend it unreservedly.
Disclaimer : I was given a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review, but I enjoyed it so much that I would happily have paid for it!
The world is perfectly described from the point of view of the cats and dogs, and the story really pulls you in. The basic premise is a simple one - if the humans disappeared, how would pampered pets survive? The story twists and turns, and doesn't shy away from fatalities along the way. There is a powerful supernatural element to the story, which lifts the events above the purely physical world, and a strong message about banding together to support your friends as well as your enemies. I loved this book, and recommend it unreservedly.
Disclaimer : I was given a free copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review, but I enjoyed it so much that I would happily have paid for it!
October 18, 2015
This is so far off the path of what I would normally read, but I have to say I enjoyed it in a strange way. It was a little out there for me but all in all good. I won this great book on GoodReads and like I do with most my wins I will be paying it forward by giving my win either to a friend or library to enjoy.
February 8, 2013
I love both cats and sci-fi but I found this book to have an inconsistent pace and predictable plot and characters. The bits of violence in it still won't make it suitable for any experienced reader over 10 years old.
September 23, 2015
a great concept with good insight into feline and canine behaviour and wonderfully descriptive prose. However the introduction of a supernatural threat felt a bit odd and out of place.
December 4, 2018
Looking at the cover and the book's blurb, you wouldn't guess this was actually a really well written story.
Abandoned in the depths of winter, the once-pampered pets of men are left to their own fate. It's a battle to survive the cruel weather and the feral cats and dogs. But Man becomes the worst enemy. To survive, the animals must unite in the most desperate fight of their lives.
Very little about that is accurate and it's also so poorly written...
The story does indeed center around animals that were once pets, though very very few of them were ever pampered. Set sometime after World War 1, all of the people in a town are being moved out -- the town is located in what will become a No Man's Land border between two countries. The people are not permitted to bring their animals, so all the cats and dogs are left behind.
This story does what I love most: The animals are able to talk to each other, but in every other way they're completely normal animals. They know and understand no more than any real cat or dog would. So, when all the people leave, the cats and dogs have no idea why or if they're ever coming back. All these house pets have to learn to survive on their own.
There was a supernatural element to the book, which personally I could have done without. But, for a supernatural element, it was handled as realistically as possible. I just wish the author had chosen to go a natural route instead.
I completely believed all of the animals as animals, which is sadly rare when it comes to talking animal books.
Abandoned in the depths of winter, the once-pampered pets of men are left to their own fate. It's a battle to survive the cruel weather and the feral cats and dogs. But Man becomes the worst enemy. To survive, the animals must unite in the most desperate fight of their lives.
Very little about that is accurate and it's also so poorly written...
The story does indeed center around animals that were once pets, though very very few of them were ever pampered. Set sometime after World War 1, all of the people in a town are being moved out -- the town is located in what will become a No Man's Land border between two countries. The people are not permitted to bring their animals, so all the cats and dogs are left behind.
This story does what I love most: The animals are able to talk to each other, but in every other way they're completely normal animals. They know and understand no more than any real cat or dog would. So, when all the people leave, the cats and dogs have no idea why or if they're ever coming back. All these house pets have to learn to survive on their own.
There was a supernatural element to the book, which personally I could have done without. But, for a supernatural element, it was handled as realistically as possible. I just wish the author had chosen to go a natural route instead.
I completely believed all of the animals as animals, which is sadly rare when it comes to talking animal books.
October 28, 2025
I was sold on this book for its apparent gritty animal xenofiction themes, I was not expecting it to be so much of a fantasy/ supernatural story that did not gel well with the premise.
There were lots of things I liked about it, for one the book does a lot with its short word count to build memorable characters. The main character Bryna has a clear multi faceted character arc that was enjoyable to read and made her easy to root for. I liked the introduction of the ghosts, although they weren't as used much as I think they should have been. For a children's book it doesn't hold back from the brutality of surviving a bitter winter, and how societies can fall apart.
However, there were a lot of issues with this book. First and related to the ghosts is that the book basically changes genres in the third act and it loses its survival premise and becomes a fantasy battle against generic evil. Also, you NEVER find out what happened to the people who left, its not that it becomes an ending up to interpretation, it feels like the author forgot the opening of their own story. The ghosts too needed more development, or it should have been a book about cats and spirits from the start. Because the book feels so jumbled in what its about, I couldn't see the point of the book, or what it was trying to say or really do.
A fun quick read if you like cat xenofiction, but nothing to write home about.
There were lots of things I liked about it, for one the book does a lot with its short word count to build memorable characters. The main character Bryna has a clear multi faceted character arc that was enjoyable to read and made her easy to root for. I liked the introduction of the ghosts, although they weren't as used much as I think they should have been. For a children's book it doesn't hold back from the brutality of surviving a bitter winter, and how societies can fall apart.
However, there were a lot of issues with this book. First and related to the ghosts is that the book basically changes genres in the third act and it loses its survival premise and becomes a fantasy battle against generic evil. Also, you NEVER find out what happened to the people who left, its not that it becomes an ending up to interpretation, it feels like the author forgot the opening of their own story. The ghosts too needed more development, or it should have been a book about cats and spirits from the start. Because the book feels so jumbled in what its about, I couldn't see the point of the book, or what it was trying to say or really do.
A fun quick read if you like cat xenofiction, but nothing to write home about.
February 11, 2018
Some people here say this was a good insight into the cat and dog's behaviour. Well, I don't think so. It is more like cats and dogs becoming people fighting over stupid things and the only thing making them unite is the mutual enemy, which is some sort of a boogeyman.
The text is simple so I suppose it is meant for children. But there are so many deaths...
The concept is great, just the execution felt a bit awkward.
Plus the dogs are pictured as stupid brutes and I love dogs :P But I do agree that yorkshire terriers are just like the one in the book :D
I hear the second book is better so might give it a go.
The text is simple so I suppose it is meant for children. But there are so many deaths...
The concept is great, just the execution felt a bit awkward.
Plus the dogs are pictured as stupid brutes and I love dogs :P But I do agree that yorkshire terriers are just like the one in the book :D
I hear the second book is better so might give it a go.
December 31, 2019
I’ve read my fair share of animal based fantasy and this is by far my favorite. I didn’t know what to expect going in. The lore and society built within the confines of the novel work well and remain believable.
Recommend to any one who is a fan of Warrior Cats by Erin Hunter but want more grit in their books.
Recommend to any one who is a fan of Warrior Cats by Erin Hunter but want more grit in their books.
August 12, 2025
Well written but with a disappointing ending and little explanation of the ‘monster’.
March 19, 2016
I won this book on goodreads giveaways..The Author Stephen Moore signed the book and bookmark..For an animal lover like my self there were parts that was really hard to read (so sad) but it was a very unique insight into the thoughts and mind set of dogs and cats ..it is a good read for all ages but I can seen a teen enjoying this book very much
November 18, 2009
Cats against dogs in apocolyptic setting.
August 15, 2011
S'alright.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews