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Deathcat Sally
After seventeen-year-old Sally Rancher knocks over a cat named Zachary, it's only the start of her nightmare.
Trying to help, Sally is hit by a truck. Waking from a coma, she sees that half of Zachary's spirit is fused to her shoulder and he can talk. Able to communicate with animals, Sally finds when she falls asleep or becomes unconscious, both Zachary and her are pulled into No Man's Land – a dark, spine-chilling realm filled with vengeful animal spirits.
As No Man's Land becomes ever more twisted and terrifying, Sally and Zachary become pivotal in solving a mystery that concerns not only them, but all life on the planet.
If only Zachary could keep his mouth shut for more than five seconds, they might have some chance.
Who… or what… is responsible?
Trying to help, Sally is hit by a truck. Waking from a coma, she sees that half of Zachary's spirit is fused to her shoulder and he can talk. Able to communicate with animals, Sally finds when she falls asleep or becomes unconscious, both Zachary and her are pulled into No Man's Land – a dark, spine-chilling realm filled with vengeful animal spirits.
As No Man's Land becomes ever more twisted and terrifying, Sally and Zachary become pivotal in solving a mystery that concerns not only them, but all life on the planet.
If only Zachary could keep his mouth shut for more than five seconds, they might have some chance.
Who… or what… is responsible?
387 pages, Paperback
Published January 21, 2015
10 people want to read
About the author
P.S. Brooks
15 books3 followersP.S. Brooks is an author and illustrator based in Yorkshire, England. Deathcat Sally is his debut novel - a young adult fantasy/horror. For more information about the themes and ideas of the book, please visit www.psbrooks.com.
Brooks enjoys writing both young adult and adult fantasy as well as science fiction, and is interested in exploring different genres. A graduate in Fine Art, he illustrates in a variety of styles and media, from children's to concept art. He has worked in video games and is inspired by film, spirituality, dreams and nature.
Brooks enjoys writing both young adult and adult fantasy as well as science fiction, and is interested in exploring different genres. A graduate in Fine Art, he illustrates in a variety of styles and media, from children's to concept art. He has worked in video games and is inspired by film, spirituality, dreams and nature.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 25, 2016
Today We Did
After hitting a cat in the road, Sally is also struck down and seriously injured. Still recovering from her injuries several weeks later, her life takes a bizarre turn when the cat she hit appears as an ethereal presence sprouting from her left shoulder. And he talks, a lot. Now Sally can hear other animals too, maybe it’s the effects of the accident and the medication, but it seems terribly real. Things get even worse when she keeps falling asleep straight into a desolate and ruined land where beasts lurk trying to kill her.
This fantasy horror tale was intriguing and difficult to put down. I’ve never read a book where an animal spirit was spliced to a human before, so I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but this was more than I could have hoped for. Interesting, engaging, and it discussed issues such as cruelty to animals and humanity’s misuse of the environment. It was quite dark overall. Tortured animals, trapped souls, anger and hate. It gave me a lot to think about. I’m quite fond of animals, and I would never intentionally hurt one, but this book made me wonder what more I can do to help the animals. All animals are important to the earth, we should remember that more often and make sure to look after the ones we have left.
The pace of the story was quite quick, and I liked the writing style. I also liked the action scenes, especially the one on the platform over the fire pit and in the coliseum. The latter was rather gruesome, definitely fodder for nightmares! The author used good descriptive language to really pull the reader into No Man’s Land. Picturing such desolation and destruction, and the pain and anger of its inhabitants was terribly depressing. Yet I had to read on because I was so sure Sally and Zachary would find a way to help all of those souls trapped there.
There were so many animal characters I found myself a little confused as to which was which. I had to re-read bits with the animals to try and get them straight, but still didn’t quite manage it. The main characters were very well written and developed. I got to know Sally and Zachary quite well. Zachary was by far my favourite character. He was not impressed to find himself attached to Sally, and he makes sure she knows it. He was loud, rude, and often lewd, yet he had tender moments too. He made me laugh a lot. His total obsession with Malibu the leopard, despite her rebuffs, highlighted his persistence and self-confidence. Such a wonderful character; I will remember him for a long time.
There are a some black and white illustrations scattered through the book, all of which were very good. The images were done by the author, who is very talented. I love his style of illustration.
Due to some of the grisly scenes and themes, Deathcat Sally is more suited to mature readers in high school. It is a great book for adults too.
*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
After hitting a cat in the road, Sally is also struck down and seriously injured. Still recovering from her injuries several weeks later, her life takes a bizarre turn when the cat she hit appears as an ethereal presence sprouting from her left shoulder. And he talks, a lot. Now Sally can hear other animals too, maybe it’s the effects of the accident and the medication, but it seems terribly real. Things get even worse when she keeps falling asleep straight into a desolate and ruined land where beasts lurk trying to kill her.
This fantasy horror tale was intriguing and difficult to put down. I’ve never read a book where an animal spirit was spliced to a human before, so I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but this was more than I could have hoped for. Interesting, engaging, and it discussed issues such as cruelty to animals and humanity’s misuse of the environment. It was quite dark overall. Tortured animals, trapped souls, anger and hate. It gave me a lot to think about. I’m quite fond of animals, and I would never intentionally hurt one, but this book made me wonder what more I can do to help the animals. All animals are important to the earth, we should remember that more often and make sure to look after the ones we have left.
The pace of the story was quite quick, and I liked the writing style. I also liked the action scenes, especially the one on the platform over the fire pit and in the coliseum. The latter was rather gruesome, definitely fodder for nightmares! The author used good descriptive language to really pull the reader into No Man’s Land. Picturing such desolation and destruction, and the pain and anger of its inhabitants was terribly depressing. Yet I had to read on because I was so sure Sally and Zachary would find a way to help all of those souls trapped there.
There were so many animal characters I found myself a little confused as to which was which. I had to re-read bits with the animals to try and get them straight, but still didn’t quite manage it. The main characters were very well written and developed. I got to know Sally and Zachary quite well. Zachary was by far my favourite character. He was not impressed to find himself attached to Sally, and he makes sure she knows it. He was loud, rude, and often lewd, yet he had tender moments too. He made me laugh a lot. His total obsession with Malibu the leopard, despite her rebuffs, highlighted his persistence and self-confidence. Such a wonderful character; I will remember him for a long time.
There are a some black and white illustrations scattered through the book, all of which were very good. The images were done by the author, who is very talented. I love his style of illustration.
Due to some of the grisly scenes and themes, Deathcat Sally is more suited to mature readers in high school. It is a great book for adults too.
*I received this book as a digital copy from the author, who asked me for an honest review of this book. I did not receive any other remuneration, and the review is composed entirely of my own opinions.
February 19, 2016
Disclaimer: While I aim to be unbiased, I received a copy of this for free to review.
This book was awesome, and it has a lovely story behind it too – from the way that the book came about, to the way it was delivered (with a bunch of Deathcat Sally freebies), to the way that it was presented, inside in awesome cover with professional quality formatting, there’s a lot to love about this book.
Let’s begin at the beginning, by taking a look at the story line. Basically, a seventeen-year-old is involved in an accident, after she knocks down a cat and then rushes out into the road to try to save it. She wakes up at the hospital with the top half of the cat attached to her shoulder, thanks to a bizarre accident involving the spirit world and an alternate universe.
It’s a lot of fun to see how Brooks deals with the two different worlds, and in some ways it reminds me of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, which is one of my favourite trilogies. It’s also interesting to note that the book has a moral, of sorts – basically, be nice to animals, in case they get their revenge on you. They certainly seem vengeful at times in this book!
Brooks’ characterisation is great, as well – all of the animals that Sally meets have their own personality (did I mention that she can understand them?), and Zachary in particular was a favourite of mine. He grated on me initially, but it’s hard not to love him once you get to know him. Even minor characters like Alan, Sally’s douchebag boyfriend, seem three-dimensional and realistic.
Now, I can’t even remember how I ended up getting sent this book, but I’m very happy to have ended up with it. Even though it’s a reasonably long read, it’s a lot of fun along the way, and there are some pretty cool illustrations dotted throughout it as well. Now, I’m a convert – I’d recommend this, particularly to animal lovers or people who like to read YA, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else P. S. Brooks comes up with in the future. So go grab a copy!
This book was awesome, and it has a lovely story behind it too – from the way that the book came about, to the way it was delivered (with a bunch of Deathcat Sally freebies), to the way that it was presented, inside in awesome cover with professional quality formatting, there’s a lot to love about this book.
Let’s begin at the beginning, by taking a look at the story line. Basically, a seventeen-year-old is involved in an accident, after she knocks down a cat and then rushes out into the road to try to save it. She wakes up at the hospital with the top half of the cat attached to her shoulder, thanks to a bizarre accident involving the spirit world and an alternate universe.
It’s a lot of fun to see how Brooks deals with the two different worlds, and in some ways it reminds me of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, which is one of my favourite trilogies. It’s also interesting to note that the book has a moral, of sorts – basically, be nice to animals, in case they get their revenge on you. They certainly seem vengeful at times in this book!
Brooks’ characterisation is great, as well – all of the animals that Sally meets have their own personality (did I mention that she can understand them?), and Zachary in particular was a favourite of mine. He grated on me initially, but it’s hard not to love him once you get to know him. Even minor characters like Alan, Sally’s douchebag boyfriend, seem three-dimensional and realistic.
Now, I can’t even remember how I ended up getting sent this book, but I’m very happy to have ended up with it. Even though it’s a reasonably long read, it’s a lot of fun along the way, and there are some pretty cool illustrations dotted throughout it as well. Now, I’m a convert – I’d recommend this, particularly to animal lovers or people who like to read YA, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else P. S. Brooks comes up with in the future. So go grab a copy!
January 29, 2016
What a fantastic read! I read this book on holiday and couldn’t put it down! I enjoyed it so much that I then had to read it to my 11 year old son to see what he made of it. He loved it too and we have both fallen in love with the main character Zachary the cat. If I were to sum this book up in a simple sentence it would be “a Clive Barker for the younger reader, thrilling, captivating, funny and a little gruesome”. The storyline is full of twists and turns, taking you into a world that is like no other. The author has done a fantastic job of drawing the reader right into the book and had me hooked right from the start to finish. I am a huge horror fan and this had just enough so that it is suitable for younger readers yet still ticks the boxes for us grown ups. I am eager to see what other titles this author will produce.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews