Mark of the Cat and Year of the Rat

by Andre Norton

Multiple-awarding-winning author Andre Norton explores the world of the Outer Regions, originated in the art of Karen Kuykendall, in the novels Mark of the Cat and Year of the Rat.

In Mark of the Cat, Andre Norton presents a novel of magic and adventure- the unforgettable story of a boy’s journey of discovery, from trial to triumph. Hynkkel, commanded by his father to travel into the unknown in a test of survival, starts out with almost nothing, but the red-gold sandcat pendent worn around his neck as a reminder of his slain cat. His trek will bring him to a cave where he will enter the secret world of the cat…to a trail that will mark his destiny.

In Year of the Rat, we find the natural water sources of the five queendoms of the Outer Region drying up. Hynkkel, not fully recovered from his previous trials, must now find a way to stop this loss and recover the missing water. To do so he must first find out who, or what, is causing the water loss and where it is going. When he and Murri, his sandcat, set out on their journey they make another, even more startling discovery. A being of ancient evil has returned and has brought with it, hoards and hoards of deadly desert rats, bent on one thing – to destroy the queendoms one by one. Can Hynkkel both find the missing water and stop the rats before all succumb to the Year of the Rat?

Genres: Fantasy, Cats, Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Science Fiction Fantasy

562 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark of the Cat was excellent. Year of the Rat unfortunately suffered quite a bit of bad editing, to the point where it was actually unpleasant to read.

[KatsCauldron R · Rating 5 out of 5]

l, while there seemed to be serious issues with this book getting out to the public at a good price for years finally they started hitting the market for under $100 for the paperbacks [yes, it was that bad] great little fantasy story continuation that will unfortunately never continue but was enjoyable. The artwork & cars of the series are still immortalized by the tarot deck which is still in my top ten of using [Tarot of the Cat People] the level on detail in all of their different territories was exquisite as well as the energy put into them. Anyone that enjoyed the first book would recommend putting this in your search queue of ebay to pick up the second when it becomes available

[Richardkyser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I going to give this five stars, the first part of the story was spot on, coming of the age story. The elements added, young man meets sand cat and bonding with said sandcat, the eventual struggle against an unknown enemy, the young man accepting his destiny. Mark of the Cat was Andre Norton at her best. The second half Year of the rat, felt rushed to me, but I was just glad to get a continuation/conclusion to the Mark of the cat, which I read years ago.

[Eunji · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have never actively hated a book so much I felt compelled to write a negative review, until now.

Years ago I remembered vague inklings of a novel I had read in my childhood and enjoyed and I posted remembered details to a forum and was told it was almost certainly Mark Of The Cat. I really hope there are at least two novels with similar details or my younger self was a tasteless idiot (possible regardless).

Mark Of The Cat is virtually unreadable. The verbiage is presumably meant to be mysterious and mystical and feel like some distant foreign fantasy world but ultimately words are supposed to communicate and they did a p*ss-poor job of that. There were many instances I had to reread a line or a paragraph to understand what it meant and not a few instances I just gave up on complete comprehension. The author jumps between viewpoints with absolutely no delineation which means several confusing paragraphs later you realize what happened and have to go back to reread this bit with this new context. Descriptions are confusing; pacing is all over the place. I basically only finished the book trying to figure out whether it was actually the book I remembered but except for the few details I'd asked about, nothing else was familiar or enjoyable.

Year Of The Rat is somehow a bit better but also worse. At least the viewpoint changes are clearly marked and the verbiage is slightly more comprehensible, but descriptions get even more confusing and the level of magic goes from negligible to deus ex machina. I basically hate-read this entire book just to find out what happens. And then everything is hastily wrapped up in the final few pages when just the chapter before it seemed there was so much left to tie up. There is past history that is hinted at but never explained, as if the author wanted to leave room for a prequel, which I would rather die than think about, nevermind read.

[Christie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across "The Mark of the Cat" as a teenager, looking up and down the library shelves for titles that sounded interesting. As a cat lover, the title got my attention, so I checked it out. I don't know why this book appeals to me so much. It's the only novel I own (combined with the sequel in this edition). I loved the land, I loved the characters, I loved the mysteries. I reread it after buying it in 2004-2005-ish and I was still captivated by the story. I picked it up a week or two ago when facing some insomnia and once again was pulled back into the world.

After finishing the first book, I was surprised that "The Year of the Rat" was so unfamiliar to me. I had assumed when I started it that I had read it after purchasing it 15+ years ago, but after finishing it, I am almost positive I've never read it! I'm not sure how I overlooked reading it; maybe something happened and I didn't have time to read anymore. I did like "Year of the Rat" although it didn't captivate me as much as the first book. The ending felt very rushed; I spent the last 50-75 pages wondering how Norton was going to tie up all the story threads. It feels like there should have been a third book in the series. At least we got the second one, which answered some questions left unanswered in the first one.

The book isn't perfect by any means. I don't particularly care for Norton's writing style and had to spend a good chunk of time trying to understand what some oddly-put sentences meant. Sometimes what was happening wasn't clear because it was so poorly worded. I was annoyed at the lack of continuity in some areas between the second and first book. And I didn't like the abrupt headings dividing up the second book's chapters. But even so, it's worthy of being the only novel on my bookshelf.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's difficult to give a combined rating for two books in one. Mark of the Cat is brilliant, both for Karen Kuykendall's world building and the way that Andre Norton used that world as a setting for a wonderful coming-of-age story. However, The Year of the Rat is just a hot mess.

One complaint about the first book was that the POV changed with no warning. Norton seemed to be aware of that problem because, in the second book, each change in POV is labeled. But, now, the POV seems to change every couple of paragraphs. In the years between the publication dates of the two books, did Andre Norton become too big a star to edit?

Is it my imagination or could Year of the Rat be sorted out into two (or even three!) more coherent books?

[Marcy Bissell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Queen of Many Worlds

Andre Norton again surpassed herself with this world . She makes you believe there actually is such a place and you just know if you travel a little further you will find it. This is pure escapism. A way to get away and forget your troubles and drink in an adventure that will leave you breathless waiting to see what happens next. A great read for all ages.

[Nebulous · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a really neat idea. I loved the characters and the world building and the story was very compelling. That being said, it really, really needed a good editor. Not just for length; surprisingly long at over 500 pages for a woman who can create an entire world in 150 pages; but also for basic spelling and grammar mistakes. Worth the read for a true fan, but she wrote better books.

[Joyce or Wayne Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading it and am 67% through it but like all of my dealings with electronics lately things constantly go wrong! Right now I am searching without much success, I might add, everywhere for a book that seems to have vanished completely from the face of this planet and my Fire.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous tale of an unlikely hero

I have been an Acre Norton fan since before it was General knowledge she was not a he.
This is my first reading of this tale. And it won't be my last.

[Michael Nalbone · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only way to read the second book in the series is obtaining this volume. SO, If you have not read Mark of the Cat, yet. Get this one instead.

Interesting.

The original died before the Second Volume was able to be published.

[Loretta Weyant-Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again..

I have always loved Andre Norton's works. I have been following her since grade school. This novel is the triumph of good over evil. There is a taste of alien/evil thrown in as well. Having a companionship with cats is a great plus.
Definitely a good read.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost unheard of with a book from Andre Norton. I had major difficulty getting into the book and the little I could - I hated

[MaryAnn Abrusci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I loved these two books. The story line is good . The characters are well developed . Couldn't wait for the end, just couldn't put the book down .

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best

I don't know how I missed this book when I was a kid, but I'm glad I found it. Both the books are awesome. I wish there was more.

[stella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must Read

A must read for any sci-fi fan , many twists and turns
A little reluctant romance
And binding friendship to help endure

[Laura Fall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for cat lovers

Absorbing and unique characters. Just a good story! More Of a fantasy work than a science fiction piece but still classic.

[M— · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well.

I had some really good childhood memories of Mark of a Cat, which I read several times when I was a teen, but that was a good fifteen years ago and I haven't read it since. I've never read the sequel, which only published in this omnibus and, as it went out of print almost as soon as it was published, is rare to find and apparently highly coveted. I went to a bit of trouble to find a copy of the omnibus... and it's just that, now that I've obtained it, I don't think it's quite worth the desire.

The thing is, Mark of the Cat by itself was an imperfect novel with a lot of plot holes in it, and Year of the Rat not only fails to fill in those holes, it introduces three times the number of new ones. Characters will be of major importance for five chapters, then exit offstage and never be heard from again. Characters interacted for no explicable purpose and without any resulting reason. Characters completely changed personal goals and personalities. Massive amounts of plot were handwaved. The villains were suddenly multiple and without any connection to each other. There isn't any pacing, there isn't any finesse. And the loose tarot-card structure of the whole first book? Well, the second book adds a sixth suit.

The opening author's note made it clear that Norton developed this story because of her observations of Karen Kuykendall's tarot artwork, but I got the feeling throughout reading this that her observations gave her only an idea of a story; the published works seem like rough sketches or outlines of that idea than stories proper. I found the books inventive and even fascinating, but they are so incomplete as to be unsatisfying. I'm happy I had a chance to read Year of the Rat... but I would never pay the $40+ markup Amazon Marketplace is currently charging and the copy I obtained via a bookswap I'll gladly give away again. If anything, it's a disappointing tease as an example of Grandmaster Norton's imagination without a grandmaster's quality of follow through.

I'll concentrate on just keeping my fifteen-year-old memories.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if it's Andre Norton's writing, or the fact that this book is based on an artists' rendition of a world that is very detailed and interesting, but the story seemed quite disjointed. I will admit haven't read a lot of Norton's work, but she was quite prolific, and I intend on trying another one or two. The book itself was interesting - however, there seemed to be a lot of worn out clichés wherein the main character was the underrated nothing from nowhere, the amorphous "bad guy" was dealt with in a way unclear to the reader, the random showing up of people, and the odd defection of his brother. Overall, it was worth the read, especially as I'd read Mark of the Cat previously, and it cannot stand alone, but not something I'd recommend highly.

[Donna Barnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd read Mark of the Cat a long time ago, and it was one of the most amazing books by far. The sequel, Year of the Rat, is a good continuation of the original storyline, but not quite as gripping or smooth-flowing as the first.