Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse

by Lyn Worthen (Editor), Mia V. Moss, Hannah Hulbert

It’s time to turn the “man and his dog wandering through a dystopian world” trope on its head, and tell the stories about cats and their women in appropriately dystopian settings. Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse features stories of strong women and their cats, in tales that bring hope in the darkest of times.

Contents:
Introduction: Apocalypse Cats - Lyn Worthen
Sushi and Chocolate and Coffee - Mia Moss
The Librarian - Hannah Hulbert
The Riders of Harvestland - L.C.W. Allingham
Care Taker - Audrey McLennan
Dawn of the Cats - Hannah Trusty
The Frayed Edges of the World - Annie Reed
Bad Luck Bridget - Caryn Larrinaga
Wishes and Curses - Karli Sullivan
Daughters of Bastet - Misha Herwin
Cat Ladies in the Time of Cthulhu - Joy Kennedy-O'Neill
Burning Bright - Leigh Saunders
The Door to Gwunvailer - J. Ivanel Johnson
Runt of the Litter - Carol Gyzander
A Witch for the Chrome Furies - Joanna Z. Weston
A Good Arrangement - Kathryn Carson
Cat Web - Meyari McFarland
Witch of Washington Park - Sidney Williams
The Bandits and the Golden Bell - Joe Borrelli
Day 547 - Virginia Elizabeth Hayes
Knowledge Is Power - Wayland Smith
War of the Guardians - C.J. Erick

Genres: Science Fiction, Cats

329 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

As a freelance editor, Lyn Worthen has helped indie authors polish over six million words of fiction, and her multi-author anthologies have received awards and acclaim from the League of Utah Writers, the Critters Writing Workshop, and the Horror Writers of America. She is a frequent participant in fiction workshops and conferences, both as a presenter and a student of the craft and business of publishing.

She is a self-described "caffeine-to-text conversion unit," which explains how she gets so much done. To learn about her latest projects and releases, visit her at www.camdenparkpress.com

Reviews

[William Donahue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Here goes: I started reading this anthology just as the U.S. got ensnared in the COVID-19 pandemic, so I wasn't sure if I was up for an "apocalyptic" read. I was wrong. On the whole, these stories are a blast. Some even brightened my mood. The writing is crisp, the female characters are strong and clearly drawn (their cats, too, of course), and the world -- different forms of apocalypse aside -- seems mostly manageable. Three stories in particular stood out: "Sushi and Chocolate and Coffee" by Mia Moss; "The Riders of Harvestland" by LCW Allingham; and "Wishes and Curses" by Karli Sullivan. Each story has plenty of meat but is short enough to be considered a quick read. What I like most about these stories is the connection between man (or, better put, woman) and beast -- and how, despite obstacles such as the end of civilization, different species can rise up by working together ... if the cats feel like getting around to it, of course.

[Theresa Braun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure I wanted to even think about the apocalypse in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, but I'm sure glad I got my paws on this read (oops: shameless cat reference). What a variety of characters and scenarios. And how refreshing to see cat ladies of all ages kicking ass in their own special ways, using their brains, shotguns, zombie-eating sidekicks, motorcycles, and even knitting (because kitties love balls of yarn, right?). My favorite story (told in from the feline perspective) "Cat Ladies in the Time of Cthulhu" involves tank machine guns up against a horrible monster from outer space. Utterly epic! The other standout stories are too many to list. There's truly something for everyone, especially if this is your favorite genre. Even though the theme of this collection is the end of the world (at least as we know it), there is optimism and humor to be had (I laughed out loud a few times, in fact!), with a dash of social commentary thrown in. I don't think you have to be a cat lover to appreciate the read, but I found my affinity for them definitely enhanced my experience. When I finished the last page, I suddenly craved a bowl of milk and some catnip... and I regret nothing.

[H.A. Callum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse, like any good apocalyptic read, offers a healthy dose of humor to balance out the dread and violence often associated with the genre. This collection of short fiction also presents the other side to it, namely the attempt to find normalcy in life long after everything that was once taken for granted has been pulled from beneath our feet. Sound familiar? In a way, living through the COVID-19 pandemic has had that same eerie effect and reading through this collection was at once cathartic and thought-provoking. For now, the only roving bands of marauders are pilfering the supermarket paper goods aisle. All humor aside, this collection takes the what-ifs of a post-apocalyptic scenario and turns them on their head in a good way. The stories range from politely to irreverently telling the reader to stuff any preconceived notions the title arouses up their you-know-whats and to get in line with a set of strongly written female leads. This is a first class read that will thrill lovers of the genre, cat people of course, and even the occasional dog person. Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse is a collection of stories placing the reader in uncertain times, tackling gender biases in the genre, and providing a collection of stories that will suit all tastes. In the end, it proves that the clichéd cat lady is anything but a cliché.

[Banshee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally, it is a colourful collection of mostly uplifting stories, despite the theme that usually goes very dark, very fast. Many of the stories are optimistic in their view on humanity, even in the face of a crisis: for every corruption there are people with their hearts in the right place. Almost all the main characters are well-developed women, who are either smart, strong, or both.

Cats are present in every single one of the stories. This is basically a cat-lover heaven of an anthology. We get cats as helpers in difficult situations, cats as a source of comfort in dark times, zombie cats, feline guides, cat familiars… One can clearly tell that all of the authors that contributed to this book are people who love cats and truly understand them.

Many of the stories are very emotional and I felt my eyes prickle more than once, even though it's difficult for me to cry for fictional characters, whether these are sad tears or joyful tears. And yet these wonderful stories moved me on a deeper level.

Favourite short stories:

Sushi and Chocolate and Coffee. A charming and uplifting story in post-apocalyptic world. The main character is a bad-ass elderly female scientist that can fight monsters together with her cats. It's as awesome as it sounds.

Care Taker. Interesting draft of the world-building with Druids capable of communicating with animals, in the post-apocalyptic world, in which bees have gone extinct. I would be interested to read a longer work expanding on this short story.

The Frayed Edges of the World This story gave me similar vibes as Z for Zachariah (possibly inspired), but with a much smarter heroine and thus a better outcome.

Bad Luck Bridget. This short story explores the post-apocalyptic reality in which religious fanatics reign. Each sect, one worse than the other, has control over several towns. The story explores phenomena typical for religions: rejection of individuality, fear of otherness and searching for scapegoats to blame for anything that goes wrong.

A Witch for the Chrome Furies. Witches and cat familiars in post-apocalyptic world - need I say more? I would really love to read a longer piece based on this short story.

Knowledge is Power This a story based on a very basic concept of good versus evil and ignorance versus knowledge. And yet, it worked very well. I suppose a librarian searching for books in a world that went through a demon apocalypse and a jaguar familiar helped a lot.

Note: I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went to FanX Comic Convention in Salt Lake, and we spent most our time visiting authors and buying books this year. Almost didn't stop at the Utah Horror Writers, because neither my husband nor I are big horror fans, but we have to look anyway... and then I spied this. I have to say, the pair manning the booth at the time A-don't get dry humor / sarcasm, and B-really tried to oversell me on a book that they either didn't know much about or were less than honest about. Lucky for them, there was no way I was passing this up. Apocalypse? Cat ladies and their cats? Could any book be more perfect for me? (If you don't know me, the answer is no. No it couldn't.)

Now, the pair at the booth told me all the stories were local authors. I guess they are... as in local to somewhere. I saw one Utah author, maybe two... I wasn't paying enough attention to say. The rest are scattered across the globe. And that's just fine. I was just curious. Seriously, you don't need to tell me what you think I want to hear if you don't know the answer, that will just leave me irritated later. Even when I love the book.

Which I do. See again: apocalypse / cat ladies & cats. Okay, more importantly, they are actually good stories. Solid, entertaining. Short stories written by authors who know how to write and pace a short story. They actually cover a span of genres and themes, all sharing only those two basic components. Only one or two I'd call horror, just one of the dark, scary, and violent purely for the sake of being dark, scary, and violent sort that I don't care for, but even that was well done for what it is. Usually when you have an anthology of a hodgepodge of writers and styles, you also get a hodgepodge of quality, but there isn't a story in this book I didn't enjoy. There are some that will definitely have me searching for the authors in hopes of finding more from them. And hopefully even some have written more in the same worlds.

I'm not going to do a story by story summary / breakdown / individual review. I'm sure there are others who've done that already if you're really curious. I'll just say if you enjoy any variety of dystopian / apocalyptic fiction and/or you're the sort of person that a cat has wrapped around its dewclaw, go find this book.

(This book is even a keeper for me. Do you know just how much room I really don't have for keeping books? Now not only do we still have two combined lives worth of book collections to try to pare down, both our kids are readers too.)

[Lyn Worthen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shameless plug here - This project jumped into my lap like a stray kitten, wrapped itself around me, and was simply a delight to create. And while we had no idea when we began the project that we would be releasing the book in the midst of a global pandemic, it almost seems like it was meant to be.
As I wrote in my introduction to the book:

"Post-apocalyptic fiction is about worlds gone to the dogs; here, cats rule the day. Yes, some of our cats are cute and fluffy, others sharp-clawed and fearsome. But without them, the stories would unravel like a ball of yarn. ... Like their cats – the authors frequently slipped out the upstairs window or knocked things off of countertops when I least expected it, and their stories are stronger for it. In these pages, cats help their women find a better life, protect and defend and fight for the women who have sheltered and protected them – and vice-versa. Because these are not only stories about surviving troubled times, but of the relationships between the women and their cats, between the members of communities both small and large, and how they thrive, even in the face of catastrophic loss."

We hope you enjoy our take on the apocalypse, and find some new favorites here. It's a little lighter than the standard post-apocalyptic fare, but I think we can use a ray of sunshine or two.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful collection of short stories based on the title. Great introduction to some writers I hadn't discovered yet, I will definitely be looking up more of their work. So many different ideas for how the world ends (as we know it), with cats. Totally great reading.

[Daniel Yocom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is complete and well-built. The individual stories each stand on their own, and they are put together to create an arc from beginning to end. I have read other collections Lynn Worthen has worked on and she has once again succeeded in finding great pieces to fit the theme of the anthology. She then puts them together to create more than the stories would be by themselves.

You can read the complete review at https://guildmastergaming.blogspot.co...

[Jo Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection of stories about women and their cats. I really enjoyed the variety of tales and liked that they weren’t the usual doom and gloom of the post apocalyptic genre. From mutations to zombies to magic and back, this anthology has something for everyone, and if you like women who are as eclectic and quirky as their cats, then you’ll love this book!

[Anna Lovat]

One hell of a title

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

How many stories can be writen about cats, ladies and the apocalypse? Enough to fill an anthology it turns out. I was impressed by just how many variations there were on this subject.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all anthologies some of the stories were good and others were amazing! None were bad so the editor and publishing group did an awesome job in their selection of authors and short stories!
All the books had strong leads and their feline sidekicks were well written as well.
The two titles that stand out the most are Cat Web and Day 547. Cat Web by Meyari McFarland was the first that was about a positive community within an apocalyptic setting. Rather than one against many the community aspect really played a part which was refreshing to see. And it was positive and supportive.
Day 547 by Virginia Elizabeth Hayes stood out because it didn’t take itself as seriously. I don’t want to give things away, but cats, cat poop and potato canons play a big role in the FWA. And no I’m not going to spoil the meaning either! It was fun in an area of writing that is usually rather grim.
The one I struggled with the most was The Door to Gwunvailer by J. Ivanel Johnson. Not because it wasn’t good but simply because for some reason I struggle to read poetry. Listening to poetry I can do but for some reason reading it is just hard for me. Great epic poem but a struggle for me personally.
Overall the stories were well written. No sex. Some violence (a few of them were viscerally violent) and very little cursing in most of the stories. I would love to see a few of them become full fledged novels or series.

[Annie Lima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this anthology. Many of the stories are excellent, with engaging characters, unique scenarios, and compelling plots. Unfortunately (as is the case in almost any anthology), a few are duds, at least in my opinion. Some made very little sense and lacked character/plot development or information that would have helped the stories actually make sense. I took off a star for this lack of consistency in quality. Another disappointment was that the anthology as a whole has obviously not been professionally edited. It is littered with cringe-worthy errors in grammar, punctuation, and word usage. So frustrating to see what could have been a well-written, professional book look amateur simply because somebody didn't bother to hire a proofreader. (They're not hard to find, people!) However, if you enjoy end-of-the-world scenarios with strong-minded survivor characters and the fun twist of cats playing a significant role in each story, I recommend you give it a try.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What it says on the package! Overall, the stories were a lot of fun and it was interesting to see how all the different authors took the theme and ran with it. A good collection if you want a bit of a spin on the usual post-apocalyptic fare.

[Dinah Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun it was to read a hand full of Short Stories by a variety of authors about an Apocalypse, women, and mostly felines. A great introduction to different authors and view points of compromised worlds.

[Laurie Fagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! What a delightful, wacky, interesting, thought-provoking collection of stories! If you’re a cat lover, you’ll especially love these “tails,” which, for this anthology, needed to include an apocalypse and felines. All are very different, and all are great reads.

[J. Johnson]

Terrific stories within, and all different styles!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories. I like that the focal characters are women of all ages and cats. Have to give equal billing to the cats.