The Cat and His Servant

Once Upon a Short Story #9

by A.G. Marshall

I don’t ask for much. Food. Love. A warm place to sleep. The buffoons I chose to serve me can’t even provide that.

But I am His Excellency the Grand Feline Supreme, and I make my own luck. When I inherit the youngest son of a miller, I know the best way to improve my fortune is to elevate my servant. It will take wits and daring to turn this lowly peasant into a king, but if anyone can do it, I can.

A cat can accomplish anything he sets his mind to, and I am the cleverest of cats.

The Cat and His Servant is book nine in the Once Upon a Short Story collection.
Discover a unique twist on your favorite fairy tales with these standalone adventures!

This short story of 5,000 words (about 12 pages) was originally given as a gift to my newsletter subscribers.

Genres: Fairy Tales, Fairy Tale Retellings

23 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 27, 2021

About the author

Angela Marshall loves fairy tales and has been writing stories since she could hold a pencil. She works as a professional pianist and teacher and enjoys crocheting.

In addition to writing books, she has published numerous piano solos including Romanza, Forgotten Waltz, and Notes from the Past.

Reviews

[Nadine Keels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having styled himself His Excellency the Grand Feline Supreme, a magnanimous cat is out to improve his fortune by lending an elevating paw to the helpless human at his side in The Cat and His Servant by author A.G. Marshall.

This ninth fairy tale retelling in the Once Upon a Short Story series is the eighth I've read. For me, it's one of the best.

Granted, I'd forgotten much of the Puss in Boots story it's based on. But I say the best retellings are those that can stand on their own as clear and satisfying stories, even for readers approaching them with blank slates.

Then I started to remember as I got further into this tale, and it may actually improve upon the original. I became further convinced of this after I read the Author's Note at the end, but even before that, I found reading this story from the perspective of His Excellency (heh heh) to be refreshing, clever, and laugh-worthy.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute!

I love these shorts so much. An easy one sitting read that my kids and I enjoy together. Puss is especially fun to read.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: The Cat and His Servant (Once Upon a Short Story #9)
Author: A.G. Marshall
Format: Kindle (Free)

[ Enjoyed ] Yup!
[ Last Read ] Last night.
[ Reread ] Maybe.

[ Cover Lust ] Nope.
[ Intriguing Title ] Not really.
[ Interesting Premise/Plot ] Didn't read.
[ Preview Impressions ] Didn't look.

[ Kept My Attention ] Yes.
[ Got Bored / Mind Wandering ] No.
[ Skimmed/Skipped Scenes/Chapters ] No.
[ Reread Past Scenes For Fun ] Nah.
[ Reread Past Scenes Cause My Memory Sucks To Clear Confusion ] No.

[ Stayed Up Late ] No.
[ Took a Long Break Midway ] No.
[ Ending Left Me Feeling ] Entertained.

[ Easy Light Reading ] Probably?
[ Turn Brain Off ] Probably not.
[ Guilty Pleasure ] Don't think so.

Other thoughts I'm throwing in: (Might contain spoilers; I fail at identifying them.)
What a fun read The Cat and His Servant is! Puss in Boots isn't a fairy tale I know that well and have read maybe two other (fantasy romance) retellings of it. This one is completely different in comparison!

Right from the start, I was thrown off by Grand Feline Supreme's narration, but quickly realized what cat stereotype was going on here. All the way through the end, the way Puss--excuse me, Grand Feline Supreme--(mis)interpreted every humans' reaction to him was absolute gold.

[Severind Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with this one. Yes, it was short. And yes, I'm getting a little burnt out reading so many retellings at once. But this one was refreshing. I've never read a Puss in Boots retelling and reading from the perspective of a cat was lovely, speaking as a cat lover myself. Puss is both extraordinary and average. Extraordinary because he wears boots and can talk. Average because he represents all the standard hallmarks of a cat, and I love it. The author got into the mind of a cat and made it believable. All Puss wants is a comfortable life and a good place to nap. And honestly, I can't fault him for that. Cats hold plenty of power; we're all servants to them in the end.

[Crystal D · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a cat owner, I adored this. The POV of The Cat was so spot on and reading from a cat's perspective was so hilarious, because it's exactly how I think my cat would think of me, in that endearing but bossy boots kind of way. Ever loyal, but ever having to be the one in charge of the relationship, this totally captures a cats personality and had me chuckling the entire time. I especially enjoyed the intro. This is a really short, humorous, charming retelling of a fairy tale I don't see get much love. I'd definitely say give it a read!

[Bethany Hoeflich · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful short story!

I loved the storytelling--it reminded me very much of an old-school fairytale.

The main character is clever, charming, and far superior to his human counterparts. He's also a cat, so it's no surprise.

Perfect for readers who want an escape but are short on time (it took about fifteen minutes to read).

5 stars!

[Richard Goodrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful retelling. Puss makes quick work of establishing his new home in luxury when his former servants die.

Easy-to-read. Entertaining. Great world building. Happily Ever After. Page-turner. Romantic. Unpredictable. Whimsical. Wonderful characters.

I received a review copy of this book from a third party. This is my honest review.

[OldBird · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever owned a cat, this version of the famous fable is for you. Told from the POV of a very entitled feline, it sticks closely to the original plot but is made much more amusing by the tone. A wonderfully silly read!

-I received a free copy of this e-book from the author. This does not influence my review-

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that the author tied two fairy tales together without it being blatantly obvious (Puss and Boots and Sleeping Beauty). All makes sense, definitely read this one after you read The Woman and the Spindle for the best results.

[One Last Petal Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful!

Yet another fun short story from this author! I love her short stories almost as much as I love her novels!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This didn’t deviate from the original very much. I did enjoy the fact that the cat was arrogant and thought everyone was in awe of him and should be his servant.

[Rose | Adventurous Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun short story. Telling The Cat and His Servent from the cat's perspective was the perfect choice.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story and retelling of Puss in Boots. While it still follows the original story line closely, I liked how well she wrote from the internal perspective of the cat. It rings so true to the feline species. Cleverly written and fun to read.

Content:
Sexual: none
Violence: mild
Language: none