Cats Have No Lord

by Will Shetterly

Lizelle the liar, Merry the priest, Thraas the barbarian, the mysterious Catseye Yellow.. bound on a fool's quest to the top of the world to ask the Wisest One the oldest riddle of them all.

WHY DO CATS HAVE NO LORD?

A harmless enough question, isn't it? So why is someone moving heaven and hell to make sure it will never be asked?

"The first-rate world building, the unique cast of characters, and the author's clever whimsey make it absorbing reading. Recommended." —Booklist

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Science Fiction Fantasy, Cats

225 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 1, 1985

Reviews

[Mariel · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is an answer to the question that hasn't been asked. This book is a rip off. You will not find out why cats have no lord in this book that blatantly promises to be about that very subject. I want my penny back. In fact, I'm charging interest and I want TWO pennies back. Three pennies for pain and suffering.

More appropriate titles:
Every bad fantasy cliche in one book.
Breeches crimson cords boots hair breeches robes breeches blah blah pointless clothing details breeches did I mention that they wear breeches? Buckskin breeches. Tight breeches. Tan breeches. This book is too big for its breeches!
Wish fulfillment lame-o super powers book.
Instill a lifelong hatred of fantasy in any kid who reads this.
I cry false advertisement!
Holy shit this is Emma Bull's husband. She's a better writer than him but they totally fell in love over a mutual love for Mary-Sue characters and wish fulfillment!

Unless... Why were there all those missing pages? Like they had been ripped out?
Duh duh duh! I almost found out why someone is moving heaven and hell to make sure the question isn't even asked. Why do cats have no lord?

[Elaine Cramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book, present tense. I have read it many times over the years and it is always enjoyable.
The characters are interesting and likable, some even lovable. Darkwind, for example. I love the interaction with him and Lizelle.
This is a journey tale, full of fights, puzzles, demons and intelligent animals. I found the ending to be extremely satisfying.
My poor tattered copy sits on my bookshelf patiently, knowing I will be reading it again.
This is my first review. When I have more time, I will see what other reviews are like, to determine if I should edit this one! :)

[Metaphorosis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews

Lizelle, who recently dumped a noble (but kept his jewelry), meets by seeming chance with a quiet priest and a dashing, eye-patched adventurer. Together, they set out to bring the Goddess back - even if it means the end of all life.

I first encountered Will Shetterly through the Liavek shared world series. Those books, if they built on the success of Thieves World, were fun, clever, and well written. I sought out books by many of the Liavek authors, and many of them (e.g., Steven Brust) had a fair degree of success. Eventually I picked up this Will Shetterly book as well, published shortly before the first Liavek book.

If the above plot summary seems a bit formulaic, that's unfortunately correct. Shetterly can't seem to make up his mind between a sly parody of fantasy tropes, and an all-in commitment to those same tropes, with a dash of D&D thrown in. The result is novel with light humour that is almost entirely predictable. Every character plays true to expectations. There are funny points, but they're not enough to counterbalance the leaden certainty of the plot points. The light tone also stands in the way of any real sympathy for the characters; there are a few moments of empathy here and there, but largely it's an observational read.

All in all, this book is a missed opportunity by a writer who apparently just couldn't make up his mind what it was about.

[Meridel Newton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly what I was looking for- a good mix of fantasy elements, a five man band, a quest, and some questionable allegiances that kept it all interesting. Definitely entertaining, though some pacing issues make the end feel rushed.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The more fantasy I read, the more original this slight fast read book gets. Slim it is, but a book that you read 3 times or more is a fun read and good and this is both.

[Kevin Rubin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just read “Cats Have No Lord” by Will Shetterly and found it a decent, but not great book.

It follows the adventures of Lizelle, a roguish woman, in a medieval sort of fantasy setting. Near the beginning she leaves her lover, a local noble, and on her way out steals some valuables, including a nice necklace that’s actually significantly grander than she realizes.

She rides a horse with whom she has a telepathic link, and soon meets up with a big time rogue with mysterious skills and powers as well as a fat, merry monk who knows a bit about their paths in the future.

Once they figure out what Lizelle’s stolen necklace actually is, their adventures get more serious and their enemies more powerful.

The book isn’t great, with lots of openings for more stories or more in-depth stories about the relationships between some characters. For instance, does everyone in this world telepathically communicate with their horse, or is that special between Lizelle and Darkwind? If it’s special, and Darkwind is special, how did Darkwind agree to be ridden by Lizelle?

Some of the world’s gods had a few scenes where they looked at the people and once in a while popped into the world to manipulate, which reminded me of some of the movies I’ve seen based on Greek mythology.

The ending was too fast, without the good guys having to do much clever or mighty to vanquish their foes.

Overall, it was entertaining, but not ultimately very rewarding.

[Puffthemagicbunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: homicide, short (1 page) spicy scenes that need to be read for the pillow talk, description of SA of a child.

I do not reread books as much as I used to, but Walter died and I needed a comfort read. I loved this book when I first read it back in 1986 or so. I didn't remember too much about it though. Two things I do remember were that the title was "Why Cats have no Lord" and that it was written by Philip Jose Farmer. Neither of these things are true.

The characters are well written, with a diversity of races and with strong females. There are no truly evil or truly good characters. Except maybe for Glynaldis. The writing is not fancy. There are a few places where I more explanation could be useful, particularly between Chapters 8 and 9. And one character is drinking whiskey when they had just ordered a pitcher of mead.

The story felt like a D & D adventure. You have the cleric, fighter, barbarian, sorcerer, rouge, thief. You have a dragon, and a dungeon. You have an object of power that the chaotic neutral must win from the chaotic evil. There are humans, elves, orcs, and intelligent talking animals. There are duels and tests to pass.

Not great fantasy by any means but a nice diversion. And a reminder of why I switched from Sci-Fi to fantasy by the early eighties.

I miss you Walter, the Fi-Wi is not the same.

[MostlyMetaphor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dragons, cats, puns, prophecy, a philosopher barbarian, and a character whose primary response to danger is to evade skillfully or lie cleverly. By now, you probably know if this is your book. I was sold after “cats, also dragons” – the rest was delicious icing for the cake. But don’t be distracted by the deliciousness: there’s something better here. Every character is a *person*, from the hapless guard to the antagonist who wants to take over the world (“what else?”, as a protagonist remarks). Everyone is allowed the dignity of their own perspective and motivations, including the talking horse. The two leads manage to sleep together without ending up in True Love. For that alone, this is a remarkable read. So, I’ll remark: True, it’s 1980s cheese with heavy debts to Princess Bride. But like it’s primary protagonist, it’s cunning, and capable of slipping more past you than you might expect.

[Laurin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful, well-conceived, and only sometimes whimsical read. It was very short (which helped me deal with the whimsical aspects, since I don't usually go for those), and it made me want to explore Shetterly's other works (if he has any).

You can tell that Dungeons and Dragons was incredibly popular at this time, for at times this book felt like a novelized DnD adventure. It has the core elements: an adventure party with a daring quest.

You should read this if you like a short, fantasy adventure story with a sense of humor (but not corny).

I gave it four stars because for me:
1 star = I couldn't even finish it it was so awful
2 stars = I finished it but only because I was curious about how it ended
3 stars = I enjoyed the story but don't intend to ever read it again
*4 stars = I really liked the story, may read again, and definitely recommend*
5 stars = I love it and own it and will read it again

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contrary to what some reviewers have said, yes, the question of what happened to the Lord of Cats is right there, in the story. If you're not paying attention, the resolution won't make sense, but it really is a legitimate part of the story.
That said, it wasn't until I found the sequel that I finally read this, even though I'm a fan of the author's other books. The cover just seemed too distracting, with Janny Wurts turning in a truly strange piece of artwork which actually does reference a scene in the book. I know that's unheard of, but in this case it's true.
I hope that the sequel resolves some of the things left unresolved by the end of this book, but it was worth reading, just to see how some of the things were going to end up.

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had fun reading this journey/quest fantasy, but ultimately, it was like eating candy you like, but don't love -- fun, but not really filling or satisfying. Maybe it's because I wanted to read it for years, and it didn't live up to (what I felt) was its potential.

So, our lovable, scruffy heroes set out on their journey, but there are many complications. Some ideas felt unfinished, but I only realized that once I thought about them. The quest ends in a rush, perhaps part of why I felt it could have been better.

Recommended for a fantasy fix.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is one point in the book, and folks who have read or seen The Princess Bride, where it lifts a scene from that far superior story.

And those this was pretty interesting and had some great characters, once the mind drifted to this better realm, Cats just couldn't hold a candle to it. Not sure why the author made that choice as the book would have been perfectly fine without it.

[Keziah Jensen-Cannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started it and persevered through about a third of it, but that was because I was on a plane and my other books were basically inaccessible. It couldn't hold my interest, the characters were not relatable or interesting or even likeable, the world building was confusing, and things went from bad to worse with no hope of the characters being able to handle it.

[katayoun Masoodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

i like shetterly and his style of writing and his world, so i am biased. this is my kind of book, interesting and interesting and likeable characters, lovely world and magic system, an adventure and some thinking, all told in a non boring and solid way.

[James]

From the edge of the Elflands to the top of World's Peak, drawn together on a quest whether they like it or not...."The first-rate world building, the unique cast of characters, and the author's clever whimsey make it absorbing reading. Recommended." —Booklist

[Melora · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read this but I remember really enjoying it. It was a great influence on me.

[Karla Mcmaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun. Jumps around a bit too much.

[Cole Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A nice short, quick read, stand-alone fantasy novel. The diverse cast of characters made it feel like I was in a DnD game.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sword and sorcery with world-ending stakes. The concept is unusual and promising but the characters never quite fill themselves out. Still a fun and fast read.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a book called “Cats Have No Lords” there were not nearly enough cats in it. I don’t often say a book should have been longer, but this one should have. A lot of the ideas and characters feel half-baked, and if the page count were increased I think those issues could have been fixed. There were a lot of assumptions that I would know what was going on in the world and between characters that I kept checking to make sure I didn’t pick up something that was like book 2 or 3 in a series.

[K. Axel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like with most of my books on goodreads, I read this one quite a while ago. However, I can still remember much of the story, which is always a good thing. This is a travellers tale, a story of a group of companions on a quest for answers. They see much of the world, meet strange people and well, you should read this book to find out more. I also remember that this tale inspired me to write stories of my own, to make worlds of my own.

I know that there are a second tale in the same world, but off the top of my head, I can't remember what it is called. I may have to read that one at some point, and return to Lizelle, Merry, Thraas and Catseye.

This is high-fantasy at its best.

[Trixie · Rating 1 out of 5]

if the author could have stuck to one character's point of view, that would have been great. Even one is too many when that one has another voice in its head commenting on events.

No sooner is that schizophrenic person introduced, than the action has moved on to someone else, and I found it really hard to keep pace with all the different characters and backstory. Was this the third or fourth book in a series? I kept wondering.

I skipped to the end. To the Salvation Army with it!

[Jeff Wyonch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Respectable fantasy fare. The characters are vivid, but the plot is sluggish and the locale a little cut-and-paste. Read it for the characters. This is connected to The Tangled Lands, which I believe is a odd type of sequel.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting fantasy read. An earlier work by an author who continues to entertain today.

[Arlene Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great and I'd always wished for a sequel.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't remember this book except for liking the title.

[Sonja Isaacson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minnesota author!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging characters in a well-thought world with an interesting pantheon... Whimsical, quick read.

[Jeff Youngstrom]

My review from January 21, 1996