Scan barcode
magpieve's review against another edition
2.0
This one was real weird!!! In my quest to read every cat xenofiction I’d put it above warrior cats but not nearly as good as Varjak Paw. It was a three star until the sex scene I feel like nobody needed that
riverrayne's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
shayfiction's review against another edition
4.0
I only read the first book and it caught my attention right from the first chapter
asarabaenre's review against another edition
3.0
Ratha's Creature is a quick read, with intense page-turning action the entire way through. It does not bog down in descriptions, and every word seems to have intent for moving the story forward.
This book is a coming of age story, where a young female cub must learn to survive on her own among what her clan believes to be unintelligent, mindless members of their own species. She is banished from her own clan by Meoran, the clan leader, and the one who teaches those he (cruelly) rules that the other Un-Named are mindless beasts. She must learn the secrets of the Un-Named and learn to survive around them while she herself is coming of age and going through puberty.
The book reads more like an animal story than one where the creatures are extremely anthropomorphised. They even include their own exclamations that remind me of a panther's yowl, showing that these are just self-aware, thinking cats, and not humans in cat form.
This book is a coming of age story, where a young female cub must learn to survive on her own among what her clan believes to be unintelligent, mindless members of their own species. She is banished from her own clan by Meoran, the clan leader, and the one who teaches those he (cruelly) rules that the other Un-Named are mindless beasts. She must learn the secrets of the Un-Named and learn to survive around them while she herself is coming of age and going through puberty.
The book reads more like an animal story than one where the creatures are extremely anthropomorphised. They even include their own exclamations that remind me of a panther's yowl, showing that these are just self-aware, thinking cats, and not humans in cat form.
ncat's review against another edition
3.0
Quick read, and a pretty different style in portraying animals who talk. The animal instinct is still very prominent within the big cats, and the flashing temper and mood also portrays territorial and competitive animals well.
This is a step up from Warriors, more gruesome and more true to its nature. I did enjoy this book, but the main character did often aggravate me with her temper and actions. Probably won't read the entire series, the book ended in a good enough spot where reading the next four aren't needed.
This is a step up from Warriors, more gruesome and more true to its nature. I did enjoy this book, but the main character did often aggravate me with her temper and actions. Probably won't read the entire series, the book ended in a good enough spot where reading the next four aren't needed.
thistlechaser's review against another edition
5.0
I don't believe in fate, but sometimes there are happy coincidence. When I was offered Ratha's Creature for review, I grinned like a madman. This was my favorite book of all time! The username that I've been using online for 20 or so years (Thistle-Chaser) comes from it. My oldest LJ icon is from it. I still have a VHS tape of the CBS Storybreak animated special from the 80s of this book.
And then I waited. And waited. Usually when I accept a book for review, they send it in a day or two. This one never arrived. But now I was itching to read it, so I went out and got a copy myself. (I still have my physical copy, but I wanted an ebook version.) As of writing this review, the review copy still hasn't arrived, but that's moot at this point.
I was a little worried to reread it. I read it first in the early 80s, and I haven't read it in the last ten or more years. Would it hold up? So many books/shows I liked back then do not.
I'm happy to say that I loved it just as much. "Talking animal" stories, stories about animals with cultures, social structures, all that, are my favorite kind of story, and this is one of the best examples of the genre.
This was also the book that made me worry that maybe I was actually a furry.
The plot centers around Ratha and her clan. Set in a prehistoric world, her feline clan (the Named) were different than other animals -- they had "light in their eyes" (self-awareness, thus the ability to have names and to speak). Most of their species, and all other animals on the planet, lacked self-awareness -- they were just plain dumb animals with empty eyes.
Because the "Un-Named" (their species without the self-awareness) outnumbered the Named so greatly, the Named were always under pressure of extinction. One day lightning strikes, starting a forest fire, and Ratha realizes how fire could change their lives. She's just a young female cub though, and the leader of the Named drives her out because of the challenge the power of the fire (called "Red Tongue") might be to his rule. (One of the many things I enjoyed about this book was that it wasn't simple -- the clan leader was correct, to hold his power he did have to drive her out... even if it would hurt the Named in the end.)
Driven away from the Named's lands, Ratha met an Un-Named male (who she named Bonechewer) and fell in love with him. Cats of the book's world experienced heat, and then-younger me found the sex between Ratha and Bonechewer to be oddly sexy and hot, thus my Furry worries. Even more oddly, I found the heat scenes to still be quite sexy. How I could find two cats having sex could be hot is beyond me, but I did.
I loved every part of the book. The Named clan structure and how they were herding other animals, the Un-Named "culture". The plot was great and exciting, and the characters were all wonderfully believable. (Ratha is so wonderfully flawed -- she tries hard, but she's young and very much not perfect.) While it is a YA book, it is fully and totally enjoyable to adult readers as well.
This book had one other big strong point: It did that very rare thing where I didn't feel at all like I was reading, instead I saw the entire thing play out in my head. Even when I get lost in a book, I'm almost always aware that I'm reading and imagining it, but in Ratha's Creature it's like I skipped the middle 'reading' step and was getting it sent straight into my head.
And then I waited. And waited. Usually when I accept a book for review, they send it in a day or two. This one never arrived. But now I was itching to read it, so I went out and got a copy myself. (I still have my physical copy, but I wanted an ebook version.) As of writing this review, the review copy still hasn't arrived, but that's moot at this point.
I was a little worried to reread it. I read it first in the early 80s, and I haven't read it in the last ten or more years. Would it hold up? So many books/shows I liked back then do not.
I'm happy to say that I loved it just as much. "Talking animal" stories, stories about animals with cultures, social structures, all that, are my favorite kind of story, and this is one of the best examples of the genre.
This was also the book that made me worry that maybe I was actually a furry.
The plot centers around Ratha and her clan. Set in a prehistoric world, her feline clan (the Named) were different than other animals -- they had "light in their eyes" (self-awareness, thus the ability to have names and to speak). Most of their species, and all other animals on the planet, lacked self-awareness -- they were just plain dumb animals with empty eyes.
Because the "Un-Named" (their species without the self-awareness) outnumbered the Named so greatly, the Named were always under pressure of extinction. One day lightning strikes, starting a forest fire, and Ratha realizes how fire could change their lives. She's just a young female cub though, and the leader of the Named drives her out because of the challenge the power of the fire (called "Red Tongue") might be to his rule. (One of the many things I enjoyed about this book was that it wasn't simple -- the clan leader was correct, to hold his power he did have to drive her out... even if it would hurt the Named in the end.)
Driven away from the Named's lands, Ratha met an Un-Named male (who she named Bonechewer) and fell in love with him. Cats of the book's world experienced heat, and then-younger me found the sex between Ratha and Bonechewer to be oddly sexy and hot, thus my Furry worries. Even more oddly, I found the heat scenes to still be quite sexy. How I could find two cats having sex could be hot is beyond me, but I did.
I loved every part of the book. The Named clan structure and how they were herding other animals, the Un-Named "culture". The plot was great and exciting, and the characters were all wonderfully believable. (Ratha is so wonderfully flawed -- she tries hard, but she's young and very much not perfect.) While it is a YA book, it is fully and totally enjoyable to adult readers as well.
This book had one other big strong point: It did that very rare thing where I didn't feel at all like I was reading, instead I saw the entire thing play out in my head. Even when I get lost in a book, I'm almost always aware that I'm reading and imagining it, but in Ratha's Creature it's like I skipped the middle 'reading' step and was getting it sent straight into my head.
ksd1441's review against another edition
3.0
(This is another book for which I wish GoodReads allowed fractions of stars, but anyway)...
I picked this up as a Read-a-like for the Warriors Series, which I love to pieces. This book had a similar feel, while still holding a very separate identity. I would indeed recommend it to someone looking to for new "animal-related fantasy."
In many ways, this story reminded me of the Lion King. And, since this is copyrighted in 1983, it came first! The main character, Ratha, is far from perfect.. and I love it when protagonists are laden with flaws. She is irritable, indecisive, very prideful, and perhaps a bit too nosy. However, she makes up for it by being quite brave, resourceful, and for her ability to adapt to change. Her surroundings and way of life change so much during her first year of adulthood, and she just rolled with the punches.
The storyline did lag a bit during the middle, but it was worth it. You meet her Creature pretty soon, and it vanishes until the last fifty pages. I kept wondering why the book was named after it, but the reader will see why (I don't want to give any spoilers!). I can see how this first book could expand into a series, and I look forward to the next book.
I picked this up as a Read-a-like for the Warriors Series, which I love to pieces. This book had a similar feel, while still holding a very separate identity. I would indeed recommend it to someone looking to for new "animal-related fantasy."
In many ways, this story reminded me of the Lion King. And, since this is copyrighted in 1983, it came first! The main character, Ratha, is far from perfect.. and I love it when protagonists are laden with flaws. She is irritable, indecisive, very prideful, and perhaps a bit too nosy. However, she makes up for it by being quite brave, resourceful, and for her ability to adapt to change. Her surroundings and way of life change so much during her first year of adulthood, and she just rolled with the punches.
The storyline did lag a bit during the middle, but it was worth it. You meet her Creature pretty soon, and it vanishes until the last fifty pages. I kept wondering why the book was named after it, but the reader will see why (I don't want to give any spoilers!). I can see how this first book could expand into a series, and I look forward to the next book.
storycat's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
75891814514's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
heartsib's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0