REVIEW: Catalyst: A Rip Roaring Science Fiction Romance Adventure (Cat Ship Book 1) by Jody Wallace
She found him in the trash. Things can only get better from there.
Dance teacher Wil Tango, adopted by a cat who needs to make use of his opposable thumbs, knows all too well the primary rule of their arrangement: never reveal the cat is a genius. Their clever scheme to win all the jackpots on Gizem Station works until a bigwig gets suspicious, and he finds himself stuffed in a stasis box and shipped to Garbage Planet. At least he’s got the cat for company.
Sulari Abfall, scrapyard picker extraordinaire, thinks she’s scored when she earns access to the latest offload from Gizem Station. Their trash is her treasure, and the profits from her recycling program should provide more than enough to upgrade her clunky garbage scow into a clunky tow ship, a huge step up in trash hierarchy. When she’s drawn to a hazardous waste container, she finds more than she ever bargained for.
A naked man. And a sentient cat.
But unsealing the stasis pod sends an interspace signal back to Gizem Station—and the vengeful VIP who thought Wil was dead. It will take all the wits of a lovely garbage scow captain, a down on his luck dance instructor, and a brave orange feline to defeat a gang intent on mayhem, murder, and a galactic catnapping that could change the course of the future for the entire Obsidian Rim.
Tropes: disabled characters, animal main characters, running from the mob, saving each other, midlife characters, famous hero
But hold on a minute. Cats didn’t talk.
“This one does,” the cat said. “And you can’t tell anybody, and we need your help.”
Dear Ms. Wallace,
I thought a friend of mine recommended this to me but when I went to thank her, she denied all knowledge however after reading the blurb she now wants to read the book herself so I have no idea who recommended this book to me but yay – talking cat. Pumpkin is a bonus. Anyway, whoever told me about it made a good rec.
Sulari Abfall meets up with Wil Tango and Pumpkin while she’s picking a load of trash. The humans on Trash Planet eek out an existence recycling as much as they can from what gets hauled there. Su knows what she wants to haul back to her box factory but she didn’t count on a naked man and a talking cat entering her life. A villain (fairly one dimensional, actually) is after Pumpkin because apparently cats are now rare and treasured even though Pumpkin can be a snot at times. Can Su and Wil, with Pumpkin’s help when he’s there, as he has the ability to wink in and out whenever he wants, avoid the evil man trying to snatch Pumpkin and kill anyone who gets in his way?
There’s actually more going on in the book as there are bickering Unions on Trash Planet, an endangered species, and Su’s got some family issues from long ago that will pop up later on. Due to the damage done to her truck and haul, Su’s not happy but she just can’t leave Wil and Pumpkin to be grabbed by the asshat. When Asshat also threatens her people and her factory, Su’s really pissed. She and Pumpkin also tangle a bit about the cat’s propensity to pop in and out of the scene, withholding of information, and general cattitude.
“So…many…boxes.” He jumped out of the plastene container and raced across the floor to a much smaller box made of thin brown material. He was too big for it, his sides overflowing as he squeezed himself in.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Su stuck her hands on her hips. “I didn’t hide anything from you. Do not rip that box. It’s valuable. Made out of a plant pulp substance called cardboard.”
“I love it. It’s mine,” Pumpkin said.
Wil is not totally innocent as he’s knowingly helped Pumpkin fleece several casinos out of a shit ton of money – even with his cattitude, Pumpkin still needs someone (with a clean soul) who has opposable thumbs. As all of them bash about trying to avoid capture and think of a way to get Wil and Pumpkin to safety while also ensuring the safety of Su and her people, readers are along for a fun ride.
“You are,” Pumpkin admitted. “Wil already was. I acknowledge that you have sacrificed a great deal.”
Su resisted the urge to hold out her arms. They should seal it with a cuddle, but Pumpkin didn’t seem inclined.
I don’t actually mind when a lot of details in SF or fantasy stuff gets skimmed over. I’d rather that than tortuous explanations that don’t make sense or eventually don’t follow their own rules. I just accept that Pumpkin can talk and teleport. The emphasis of the story is on the people and cat rather than tech. Su and Wil feel sexual attraction which they eventually act on but the skip to deeper feelings does happen fairly quickly. I laughed when Wil is recognized by super fans who appreciate his dancing abilities and want to save him because of that. It’s also fun to have an action heroine and an along-for-the-ride hero – even if he eventually rises to the occasion and does his share of lifting to save the day. This book wraps up its action but ends setting the stage for the next book which I’m looking forward to. B
~Jayne
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I like this. Thanks, Jayne.
@Darlynne: A sentient cat with cattitude. How can you go wrong? ☺
The sentient cat reminds me of John Scalzi’s book, STARTER VILLAIN, which has sentient cats, unionized dolphins planning a work stoppage if their demands aren’t met, a not-so-secret hideaway under a volcano, and more villains than one can shake a stick at. Very fun book.
@Susan/DC: Yes, love that book. It’s too bad that Scalzi has said he’s going back to spaceships and aliens.
https://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/review-starter-villain-by-john-scalzi/