Product Description

In the grand storytelling style of Watership Down and Tailchaser's Song comes an epic tale of adventure and danger, of heroism against insurmountable odds, and of love and comradeship among extraordinary animals who must brave The Wild Road . . .

Secure in a world of privilege and comfort, the kitten Tag is happy as a pampered house pet--until the dreams come. Dreams that pour into his safe, snug world from the wise old cat Majicou: hazy images of travel along the magical highways of the animals, of a mission, and of a terrible responsibility that will fall on young Tag. Armed with the cryptic message that he must bring the King and Queen of cats to Tintagel before the spring equinox, Tag ventures outside. Meanwhile, an evil human known only as the Alchemist doggedly hunts the Queen for his own ghastly ends. And if the Alchemist captures her, the world will never be safe again . . .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #77357 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03-01
• Released on: 1999-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 460 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780345423030
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
When a runaway kitten named Tag meets a mysterious black cat named Majicou in his dreams, he learns he is destined for bigger things. Called by Majicou, Tag enters the Wild Road, a magical highway known only to the animals, and learns that he is needed to find the King and Queen of cats and bring them safely to Tintagel. When Tag accepts the quest, he has no idea of the long and dangerous road he's begun. Prophecy says this Queen of cats, latest in a long line of feline royalty bred by a dastardly human scientist called the Alchemist, will give birth to the Golden Cat, the key to riches and power. As if the threat of capture by the Alchemist weren't enough, Tag has his paws full just finding the Queen and protecting her from the dangers of the outside world. Fortunately, he has the help of allies like the Maine Coon cat Seaklink and scarred old veteran Mousebreath, as well as a fox named Loves A Dustbin and a crafty magpie called One For Sorrow. King's parade of animal characters is presented with a keen eye for the details of animal behavior. The cast may prove a bit too precious for general fantasy readers, but cat lovers and fans of anthropomorphic fantasies such as Tailchaser's Song are guaranteed to enjoy this London-based author's enchanting debut.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA?This book promises readers a fine fantasy, but delivers much more?an epic and emotionally powerful story of animals, humans, and the ethics of their coexistence. A frame tale relates the spiritual traditions of cats and the history of their relationship with humans. The Wild Road of the title is a dimension containing the memories of all animals that have gone before. An evil sorcerer has tortured cats for many lifetimes in a quest to harness the power of the Wild Road and now, as a modern scientist, he is on the verge of succeeding. With a masterful use of language and plotting, King gradually reveals the true identity of the sorcerer and the great humor, love, and resilience of the small creatures destined to oppose him. Descriptions of felines suffering in human hands are graphic and horrible, but true to life; this is a war. Yet readers will find comfort in the wisdom the characters gain and the joy they find in life despite the evil they must fight. Like J. R. R. Tolkien, King creates humble and ordinary beings who undergo great trials, find extraordinary courage, and fight the good fight against impossible odds. Like Richard Adams, King breathes life into a rich and varied cast of creatures who talk, yet remain true to their animal natures. For teens who have appreciated other books that evoke a greater universe than that described by consensual reality, The Wild Road should be equally well loved and remembered.?Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Young gray kitten Tag lives an easy housebound life with his ``dulls'' (people) until he's tempted to dash outside, where, distracted by a magpie, a fox, and a mysterious old one-eyed black cat named Majicou, he gets lost and must adopt the precarious life of a stray on east London's hard streets. There is, of course, a purpose to all this: Tag's task, so Majicou says, is to find the king and queen of cats and bring them to Tintagel before the spring equinox. Majicou--he's the caretaker of the wild roads, ancient energy channels used by animals to travel in space and time, and composed of the souls, or ghosts, of cats--warns Tag of the evil Alchemist (King's hint that he's really Isaac Newton, thoroughly nasty though he may have been, is hard to swallow) who's trying to gain control of the roads through magic, selective breeding, and by horrible experiments on cats. Tag soon discovers the King, Ragnar, and the Queen, Pertelot Fitzwilliam, but loses them after the Alchemist makes a magical grab for Pertelot (she's key to his plans). So, with his helpers, the magpie One for Sorrow, the fox Loves a Dustbin, Mousebreath the cockney cat, Sealink the New England calico, and poor, mad Cy, who has a spark plug implanted in her head, courtesy of the Alchemist, Tag must head for a showdown at Tintagel in Cornwall. Though in places uncomfortably reminiscent of Paul Gallico's classic Jennie, a debut with tingling ideas, respectable characters, rousing adventures, and well-versed cat lore; pity the plot makes little or no sense. Still, definitely deserving a look by fantasy-ailurophiles. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Much better than I expected!
I picked up this book expecting it to be sentimental and silly. I was very pleasantly surprised. Firstly, the author uses language beautifully, and has a keen eye for animal behavior. Secondly, the plot and characters are refreshingly original -- while reminiscent of Adams' excellent The Plague Dogs, the book resembles Tailchaser's Song (which I didn't like) rather little, and I'm not sure what the reviewer was thinking who made the connection with Gallico's book. If I have a criticism, it's that the villain ( so far -- I'm not quite done with the book) has a nebulous, confusing quality which makes him less than purely terrifying. Overall, this is an excellent fantasy, very much intended for intelligent adults.

One of the best!
Wonderful, amazing, fantasitic... Right away, this book became one of my favorites. It was adventurous and fun, and I couldn't put it down. I guess one of The Wild Road's secrets is that you fall in love with the characters from the first chapter and from then on you're eager to see what's going to happen next. The plot is very exciting and isn't like anything I read ever before. Being a cat lover, I cannot wish for a better book, because not only is it a very interesting story, it also present the reader with a problem of the cruel treatment of animals in labs. I recomment The Wild Road to all cat lovers! I have re-read it a couple of times, and each time it gets my interest from the first word, and keeps it to the last. Purrrs!

The WIld Road
The Wild Road is a terrific fantasy starring a cat named Tag, and a wonderfully colorful cast of characters including a fox called "Loves A Dustbin" and a bird dubbed "One For Sorrow"

The Wild Road is a little long and hard to understand for younger readers, and you may want to set it down a few times before you finish. It tells the sotry of mythical highways called 'The Wild Roads', and a never-ending battle between a cat and an Alchemist. I dropped one star because of the confusing plotline, which makes the book hard to understand, but it all adds up in the end. I definately recommend thsi book to kids and adults alike.