So, I've absolutely adored these books for years and I'm so grateful to my grandma who bought me these books like 15 years ago. They're among my most favorites and there seems to be so very little talk about it, so I'll talk.
It's a book series by a British Muslim author S. F. Said about talking cats for younger audiences. However, it has some spooky and darker stuff, and a gothic vibe by the great illustrations of Dave McKean, some of the creepier stuff made creepier by the fact that we never fully learn what exactly they are.
It has a lot of things people who have read the more popular Warriors AKA Warrior Cats are familiar with: a pet cat leaves his home and becomes wild, there's cat groups fighting over territory, and there is supernatural and spiritual elements with an ancestor acting as a guide in dreams and teaching about principles (and this time the ancestor is actually wise and useful.) However, in many ways, I think this short series of only 2 books (so far) is better than Warriors, which is a series I like but has many flaws.
The story starts in an old, large rich-people house on a hill surrounded by walls, owned by the old lady Contessa. She owns a family of 10 cats of the rare and classy Mesopotamian Blue breed. Most of them are aloof, spoiled and consider themselves the noblest of all cats and call themselves Paws.
The main protagonist, young Varjak Paw is often shun by his family members for his "wrong" eye color (the others have green,) especially by his big brother Julius who calls it the "color of danger" and blames him for their ill owner almost never being around anymore and shutting herself up in the room upstairs.
The only one who supports Varjak is his wise grandfather, who tells him about the adventures of their great ancestor Jalal, who originated from Mesopotamia and was a great fighter, hunter and traveler until he ended up spending his last days in the very house the family lives in. The grandpa Elder Paw knows their kin used to be wild cats who knew The Way, mysterious skills all cats once knew that have been lost through generations of domestication and now the Elder Paw only knows 3 out of 7. The other family except for Varjak couldn't care less about these old stories and just want to eat, relax and keep their fur clean.
One day, things finally change in the house when a mysterious man the cats dub Gentleman arrives with his two black cats. The cats move unnaturally and are expressionless with their pitch black eyes. They go inside Contessa's room where Varjak's family isn't allowed and the black cats seem to be left on guard. The young cat is very worried about what's going on, but his family only cares about the food the Gentleman gives them and they figure he's like the many guests Contessa used to have back in the day.
The Elder Paw once again is on Varjak's side and shares his feeling that something is very wrong, but loses his leadership position as the other family turns against him. And so, he decided they have to get help from the outside world, where the family has never set a foot on for several generations. However, they are caught while trying to leave by the mysterious black cats, and Elder Paw manages to give Varjak a chance to escape and tells him to find the fierce being known in the stories as a Dog, believing it has the power to chase away the Gentleman.
This is the beginning of the story, and after that Varjak needs to survive and learn to hunt, and get along with cats and gangs that roam the city...and the huge things with bright glowing eyes running on the roads he assumes to be the legendary Dogs.
After having an accident and losing consciousness, he dreams of being in Mesopotamia and meets his ancestor Jalal, who begins to teach him The Way in his dreams–kind of like martial arts mixed with survival skills for cats.
He befriends two female city cats: a black-and-white Holly who is a bit rough on the edges, and Holly's friend Tam, a chubby chocolate brown cat who is friendly and fun. As he learns the ways of the city, Varjak hears about mysterious Disappearings and sees cat-like figures Holly explains are toys for human kids...but they seem a bit.......too real.
So, while that's what the first book focuses on, the sequel The Outlaw Varjak Paw focuses more on the antagonistic gang leader Sally Bones, who only made a brief appearance in the first book.
A very unnerving cat whose mere presence makes one shiver, a pure white one-eyed cat who is all skin and bones yet an absolutely terrifying and extremely skilful opponent, who even mysteriously knowns about Jalal and his Way and has nothing but contempt for them. There are many rumors and stories about her, like that she originally came to the city from the North, is actually 100 years old, always uses different name in a new place, and only moves at night because she is so evil the sunshine would kill her.
She has now taken over nearly the entire city and makes a law that those who aren't part of her gang aren't allowed to move inside her territory. Those who break the rule get their ears and tails torn off and get shown around and humiliated as a public warning.
Varjak and his friends are deemed outlaws...but aren't the only ones, as there's also the tough and aggressive three Siamese sisters known as The Scratch Sisters and two muscular himbo brothers known as the Orrible Twins (the two gangs hate each other,) and a group of peaceful cats living close to the city harbour. Varjak and his friends decide they must stop Sally Bones or die trying.
I adore this series and unfortunately there isn't a third book. However, the author stated in 2016 that he feels sure there will be a third book: since he was a kitten in the first book and a grown-up in the sequel, S. F. Said feels the third book should be about old Varjak teaching The Way to the younger generations. However, before writing the book, he feels he needs to get a bit older himself.
