Epeolatry Book Review: Black Cat Tales, An Anthology of Black Cats, ed. Francesca Maria & Mark Causey

Black Cat Tales features all manner of cats—solo cats, litters of cats, communities of cats; older cats and many, many kittens. There are rescue cats—and cats that rescue; robotic cats; witch’s familiars; ghost cats, and a host of other variations. But they all do what cats do: drink from a bowl of milk and eat their chicken bits, or respond with satisfied purrs when petted.

You’ll find stories and poems by established authors such as Mary A. Turzillo, Sumiko Saulson, and Edward Lodi, but also debut authors. There’s something for everyone: a vengeful ghost; a cat that dislikes a newly adopted stray; a cat that saves the victim of domestic abuse; a tiny kitten that brings its owners larger and larger dispatched prey; an irritating neighbor and his cat—are they what they seem? 

How could you not like “Schrödinger’s Dinner,” which opens with the line: It all began when I fed your grandfather to the cat. And later in the same story, the narrator notes: You probably have questions. How many men have I killed? I lost count a while ago, but you could dig up the bones under the deck and do the math if you want.

Don’t ask me for my favorite: I have many favorites in this volume. 

“The Cat and the Custom,” about a black cat among the human survivors on a lifeboat after the ship sinks. Just goes to show, even cats get hungry … 

Or, “The Golden Hairball,” about an older gent on the skids who adopts a black cat that … if you recall the fairytale about the goose that laid the golden egg, you’ll get the picture.

And there’s “The Vermin,” about a black rescue cat that’s not happy when the family adopts another feline.

In “Black as Shadow, Red as Blood, White as Bone,” featuring the black cat as a jaguar, the plot involves a traumatic residual haunting at a zoo.

And “Little Black Kitten,” in which a seemingly abandoned country manor filled with dead cats has been taken over by the owner’s “grandson.” Katrya, who goes by Kat, of course, comes to the rescue.

Throughout the book, cats are always available to weigh in. Take this interaction in “Dark Stranger,” in which a cat moves in with the new homeowner, who is fixing up the place.

The cat sat before the [cellar] door, the way cats do while waiting for someone to let them through. “Eager to get started?” Laurie said. “I suppose you intend to supervise while I do all the work.”

Yes.

And Laurie discovers that the cellar hides … well, this is a horror anthology.

/5

Available from Amazon.