Pirate cats. I’ll say it again Pirate Cats. This is an entire book about Pirate Cats. Imo you’re either sold by that from the start or not, but I’ll try to put into words how great having a book about pirate cats is.

I got an ARC from the publisher, which I only begged for out of impatience cause I had this baby on preorder minutes after I saw Krista D. Ball tweet about pirate cats.

I loved this anthology, all the different kinds of cats, from common house cats to shape shifters to bipedal human-sized cats. The settings also very wildy from ye olde pirate setting, to modern to space faring pirates. I really loved all the settings where cats had more lives, and how feline reincarnation was explored.

Usually with anthologies I only talk about a few stories I liked best, but in this case there was something I liked in each of them, so I’ll mention them all

The Pride by Megan Fennell

I thought this was a great choice for the opening story, even though the main character was not a cat, which was a tad confusing. I really liked how developed this story is, I always love it when a short story managed to give the sense of a complete world and rounded-out real characters. The main character’s backstory, revealed only in small bits, but obviously important drew me in, I really felt for him. This story is set in what I’d call a classic pirate setting, with islands and ports controlled by different factions, ship to ship battles, and well, the added shape shifters.

The Comeback Kitty by S.G. Wong

This one features a manipulative ghost cat in a pretty steampunk setting, a quick reminder that cats can be furry little self-centered assholes. I really liked how very small scale and personal this story was.

The Motley Crew by Rebecca Brae

Ah, a pirate adventure on the high sea! Sailing fast to catch the prize. But wait, why is this dangerous cat on board, and why does she have such firm opinions about where the ship should sail? Contained an absolutely heartbreaking scene, but overall I liked it.

Whiti te Ra by Grace Bridges

Another one which is a reminder of cat’s nature, this was a fun and quick modern day story, with a cunning and quick thinking kitty.

The Growing of the Green by Lizz Donnelly

Feature sword fighting space pirate cats, colonialism and cheesy puns. Yeah, I loved it.

The Cat and the Cook  by Blake Liddell

I liked how this story gave me a strong sense of being there, on the ship. And the white fluffy monster sounded both evil and cute. I could also relate very well to the character’s driving lust for adventure.

Pirates Only Love Treasure by Frances Pauli

The one involved a lot of sneaking around on an island and a heartwarming tale of a grumpy old cat who still had some life in him.

Buccaneer’s revenge by JB Riley

With the gruesome opening scene I was sure I’d hate this one. But luckily there was a plot twist on page two, and it ended up being pretty fun, and had the most ridiculous puns.

The Furgeld Collector by Joseph Halden

I loved the worldbuilding here, the setting was interesting and a bit creepy. One of the stories where I found myself very invested in the outcome.

Cat Out of Hell by Leslie Van Zwol

This was took the most unexpected turns to me, so I don’t want to talk too much about it and give it away. I wasn’t that keen on the characters, but I loved the images.

The Perfect Kibble by Krista D. Ball

This is one of my favorites because the typical cat is exactly like our little furry assholes, that I have no doubt would cause the same mayhem, for the same reason.

“Your just a cat, as you say, caused three million dollar’s worth of damage to the patrol ship, the HMS Dartmouth.

Like I said, she’s a very typical cat”

All Cats Go to Valhalla by Chadwick Ginther

Probably the darkest story in the book, between the storm and the death and the creepy monster. In this case my favorite part was a pretty big spoiler, but it was cool.

Cat at the Helm by Rose Strickman

I was not expecting a witchy urban fantasy to sneak into this one, but of course, cats are the traditional witches’ familiar! Loved the outcome here.

A Royal Saber’s Work is Never Done by Beth Cato

I thought this was such a good choice to end the anthology. It was a story that had it all, a sea battle, a developed main character with a lot of backstory, a lot of context about the greater world, danger, and a hint of romance.

Goodreads link

Amazing cat cover by Sarah Dahlinger