The Apocalypse Doesn’t Stand a Chance.
Creative Staff
Editor: Lyn Worthen
What They Say
It’s time to turn the “man and his dog wandering through a dystopian world” trope on its head, and tell the stories about cats and their women – their badass women!
Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse wanders through broken worlds with stories of survival, technology, magic, and sheer determination. But – like their cats – the authors frequently slipped out the upstairs window or knocked things off of countertops, and their stories are stronger for it.
In these pages, cats help their women find a better life, protect and defend and fight for the women who have sheltered and protected them – and vice-versa. Because these are not only stories about surviving troubled times, but of the relationships between the women and their cats, between the members of communities both small and large, and how they thrive, even in the face of catastrophic loss.
Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse – it’s time to take them seriously!
Contains stories by Mia Moss, Hannah Hulbert, L.C.W. Allingham, Audrey McLennan, Hannah Trusty, Annie Reed, Caryn Larrinaga, Karli Sullivan, Misha Herwin, Joy Kennedy-O’Neill, Leigh Saunders, J. Ivanel Johnson, Carol Gyzander, Joanna Z. Weston, Kathryn Carson, Meyari McFarland, Sidney Williams, Joe Borrelli, Virginia Elizabeth Hayes, Wayland Smith, and C.J. Erick. Edited by Lyn Worthen
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
In the interest of full disclosure, and because I possess a modicum of journalistic integrity, I should start by saying that one of the authors in this anthology is a good buddy of mine, so perhaps I’m a bit biased towards his story (which is very good, by the way). That being said, it’s always a bit of a dicey proposition to review a friend’s work. What if his was the only story I liked in this anthology? Worse yet, what if his story wasn’t the strongest and I had to give the reviewer equivalent of “it has a nice personality”? Thankfully, neither is the case here. Cat Ladies of the Apocalypse is a fun anthology that has a little bit for everyone, provided they like cats and/or apocalypses.
You want stories about disastrous climate change? Cat Ladies has got you covered.
You want good, old fashioned zombies? Cat Ladies has got you covered.
You want Cthulhu? Cat Ladies has got you covered.
Cat Ladies features stories of women knitting kitty battle suits out of quantum thread; two-gunned grannies riding the waste on a motorcycle with two cats riding shotgun in saddlebags; daring horseback librarians who cast spells; and brilliant botanists trying to bring life back to the earth, all the while dodging cultists. I wasn’t joking when I said there was something for everyone here, and a great deal of my enjoyment came from the surprise at seeing just how the apocalypse happened, who the women are, and how the cats are involved in each story, because no two tale in this anthology is alike, and that’s no mean feat.
The writing is strong in this book, and the stories are immediately engaging. These authors have a real knack for hooking you from the start and limning their worlds without bogging you down in exposition. There’s also a thread of hope that runs throughout the entire collection that is very welcome right now, considering our circumstances. It reminds me of something Harlan Ellison said about the science fiction genre: we may be enslaved, we may be starving, we may be at our wit’s end, but we’re still alive, and that’s infinitely hopeful. As long as we’re alive, we have the chance to make things better as long as we hold to the bonds of fellowship and charity. Having a cat also helps, too.
The timing of this release does bear mentioning. Depending on your point of view, this was either bad luck or just the right moment. At the time of this writing, the entire world is in the grip of a pandemic. It’s not an apocalypse, but it’s a time of great upheaval and tension. At first blush, it might seem in poor taste to release a book like this, but I disagree. I think this is exactly the moment. Stories like this allow for us to interrogate and explore our fears, and discover ways of dealing with them. We can find hope and power in seeing these women and cats struggle and hopefully use that to discover our own strength and courage and humanity. Reading this has been a real source of comfort to me, and it can be one for you, too.
In Summary
Anthologies are tricky even if you don’t have a friend in them. You might get one or two really standout stories and then a handful of ones you had no idea why they were included. I have to say that I enjoyed every story in this collection, which is something I rarely say about an anthology. Lyn Worthen did a fantastic job curating and collecting these stories, and in a genre that is rather played out, she has compiled something that is delightful and unique.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to research hypoallergenic cat breeds. Dr. J gives this an….
Content Grade: A
Age Rating: N/A
Released By: Camden Park Press
Release Date: April 13th, 2020
MSRP: $3.99 for Kindle, $16.95 for paperback
