The Wild Road: A Novel

by Gabriel King

Book Overview

Tag, a naive young cat, is called upon to participate in the greatest adventure in cat history, to save the Queen of Cats from the scheming Alchemist. He is destined to learn of friendship and love,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345423038
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Del Rey
• Length: 460 Pages
• Weight: 0.53 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 1.3" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Is this the best animal story ever written?

I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone who loves animals and/or is interested in history and mythology. It is an original fantasy story with a cast of adorable feline characters who, I'm warning you now, you will become very attached to. Young Tag's quest is gripping, exciting, scary and at times heartbreaking. The author clearly knows a lot about cats, both on a practical level (good descriptions of how they see, smell etc) and about their role in history. There are some lovely descriptions which are brilliantly imagined from a cat's viewpoint, and the characters are wonderfully portrayed. (By the time I had finished it, I wanted to take Sealink home!). As I mentioned earlier, you can't help but feel for the characters. Maybe this isn't the book for the more faint-hearted animal lovers as some of the descriptions might prove to be a bit upsetting. But overall, The Wild Road is a beautifully written, involving book which you won't forget. Also, it will change the way you look at the relationship between cats and humans. Quite simply the best book I've ever read!

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!

Undeniably the best fictional "cat" book I have ever read!

The Wild Road is an enchanting adventure that will make you laugh out loud, cry tears of joy and sorrow, and mourn the loss of some loved characters along the way. It is also a tale that reminds us of the horrible conditions that cats around the world must endure at the hands of uncaring and selfish human beings.Throughout the tale, you grow to know Tag very well, the kitten who is chosen by the great Majicou to complete the grand task of bringing the King and Queen of cats to Tintagel. There is much adventure and suspense along the way, wondering if Tag is really up for the job at times, which of his friends will make it through to the end, and what exactly will happen if they do make it to this mysterious place called Tintagel. There are some sad goodbyes, but also some wonderful surprises along the way for all characters involved. The scenery described by the author is amazing and really helps to draw readers into the story, making it that much more enjoyable. Character development is very skillful, and with a range of personalities - Tag, unsure but determined and truely caring of all of his friends, the hysterical mocking Magpie, One for Sorrow, who constantly made me laugh, the loyal fox and friend, Loves a Dustbin, the well travelled and spirited Sealink, and who can forget Ragnar and Pertelot who grow from helpless, scared cats into strong, proud leaders. I literally could not put this book down and will be eagerly awaiting the sequel. This book is a MUST read for cat lovers everywhere!

intensely rich and satisfying reading experience

Gabriel King's new novel "The Wild Road" was a terrific read, for several reasons. First, the language of the novel was richly musical and wonderfully descriptive. So, too, was the dialogue. The author got the regional dialects and colloquialisms exactly right, and the dialoguewas a true window into the souls of the characters. They were so richly drawn, each one such an individual persona! The characterizations had marvelous depth, and even more remarkable, the author had an eerily uncanny way of portraying the workings of the feline mind! I wondered how he did this! I have three cats of my own, and I saw each one of them in this exciting and quite haunting novel. I literally couldn't put the book down, and I look forward eagerly to a sequel. The only drawback was that the parts involving the Alchemist were sometimes difficult to follow- I wondered sometimes just what was actually going on. Major suspension of disbelief in a few passages! However, these problems were certainly overshadowed by the towering eloquence of the writing and the real empathy created for the main characters and sustained throughout. Highly recommended! was a true window into the soul of each character. The characters were richly drawn, brought to life with great sensitivity and an eerie awareness of feline sensibilities! (how didd the author do that?!) I have three cats myself, and I saw each one of them in this haunting book.