The Cat Who… Companion
Sharon A. Feaster
Penguin Putnam Inc.
14.00 $
pp 357

If you are a lover of cats and mystery, Lilian Jackson Braun’s ‘The Cat Who…’ mysteries will definitely be catnip for you! She is the author of more than 25 books about Koko and Yum Yum – and their human companion Jim Qwilleran. Qwilleran is a crime reporter who inherits an enormous fortune, and lives with his two cats in Moose County, 4oo miles north of everywhere. Koko and Yum Yum are lovable, aristocratic Siamese. While Yum Yum is a charmer, attracted to all things glittering, there’s more to Koko than meets the eye. With his uncanny sense of right and wrong, Koko can sense wrongdoings and nudge Qwilleran into solving complicated murder mysteries. Koko and Qwilleran share great camaraderie, though Koko’s unusual powers of deduction sometimes flummox him. With all their special skills, they are also two very wily and spoilt cats who can’t stand anything with ‘cat food’ written on it, and demand gourmet meals from their humble servant!

The books are all written very well, and reading each new Cat Who… book feels like revisiting old friends. Each book is a story in itself, but they trace Qwilleran’s and his friend’s lives in Moose County. The books make you want to be a resident of Moose County, and with the aim of really getting to know about Qwilleran's life, Sharon A. Feaster has come up with the Cat who… Companion. The book contains all the information there is about Moose county and its residents. There is also a detailed map, complete with all the famous landmarks from the books. There is a synopsis of each of the Cat Who… books and an alphabetical list of all the characters and their quirks.

The Cat Who… Companion sheds light on Qwilleran’s tastes and habits, and tells us about the cats’ favorite games and pastimes. It also includes an interview of the author Lilian Jackson Braun, in which she shares her
experiences wither own cats, and reveals new aspects of her characters. There is also a short quiz for those who know the books inside out, a fitting treat for all the ‘Cat Who…’ fans.

Whether you are old friends with James Qwilleran and Moose County, or a relative newcomer, ‘The Cat Who… Companion’ lives up to its name, a fitting companion for all book and cat lovers.

The Potion of Eternity
Sonja Chandrachud
Puffin books
Rs 195
pp 181

Invoke all the creatures that ever lived within the realms of witchcraft, wizardry and dark magic, throw in lots of action and adventure, add dollops of humour, and what do you get? A hilarious hauntings adventure - The Potion of Eternity.
An unusual protagonist, Count Drunkula Von D’eth, a Transylvanian vampire and secret agent for the Wizard Organization Worldwide (WOW), has been asked to concoct the Potion of Eternity and its antidote before it is contaminated. However he encounters some problems on the way and his crazy family consisting of his wife, a hot-headed Indian Tantrika, his mother, a mean hag, and his three children – a water sprite, a Vetal and a Psychic, all drive him nuts. His mistakes and adventures form the rest of the story.

With so many books about magic doing the rounds, ‘The Potion of Eternity’ may seem a bit monotonous to die-hard magical fans. The innumerable characters and sub-plots are a little difficult to keep up with, though the author’s imagination must be lauded. A little more lucidity could have worked wonders for this magical tryst. If you enjoy reading about a world jam-packed with magical characters from all countries and traditions, then ‘The Potion of Eternity’ is a must read for you.

Sadarchita Prasad
I PUC, Mount Carmel College