Nancy Farmer is quite a well-known name in science fiction and fantasy.
However her first book, Lorelei: Story of a Bad Cat, doesn't seem to be very well known. One reason
it's not much known is that it was published in Harare and is now almost unobtainable. The book was
published in 1987 and there is some subtle allusion to the Rhodesian
conflict which had ended not long before.
Nancy Farmer went on to write the classic The Ear, the Eye and the Arm,
which won a highly prestigious Newbery Honor. It's a work of Afrofuturism (a term
only just appearing when written), imagining a future Africa which is technologically
advanced but has reclaimed its spiritual roots, as the background to a YA adventure.
The setting (a future Zimbabwe, not surprisingly in view of Farmer's familiarity
with the place and culture) is by no means an optimist's fantasy but a convincing complex of
good and bad aspects. It's a superb book, and there is now to be an animated film.
And yet—I prefer Lorelei. Lorelei is simpler, less sophisticated, but
it has a sense of white-hot inspiration with every sentence sparking. And I find
Lorelei, the cat of the title, a magnificent conception.
Of course, I'm a cat person.
The following is a discussion including a summary of the plot. Just in case you are hoping to read the
book, which is a long shot, I'm hiding it:
Lorelei is a Siamese cat and an anti-hero. However, her adventures form a
minor part of the story; its more about two children, Rachel the outgoing
sister and Evan her nervous and cynical brother, who make a series of
dangerous visits to an Otherworld, referred to by the Irish name Tir Na Og.
Their parents are back-to-nature types, and they have a hanger-on, Uncle Max,
an old seaman, tolerated partly because of his pension. Early in the story
Uncle Max relates how a shipmate stole a beautiful Siamese cat in Hong Kong,
one of the "cats of heaven and hell" at a shrine. Unfortunately, he didn't
check which. The cat, which they call Princess, caused chaos onboard,
creating jealousy among the crew, and was seen prancing impossibly on
deck in a terrible storm. A wave swept the captain—and Princess—overboard,
and then swept them back on. The suggestion is that Lorelei, when she
turns up, is Princess.
The parents have moved into an old country house (in order to live a healthier
life and grow food) and they get a cat, Lorelei, from the shelter.
However this house was once the home of a magician. A door into the
Otherworld exists there, and the children discover it. Lorelei goes to and
fro between worlds as she pleases. She makes friends with the neighbours'
cats, who she considers far beneath her, because they have good food, whereas
the parents of the children try to feed her on vegetarian fare.[1]
Eventually Lorelei gets into trouble with her people and the neighbours
and ships out. Uncle Max, who suspects she is Princess, says she may be back.
There is a Door, and the children make three trips into Tir Na Og.
In the first, they run into Queen Bradamanta the Silent, who is a bit
surprised as they aren't the usual arrivals, people who hate themselves
and come to get their hearts' desire from her. (They also encounter Lord
Erebus, a servant of Queen Bradamanta, who seems to come from the Real
World and may be the old magician.) In a second, they try to bring back gold.
They do get back with one coin. In a third they find a beautiful land of
flying horses, who give them a ride.
What the story captures is the menace of Fairyland. The Otherworld is the
land of Heart's Desire, supposedly, but nothing seems to work out the way you
hoped. Queen Bradamanta the Silent can give you your wish, but after a year
you end up as her slave in a "Protected Village" (a reference to enforced
separation of villages from guerillas in the real Zimbabwean war). The gold
coin they bring back is a Krugerrand, which their parents disapprove of
(though ultimately use). The flying horses are giving them a ride because
they're handing them over to Queen Bradamanta as their annual gift. They're
really sorry about this, and rather ashamed, but what are you going to do?
Overall, the children do OK, but only by good luck and a little help
from their friends—Lorelei on the first trip and the family's horse, who
is dreaming, turning up in the third.
On another occasion Rachel goes through the Door and finds herself in
the past, meeting their elderly neighbour as a girl—Rachel is rather
shocked, as the elderly neighbour is a kind woman and this little girl is
cruel and conceited. The girl goes through the Door and meets her older
self, which seems to help both of them.
At one point Lorelei relates the story of her uncle Algol to the neighbouring
cats. Algol is definitely a bad cat, but is Lorelei really a bad cat?
She gets on quite well with the children, and sleeps with Evan, or
occasionally Rachel. She is not a good cat, and in some ways she is malevolent.
And yet—she is simply herself. You kidnapped the cat of hell, what did you
expect? The seamen Uncle Max knew are not all such a nice bunch either,
but he takes people as he finds them, including Lorelei. Lorelei is
occasionally helpful to the children, perhaps because it suits her,
but they do give her the appropriate respect.
Nancy Farmer moved on in her writing and Lorelei isn't mentioned on her website
https://nancyfarmer.weebly.com[2],
presumably because of its unavailability. But if you ever find it, read it.
[1] Lorelei has a point here. Cats, unlike dogs, cannot live on a plant diet. [Return]
[2] Do look at this. She has a fascinating life story [Return]