Can't remember the title, talking cats and astronauts

[dvaessen]

Hey!

 

I've been searching high and low for the title of a book that I just can't seem to find. Suffice to say, it's driving me absolutely nuts. It's about a race of sentient cats that can talk to one another and live in communities (villages), on a different world. The lead character, a female cat, is banished from her village for one reason or another and finds herself having to travel across the world (full circle) to be allowed back into the village (I think).

 

Along the way she meets 2 human astronauts and at one point joins one of them in search of the other one, who has wandered off on his own. I also vaguely remember something about high mountains that they climbed, low energy levels of the astronauts' equipment and a radioactive area. Also something with really big aerial creatures that one of the astronauts shot down (I think. Was black IIRC).

 

I read the book in Dutch but there has to be an English version as well, so figured I would post it on English forums as well, ha!

 

Thanks!

[Chrissy]

'Ratha's Creature' by Claire Bell?

Clare Bell’s prehistoric feline fantasy takes us into the world of a clan of sentient cats called the Named and one spirited yearling named Ratha. Back in print after many years, these works are back on the shelf and in the hands of eager readers again.

This first book is Ratha’s story, her journey in discovering her own strength as she changes roles from herder, to rebel, exile and heroine. When a spirited Ratha discovers ways to handle the fire that so terrifies her people, she doesn’t realize that her actions will lead to exile, and a loss of all she’s ever known. As Ratha is forced to grow up and struggle through hardship to find her way, she must learn what road to travel, despite the price she pays to walk it. When the Clan who exiled her is threatened with being destroyed, she must decide if she will be the key to their survival against the attacks of the Unnamed.(MostlyFiction.com)

[Univerze]

If it's the book Crissy mentions it's not the book I am thinking about, but I might have the same problem, can it be that this book's a kid's book, or YA? It rings a bell, is this on a world where there are storms with very high wind velocities, the book I read might have been on Jupiter (I know there's no life possibly there but the book pretends it's different than what we know of it).

 

Anyway.. although the energy levels etc and aerial creatures don't sound familiar, it's possible I have been looking for this book for ages too. Also, read it in Dutch. Are we sure it's not a Dutch book? I know dutch sci-fi is rare, but still.

Edited May 17, 2010 by Univerze

[Chrissy]

The only thing I could find for Dutch Science Fiction writers was here on Wiki.

 

I'm intrigued by this book now, and it sounds like something a friend of mine would love, so I better hope that it is found, and that it can be found in translation!

[dvaessen]

Wow! Quick response haha, thanks to the both of you:)

Unfortunately, I don't think it's Ratha's Creature. AFAIK it was much less dramatic, no saving the world type of stuff (at least, not form the start I think). Univerze, the high winds stuff might just be in the book I am looking for as well, I think the cover depicted a red sand dune with a sort of wind-vehicle with a sail. Yes! I do think it had really high winds, I'm almost postive it did.

 

The aerial creatures were just in a short passage and the energy levels were I think what dispaired the astronauts, their energy packs were running out or something.

 

Would be amazing if we could find the book, and finish both our quests to find it, haha.

[BookJumper]

I don't know the titles as I haven't read them myself but I am reliably informed that Andre Norton has written several YA sci-fi books with cats in them; does her name ring a bell by any chance?

[Univerze]

Nope, it doesn't, and I have checked but I can't seem to find the book amongst hers. If only there would be a proper site with all book covers.

 

@dvaessen: that book cover does sound familiar. If I am not mistaken, these cat like creatures had this sort of hook on the end of their tails, like, a bony hook. Ring a bell?

[Chrissy]

Could it be related to this series of books?

[dvaessen]

I don't know the titles as I haven't read them myself but I am reliably informed that Andre Norton has written several YA sci-fi books with cats in them; does her name ring a bell by any chance?

 

Checked them all out but can't seem anything that rings a bell, fiddlesticks!

 

Nope, it doesn't, and I have checked but I can't seem to find the book amongst hers. If only there would be a proper site with all book covers.

 

@dvaessen: that book cover does sound familiar. If I am not mistaken, these cat like creatures had this sort of hook on the end of their tails, like, a bony hook. Ring a bell?

 

Can't give you an answer to that unfortunately, my mind is blank on this. Part of me says yes, part of me says no.

 

Could it be related to * this series of books?[/url]

 

Checked these out as well, but doesn't appear to be it either. The cat in the book was very interested in the humans IIRC, they developed a friendship.

 

 

 

Come to think of it, they might just have been talking TELEPATHICALLY to one another, and not being able to talk to the human astronauts at all. Darn, I know that sort of changes loads, sorry! I think this was it though, she (the feline lead character) might just have understood the astronauts but nothing more, I'm not sure. Darn, it's been a while...

 

Univerze, what do you think of this? Do you remember any of this?

[Univerze]

Hmm, I don't know, I know the female was able to communicate with the humans, but can't remember the rest. Mind you, I was like 11 max when I read this. 17 years ago.

 

And it's not one of those Larry Niven books. I don't like his style anyway, and those cats in the book I (we) mean were not doing interstellar travel or anything I think, just like tribal villages etc. Not reached that level of technology yet.

[dvaessen]

And it's not one of those Larry Niven books. I don't like his style anyway, and those cats in the book I (we) mean were not doing interstellar travel or anything I think, just like tribal villages etc. Not reached that level of technology yet.

 

I can vouch for that, they were living in tribal villages.

[Univerze]

Ok, I know this post has been aaaaaaaaaaaaaages, but I found it! Goodreads (the website) helped me.

 

The name of the author is Gerben Graddesz Hellinga, and the book's name is "Coriolis, de stormplaneet".. the book IS Dutch like we though, don't know if it's been translated.

 

Bloody brilliant.

 

Dutch synopsis;

 

De planeet Coriolis draait in twee uren rond haar as. Als gevolg daarvan raast een onophoudelijke storm met windkracht tien over het land. De planten- en dierenwereld hebben zich aan deze toestand aangepast, en de Passaatstorm staat centraal in het leven van de intelligente bewoners van de planeet. Die bewoners zijn osborks, katachtige roofdieren die comminiceren door middel van hun gedachten. Kazazi Gogdan Siliqi is een vrouwelijke osbork; ze is veroordeeld tot een reis rond de wereld als Volgster van de Pasaat. Onderweg ontmoet ze een mens, die een noodlanding op Coriolis heeft gemaakt...

 

Edited January 12, 2011 by Univerze