Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth [Hardcover]

In "Time Cat" there are two protagonists. One is Gareth, a cat capable of talking and time traveling when it pleases. The other is Jason, Gareth's human friend. At the insistence of Jason, the two set off on a series of cat-based adventures around the globe at different points in the past. They find themselves entertaining a pharoh, running from the witch-obsessed Germans of the 1600s, prisoners of Incas, and friends with Roman conquerors. For the kid who likes cats and likes adventures, this book is ideal. If, on the other hand, the reader doesn't particularly care for felines, they'd do well to choose another book. This is strictly a cat-lover affair. Each time period, in its way, relates to a period of history in the cat species. We see the way the Manx cats got their names, how cats were worshipped in Egypt, and called the devil in the 17th century. Jason and Gareth also proceed to make the acquaintance of several historical figures, from St. Patrick to Leonardo Da Vinci. There is even a chance meeting with an Irish lass that acts so much like the lovely Eilonwy from the "Prydain Chronicles" you find yourself wondering how she hopped out of those books and into this one. The reading level of this book is less difficult than Alexander's "Prydain Chronicles", and makes for a good early fantasy tale.

Of course there are problems with the book. Since Alexander is asking us to believe that Jason and Gareth are attending events that happened in the world's past, there's an understanding that what we read is based on fact. So when we read interpretations of the past that are clearly untrue, it's cause for concern. For example, the section on Leonardo Da Vinci needs some work. It is true that Da Vinci did some wonderful character studies of cats. However, as the illegitimate son of a gentleman, Da Vinci was unable to enter into a respectable profession and was, in a sense, forced to rely on his artistic talents. In this book, however, there is no mention of illegitimacy, Da Vinci's father treats him as his natural son, and attempts to get his boy to become a notary. Blatant historical untruths are not overly common in this book, but they do pop up every once in a while, causing the reader a bit of discomfort.

And then there are the problems with the time traveling itself. In an effort to get the story rolling higgledy piggledy, Alexander has eschewed any real explanation of how Gareth's time traveling works. This is all well and good, except that it makes one wonder why Gareth and his boy do not simply vanish to another time when they are held captive again and again and again. Constantly coming into danger, one wonders why Gareth chooses only calm moments to travel. Are there rules here we know nothing about? One would beg a little more information. Otherwise you don't feel particularly concerned when our intrepid heroes are in mortal peril. After all, they could just leave.

Finally, there are the natives. Jason and Gareth consistently find themselves joining up with invaders of one sort or another. Sometimes they're preparing to invade Briton. Other times, they help their friend the "nice" conquistador. For a 1963 book, Alexander is fairly good about portraying different races. He is sometimes prone to statements like, "These Britons are like big children" (enough to make a Celt's blood boil), but on the whole he does fairly well. I did have a small difficulty with the sympathetic conquistador bit. From reading this book you'd think the Incas and the Spanish lived happily and peacefully together for years to come after Jason and Gareth's visit. And this is not the case.

For the child that knows his or her history and has a bit of a kitty obsession, this is an ideal story. There's fighting, adventure, friends, foes, and an interesting plot. It is not a perfect book, but it's worth looking into, no question. To sum up; A swell romp.