Customer Reviews

Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason and Gareth

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Hail the hometown hero. Or rather, the home country hero. With the massive collection of British fantasy writers out there, sometimes it's nice to reflect that at least we have Lloyd Alexander. Fantasy author extraordinaire. As prolific as he is talented, his books have remained in circulation since the 1960s. Therefore, it was with great surprise that I consulted the copyright date on his delightful "Time Cat", only to find that my newly published paperback copy was the latest edition of a title that originally came out in 1963. 1963 was a long time ago, yet this book has stayed relatively fresh for a historical fantasy. There are problems with it, no question. But on the whole it's an interesting story that holds up in the end.

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.

I picked up this book simply becuase it had a cat on the cover, and ended up thinking it was one of the best books I had ever read. The historical facts and cultural lessons captivated me, and at the beginning of each new section, you get a sort "Ooh, what kind of trouble will they get in this time?" feeling. A great book for kids 8-11.

This book is about a boy named Jason and a cat named Gareth.
The first time they went time traveling Jason looked into Gareth's eyes and Gareth gave a long slow wink. They went to Egypt,Italy and a lot of other places including the U.S.A in 1775! Gareth really talks in the story but not real cats that we have. In Egypt Gareth had a white spot on his chest. I really
like this book because they go back in time.

I think Time Cat was a good book! I love cats so it was an easy and fun read. Gareth and Jason have many exciting adventures traveling through time and visiting many far away places like Egypt, Japan, Ireland and many other countries around the world. Gareth and Jason are like "time-travel missionaries" that go around the world telling people how they should care for their cats and how to treat them.

All I can say is that after reading this book I want a talking cat that takes me through time all over the world whenever I want!

The story is magical, but the book gets a little slow and hard to finish towards the end.

Wow, that was pathetically corny, but I couldn't resist.

Anyway, Alexander's book is wonderful. He's certainly my favorite, but Time Cat still managed to surprise me. It was an entertaining story (which ALL of his are), and it also reached some of the depth of his best tales (Westmark, Prydain, The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian).

The concept is great. Everyone knows that cats have nine live, but we don't realize that they live them simultaneously in various periods and places and can move from life to life at will. The cat in this, Gareth, ends up taking a boy, Jason, with him to visit each life. They visit such places as Egypt: 2700 B.C., Ireland: 411 A.D., Peru: 1555, Italy: 1468, and others. They get through an exciting adventure in each place and time.

Each story is highly entertaining. You get to witness the excitement while learning about various cultural facts and historic figures (such as Saint Patrick and Leonardo da Vinci). The real strength in the novel is the way in which the stories work together to create a strong message about being in awe of life and living it with courage and compassion. Time Cat is a superb novel and one of Alexander's best.

This cheery, charming whirlwind of a kids' book did have me purring somewhat. Gareth the cat, with the ankh on his furry chest, shows his owner, young Jason, that the rumoured nine lives of a cat really means nine exciting trips through time. Pet takes owner to ancient Egypt, 5th century Ireland, the home of "Odranoel" da Vinci (that would be Leonardo, who likes to spell his name backwards for fun), and even the Isle of Man, just when tailless cats are washing up on shore. In fact, most of the places and times Gareth and Jason visit have some special attitude towards cats (not sure if Gareth just wanted to be the center of attention the whole time, but cats will be cats); Gareth, and Jason by association, are either being revered, such as in Pharoah's Egypt (well, okay, Gareth revered, Jason to be thrown to the crocodiles), looked to as role models (Gareth and Jason try to educate a young Japanese Emperor not to be such a puppet for his bullying Uncle), or hated and feared ("the cat's an evil spirit!--Burn the cat and the boy!"). The two even end up in places where people don't even recognize cats; in the Ireland of 411 AD, Gareth is mistaken for a dog, since everyone knows that a wildcat is a big, nasty thing. Gareth, in fact, tussles with a wildcat. But she turns out to be female...

The whirlwind of time travel ends in America: 1775, and Jason's exposure to the War of Independence is perhaps the most grown-up portion of the book. A dying patriot, shot in front of the young man, entrusts Jason and his cat with a mission. Others fall in the midst of battle, as Jason sets out to complete his appointed task. Later, the last trip through time is over, and Jason tries to finally absorb what Gareth has been trying to teach him throughout the entire odyssey (Gareth is a bit of a lecturer, doing a bit of a Yoda to help Jason become a man).

This is a young adults' fantasy novel, so the cat talks, and can travel through time, and can allow Jason to understand myriad languages, all without any kind of logical explanation. It's just...cat magic; though it's fair to say that the ending, though familiar, ties up everything nicely, as well as providing some answers to the mystery of Gareth.

Several quick history lessons packed into a fun novel for young readers. But I did enjoy it, and I'm in my thirties as I write this.

The concept is marvelous: a mysterious cat enables a boy to visit a variety of fascinating places and times in which the cat has spent its previous lives! This should be a gripping tale. Unfortunately, the writing is so dry and unexciting as to make finishing the book the mere fulfillment of a commitment...

"Time Cat" was the first book by classic writer Lloyd Alexander, a fluffy but enjoyable time travel adventure for cat-lovers and historical fantasy buffs alike. It shows a little roughness around the edges, less detailed writing, but kids will enjoy the adventures of Gareth and Jason.

Jason is up in his room after a fight with his mother and brother, with only his cat Gareth for company. To Jason's surprise, Gareth suddenly starts speaking to him. He is, unsurprisingly, a magical cat who can travel through time and space -- to any nine lives in the past. He takes Jason on a trip through time, to ancient Egypt where the boy-pharaoh wants to worship him; the Roman empire, where they are recruited by a legion and then captured by Celts; ancient Ireland, where they make enemies with a court magician and friends with a very special saint; Imperial Japan, where a young Emperor is given Gareth and a bunch of kittens as a gift; Renaissance Italy, where the two bump into a talented young painter; Spanish-dominated Peru, where they befriend a scatterbrained, silver-tongued young captain; they introduce a special cat to the Isle of Man; witch-hunters in medieval Germany; and finally making friends with a kindly cat-peddler in 1775 Boston.

"Time Cat" has no central plot. Instead, it is a series of vignettes: A couple of chapters are devoted to each time period. It's like an extended daydream, displaying what are presumably the time periods that interest (or possibly frighten) Alexander himself. He also displays some educational material about cats -- how they were seen through history, things about Manx cats, and about all the roles that cats can play in a person's life.

Jason is a sympathetic kid, very quiet in nature (except for the brother-punching incident near the beginning) with some clear insights into cats and some fuzzier insights into history. Gareth is acool, calm, wise, serene -- the ideal cat, and he talks too! There are too many supporting characters to cover adequately, but some stand out in particular, such as Diahan, the Irish princess who shows signs of Alexander's later character Eilonwy, and Don Diego, a scatterbrained, homesick young Spaniard who gets things wrong -- but a few things very right.

Even people who don't like time travel stories may like this one, for its lack of pretension or faked dilemmas. And for cat lovers, this is a delightful little historical treat.

In this imaginative story a cat uses his extaordinary power to travel through time to nine different places around the world in nine different centuries with his boy companion. Lloyd Alexander has succeeded in combining world history with fantasy and adventure to produce a story that is filled with excitement. His fabulous imagery draws the reader into the story immediately. Great read for ages 8 and up.

This is a great book. I enjoyed reading it a lot. I started reading it thinking it was going to be dull but after the first two chapters it really started to get interesting. I love all the adventures that Gareth and Jason go on. It is quite a story. But I would only recomend this book for children 12 and under.