‘Pisu’s Revenge’ by Susha Golomb

Momentum for this book built slowly, possibly because of world-building and a formal writing-style, but altogether I found it an enjoyable read that set my interest for later books.

I might recommend this book to niche-readers who enjoy stories set around animal societies — maybe readers of Erin Hunter’s Warriors or Deborah Grabien’s Dark’s Tale.

Pisu’s Revenge (IBPA, July 2018) is told in first-person by Tefnut, a cat, who recounts her early experiences among a litter of four cats that included her brother, Pisu. The cats reside in Ailuria, “a little country by the sea, tucked into a small corner of The Greater Elf Kingdom.”
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All cats can move freely between Ailuria and the human realm, but while in Ailuria, they must adhere to the supreme law of the realm: they are not allowed to eat other creatures, all of whom — fairies, animals, even bugs — are regarded as people.

(Those human occupants of The Greater Elf Kingdom can generally take other forms, sometimes even changing accidentally.)

To keep the peace, one female cat is appointed Dominant Female Over All (abbreviated in the text as DFOA). It falls to her to arbitrate various disputes between cats, but, most significantly, it is also her job to ensure that cats do not kill and eat other animals. The DFOA must banish any cat who cannot abide by this restriction.

Pisu arranges for Tefnut to become Dominant Female Over All. He reasons that she’ll be lenient with him because he is her brother.

As a character, Pisu is thoroughly “bad news.” He lords his sibling-relationship with Tefnut over other cats, and the text suggests that Pisu has hunted and killed other animals. (The specific accusation that is brought before Tefnut involves a human who, while in the shape of a frog, was injured but managed to escape.)

Pisu’s Revenge is billed as a prequel to a series called The Fairy Gifts, which centers around a 10-year-old girl in the human world. In those later books, Tefnut is that human girl’s cat.

The publisher’s description for Pisu’s Revenge essentially points to its conclusion: ultimately it tells the story of why Tefnut “left Ailuria for the human world.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. The opinion expressed is my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”