In the year 2948, mankind is no longer the only species living on earth. The planet is shared with the cat-like Herbaht.
London Wild follows the lives of a number characters, both human and Herbaht as the Herbaht eventually unravel the reason for the conspiracy against them and the revelation of an ancient enemy who originally caused them to flee their home planet.
London Wild is told through the eyes of several charaters. Some of them are human, others are far more catlike in appearance.
The story basically covers a ten day period from the the time when an spaceship sent off to explore the stars returns. The return of the spaceship coincides with two seemingly unrelated events, the destruction of the planetoid Pluto and the government announcement that all Herbaht be they wild or domesticated are to be handed in for processing.
So, we have February the young Herbaht huntress, who, like many of her race, believes she needs to feed on the meat of humans to survive. She teams up with a domesitcated Herbaht by the name of Kitty. Kitty is a total pacifist to whom the idea of eating meat is abominable. She survive on special pills that supposedly replace the required nutrients. February though wants nothing to do with the pills. These two are the main characters, it is they who will eventually uncover the truth behind what os happening.
Then there's Captian Slim, a member of an elite branch of the military who's job it is to deal with the cat problem.
Myajes, a bodyguard to the leader of the Herbaht sent on a mission to rescue the daughter of his leader. Lara herself is in a prison camp referred to as the cattery.
Khosi, an Eschiff who also want ot get her hands on Lara.
Slim, a soldier of an elite force who deal with Herbaht. He pet Starlight who he hands into the cattery and who later finds a way to escape.
And others beside.
Excerpt
London in the year 2948 was very much a city of lights. Every street in the city where people might have business during the dead of night, including the golden mile and the large shopping districts, was kept illuminated to the extent that it was often difficult to tell the difference between day and night. If that wasn’t enough, there were cameras everywhere, dozens of cameras per street, more cameras than they could possibly afford to hire people to monitor. All to protect the people of the city from the cat-like hunters who prowled the streets of the city and the South-East of the country and who had done so for nearly an entire millennium now....
...February Sivka was seventeen. She had been born in the town of Sou’nd, virtually the east coast of the country, and had moved to Upminster as soon as she had been able, where she now lived alone. During the day she worked as a computer programmer and web designer. She’d usually telecommute from home because of the perceived risk from the Herbaht. During the night she tended to relax with the newspaper or even an occasional book. She didn’t really know any of her neighbors all that well, but she had never given them any cause to be concerned about her occasional trips to the city. Thanks to years of experience and the right combination of make-up, February was able to effectively hide her true race even from those who thought they did know her.
Every month, sometimes twice a month, February climbed into the driver’s seat of her car while it was still daylight outside (and therefore not too suspicious) and drove to London.
Professional Reviews
If Cats Were People Too
The Earth of London Wild is much like our own might be in the year 2948, except that it is inhabited not only by the human race but by a race of alien origin called the Herbaht, who are a combination of humanoid and feline. Some Herbaht are wild and prey on humans and live in the midst of society in disguise, while some are domesticated and live with humans as pets. Though Herbaht colonies can be found several different places around the world, the largest and wildest population is centered around London. The status quo changes when the British government calls for all domesticated Herbaht to be turned in to government custody, supposedly to ensure they are not actually secretly wild and dangerous. People's lives are turned upside down by this order as one man sets his pet Herbaht free to save her from the government's grasp and another is called to lead a publicized attack on a dense population of the "cats." London Wild follows the stories of several different characters, seemingly separate at first, but many of the storylines converge on a conspiracy between world leaders and a vendetta that dates back to before the Herbaht came to Earth.
Things I liked about the book... I loved the way the seemingly unrelated characters and stories came together toward the end of the book. I always like when that happens--when the separate elements of a plot fit together. I see it as the mark of an author who has good foresight and planning. The combination of current and advanced technology was interesting--for example, regular cars had bio-sensors to tell who was driving. I enjoyed reading and learning British slang, like the way cats are often called "moggies." The majority of the book was free of bad language, which I always appreciate.
One thing that might be frustrating to some readers is a by-product of the way the story is told from several different points of view. Sometimes when you get to the end of a chapter, you just want to find out what happens to Character A next. But the next few chapters are about characters B, C, and D, and it might take a little while to get back to Character A. Also, be warned if you read London Wild that the story will not be resolved in one book. When I got to the end, the conspiracy had only just been revealed and several protagonists were in trouble. Unfortunately a sequel has not been published yet, so be ready to be left hanging when you get to the end. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel and will definitely read it when it comes out.
From the edges of space to our own backyard
Creatures sampled from Earth's ancient past and evolved separately on an alien planet have returned to Earth, hiding amongst the population. This story is about the struggles to survive amongst this creative and interesting backdrop. In a world of a million sci-fi novels it is hard to find originality, but I have to admit I've never encountered a plot like this one.
Great Take on Alien Invasion
This was a book I picked up after I saw that the Author had offered it discounted for a limited time. I am very impressed with the new look on alien invasion. the story moved along well and had some very interesting characters. Don't want to give anything away, but, thought it ended a bit abruptly. Hope to see a second volume in the future though.
Pieces of Eight, Part II is an eclectic collection of eight imaginative novellas that complement the eight tales that appeared in Pieces of Eight. The selections are a blend of different short story/novella plots and themes. Science-fiction, paranorm
