The Space Cat Review

With a title like The Space Cat, this is a book that could easily go in hundreds of directions. So to sum things up quickly, it's basically just the life of author Nnedi Okorafor as she works on her next book. But instead of it being told from Okorafor's perspective, it's from her cat's. Which is to say that Okorafor is kind of ancillary side character at most. ☺️

Pumpernickle Pickle Periwinkle Chukwu Okorafor -- Periwinkle for short -- unlike most cats on Earth, has a father that was from Neptune. Perhaps owing to his father's adventurist spirit, Periwinkle frequently waits until his humans are asleep and then takes his self-constructed space ship out for a spin, sometimes racing alongside a six-legged cat called Orange Meow. She pretty much always beats him, so he'll work on trying to improve his ship when he's not racing. Or sleeping. Or saving his humans from miniature space aliens that look like hot sauce. Pretty much just acting like every other cat, you know?

Okorafor is sent by her publisher to Nigeria for a year to work on her next book, and Periwinkle does take some getting accustomed to the new environments, meeting a lot of the local strays and trying to stay out of the way of other humans, who have a tendency to treat cats as evil spirits. Also, there's an invasion of small, plant-looking, mind-controlling aliens that Periwinkle and the various locals animal friends he's made stop from invading. Again, pretty standard cat behaviors while Okorafor is working on her book.

If you've ever lived with a cat, you'll immediately recognize Periwinkle. He is 100% a cat in every way and following the story through his narration helps to enlighten the rest of us what must have been going through their heads when they tried to tear to shreds that stuffed toy until the squeaker came out and then they just carried the thing around like a totem. And it's also enlightening to find out what they get up to at night when you're asleep. Really, this book should be given out to people who are in the process of getting their first cat so they know what to expect.

I believe this is the second time Okorafor has teamed up with artist Tana Ford. They previously worked together on the Eisner- and Hugo-winning LaGuardia. (Which I could've sworn I reviewed here when it came out, but I can't seem to find anything.) Ford here does an excellent job portraying Periwinkle; she provides a perfect blend of realism with classic Warner Brothers style exaggerations such that every story beat seems to have just the right visual tone, even if the only difference from the previous scene is a slight change in facial expressions or something nuanced like that. And if you don't believe me, there's a few photos of the IRL Periwinkle at the end of the book and he also looks like the perfect blend of realism with classic Warner Brothers style exaggerations!

Unlike LaGuardia, I don't see much here in the way of social commentary or anything. It's just a fun story about a cat, done very well. It's a fairly light, entertaining read and made for a great way for me to wind down my week.

The Space Cat came out just this week, published by First Second. The paperback retails for $14.99 US and the hardcover for $22.99 US. If it's not stocked on your local bookstore's shelves already, they should have no problem ordering a copy for you.

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