Tailchaser's Song



Tailchaser's Song is a Fantasy novel written by Tad Williams and published in 1985. The story follows several feral cat communities, united in their beliefs and by their service to the Queen of Cats residing at Firsthome, the ancestral birthplace of Catkind.

The cats of the novel have their own mythology: they believe that everything was created by a feline god called Meerclar Allmother. The world was originally populated with cats, children of the Two: Harar Goldeneye and Fela Skydancer. Notable among the children of the Two are the three firstborn: Viror Whitewind, Grizraz Hearteater, and Tangaloor Firefoot. Because of his jealousy of his siblings, Grizraz reacts poorly and raises a demon hound to kill everyone. Whitewind succeeds in stopping it, but dies in the process; later, Tangaloor traps Grizaz beneath a tree. Grizaz, after being trapped underground for a while, is blinded by the sun, and digs a hole into the Earth, where it is said he still remains....

Fast forward, and we meet Fritti Tailchaser, a tomcat in the Meeting Wall Clan. His family mysteriously disappeared some time ago, and he was left with no one but his friend, Hushpad. As it happens, quite a few cats have been disappearing, and the Clan Elders send an envoy to Firsthome to ask the Queen for help. Tailchaser is not selected, so he sets out on his own with his lovable friend Pouncequick. Other members of Tailchaser's fellowship are a crazy cat named Eatbugs and Firsa Roofshadow, a sole survivor of a cat massacre.

Tailchaser's Song also has its own brand of T. S. Eliot-inspired honorifics. They are born with their "heart name" (equivalent to the Japanese first name--such as Fritti, Tangaloor, Firsa, etc.) that only family, close friends and lovers can use. They are appointed a "face name" at an old enough age (equivalent to the Japanese last name--Tailchaser, Roofshadow, Pouncequick, etc.) which is their commonly used name. They have to discover their third and most special name, their "tail name," by themselves.

Tropes evident in this work include:

 * Beneath the Earth: Grizraz.
 * Boisterous Bruiser: Prince Fencewalker.
 * Bokukko: Roofshadow.
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Eatbugs.
 * Creation Myth: "In the Hour before time began, Meerclar Allmother came out of the darkness to the cold earth. She was black, and as furry as all the world come together to be fur. Meerclar banished the eternal night, and brought forth the Two."
 * Driven by Envy: Grizraz was jealous enough of his siblings' talents to summon a demon-hound in response.
 * Fantasy Pantheon
 * Fictionary: The Higher Singing of the cats.
 * The Film of the Book: Upcoming.
 * Grim Up North
 * Hell Hound: The demon-hound, Ptomalkum, its briefly-mentioned parent, Venris.
 * Heroic Sacrifice
 * I Will Find You: Tailchaser to Hushpad
 * Living Legend: Grizraz Hearteater and Lord Tangaloor Firefoot are both Shrouded in Myth, Crystal Dragon Jesus, Physical Gods. Tailchaser, by virtue of his adventures and Touched by Vorlons status, is as much a legendary hero as cats can have.
 * Mooks: The Clawguards are mook-ier than the Toothguard or the Boneguard, although they are still incredibly dangerous and violent.
 * Mythopoeia
 * Power Trio: Tailchaser, Pouncequick, and Roofshadow
 * Proper Lady: Hushpad seems to be the cat version of this.
 * Royals Who Actually Do Something: Fencewalker. If only the same could be said for his parents.
 * Shallow Female Love Interest
 * Shout-Out: To Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (feline naming conventions) and the Elric Saga (the cat goddess is named "Meerclar").
 * Spiritual Ancestor: To Warrior Cats.
 * Sidekick: Pouncequick
 * Talkative Loon: Eatbugs
 * Xenofiction
 * Xenofiction