Junkyard Cats (Junkyard Cats #1)

Well, where do I begin…
Lets start with the pluses. And since reviews should help other readers understand is it worth it or not, Ill try to avoid spoilers, so they can hold their own judgment.
Overall idea of post-apocalyptic world isnt new but I havent quite seen before such a complex mix of robots, aliens, alien tech, insane weapons, genetically modified insects, spaceships and bikers (!) in one place. And mustnt forget cats!
But that complexity is what have ruined this story which had such promise.
First, the acronyms: WIMP, EntNu, OMW, NBP, WIMP, WIMP-anti-WIMP particle processor engine-whatever-the-heck-that-means… and some of them author explains literally at the end of the book only, Im not kidding. It is very distracting when you are trying to follow the story only to stumble over one made-up acronym after another.
Second, disjointed and uneven timeline. The whole book is a description of the events of ONE day. It is dragging and dragging, albeit filled with action, Ill give you that, but still. And then suddenly at 97% that day finishes and author throws you directly to some days later, wraps up quickly oh, this happened and that happened, goodbye! Wait a second, what was exactly in between that first day and three days later??
Theres no transition and it is jarring.
Overall, next time Ill wait for the book to come out first and read reviews instead of pre-ordering on impulse based on the cover (guilty guilty, but cats are cool:))

The overall impression I was left with, as I finished listening to Junkyard Cats at 2 a.m. in the morning, was that I had been transported back to those wonderful days when I was a young science fiction reader. It’s been a while since SF fiction made me remember the high I got from reading “Have Spacesuit – Will Travel” or “Starship Troopers.” (Recently the Murderbot stories recaptured that vibe). Hunter has managed to incorporate all the good bits of classic Heinlein — alien tech, cats, AI sentience, cats, humans evolving due to alien stresses, and did I say cats . . . Not radically new story elements, but the deft use of known ingredients creates comfort food for this reader. I hope the next story will be novel length, and explore the world outside the Junkyard.

Well done, Ms Hunter — and thanks for all the stories!

I really love the premise and world building here but as a standalone book this seriously lacked character development. There was way too much details about the apocalypse and not enough information about the main characters life or experiences. This felt like a novella in between two other books. Stop riding the money train and put together a full novel with a beginning, an arc and a conclusion.

Ok, this is great. And man, must Faith Hunter love cats. Consider; Jane Yellowrock shares her existence with a big cat, her next heroine loves a man who turns into a cat, and her newest heroine is a queen of cats.

And now for the book. We find our protagonist living in a junkyard, making a living in the junk trade, highly isolated since the death of her father, a former biker and military asset. The junkyard is unusually well equipped, and our heroine keeps herself in a kind of quarantine for a reason. A perfect story distraction for anyone needing to self isolate in the time of Covid.

As usual for Faith Hunter the heroine is smart and driven and starts out isolated from most of humanity. Also usual for Ms. Hunter, her protagonist is resourceful, self reliant and has many admirable characteristics. And as usual for Faith Hunter the book is absorbing, well written and creative. This looks like the beginning of a series, and I for one am all in. More please.

Wow! This novella is amazing. The same excellent writing and fully drawn characters we expect from Ms. Hunter with a spectacular new heroine with an interesting back-story we get only in glimpses. Although I have seen other reviews placing this in science fiction, regular readers of the Jane Yellowrock/Soulwood books shouldn’t let that deter them from reading this series as well. This is the same character-driven fiction you love, with a wonderful world of characters, both human and feline, to get to know. It is a good thing I am working remotely because once I started this novella, I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. It will be a late night, but totally, totally worth it. I will be re-reading this novella over the weekend – it is that good.

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