Fic Review - Cat Tales, by Fanny Adams

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Title: Cat Tales
Author: Fanny Adams
Link to story: Start here with this note, and then work through the 13 archived stories (Link to first story at bottom of page)
Zine: Cat Tales

So... this is a story, comprised of 13 non-stand-alone short stories which have become chapters in the zine, wherein Ray Doyle turns out to have a touch of the magics about him, and regularly turns into a cat called Beelzy... I read one or two of the stories online, and found them quite amusing once I'd wiggled into my don't-take-this-too-seriously hat, but...

Someone gave me a copy of the zine itself containing all 13 stories, and various illustrations, and I began reading it prepared to be amused (if perhaps a trifle impatient) the whole way through. Every now and then for a change, and when I'm in the mood, I quite like a sort of crack-fic type story with the lads - I can do elves, I can do teddy bears, all of that, as long as it's in small doses and I know I can go back to my regularly scheduled reading of B/D fic. So I giggled at the thought of Doyle turning into a cat, and Bodie being all wtf about it. Only...

To be honest, after that first part of the first story, and the odd bit in the other stories, it all started to go a bit far for me. It turned out that Doyle was absolutely into Pagan religion, and he introduces Bodie to it, and eventually (in later stories) acquires a teacher to help him deal with being a werecat. She's a good, kind, wise black American woman, and whenever things get tough he heads off to America for her to sort it all out.

Then it turns out that Bodie has magic of his own - even more powerful than Doyle's werecat magic, as he is in fact the son of a Fairy King - and all he needs is to accept the love and understanding that is Paganism in order to be able to control it. Off we go to America again, for help with Bodie's problems this time.

All through this, Cowley is absolutely aware of the magic residing in his agents, and has used it upon occasion to help CI5. He's ever so understanding of it all, very sympathetic to the Pagan way of life, and very generous with free time for the lads to jaunt over to the States whenever they need help. In fact it turns out that there are many were-agents in CI5, and another one of them is Murphy. Poor old Murphy can't accept his "gift" any more than first Doyle, then Bodie could - but he also is taken off to America, where he learns all about himself and love and the world, and returns better able to cope.

There are original characters woven through the story, but I have to admit that I struggled with them as well. Doyle's teacher is Collette, and she works as well with various damaged "children" - Tal and Kev - and friends such as Bea and Dahout who all Learn Things Along The Way, and Dahout's lover Jeff, and her own lover Kevin who is wonderful and understanding and supportive. There's alot of talk about being family, and how grateful Bodie and Doyle are to have a family now... Alot of the learning also seems to involve various characters having sex with either Bodie and/or Doyle, and everyone being ultimately very understanding about it all. Trouble is, I felt as if the characters were ideals rather than actual people - they all learned to be a nice, clean kind of perfect - even if they were still damaged in some way, the damage made them somehow even more perfect...

The lads are rather "talky" for my tastes too - they both explain their feelings to each other, analyse them and describe out loud how lucky they are are that they've found each other, and Collette and how much they've learned to accept and so on... It's all a bit American-therapist for me - I just can't see the lads there at all, and I get bored with how good everyone is! It's almost... it's a pagan version of happy-clappy, somehow... I felt very much as if the emphasis was on Learning To Accept Yourself and Be A Good Person rather than on Bodie and Doyle, and to be honest that's not why I read slash... *g*

It was a bit of a battle for me to get to the end of this zine, and I felt a slight triumph that I had - despite everything, I read it all! I'm sure there must be alot of people who are perfectly happy with this portrayal of the lads, just... not me I'm afraid...

Anyone else read Cat Tales?

Comments

[firlefanzine.livejournal.com]

I will try one - but with the big prejudice that I won't like it...
And not because of your rewiew!
But for I'm a big cat fan, I've started to read some of that popular cat-books that came around in the last years - and I liked none of them (except the first "The cat, who..." books).

Nonetheless you made me curious...

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I went through a phase of liking animal books like that, many years ago, but I've got to say I'm not very interested now... I liked the idea of Bodie dealing with Doyle-the-cat, because that could be funny, but there was too much other stuff in these stories to keep me happy.

I'll be interested to hear what you think!

[schnuffi.livejournal.com]

That sounds like exactly that kind of story I avoid like the plague *shudder* There is only so much AU I can stand (which is in the micro range) and this one goes far over the limit.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

See, I adore AU, but the lads have to be in character within that AU, which is a difficult thing to pull off, and I have every respect for writers who can do it without changing the lads' nature and/or character... It just didn't work for me here...

[callistosh65.livejournal.com]

I have a *really* hard time with elves and teddies and the like, and I'm not much a cat person I'm afraid - in life or in fic! So I doubt I'd have the patience for this. It does amaze me though, the flights of fancy a love of the lads can inspire in writers. Well done you for persevering and reviewing something quite different for us.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

I'm not much of a cat/pet person at all, but some parts of the story made me giggle. And I do think it could be made into a good story, somehow - if it were more along the lines of Arduinna Finn's "Lighter Footed Than the Fox" elf stories, where Bodie is a Bodie-type elf - see heliophile_oxon's comment below! But it didn't happen here...

I didn't even think of this as a "different" fic - it was so un-Bodie and Doyle that it didn't even clear the "different" hurdle!

[heliophile-oxon.livejournal.com]

I once read a bit of what I now realise must have been one of these - there must be one on the Archive somewhere? - and I didn't like it. I have gradually come to have a fairly wide-ranging tolerance for (small doses!) of things I would normally find unpalatable (like elves and such) as long as they're funny or intriguing or something - but I have to admit that the only thing B&D or CI5-ish I saw in this was the names. From your description, I suspect I won't be looking out for any of the others in this series either! The only thing Bodie would legitimately do as an elf is magically half-inch Cowley's whisky and Doyle's beer (can't remember the name of that story, but it's so what he would do!)

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Arduinna Finn! "Lighter Footed Than The Fox", and the other story that's a pre/sequel! I adore those stories, that's just the type of elf Bodie would be! *vbg* (phantomas wrote a wonderful elf-drabble once, with Bodie as a darker-than-dark elf, and Doyle a captive, and I'm desperate to read more of that too, but I don't think it'll happen... *sniffs sadly*)

Cat Tales are up at Circuit too - I linked to Hatstand, because Nell's got the links at the bottom of each story to the next one, which I always think saves fiddling around with back buttons, and searching and so on... *g* - so you quite likely did read one there. It's the characterisation that got to me - and the fact that as soon as they found things difficult the lads would run off to America for help with their problems... Just don't see it happening, you know?!

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry I've never read these stories, either! (I'm allergic to animals...) but thanks for your take on them. Maybe I should try them?

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Well, everyone should try everything once I always say... or was that Oscar Wilde? Anyway - I'll be interested to hear what you think, if you do!

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I have the zine and I read about 3/4. I haven't gone the end. I find it somewhat mildly amusing, but really bizarre. It's one of those zines I'm so ambivalant about that if I finish it, fine. If not, *shrug* What I liked was the idea of Bodie having power. The idea that Doyle turns into a cat and is into paganism is the most ho-hum part. It's a bit silly that Bodie is so blase about Doyle turning into a cat randomly and Cowley doesn't have much personality.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think that's why it took me nearly two years to get through too... Know what you mean too about them all being just a bit blase about Doyle's turning into a cat... and then Murphy... and Bodie being the son of a Fairy King... *g*

[pxr5.livejournal.com]

I've had the 'zine for ages. It's good, but really really AU, and would honestly be better if about original characters, than about the boys.

Although I do love Murph's bits.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Yes! You know, that may be what bugs me most of all - it's so AU that it's not even close to the lads any more, whereas if it was an original fic rather than written as fanfic it'd be a much better read! I wouldn't have all these expectations, I could just go with it...

Then again, other people say that about Larton's Bodie and Doyle and I absolutely adore them and totally see them as AU B/D, so I'm sure other people must think something similar about Cat Tales!

[pxr5.livejournal.com]

In general, I have problems with AUs at all, so really didn't mind Cat Tales quite so much....although honestly, I think I prefer the more realistic AUs (say, where Doyle lost his memory and turned into the Chief :-) ), etc.

[sc-fossil.livejournal.com]

I would say neither story is Pros or Bodie and Doyle, but at least Larton was somewhat interesting. I read Larton in about a week and for an original fic, it is such a sweet story, but so not Pros. I've been reading Cat Tales for six months and still haven't finished! So Larton is a charming original m/m original fic with two characters named Bodie and Doyle. Cat Tales is just a strange fic with two characters named Bodie and Doyle.

[probodie.livejournal.com]

I got a couple of sentences into the fic and stopped. I've never returned.

Dont particularly like cats, but that's not why I stopped. It's purely because I could never see either of the lads as cats! I find it hard to take elves and horses are just out for me, too.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Lol - I had a similar problem with Hombothlay, although I'm told it's worth persevering - that's the one where they're rabbits a la Watership Down... *g*

I can see Doyle as a cat, and there are places where FA has done a good job with that, and with Bodie's reaction, but she sort of let the original fic of it take over, and suddenly it wasn't the lads at all - werecats notwithstanding!

[probodie.livejournal.com]

I'm so with you on the Watership Down one. Arghhh.

Surprisingly though, I love the one where Bodie is a gnome!! Probably because it makes me laugh so much and I can suspend my disbelief for it.

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

I've read Cat Tales, and managed to make it all the way through, but found it quite bizarre and very un-Pros. The AU's AU, if you like. But this part of your summary made me laugh - Learning To Accept Yourself and Be A Good Person, mainly because I read it as "Learning to Accept Yourself and Be A Good Persian" which is just as appropriate!

[klangley56.livejournal.com]

I bought that zine 22 years ago. In fact, it was the zine that finally (after years of I-don't-*need*-*another*-fandom avoidance) sucked me into Pros fandom. Well, to be precise, it started with the artwork. I was strolling through the Dealer's Room at ZCon and saw some of the pieces up on the wall. I love fan artwork in all it's varied glory (mostly of the hand-drawn variety and not so much of the CGA stuff).

So, attracted by the art, I picked up the zine and thumbed through it, said what the heck and bought it. Then I went merrily around the room picking up other Pros zines that were available. (And when I went back to the hotel room, my friend--who also had been avoiding the fandom--went back and bought her own copies. Fans sure are strange sometimes. :-) )

I'm not much of an AU fan when they veer into the fantastical, but there was just something about this one. Here's a comment I made on a list some years ago: The story stands out even among the AU stories that proliferate in Pros fandom (a fandom that spawns AUs like no other fandom I've seen before or since) and is both original and compelling, making a hard-to-swallow premise go down very smoothly.

[billiephillips.livejournal.com]

I've got to jump on the bandwagon for the first half of the zine, especially for Bodie as twisted half-elf. I didn't mind Doyle needing a teacher and having her turn out to be an American. What did (and still does) get to me after a while was everyone falling into bed with everyone else! I don't think I would have made a very good pagan.;-)