Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

A New Heroine in Junkyard Cats

Junkyard Cats is the start of an all-new series by Faith Hunter. This is her first foray into science fiction, and she’s doing so with a bang. Hunter’s new heroine is as tough and conflicted as they come.

Shining is not your ordinary war hero. But that’s okay because she doesn’t live in an ordinary world. After the war concluded, she isolated herself in a junkyard in the middle of nowhere. All she had was one friend and the junkyard cats to keep her company. That is until her past caught up with her.

One note before I begin this review. Currently, Junkyard Cats exists only as an Audible Original. It will be getting adapted into a novella at some point in the near future. But for now, it is audiobook only. Fans of hers will find it worth listening to, as will any new fans curious about the combination of science fiction and cats.

Writing

Junkyard Cats was an amazing read-through and through. Though perhaps I’m a bit biased, being a fan of Faith Hunter and an avid lover of cats. On the bright side, any fans of either will surely enjoy this tale.

It’s quite hard to believe this is Faith Hunter’s first novella with a science fiction leaning. She did an excellent job establishing a new and distressing world for us to read (or listen) about.

Junkyard Cats reads as almost post-apocalyptic fiction with a science fiction leaning. The world is not the same one we’re used to. But that makes it all the more interesting. The technology was rooted in reality while taking these giant dramatic leaps. I very much enjoyed seeing this side of Hunter’s writing.

Shining’s character is a conflicted one I would happily read more about. Thankfully, this is the first in a series, so her story is far from over. I love how everything about her has been carefully balanced. Every gain has a cost. It makes Shining and her circumstances all the more real and fascinating.

Narration

I sincerely think that Khristine Hvam might be my new favorite narrator. She brought Shining’s story to life in such a vibrant way. Not only was her pacing and pronunciation on point, but I also liked her style.

I think the thing that really got me was how she expressed each of the characters. Now, that might sound easy and obvious. But do recall that there are junkyard cats in this novel. She managed to infuse so much sass and personality into those cats. It was delightful. And I would argue a highlight in the audiobook nature of Junkyard Cats.

Conclusion

Junkyard Cats was a thrilling and fun new read (listen). I’ll admit I was a little hesitant about it being audiobook-only. But I’m so happy I gave it a try anyway. Shining and her junkyard cats are brilliant, and I look forward to reading more about them.

I also loved seeing this different edge from Faith Hunter. She’s blended technology and wasteland elements into something fascinating. And I can’t help but find myself wanting to see more of this world, as dark as desolate as it may be.

This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.

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