Kitty's Greatest Hits

Written by Carrie Vaughn

Narrated by Marguerite Gavin

Kitty Norville, star of a New York Times bestselling series, is everybody's favorite werewolf DJ and out-of-the-closet supernatural creature. Over the course of eight books she's fought evil vampires, were-creatures, and some serious black magic. She's done it all with a sharp wit and the help of a memorable cast of werewolf hunters, psychics, and if-not-good-then-neutral vampires by her side. Kitty's Greatest Hits not only gives listeners some of Kitty's further adventures, it offers longtime fans a window into the origins of some of their favorite characters.

In "Conquistador de la Noche," we learn the origin story of Denver's Master vampire, Rick; with "Wild Ride," we find out how Kitty's friend T.J. became a werewolf; and in "Life Is the Teacher," we revisit Emma, the human-turned-unwilling-vampire who serves the aloof vampire master of Washington, D.C.

This entertaining collection includes two brand-new works: "You're on the Air," about one of Kitty's callers after he hangs up the phone; and the eagerly awaited "Long Time Waiting," the novella that finally reveals just what happened to Cormac in prison, something every Kitty fan wants to know.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781400188048

Carrie Vaughn

Carrie Vaughn survived her air force brat childhood and managed to put down roots in Colorado. Her first book, Kitty and the Midnight Hour, launched a popular series of novels about a werewolf named Kitty who hosts a talk-radio advice show. She is also the author of Voices of Dragons, her debut novel for teen readers. Ms. Vaughn lives in Colorado.

Reviews for Kitty's Greatest Hits

[bgknighton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good intro to the series, lots of information about character beginnings. Especially Cormac.

[cinderh_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I normally don't like short stories, but this collection held my interest the entire way through. Most of the stories are related to the Kitty novels and I was happy to learn a bit more about the other characters that make appearances in the books.

[cynical_ames · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The best stories were:
"A Princess of Spain" -a vampiric twist to Catherine of Aragon's marriage to the sickly Prince Arthur.
"Conquistador de la Noche" -the tale of how Rick from the Kitty series became a vampire in the 1500s.
"The Book of Daniel" -a shapeshifting twist on the biblical story of Daniel being thrown to the lions.
"Looking After Family" -about what happened to Cormac from the Kitty series after he killed the thing that murdered his father when he went to live with his cousin Ben and his parents.
"Kitty's Zombie New Year" -a unique take on zombies which is more about the loss of free will and the result of severe brain damage than the living dead.

I couldn't force myself to read TJ's story "Wild Ride" of how he learns he's contracted HIV and his decision to become a werewolf because just revisiting him would be just too sad. Nor could I read "Long Time Waiting" about Cormac's prison time and how he came to share his body with a female Victorian spirit because I really dislike this new aspect of the Kitty series.

[theloopylibrarian · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

For some reason, when I requested this book, I thought it was written for young adults. I enjoy stories of the paranormal when they are written for YA, but I usually avoid them when they are written for adults. Adult paranormal books often slip into the realm of erotica and are more graphic in general. This book was no exception. I was interested in the stories that involved a bit of mystery, like when Cormac was trying to determine the identity of the werewolf in "God's Creatures." In fact, although the book is entitled Kitty's Greatest Hits, Cormac seemed to be the more developed character. Except for the very first story and one later in the book, I never really felt that I got to know Kitty. But, to be fair, there are several previous books about Kitty that I'm sure reveal much more about her character. As with most books of short stories, there were some that I liked and others that I did not. One was particularly erotic and I didn't care for it. A couple of stories inserted elements of the paranormal into Biblical stories and changed their Biblical meaning in the process. I tried not to take offense (artistic license and all that), but I did. I appreciated the writer's imagination and the way she included so many fantastical creatures. She didn't just include stories about vampires and werewolves; she included ghosts, demons, shape-shifters, mermaids, and others. However, it's not a book I would recommend to most readers. Even if you are a huge fan of the paranormal, there are, in my opinion, much better books with paranormal elements and characters (like Stephenie Meyer's The Host). As for me, I'll stick to YA paranormal.

In compliance with FTC guidelines, please note that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

[hcross9820_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

KITTY’S GREATEST HITS is a collection of Kitty Norville short stories written by Carrie Vaughn. Some of these stories are recent and occur around the same time as the Kitty Norvile Series, while other stories help shine a light on your favorite characters pasts. Did you ever wonder how Cormac and Amelia found each other in prison or how Rick became a vampire? These short stories shed a light on unknown stories from Kitty and her group of friends.My favorite short story of the bunch was "Long Time Waiting". I have a massive soft spot when it comes to Cormac. His time in prison was like a black hole in the storyline. Everything that happened inside the jail never come out, until now. I always felt that he and Amelia were such and odd pairing, but after reading this short story I really was able to understand. It was also nice to see that even though Cormac’s so dark, he has a place of light inside that basically no one could touch. It makes him more human.My second favorite short story was, “Kitty and the Mosh Pit of the Damned”. This story most of all felt like a true Kitty Norville story. Kitty’s goes into a club to get a harmless interview with a popular local band, and gets herself in way over her head. It had the energy, wit, and mythos I have come to expect from this series. It’s always fascinating when Carrie brings new monsters to the party!“Temptation of Robin Greene” was the most unique of the bunch. Robin is a scientist with observing and caring for a group of mythical creatures, including Kitty’s best-vamp cohort Rick. Everything changes for Robin when a a male selkie is brought into the lab. While I found this story haunting in the end, I just wished it had been a stand alone book. It was such an ingenious story line, I didn’t want it to end. Plus, I loved the role Rick played in this short story.While I found most of the short stories to fascinating, some I had a hard time connecting the dots and finding their ties to Kitty’s world. And some had no connections what-so-ever, which confused me. I wish that their had been an introduction at the beginning of each story explaining it’s importance.As the narrator, Marguerite Gavin has an uncanny ability to really set the perfect mood for a story. Whether bright and cheery or dark and mysterious, she is able to transport the reader alone for the ride. Marguerite’s wide range of character voices brings each story to life in my head. I also find myself forgetting that this series is narrated by a female narrator alone, because she does a wonderful job voicing each male so flawlessly.While I connected with some short stories more then others, I enjoyed listening to them as a whole. I would defiantly recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves Kitty and her cast of characters. KITTY’S GREATEST HITS was fantastic chance to revisit past and present characters from Kitty’s world and getting to know a little more about each one!

[amberwitch · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A collection of mediocre short stories set in the Kitty Norville universe. The stories are going for the sentimental and poignant, but it just becomes too much and too little at the same time. Most of the stories are featuring Kitty, Cormac or Rick, from the Kitty Norville novels, the rest are mostly historical, or about some supporting character whose background is filled in a bit. The Cormac stories especially might be interesting for fans of the series, but this is not a book that is interesting for anyone who is not very fond of the series. The stories in this collection are not necessary to understanding the plotlines in the novels, as is the case with some of the urban fantasy series (Sookie Stackhouse, World of the Marrok).

[pacey1927 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Kitty Norville series has remained strong throughout its run thus far. I always look forward to a new Kitty book and since I haven't read any of her short stories I was extremely excited for her collected short story collection "Kitty's Greatest Hits". What sent me into pre-order mania was learning that Cormac's prison story "Long Time Waiting" was included. Cormac, oh, Cormac! Cormac may be my favorite male character in any series, ever. Yes, he is that awesome. He is tough but vulnerable (which we see handled beautifully in the prison story). He has feeling for Kitty, and I still believe Kitty has feeling for Cormac too, but the timing just never worked out. There is "electricity" between them that is missing between Kitty and her husband Ben. Cormac is resigned to watch Kitty and Ben together since he loves his cousin very much as well and believes they are better off together. In the series Cormac went away to prison (due to a crime he committed to save Kitty) and we had limited Cormac scenes all the way up until a couple of books ago when he was released from prison...and carrying the spirit of a woman named Amelia inside of him. "Long Time Waiting" fills a lot of holes by explaining how Cormac came to be sharing his body with Amelia's spirit. I have to state for the record that I don't really like this plotline and I want Amelia expunged from Cormac ASAP, but I did really enjoy this story. We get access to Cormac's feelings about being in prision and his feelings for Kitty and Ben. We share his worries and relive his father's death through his memories of when he was sixteen. This is the longest offering in the compilation and it alone is worth the price of the book. This is a must read for fans of the Kitty series. Often in short story collections or anthologies, there are only a couple great stories and the rest are fillers. That is not the case with "Kitty's Greatest Hits". There is not a single bad apple in this batch. Some are better than others and some fit in with the Kitty world theme better than others but each and every one is worth reading. I will give a brief overview of some of the highlights in this book. Il Es Ne - A cute werewolf story featuring Kitty helping a brand new wolf over the holidays. Conquistador de le Noche - Absolutely a favorite and another must read for fans of the series. This story tells how Rick became a vampire. I loved how strong a person Rick was straight from the beginning. I will mention this was probably one of the most disturbing stories. Looking After Family - This is a background on how Cormac came to be live with Ben's family and specifically how the bond built between the two of them. Kitty and the Mosh Pit of the Damned- Awesome short story about Kitty's involvement with a band that seems to induce violence in its concert goers. Kitty's Zombie New Year- This one was a little too short and sweet but was still fun to read. A strange guest shows up at a New Years Eve party and Kitty tries to discover what is wrong with the girl. Temptation of Robin Greene: This one really stayed with me for awhile. Robin works in a paranormal laboratory where she takes care of a vampire (Rick!), werewolf, mermaid and more. One day she meets the newest lab specimen, a male selkie. I loved Rick in this story and the plot was fantastic. I wish there was more of this story. Wild Ride - This is T.J.'s story that tells about how he became a werewolf. I liked it but it would have been more relevant if we still saw some of T.J. in the series. God's Creatures - Another story about Cormac. Here he is on the hunt to find something that is killing local livestock. You're On the Air- We get to see a scene from one of the early Kitty books through the eyes of an average vampire named Jake. This is a really cute story. There were two good short stories "Book of Daniel" and "A Princess in Spain" which I enjoyed tremendously but they were really out of place in this collection. They had no obvious connections to the Kitty universe.

[devilwrites · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The premise: ganked from BN.com: This first-ever story collection from bestselling author Carrie Vaughn reveals new adventures by sharp-witted werewolf d.j. Kitty Norville and the fascinating back-stories of key characters, including Master vampire Rick, Emma, and Cormac. This collection features two previously-unpublished works. A must-have for the many fans of this critically acclaimed series.My Rating: Good ReadI've been tough on the Kitty series of late, but this short story collection, which features only stories that take place in Kitty's universe (historical and present day), really renews my faith a bit (and admittedly makes me miss the early books more). Sure, there's a few pieces that don't work well for me, but one thing that has really helped is getting out of Kitty's head and really seeing Vaughn's supernatural world at large, and from the eyes of other characters. Reading all of these stories doesn't have the same "everything and the kitchen sink" feeling that I sometimes get while reading the actual books in the series in regards to the supernatural that exists in this universe, and that's a nice thing. If you've a fan or have ever BEEN a fan of these books, this anthology is worth taking a look at, if for nothing else but the long-awaited "Long Time Coming," which features Cormac in, well, fans of the books know where, and if you haven't read the books yet, I will spoil nothing. But Cormac's story (rather, STORIES, as there's more than one) isn't the only reason to read this collection: fans of the series will be excited to get Rick and TJ's origin stories, and then there's a few gems that simply shine, such as "Life is the Teacher," which is a departure from Vaughn's usual style but works wonderfully in context. The author's notes at the end of the book also provide an interesting insight to each of the stories, and in some places, getting that background really helped me understand why Vaughn made the decisions she did. I'm glad I was able to read this early, and even though I'm keeping my signed copy of the ARC, I've already pre-ordered the hardcopy (for some reason, Tor is publishing this both as a hardcover and a trade) and look forward to it arriving. If you've not read the Kitty books, some stories will work better than others, though I'd hesitate to recommend reading the whole collection without having at least some of the books under your belt. Still though, some of the stories should work fine if you're not already a fan of the series but are a fan of urban fantasy in general. "Long Time Coming," is great for fans of magic; "Life is the Teacher" is great for fans of paranormal romance (but don't mind getting a twist), and while "Il Est Né" is a holiday tale, if you like werewolves and want to sample what Kitty's life is like at the start of the series, it'd be an easy tale to get into. At any rate, I'm happy with the collection, and I really, really hope there's plans for Vaughn to publish a SECOND short story collection, but this time, featuring all of her stories that ARE NOT a part of the Kitty universe. Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. I'll discuss each story individually, but due to the nature of short stories, I won't be spoiling any key plot points; rather, I'll talk about how they fit into the universe and which stories are worth reading and which stories could've used a wee bit more work. Star ratings for each story included!The full review (or links to guest blog, if you click before 8/16/11) may be found at my blog. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. REVIEW: Carrie Vaughn's KITTY'S GREATEST HITSHappy Reading!