International Kittens of Mystery

By Chris Dolley

In an uncertain world there is one organisation that stands head and small furry shoulders above the rest. Whenever the planet is in danger – be it from giant balls of wool or bands of renegade squirrels – only one group is guaranteed to answer the call.

The International Kittens of Mystery!

This is a journal of their stories. For the first time, cameras have been allowed into one of their top secret training camps – Training Camp Alpha. A camp where, under the supervision of pet humans, recruits are shown not only how to save the world but also how to manage their secret identities – how to blend in and infiltrate the human society that they alone can protect.

If you like a laugh and looking at cute pictures of kittens saving the planet, this is the book for you. It's a short read — about 25 minutes, if you can tear yourself away from the pictures.

Warning: this book contains 75 large color pictures, but some eReaders, those without color, will display them in black and white.

REVIEWS:

“Suspense! Intrigue! Silly jokes!! And cute kittens. INTERNATIONAL KITTENS OF MYSTERY has it all. The secrets of training kittens to become international superspies. The gadgetry, the secret knowledge (the power of cute) the combat practice, the mice.

“If you don’t like cuteoverload.com or I can has Cheezburger/lolcats, this is not for you. If you know what those are I’m guessing you’re ready for the INTERNATIONAL KITTENS OF MYSTERY.

“It’s definitely one of the best thrillers of the year. It’s unputdownable... a brilliant peek into those secret places where they plot to save the world (from alien sheep?) (well, yeah,)” — Andi Schechter.

“Cat pictures! Silly jokes! Adventures! Exclamation points! This book constitutes the best-spent twenty minutes I've had in quite some time.” — What Book is That.

“Hilarious! I can't wait to show this book to my sons. I know it will remain a source of fun for us for years to come.” — The True Book Addict

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book View Cafe
• Release date: Nov 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781611381399

Chris Dolley

Chris Dolley is a New York Times bestselling author, a pioneer computer game designer and a teenage freedom fighter. That was in 1974 when Chris was tasked with publicising Plymouth Rag Week. Some people might have arranged an interview with the local newspaper. Chris created the Free Cornish Army, invaded the country next door, and persuaded the UK media that Cornwall had risen up and declared independence. As he told journalists at the time, 'It was only a small country, and I did give it back.'In 1981, he created Randomberry Games and wrote Necromancer, one of the first 3D first person perspective D&D computer games.In 2004, his acclaimed novel, Resonance, was the first book plucked out of Baen's electronic slushpile.Now he lives in rural France with his wife and a frightening number of animals. They grow their own food and solve their own crimes. The latter out of necessity when Chris's identity was stolen along with their life savings. Abandoned by the police forces of four countries who all insisted the crime originated in someone else's jurisdiction, he had to solve the crime himself. Which he did, and got a book out of it - the International bestseller, French Fried: One Man's Move to France With Too Many Animals And An Identity Thief.He writes SF, Fantasy, Mystery, Humour and Memoir. His memoir, French Fried, is an NY Times bestseller. What Ho, Automaton! - the first of his Reeves and Worcester Steampunk Mysteries series - was a finalist for the 2012 WSFA Small Press Award.

Book preview

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Reviews for International Kittens of Mystery

[kksnaffle · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't able to finish this ebook as I couldn't get past the bad horsemanship in the beginning. It was stated that horsemanship was something they were good at and yet there numerous examples where this was disproved in the first chapter. I also found the cover with the horse on to be very misleading.

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Bleah. Most of the time I couldn't figure out what was going on - then it settled into cliche. Long first section with one protagonist - female, tough, wounded - then sudden jump to a completely different protagonist - male, helpless. The only thing they had in common - well, besides location - was poor self-esteem. Then they _finally_ encountered one another, and the story promptly succumbed to Trinity Syndrome - the female's entire purpose there was to foster and educate the male so that he could become a god-hero and solve all the problems. Slightly subverted when he didn't/couldn't solve them immediately - politics and attitudes got in the way, he's still the next generation not today's solution. But Kardith is still only an adjunct to him. At least she didn't get married off at the end of the book. I like Deborah Ross's work, so I'm looking for things to like about this book, but not finding many. An Early Reviewers book that I took far too long to read and review.

[realalondra45 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

really good reads.Is a strange story, with well definied characters and a rithm that puts you sustainedly in suspense.You keep astonishing yourself at every page.Really interesting and with a high lyric .In some parts seems almost poetry.I enjoy it really much

[heatherhouston_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I never received the link to read this book. I really wanted to review it but I am not sure what happened.... from what I see of other reviews though it would have been interesting.

[sharlenejrm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as an Early Reviewer. I found it was very hard to get into first up, but once I got my head around the characters and what part they played in the story I found I could not put it down. I was disappointed with the ending as it seemed to end too quickly, I am hoping that there will be more books to come with the same set of characters. Thoroughly enjoyed and recommended read.

[wislak_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Northlight by Deborah Wheeler is a great book that I really enjoyed having the chance to read. The author does an excellent job of writing from two viewpoints which is a type of writing I love. It keeps the book moving along quickly and with lots of thrills. If you enjoy Game of Thrones then I think you will enjoy this wonderful novel as well.

[ani36ol · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Of the two covers, I liked the cover without the horse the most as I found the horse cover a bit misleading. However I did enjoy the book although I found it a bit too wordy by places, yet there were enough twists and turns in an entertaining fantasy world to keep me interested. I will not go over what the book is about as every review does that and I won't give the story away. I just want future readers to know that the characters are wonderfully woven together in a creative and interesting story well worth the read.

[melhaf76 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had a great opportunity to read "Northlight" as an Early Reviewer for Library Thing.Wow Deborah Ross has written a brilliant story that displays all the elements writers should include in a book.The book revolves around Karadith, a Ranger who has stronger strength and senses than others. Karadith's order was to go to Laurea, to meet with General Montborne, deliver a packet of very important papers. Captain Derron also ordered her not to go on any expeditions of her own meaning finding fellow Ranger Avi, who everyone thinks she is dead except for Karadith. If only it was that easy, in the midst of delivering the papers Karadith tries to save the Guardian of Laurea and notices Terricel sen' Laurea. Who is the next heir as he is the son of Esmelda of Laurea. I love this quote of Terricel, "He'd learned to sit absolutely still through the long meetings, not a muscle quivering. Learned to keep his breathing slow and deep, his hands steady, his eyes unflinching as he followed the debate. It became a matter of pride that he let nothing show of what he truly felt. "Just from this one paragraph alone, I could feel everything Terricel was feeling, it intrigued me greatly. I just had to keep reading and find out what was going to happen. I think this was the turning point for me as I connected with Terricel and I could not stop!! I wanted to know what this character was going to do, was he going to show how he truly feels and speak up to others? Was he going to change? Was he going to be heir, I needed to know.I loved the Terricel's character, I was able to visualize how he looked, acted and I could actually feel what he was feeling. As with all the other characters. I enjoyed it greatly. I was amazed how Deborah continually blew me away with her descriptions so I could see everything unfold before my eyes. Deborah's writing was a pleasure to read as she put so much detail in describing the scenes, the time, the characters and the plot that unraveled. I have not read any of Deborah's books before and after reading Northlight, I will definitely be adding her to my collections. As I know that, the words on the page are going to explode, into a brilliant and unearthly experience.Well done

[regan.johnw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent book creates a new world that is consistent and believable. Characters are identifiable and rendered with empathy and completeness. Great story that moves quickly and resolves appropriately. Very imaginative.

[rachelpapegaaij · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book, although it's contains a lot of pages, took my attention from the first till the last page. In the beginning I had no intention what is was all about, but after chapter two I was hooked. A book to read over and over again. the unique plot makes it worthwhile to read the book.

[jennisis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While this book is classified science fiction, this is not the high-tech space travel science fiction that you might be expecting. I am vaguely reminded of the book "Dreamsnake" by Vonda Mcintyre, which I also enjoyed.I highly enjoyed this adventure following the adventures of Kardith and Terricel as they search for Aviyya who is lover and brother, respectively. This is a tale of coming to terms with one's past, both as an individual and as a culture, and the story, like the journey, builds in anticipation, slowly at first and then, as the journey embarks, building more rapidly to an intriguing climax. Throughout the book, the story alternates viewpoints between Terricel's third person and Kardith's first -person - sometimes overlapping, which can be a jolt. Despite the occasional jolt from the story, I found the book highly engaging and the characters quite interesting. I would recommend this to people who like light sci-fi, stories of alternate universes, and perhaps even those who like epic fantasy or Westerns.I received a copy of this book through the LIbraryThing Early Reviewers program.

[purplereadinggiraffe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found this book a little hard to get into, at first, as the point-of-view character was in a harried mood. I do like seeing a new world from inside a character more than from outside, though, so I stuck with it. As the story progressed, the information began unfolding, and it became a much easier read. I think this ends up being a good stylistic choice, though it might lose a few readers if they give up in just a few pages. By the end of the book I was sorry to let these people go, and they stuck with me more than I expected them to in the beginning.This tale is not a fantasy that I can directly compare to any others, it has a unique worldview, though not strange. The reasons-behind-it-all are the basis of the central mystery, and that is well done. It is, I guess, more of a cautionary tale than anything, in the end. However, the characters are very interesting and draw you into caring about their lives and how they are coping and changing. That drives a good story even more than interesting ideas or a good moral, and this book has a lot of great characters.I rate it 4 stars because 5 is reserved for my desert island books. However any 4 star book (for me) is worth a reread and looking for more by the author. For some, this will be their desert island book. Recommended.

[mom2two06 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In the midst of one series, I took a break to read Northlight. There were some things about the book that I disliked, but a lot more that I liked and upon finishing the book, would both read it again and recommend it to others. I disliked the two different points of view. Roughly half of the book was in first person, from the point of view of the Ranger Kardith. The other half of the book, the parts that focused mainly on the perspective of the young boy Terricel, was written in the third person. This switching back and forth felt a bit choppy and confusing and I do not see how it added anything to the telling of the story. Also, there were a lot of secrets and hidden past experiences that were not revealed until close to the end. It, at times, made the reading confusing. It feels as though there are things missing from the telling and details left out.Regardless, I enjoyed the story. It was a fair dose of fantasy and sci fi, with enough realism to be able to connect it to modern times, especially these days. The story telling drew me in, despite the things I didn't like, and I finished it fairly quickly.

[tvordj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I very much enjoyed this book. It's written from two points of view - In the first person via Kardith, a female Ranger, a sort of militaristic warrior and in the third person, via Terricel who is lately a student who's mother is a city Protector. He is her de facto heir because his older sister, Aviyya, left years ago, having fallen out with their mother. Kardith has a troubled past that she's locked away, unable to face it and was Aviyya's lover until she disappeared. Kardith has come to Laurea City to deliver some messages and to talk to Avi's mother, Esmelda to get help to find Avi. On the planet Harth, Laurea has engaged often in wars with a Northern nation. They don't really say the name of it, but the people are always referred to as Norther. That may be the name of the nation, it's not clear. the Northers are portrayed to Laureans as little more than violent savages. Laureans are a civilized society, fairly sophisticated though not technologically advanced by our standards but well educated. Terricel decides to help Kardith look for Aviyya in spite of having no experience on horseback or with any sort of combat training which could come in handy since the area they are searching could be rife with random Norther raiders. It turns into a journey of discovery, both self- and a discovery of another culture. The story has political intrigue and adventure. The plot moves along well and is interesting. The characters, too, are good and you feel involved with them and their lives.

[frederique2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very well written book. An interesting plot and some engaging characters make for a good read. This story could have been plucked straight out of today's headlines which is something I like. There are some interesting twists that will keep you reading late into the night. Overall I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it.

[jasmyn_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting story about Kardith, a Ranger, sent on a mission, not knowing that her life is about to change forever. Troubled and haunted by the demons of her past, she is ruthless, vicious and she seems to have no room in her cold heart for others. She shows no weakness and give the only love she has to her horse. Then she meets Terricel, the new heir of Esmelda after his sister ran away from home. Together they face a difficult time where their training from different sources comes in handy and they start to understand and help each other come to terms with the demons haunting them. Captured by their enemies, they realise that everything they were taught to believe was wrong, they start their journey with their new allies to the Northlight where Terricel receives the knowledge and the power to stop Montborne and the destruction of Harth. A good read. A little concentration should be used when reading this book, it's a little difficult to keep up with the different characters. Exciting and deliciusly different from the books I usually read.

[carylmckinnon · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This was not an easy book to read. It was slow to begin with and It took many chapters to come to an understanding of what was the gist of the story and who the characters were as they were poorly developed at the start. From about half way into the book it gets interesting and made me want to finish the book. I wouldn't recommend it as a "must read book" but if the reader loves science fiction this book may be of some value.

[derdahinteninderecke · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Northlight (ich habe die englische Version gelesen) baut eine interessante Welt auf, die offensichtlich auf mehr als einen Band ausgelegt ist. Die Menschen leben verstreut in verschiedenen Kulturen, wie beispielsweise eine teilweise Hochkultur mit seltsam technischen Spezialisierungen, oder nomadierende Wüstenstämme.Wir folgen der Hauptcharakterin, die größtenteils aus der Ich-Perspektive erzählt, bei ihrem Unternehmen, ihre Schwertkameradin zu finden, die bei einer Expedition verschollen ist. Zu diesem Zweck muss sie in der Hauptstadt um Unterstützung und Erlaubnis für eine Suchmission erbitten. In der Hauptstadt wiederum kommt es zu einem Mordanschlag auf das Staatsoberhaupt, in welchen unsere Heldin verwickelt wird, und die dafür zugrunde liegenden und daraus folgenden Ränkespiele sorgen schließlich dafür, dass sie zusammen mit dem Bruder ihrer Kameradin zur Wüste aufbricht.Ein starker Unterton der Handlung sind die Pferde, denen viel Aufmerksamkeit geschenkt wird.

[coprime_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. Kardith and Terris were both interesting and very different characters. Wheeler did a good job making their voices distinct. The worldbuilding was fun to read too. I liked the development of the different cultures. My one complaint is that the first half of the book felt like a bit of a slog. It's not that I disliked what I was reading but I'd read for an hour, think back, and couldn't figure out how so little had happened. About the middle of the novel, once they get out of Laurea, the action really picks up. That's also when the science fiction aspects of the novel really start coming forward, and the fact that they were less obvious in the first half also explains why that part seemed to take so long to read. But once things started moving, I raced through the book, wanting to find out what was going on.

[blehner_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First of all I think the cover with the face and dome fit the book a whole lot better than the one with the horse, and quite frankly, if I had chosen to read the book, because of the cover I wouldn't have picked it up in the latter case. Yet, quite obviously, I was fascinated by the premise and requested it when I had the chance to through the Early Reviewers program. I love the genre of science fiction and was not disappointed. I soon found myself immersed in a wonderfully drawn world with superbly devised characters. The narrative runs smoothly and is as descriptive and elaborate as the world Deborah Wheeler created here. Switching between the POV of Karadith, the Ranger, and young Terricel, the story of their journey to find fellow Ranger Avi, who's also Terricel's sister, slowly unfolds and while this has certainly been one of the best science fiction novels I read in a long time, I must admit that it was, in parts, a bit too wordily for my taste and for some readers this might even translate into a tedious experience. In short: If you like strange worlds in elaborate settings, I can only recommend this book to you!

[eyes92c · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

… ‘another Kardith’s leap?’I quite enjoyed Northlight. Enough that I bought Ross‘s other novel Jaydium in order to explore her writing further …and of course I am a Darkover fan.For some reason I was left with the feeling that the characters in Northlight had more going for them than what was in print. (Very post modern)Don’t get me wrong. The characters are forceful, they are fully present, and I liked them, yet somehow their potentials are not as realized as I felt they could be. Or maybe it’s the novel’s ending that is not as fully realized for me.Ross‘s evocative use of language is excellent. Having just come through a snow filled, minus temperatures winter, I particularly appreciated her sketch of the landscape where,‘the smaller tributary snak[ed] in from the northwest. Where it dumped into the Serenity, colder than winter snot.’A post apocalyptical story (I’m seeing early Andre Norton-ish here) situated on the world of Harth, with some interesting twists centering around the interactions of Kardith, a Starhall ranger, missing ranger Aviyya, and Aviyya’s brother Terricel, a scholar. Set in a time when the society is struggling with traditions and rules whose origins and meanings have been lost down through the ages. A time when Guardians and Rangers and religious politics intertwine and collide.The central characters journeys take them across Harth, (in unexpected ways) from Starhall to the Northlight,‘…two ends of the road, two poles with all of Harth strung out between them,’ and a mountain range of angst, misunderstanding and danger in between.