Varjak Paw
| Author | S. F. Said |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Dave McKean |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Varjak Paw |
| Genre | Fantasy, Adventure |
| Publisher | David Fickling Books |
|
Publication date
|
1 January 2003 |
| Media type | hardback paperback |
| Pages | 255 |
| ISBN | (hardback) (paperback) |
| OCLC | 50938878 |
| LC Class | PZ7.S1315 Var 2003 |
| Followed by | The Outlaw Varjak Paw |
Varjak Paw (2003) is a novel by the British author S. F. Said and illustrated by Dave McKean. The illustrations in this book greatly resemble gothic forms of art. The novel received the 2003 Smarties Gold Award for the 6–8 years range, and has been adapted for other media.
Varjak Paw is a small Mesopotamian blue cat who lives with his family in the Contessa's house on the hill. Varjak's brother, Julius, is always making fun of him because he has amber eyes instead of green eyes such as the rest of his family. When a large gentleman and two mysterious black cats enter the house, Varjak and his grandfather, Elder Paw, knows that something is wrong. The family is split apart, leaving Varjak to embark on a quest to the city for help. Using a form of secret cat martial arts called "The Way" handed down from his ancestor, Jalal Paw, the kitten must make his way through the city and overcome obstacles such as dangerous dogs, gangs of cats, and the mysterious "Vanishings."
Varjak, whose amber eyes (called the color of danger) set him apart from his family, listens to his grandfather's tales of the Outside. His older brother Julius is constantly bullying him. None of his family care to venture into the outside world, for they are happy and content inside, being fed by the old woman known as the Contessa. One day, a Gentleman appears inside the house with two black cats acting in synchronized motions as if they were one. Elder Paw claims to recognize the Gentleman. The Family thinks he is crazy when he says that he believes the Contessa has died. He seems to take care of the cats.When Varjak and his grandfather venture outside, his grandfather tells him stories of the mysterious Jalal the Paw. He says that Varjak must save them from the Gentleman by finding a dog to scare him away. When the Gentleman appears with his black cats, Elder Paw urges Varjak to climb the stone wall and buys him time by fighting the Gentlemen's cats. The two black cats kill Elder Paw, and Varjak said he looked like a broken toy. Varjak runs away into the city, where he meets a white and black cat named Holly, and her best friend, a brown cat named Tam. Varjak learns of the Vanishings, which were the mysterious disappearances of cats off the streets. He travels with Holly and Tam. In his dreams he is visited by Jalal the Paw, who teaches him of the Way, a secret form of martial arts that is only known to cats.
Varjak runs into a cat gang led by Ginger, and is immediately beaten up when he tries to fight back when they attacked him. Things were looking bleak until Holly rescues him. Varjak blacks out and dreams of Jalal the Paw, who teaches him part of the Way. After the fight, they rest for a bit and then went out to look for food. Varjak caught a mouse, which impresses Holly. Then Holly challenges Varjak to catch a pigeon, knowing that the pigeons would attack him. Varjak fails. They even faiiled with the combined teamwork with Holly and Tam. After several failed attempts, Tam got very hungry and could smell a fishy, delicious smell. However, Holly wouldn't let her follow the scent because it was dangerous, and could be linked to the Vanishings. Tam ignores the warning and said that she'll meet them later and goes off to follow the delicious smell. She never comes back, and after two days of waiting for her, Varjak and Holly set out to look for her. In Sally Bones' territory, Varjak finds a grotesque toy cat inside a cardboard box that has every aspect of a real cat. After a day with no luck on finding Tam, they spend the night in Sally Bones' territory. The next morning, Varjak has to go and do his business, and immediately regrets it when he realizes that Sally Bones, along with a dozen menacing gang members were watching him the whole entire time. Sally Bones sends out Razor (her lieutenant) to interrogate Varjak because she got the feeling that he had something to do with the Vanishings. Razor and Varjak get into a fight when Varjak doesn't tell him anything, and Varjak is forced to use the Way to defend himself. Varjak finds out that Sally Bones knows the Way, and Sally Bones is stunned to find out that Varjak knows the Way. Sally Bones and Varjak get into a fight that is interrupted by a dog named Cludge, who scares away all of her gang members. Cludge accidentally knocks Varjak out, but when he wakes up, he finds that the dog means no harm, and is even friendly. So then Varjak and Cludge became friends, which surprises his Holly because dogs were known as enemies to cats.
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