I just finished re-reading Tailchaser’s song after more than thirty years. I can say without reservation that it is worth a read for anyone who loves fantasy and at least likes cats. But it is also surprisingly good at making me read poetry without complaint.
Synopsis
Tailchaser’s Song is a fantasy novel wherein creatures like cats and dogs have their own languages, mythology, and adventures. In some sense this makes it similar to books like Watership Down or Catswold Portal.
The titular Tailchaser is the main character of the book, a kitten who swears an solemn oath to find his lost companion, Hushpad, after the loss of his family. His life becomes a story of dark portents and adventure, venturing to the seat of cat royalty at Firstholm and the halls of darkest evil at Vastnir.
As a cat person who has strong feelings about neutering and spaying, I should mention that Tailchaser’s Song does have a specific perspective it portrays. Cats in the story are feral or wild and ‘domestic’ cats are denigrated. Humans, M’an in the story, are useful but generally are to be avoided. This perspective may not sit well with someone advocating for mandatory spaying and neutering of adopted pets and feral populations where possible, but I was able to get into the right mindset after a bit.
Poetry
Every chapter of Tailchaser’s Song begins with a small snippet of poetry by a famed author. These are small enough diversions that my usual dislike of poetry isn’t triggered, and I read on happily. But the words of the book itself are often quite poetic in tone, and the fact is… I liked it. Quite a lot, actually.
Here is a simple example, a paragraph about sheep (Erunor in the High language of the cats)
Woolly Erunor grazed all about the hummocky meadows. Their fleecy bodies dotted the downs like fat, dirty clouds that had settled to the ground, too heavy to stay aloft.
The descriptive text is often this way, and is well done in a way that I find quite appealing. Close enough to poetry that it stirs up emotions but far enough away that it doesn’t bug me with excessive whimsy.
Conclusion
Tailchaser’s Song was the first book by Tad Williams, and he went on to write a dozen other unrelated novels that have sold tens of millions of copies. The fact that I love this book even more after a second reading over thirty years after my first should be no surprise. My biggest sadness is that Mr. Williams never returned to the world of Tailchaser: arguably the story was ‘complete’ in the sense that Tailchaser had found his true happiness, but there was a lot left undone.
If you haven’t read Tailchaser’s Song and fantasy appeals to you, go pick it up- I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. If you like a bit of poetic wording to your books then you might be especially pleased. And if you read Tailchaser’s Song a few years or decades ago, consider reading it again: it still carries a beautiful song. Good Dancing (Nre’fa-o) to you!