Simon’s Cat

Oakes adds a dash of science fiction to her inventive retelling of “Puss in Boots,” set somewhere in the intersection of the present, the future, and the lands of myth. When Simon’s father dies, he leaves the house and mill to his oldest two sons, Harold and George. All “sweet, simple, stupid” Simon inherits is his father’s Pet, named Cat, a human-cat hybrid sworn to serve its master. As tensions mount among the brothers, Simon promises Cat his freedom if he can make Simon a lord of the realm and end his family’s money worries. Cat manages to bluff and charm his way into the good graces of the king, but he still has to find Simon an estate to rule. Conquering that challenge tests not only Cat’s skills but his growing romantic feelings for Simon. Oakes’s worldbuilding is sparse but deft, making it easy to believe that kings, chimera Pets (which seem to have some cyborg components as well), and subways comfortably coexist. Some questions, including why a lower-class mill owner had an expensive Pet, go frustratingly unanswered, and readers may frown at the notion of romance in the context of literal ownership. Fortunately, the fairy tale ending swerves just enough from the expected to ease those concerns, making this revamped fable all the more delightful. (Nov.)