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The Field of Reeds in Shadows
When Priah, Captain of Cats, began her night patrol, everything was as it had always been. The sleeping streets of ancient Bubastis were quiet, dark and still.
Then it came… death came… sorcery came.
Before dawn, Priah’s life would be forever changed…
In Bubastis, the holy city of the cat Goddess Bastet, a secret enemy stalks the streets after dark killing indiscriminately. As this seemingly unstoppable foe spreads terror, it falls to Captain of Cats, Priah to halt it in its tracks. She embarks on a quest to do just that, with the help of the newly arrived stranger cat, The Alexandrian. Together, their journey will lead them through magic and dangers and ultimately beyond life itself.
The Field of Reeds: In Shadows, is set in a fantastical world inspired by ancient Egypt, a stylized version of every cat’s original homeland. Here, cats have a hierarchy. They tell heroic tales of “the days of the beginning.” They communicate with and live alongside humans, in a secretive parallel existence, as advisers, spies and allies.
This is the first book in an epic fantasy series, that takes the ‘talking animal,’ genre to a very different place. A place full of heart and heroism, extraordinary things extraordinary deeds and extraordinary characters.
Death stalks the dark streets of Bubastis and they are the only hope of salvation…
Then it came… death came… sorcery came.
Before dawn, Priah’s life would be forever changed…
In Bubastis, the holy city of the cat Goddess Bastet, a secret enemy stalks the streets after dark killing indiscriminately. As this seemingly unstoppable foe spreads terror, it falls to Captain of Cats, Priah to halt it in its tracks. She embarks on a quest to do just that, with the help of the newly arrived stranger cat, The Alexandrian. Together, their journey will lead them through magic and dangers and ultimately beyond life itself.
The Field of Reeds: In Shadows, is set in a fantastical world inspired by ancient Egypt, a stylized version of every cat’s original homeland. Here, cats have a hierarchy. They tell heroic tales of “the days of the beginning.” They communicate with and live alongside humans, in a secretive parallel existence, as advisers, spies and allies.
This is the first book in an epic fantasy series, that takes the ‘talking animal,’ genre to a very different place. A place full of heart and heroism, extraordinary things extraordinary deeds and extraordinary characters.
Death stalks the dark streets of Bubastis and they are the only hope of salvation…
220 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2021
3 people want to read
About the author
Robin Tompkins
5 books24 followersRobin, is from Birmingham, where he has been telling stories all his life, like his father before him and writing them down for nearly as long. He has also been known to paint a bit and take photographs that some people quite like.
He was published for the first time at age 50, on his fiftieth birthday in fact, after many years of strife (don't feel sorry for him, it was self-inflicted, he would insist on writing and trying to get published)
Since then, he has won the British Fantasy Society Short Story Prize in 2010, with the story, 'Omar, the Teller of Tales' and has also been published by Leaf Books and in Scribble magazine.
He currently has three books available on Amazon, a fourth 'under construction,' and a fifth in the back of his mind waiting its turn.
For those interested in that sort of thing, he travelled quite a bit when he was younger, which has had a considerable influence on the worlds and stories he creates and is interested in a good many things, which are also in the mix somewhere.
These things include but are not limited to...
Music, anything from Muddy Waters to Clean Bandit by way of Prog Rock, Rock, Indie, Blues, Electronica and Electronic music, Ambient etc.
Film, all sorts of film, from Citizen Kane to Avengers End Game and he doesn't even mind if films are in black and white or have subtitles. He has a particular fondness for old Ray Harryhausen flicks, anime and all things Sci-Fi and fantasy. He is also a Whovian and an X-Phile.
He finds Theremins to be very interesting but can't play one. He is very fond of cats and although he doesn't have a cat anymore, remains fascinated by them. He is also fascinated by beer but isn't allowed much of that these days either. With the exception of writing, all his other enthusiasms are subject to change without notice.
He was published for the first time at age 50, on his fiftieth birthday in fact, after many years of strife (don't feel sorry for him, it was self-inflicted, he would insist on writing and trying to get published)
Since then, he has won the British Fantasy Society Short Story Prize in 2010, with the story, 'Omar, the Teller of Tales' and has also been published by Leaf Books and in Scribble magazine.
He currently has three books available on Amazon, a fourth 'under construction,' and a fifth in the back of his mind waiting its turn.
For those interested in that sort of thing, he travelled quite a bit when he was younger, which has had a considerable influence on the worlds and stories he creates and is interested in a good many things, which are also in the mix somewhere.
These things include but are not limited to...
Music, anything from Muddy Waters to Clean Bandit by way of Prog Rock, Rock, Indie, Blues, Electronica and Electronic music, Ambient etc.
Film, all sorts of film, from Citizen Kane to Avengers End Game and he doesn't even mind if films are in black and white or have subtitles. He has a particular fondness for old Ray Harryhausen flicks, anime and all things Sci-Fi and fantasy. He is also a Whovian and an X-Phile.
He finds Theremins to be very interesting but can't play one. He is very fond of cats and although he doesn't have a cat anymore, remains fascinated by them. He is also fascinated by beer but isn't allowed much of that these days either. With the exception of writing, all his other enthusiasms are subject to change without notice.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 17, 2022
Not since Richard Adams and "Watership Down" have I experienced being inside the mind of another creature. This time it is inside the minds of cats... oh and bonus: It's cats in ancient Egypt! Authors Robin Tompkins and Madeleine Purslow form a riveting sibling team, as their story takes you through winding streets and across desert sands on a quest to find the mysterious and horrifying Empty Cat--the evil being that brings only death and terror in its wake.
No spoilers here, but follow the intrepid Priah, Captain of the Market Cats as she travels with the mysterious Alexandrian tom, Riheow, for together it falls to them to confront the stalking nightmare that kills cat and human alike. But first, Priah must come to trust her strange and annoyingly attractive companion and overcome her own pride and prickly nature (Some day she may learn that she doesn't always need to prove herself worthy!)
This story is not for little children... oh no, for it is far too vivid and terrifying--but it is a book for readers who love an artful turn of phrase and the masterful crafting of words. And oh yes, it is a book for anyone who can appreciate a good, romping yarn through the darker corners of the fantastical and mythological landscape of Egypt.
No spoilers here, but follow the intrepid Priah, Captain of the Market Cats as she travels with the mysterious Alexandrian tom, Riheow, for together it falls to them to confront the stalking nightmare that kills cat and human alike. But first, Priah must come to trust her strange and annoyingly attractive companion and overcome her own pride and prickly nature (Some day she may learn that she doesn't always need to prove herself worthy!)
This story is not for little children... oh no, for it is far too vivid and terrifying--but it is a book for readers who love an artful turn of phrase and the masterful crafting of words. And oh yes, it is a book for anyone who can appreciate a good, romping yarn through the darker corners of the fantastical and mythological landscape of Egypt.
Displaying 1 of 1 review