Varjak Paw

Varjak Paw is a noble Mesopotamian Blue kitten, who lives in an old house high on the hill with his family and their owner, the Contessa. Varjak loves to hear from his grandfather stories of the family's earliest ancestor, Jalal, and his Way. It's said Jalal traveled all the way from Mesopotamia, fighting mighty warrior cats, and that he was a great hunter, who travelled to the ends of the earth, before settling in the house. But Varjak is the only one; his family, except his grandfather, are all content to stay behind the high walls, where they are fed and looked after.

Then the Gentleman arrives, accompanied by two strange cats who do not talk and have strange, blank, black eyes, and their arrival, along with the Contessa's death, throws the house into turmoil. Both Varjak and his grandfather sense something strange and wrong about the Gentleman, although the rest of the family refuse to see it. Varjak attempts to escape, and suceeds, but in the process the two black cats tear Varjak's grandfather apart.

Now Varjak must attempt to survive in the city beyond the walls; he must befriend allies and survive, so he can return home. Dogs, cars, even other cats are all a threat to him, as are the mysterious Vanishings, when a cat will disappear and never be seen again...

The Outlaw Varjak Paw is the sequel; Varjak must find a home for a group of street cats. In doing so, he incurs the dangerous attention of Sally Bones, who rules both her gang and the cats of the city by fear. But Sally Bones is not all she seems, and somehow, she has learnt the Way...

Both books are written by S.F. Said, and illustrated by Dave McKean.

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Tropes in the Varjak Paw series:

Both books provide examples of:

• Arc Words: "Keep the Way alive."
• Eyepatch of Power: Sally Bones, who is missing an eye.
• Flash Step: Slow-time, one of the Skills, can have this effect.
• Invisibility: Shadow-walking.
• The Power of Trust
• Xenofiction: The books are written from Varjak's viewpoint, which does not understand humans at all.

Varjak Paw provides examples of:

• Creepy Twins: The black cats.
• Dogs Are Dumb: Cludge. (And the rest of his family in the second book.)
• Fish Out of Water: Varjak, a spoilt kitten who has always been fed from a bowl, in the streets of the city.
• Foreshadowing: Sally Bones and her Dragon Razor make brief appearances in the first book.
• Lovable Coward: Tam.
• Mind Control Eyes: The eyes of the toy cats are described as being blank and glassy.
• Stranger in a Familiar Land: Varjak, at the end of the book.
• Tsundere: Holly, full stop.
• The Unfavourite: Varjak, to, well, not only his older brother, but also the rest of his litter.
• Why Couldn't You Be Different?: Varjak's family, who wish Varjak would have green eyes and behave sedately as a proper Mesopotamian Blue should.
• You Can't Go Home Again: Not whilst the Gentleman is still there.

The Outlaw Varjak Paw provides examples of:

• Absurdly Spacious Sewer: Where all the mice hide in the winter. Semi-justified, since they are cats.
• Disney Villain Death: Sally Bones falls off a building and dies.
• Mind Rape: Sally Bones does this to Varjak, causing him to temporarily lose his powers.
• Mismatched Eyes: Holly at the end.
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Razor, one of Sally Bones' captains.
• Restart At Level One: Varjak after his encounter with Sally Bones.