A tale of bravery and heroism about a young cat who leaves home to learn the skills he needs to save his family. I love the way classic tropes are used here - an aristocratic family heedless of its own impending doom, a setting of secluded luxury that is under a threat they won't even acknowledge, and an unregarded younger son, weak, a dreamer, who in a mixture of courage and foolhardiness sets out to explore the wider world. Of course, it's all done here with cats. Varjak Paw is a Mesopotamian Blue who lives in the home of the Countess. But the Countess is sick, perhaps dying, and there is a mysterious Gentlemen and his strange black cats, and Varjak knows something is terribly wrong. Inspired by the tales of his heroic ancestor, Jalal, Varjak climbs the wall and goes into the city, where he encounters gangs and dogs and cars and vanishing, but also trains in the Way Of Jalal, which will give him the power to challenge the Gentleman and his deadly cats and save his family.

Embellished with Dave McKean's beautiful, sinuous, shadowy illustrations, this is an utterly fantastic and captivating tale, a new iteration of an ancient tradition that still has the power to rouse and inspire.