Tails of Wonder and Imagination - By Ellen Datlow Page 0,1

the author.

"Antiquities" by John Crowley. Copyright © 1977 by John Crowley. First published in Whispers, edited by Stuart David Schiff, Doubleday. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Manticore's Tale" by Catherynne M. Valente. Copyright © 2007 by Catherynne M. Valente. Excerpt from The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice, Bantam Spectra, 2007. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"In Carnation" by Nancy Springer. Copyright © 1991 by Nancy Springer. First published in Catfantastic II, edited by Andre Norton and Martin H. Greenberg, DAW Books, Inc. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Old Foss is the Name of His Cat" by David Sandner. Copyright © 2008 by David Sandner. First published in Clockwork Phoenix 2, edited by Mike Allen, Norilana Books. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"A Safe Place to Be" by Carol Emshwiller. Copyright © 2009 by Carol Emshwiller. First publication in Strange Horizons September 28, 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Nine Lives to Live" by Sharyn McCrumb. Copyright ©1992 by Sharyn McCrumb. First published in Cat Crimes II, edited by Martin H. Greenberg and Ed Gorman, Donald I. Fine. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Tiger Kill" by Kaaron Warren. Copyright © 2000 by Kaaron Warren. First publication in Earwig Flesh Factory, #3/4. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Something Better Than Death" by Lucy Sussex. Copyright © 2009 by Lucy Sussex. First published in Aurealis #42, August 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Dominion" by Christine Lucas. Copyright © 2008 by Christine Zambopoulou. First Publication in Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine #37. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Tiger in the Snow" by Daniel Wynn Barber. Copyright © 1984 by Daniel Wynn Barber. First publication in The Horror Show, Fall 1984. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"The Dweller in High Places" by Susanna Clarke. Copyright © 2007 by Susanna Clarke. First appeared on BBC 7's The 7th Dimension Program, February 26, 2007. Published by permission of the author.

"The Puma" by Theodora Goss. Copyright © 2009 by Theodora Goss. First published in Apex Magazine, March 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

"Healing Benjamin" by Dennis Danvers. Copyright © 2009 by Dennis Danvers. First published in Realms of Fantasy, August 2009. Reprinted by permission of the author.

Also edited by Ellen Datlow:

A Whisper of Blood

A Wolf at the Door (with Terri Windling)

Alien Sex

Black Heart, Ivory Bones (with Terri Windling)

Black Swan, White Raven (with Terri Windling)

Black Thorn, White Rose (with Terri Windling)

Blood is Not Enough: 17 Stories of Vampirism

Darkness: Two Decades of Modern Horror

Inferno: New Tales of Terror and the Supernatural

Lethal Kisses

Little Deaths

Lovecraft Unbound

Nebula Awards Showcase 2009

Off Limits: Tales of Alien Sex

Omni Best Science Fiction, Volumes 1-3

Omni Books of Science Fiction, Volumes 1-7

OmniVisions, Volumes 1-2

Poe: 19 New Tales Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe

Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears (with Terri Windling)

Salon Fantastique: Fifteen Original Tales of Fantasy (with Terri Windling)

Silver Birch, Blood Moon (with Terri Windling)

Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers (with Terri Windling)

Snow White, Blood Red (with Terri Windling)

Swan Sister (with Terri Windling)

The Beastly Bride: And Other Tales of the Animal People (with Terri Windling)

The Best Horror of the Year, Volume One

The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales (with Terri Windling)

The Dark: New Ghost Stories

The Del Rey Book of Science Fiction and Fantasy

The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm (with Terri Windling)

The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest (with Terri Windling)

Troll's Eye View (with Terri Windling)

Twists of the Tale

Vanishing Acts

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror (with Terri Windling, Gavin J. Grant, and Kelly Link)

Forthcoming from Night Shade Books:

The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Two

Introduction

Ellen Datlow

Acknowledgments:

I would like to thank Daniel Braum, Dave Hinchberger, Jacob Weisman, John Joseph Adams, John Kessel, George Scithers, Colleen Kelly, Eleanor Lang, Charles Tan, Gord Sellar, and Richard Bowes for their recommendations and encouragement.

What is it about cats? Why do they lend themselves to fiction so easily? There have been numerous anthologies of cat stories, several of them multi-volume series. There is no other animal about which writers from all genres seem to be obsessed. Mystery, horror, science fiction, and fantasy stories have been written about cats.

It's possible that felines, thought to be domesticated by happenstance rather than intent, are considered more mysterious, and thus more interesting to write about than other animals. Canines are pretty up front about their feelings—they're considered to be loyal, obedient, and cheerful. Dogs, the oldest domesticated animal, have anthropomorphized themselves—become more like people. Cats have done very little of that. They are still strangers in the house. The cat does what it wants and goes its own way, which conjures up the darker images of