Year of the Rat
~ 2nd Novel in the Mark of the Cat Series by Andre Norton
(Series aka) The Cat People
Has not been printed in English as a single title.
Synopsis ~
Andre’s never before Published sequel to Mark of The Cat, we find the natural water sources of the five queendoms of the Outer Region drying up. Hynkkel, not fully recovered from his previous trials, must now find a way to stop this loss and recover the missing water. To do so he must first find out who, or what, is causing the water loss and where it is going. When he and Murri, his sandcat, set out on their journey they make another, even more startling discovery. A being of ancient evil has returned and has brought with it, hordes and hordes of deadly desert rats, bent on one thing – to destroy the queendoms one by one. Can Hynkkel both find the missing water and stop the rats before all succumb to the Year of the Rat?
Write-up from a fan ~
The newly crowned Emperor is approached by the doll-maker's apprentice, who is the last survivor of one of the High Houses slaughtered during the previous Emperor's reign; she wished her House and privileges restored. One of the duties of the new Emperor is a Progress through all of the Queendoms, and he chose her for his Consort. The illegitimate son of the old Emperor resents that the Crown did not come to him by rights, and he's making trouble. Also, there is some evil power that has stirred up the Rats, who are the ever-present danger to the Queendoms. ~ SL
Bibliography of English Editions ~
- Mark of the Cat, Year of the Rat (2002) Published by Meisha Merlin, HC, 1-892-06552-2 $40.00, 602pg ~ cover by Hoang ~ Omnibus containing The Mark of the Cat (1992) & Year of the Rat (2002)
- Mark of the Cat - Year of the Rat (2017) Published by Worldbuilders Press, DM, no ISBN, $3.99, ~ cover by Matt Forsyth ~ Omnibus containing The Mark of The Cat (1992) & Year of the Rat (2002)
Non-English Editions ~
- (2006) Published in Moscow, by Eksmo and St. Petersburg, by Domino, 5-699-16065-5, HC, 384pg ~ translation by N.I. Nekrasov ~ cover by David Mattingly ~ Russian title Год Крысы [Year of the Rat] ~ Limited to 5000 copies
Russian Omnibus Editions ~
- (2002) Published as Fanzine (self-published), HC, 840pgs. ~ cover by M. Whelan ~ Russian title Лоренц ван Норрис [Lorenz van Norris] ~ Limited to 20 copies and not released until March 2018
Contains:
-
- "Lorenz van Norris" (cycle)
- "The Sword is Drawn" as "Naked sword" ~ translation by V. Arzhanov & Olga Filippova, pp. 5-134
- "Sword in Sheath" as "Sword in the sheath" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 135-268
- "At Swords Point" as "On the edge of the sword" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 269-414
- "Cat sign, Year of the Rat" (cycle)
- "The Mark of the Cat" as "The Sign of the Cat" ~ translation by N. Nekrasova, pp. 415-612
- "Year of the Rat" ~ translation by N. Nekrasova, pp. 613-837
- "Lorenz van Norris" (cycle)
https://www.andre-norton.com/works-of-a-master/series-of-a-master/the-mark-of-the-cat-series/289-year-of-the-rat#sigProIdf4c7238d8a