Book Review: Off Leash

My rating: 5 magic stars


And... Flying fur balls! This was AWESOME!


Imagine you wake up one morning and notice your hand is not a hand at all, but a very large cat paw. Because that's exactly what our MC here goes through.

Thomas Khatt awakens to the magical world following the sudden, violent death of his elderly Archmagus neighbor. A rather sudden awakening I might add, that Thomas doesn't handle pretty well. I mean, who would?! Trading thumbs in for a tail, tawny fur and four feet with a very low co-efficient of friction on linoleum is not a very good bargain after all. Especially when the very next moment, squirrels are not only talking to him but also coolly letting him know, he is to be sold at auction and bonded to some pimply faced apprentice for life.

What do you think our man-turned-cougar's reaction was? After 'waiting for a while for the men in white coats to burst through the door and take him away,' that is? :D
Panic of course. And even quite a bit of fear, after watching a lightning-bolt throwing granny 'arrange furniture with tai-chi moves.' Quite a bit of denial too, because everything seemed a little bit absurd. And then determination. Because one thing was crystal clear - Thomas wanted no part of this new Real World.
Armed only with an impressive set of chompers and buckets of snark, he decides to make his own choices.
'This cat won't be bagged.'

In other words, Thomas has to accept that 'his life jumped down a green pipe into crazy land' and embrace his new furry four-footed existence. He has to deal with the talking weasels and angry little Scottish cats who wanted to box him off and erase his life; and at times, even make sure to 'Don't use the brain!' Especially when a little pyromanic squirrel is involved.


He obviously cannot lay low and spend his life hunting in the woods, since, as the 'bushy-tailed maniac' aka talking squirrel nicely points out, 'the deer would die of laughter with his pouncing accuracy.' So Thomas decides to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and try his damnedest to stay off the leash.
For that, he will have to take advantage of the chaos caused by the Archmagus’ death and help the local Inquisition solve his murder. And all the while escape the clutches of the lightning-bolt throwing granny and a sexy union recruiter for the TAU, who want him to be a good kitty and behave. Religious werewolves, and cat-hating cops all add to the chaos as Thomas attempts to become the first Freelance Familiar.

Off Leash is a fun, fast-paced adventure from cover to cover. It had me hooked from the very first chapter and I didn't want to set it down until I reached the end. Full of snark and chuckle worthy moments, this clever little tale will give the readers not only fun and laughter but also an impressive magic system and wonderful characters to root for. They may be furry and four-footed, but still beautifully drawn.
And that is by far not all. Underneath all that mayhem and trouble you'll get to read between the lines and decide about the use of power mages revel in, with only a certain amount of responsibility. And you will also get to see what a leash or cage may mean to certain creatures, even if they're supposedly meant for the creatures' own good.

The prose is a pleasure, the wordbuilding is great and the magic system impressive. But the highlight of the book for me were the characters themselves. That struggle in between human mind and animal body, the behavior and little quips - so typical to the animal species. And don't even let me get started on the description of the bond... to me, that was extraordinary!

Superb characterization, unique concept, a complex plot full of unexpected twists and impressive magic, complete with a whole load of snark and humor - this book has it all.

This one's A MUST READ my friends!

Check out this book and more of Daniel Potter over at http://fallenkitten.com