Sophie and Max Go Tumbling in Spacetime Again
Antoinette Corum
language
(Outskirts Press, Inc., Oct. 17, 2017)
One rainy evening, a beautiful young research scientist falls victim to an unknown assailant. Mortally wounded, she is dumped in a nearby alley. Her breath becomes irregular until one final gasp remains. At that precise instant, a power greater than any other intervenes. With a blinding shaft of light attended by a great rift in the fabric of space and time, a force seizes that last breath and creates a new life form. The body is sleek and lithe; the head is wedge-shaped; the ears are large and triangular. It wears a creamy coat with dark feet and tail. Peering from a burnt umber face, large sapphire eyes glimmer. Her bearing is regal and in another life, perchance, she was an Egyptian queen.Meet Sophie! She is a Siamese cat who will embark on a magical journey to reclaim her former life as a human. She is rescued from the cold wet alley by an old man who takes pity on the bedraggled cat. Mr. Cavaliere introduces Sophie to Max, a mangy mongrel, who shares his home. It is hatred at first sight. Sophie looks down her nose at Max for obvious reason—he has no pedigree. To Max, Sophie is a snooty interloper. But it quickly becomes apparent that Sophie is going to need Max's help. That means toning down her personality and keeping a civil tongue in her head, neither of which comes naturally to Sophie.Meet Max! He is a mixed breed mongrel of doubtful ancestry—no pedigree in his recent bloodline. But what he lacks in stellar lineage, he makes up for in loyalty and affection for the old man and his family. The cat is another matter. Max thinks Sophie is nothing but a pain in the butt—and a rival for the old man's affection. When Max learns that Sophie believes she is really a human in feline form, he also thinks she's nuts. She is a troublesome interruption is his normally carefree life and he wants his old life back. Max decides to help Sophie so that he can be rid of her sooner than later. His days may be fairly routine and uneventful, but that's the way he likes things—or so he believes. Meet Mr. Cavaliere! He owns the building which houses The White Knight Bookstore and lives in the apartment above it. He sells more used books than new, but also trades in rare editions which come his way from time to time. Other than Max, his family consists of his son's widow and two grandchildren who visit him occasionally. In his senior years, he is content with his life, believes in the Golden Rule, and helping the less fortunate.Meet Madame Giselle! She is one of Mr. C's tenants and the proprietor of Ye Olde New Age Shoppe next door to the book shop. Among the typical merchandise one expects to find in this type of establishment, Madame Giselle sells a wide variety of crystals that are all but guaranteed to solve your problems and fix what ails you. Beneath a scatterbrained demeanor, Madame Giselle displays a keen sensitivity for matters that cannot always be explained. Through the use of ancient books, powerful crystals, and magic chants, Sophie and Max set off together on adventures across space and time. In their travels, in both animal and human form, they meet a helpful wizard and an evil villain. They learn the value of cooperation and trust. They learn how to compromise and improvise on the spot. They also learn that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. But, in looking out for each other, they learn the true meaning of friendship.