I am delighted to announce the Swarm Metamorphosis: Circe and the Great Cat has been released! All of us at Practical Tales are excited to release this book that looks at animal minds and people’s relationship with non-human animals in a new light. It is also a book about transformation—not the small changes we experience every day, but the difficult transformations that mark turning points in our lives and leave us forever changed.
After her mother’s death, Astrid Lund inherits five ordinary house cats her mother had nicknamed The Swarm for their habit of converging on each new mischief as if they shared a single mind. Soon, Astrid discovers that this behavior reflects an extraordinary physical ability. When threatened, the cats join their bodies to become a single, deadly predator Astrid names Swarm.
Transported against her will to the time and place of Swarm’s origin—The Homeric Bronze Age—Astrid learns that her cats are the prize in a bitter struggle between an insane demigod who plans to exploit the animals’ abilities for his dark purposes and Circe, Homer’s powerful, capricious enchantress. As their conflict and the Trojan war rage around her, Astrid fights to protect her animals and return home. Helped by a woman who was taken as a spoil of war but who has achieved a position of influence through grace and wisdom, by an aging warrior who longs for one last honorable quest, and by a young girl who has escaped slavery through an act of violence, Astrid uncovers the mysteries of her mother’s past and Swarm’s origin—and ultimately faces her own terrifying transformation.
Swarm Metamorphosis is an adventure spanning time, cultures, and species. It will appeal to anyone who loves historical fantasy, complex heroines and heroes, and the animals whose courage and intelligence fascinate us. It is available for purchase from Amazon, and can be found or ordered from your local bookstore.
Your animals are unique, five ordinary cats who share the mind—and sometimes the body—of one great predator. They have opened a new door into the heart of creation; their future must be allowed to unfold.
Circe, the Enchantress
