Strange Horizons, August 6, 2018

“Copy Cat” by Alex Shvartsman & K.A. Teryna

Reviewed by Gyanavani

“Copy Cat” by Alex Shvartsman & K.A. Teryna is set in Leningrad, Russia.

It opens with the death of an old radio announcer from the time of the Soviet era who is survived by her cat. This cat, aware that it would be homeless if it had a traditional burial ceremony for his mistress, cuts and splices the tapes of the old woman’s recordings to arrange both an anonymous burial for the dead woman and a peaceful quiet life for itself.

I loved this witty heart-warming story. The writers describe this cat as ordinary, bound by the laws of physics and by the version of reality that governs our world. Given that it uses human tools to create, given that it manipulates human greed with threat and bribery, given that it listens patiently and counsels wisely, this cat is not a “simpleton fur ball.”