Nataliya's Reviews > For He Can Creep

“It is true that the devil is bigger than the biggest rat Jeoffry has ever fought, and it is also true that he is Satan, the Adversary, Prince of Hell, Lord of Evil. Nevertheless, the devil made a grave mistake when he annoyed Jeoffry. He will pay for his insolence.”

For those who, like me, had no idea that this novelette was based on a real historical personage, here’s what I learned. In the 18th century, there was a poet Christopher Smart who racked up many debts and the ire of numerous creditors (the man loved a lavish lifestyle, I guess). At some point, because of religious mania, he ended up in a lunatic asylum (where his cat Jeoffry kept him company), where he started one of his most famous works, Jubilate Agno, a 1200-line poem which features a 74-line section For I Will Consider My Cat Jeoffry — a poem about his cat Jeoffry, an ode to his many virtues and smarts, his Devil-fighting abilities and his dedication to God. Yes, seriously.


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This is the story of Jeoffry — the cat who fought the Devil.

“Jeoffry knows he is a good cat, and a bold gentleman, and a pretty fellow.”

You see, the Devil is a cunning fellow who wants something from Jeoffry’s poet - a poem and a soul, and Jeoffry strikes an unwise bargain with the Devil, using his single-minded feline logic.

“Jeoffry does not like literature of any kind, unless it is about Jeoffry. Even then, petting is better. And eating. Are there treats now?”

But you see, when tricked into an unwise and poorly considered bargain with the Devil, even Jeoffry is forced to reconsider his life choices and realize that there are battles that must be fought. Especially when his human’s soul is at stake.

“In that action (and here Jeoffry must think very hard, and lay his ears back) Jeoffry has been less than his normal, wonderful self. He may in fact have been (though this is almost impossible to think) a bad cat.”

“But Jeoffry shuts his ear to this voice. He has learned that there is more than one kind of devil, and that the one inside your head, that speaks with the voice of your own heart, is far more dangerous than the velvet coat–wearing, poetry-loving variety.”

If there’s a way to convey a cat’s point of view - an annoyed, gruff, self-centered and all-important feline warrior who will take on mice and rats and demons and Satan — whoever crosses him, really — then this story is it. Jeoffry does not give a whisker about the apocalypse. But he is angry if you cross him. And cheat him out of treats. And harm HIS human.

A standoff between a good cat and a bad Satan is clearly not a fair fight. Because life itself, as any cat owner faithful servant knows, is rigged in cats’s favor. Because Jeoffry can creep.

“I thought you and I should have a chat,” Satan says. “I understand you’ve been giving my demons some trouble.”

Oh, and this: I AM! NIGHTHUNTER! MOPPET!

4 stars.
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Read the short story here: https://www.tor.com/2019/07/10/for-he...
Read the excerpt from Jubilate Agno (starring Jeoffry) here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...

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My Hugo and Nebula Awards Reading Project 2020: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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Recommended by: Tadiana