Mark Reads ‘The Book of Night With Moon’: Chapter 4, Part III

In the third part of the fourth chapter of The Book of Night With Moon, Rhiow has a vital realization about Arhu. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Feline Wizards. 

Trigger Warning: For discussion of fear of heights

Oh, Arhu, I can’t help but feel bad for him. It is curious that Arhu has so little experience in all things catlike, and I’m still interested to know where he came from and how he ended up in these cats’ lives. At the same time, that isn’t necessarily important because… well, he’s here. They have to deal with his education now, and LORD, there’s so much they need to teach this young cat! 

If you’ll excuse some of the repetition, I still see a lot of promise in this story at this point. Obviously, I love seeing train infrastructure stuff; I’m into the way this book reverses the perspective on young wizards by sticking us in an adult wizard’s head; and there’s still a HUGE MYSTERY that isn’t remotely solved yet. Knowing that Arhu is dealing with a fear of heights, though, makes this infinitely more interesting to me. It’s not something I expected from this story, especially since I have only know one cat myself who had issues similar to Arhu. One of my Siamese cats I had years ago had poor spatial awareness and constantly fell off things or ran into things. She would often arch her back or try to bop me with her head, but she’d be a full foot away from me. IT WAS SO FUNNY AND DEEPLY ENTERTAINING BECAUSE SHE WAS SO SINCERE ABOUT COMPLETELY MISSING HER INTENDED TARGET. 

But a fear of heights? I used to have something much closer to a phobia. I remember a time when I would have to close my eyes in order to make it across a bridge. (And for some reason, if that bridge was over water, it was a million times more terrifying for me? I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT EITHER, Y’ALL.) I actually used roller coasters and my love for them to basically face this fear head-on, and it mostly worked? I still can’t be near the edge of a tall building if I’m on the roof. It’s too scary! NO THANKS. So, how do you be a cat and deal with a fear like this? I’m curious if Rhiow, Saash, or Urruah have ever seen this before or if it’s so new to them that they’re going to have to wing it from here on out. To her credit, though, Rhiow is tender and kind with Arhu as she helps him reach the roof of Grand Central. (A view, I should note, I would love to experience myself.) She’s already planning on teaching him how to walk on air, which is a great solution for the interim, but will she compel him to face his fear, too? I imagine that’s going to make his job more difficult at some point! 

From this, I can see how this book will most likely follow the education of Arhu, which thereby explains the world of feline wizards to the reader, while they try to solve the mystery of the worldgate and the unnamed visitor that nearly led to Arhu’s death. There hasn’t been much progress on that front; I suspect the answer is held in the Downside, but… that’s about all I have? As for Arhu, I am enjoying this journey through his education. He’s got so much left to learn, and he’s still at that point where it all seems magical and exciting. He’s not as weathered as the other cats when it comes to wizardry because it’s so new, but he’s cynical about life. He’s had it rough, so he’s not exactly quick to trust others. How else is that going to manifest? I don’t know, but I’m eager to see what his next lesson is.

https://youtu.be/Cu0Pg76oNPA

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