It is a masterpiece of antiquity inexplicably hidden in a California hillside garden—a door of rich dark wood with cats carved in it, cats so beautifully rendered that even artist Braden West found himself expecting them to leap forth from their unyielding woody prison. Yet it was far more than some museum-quality replica attached to a little-used toolshed. It was, though neither Braden nor any other upper-worlder knew it, a magical portal between the everyday human lands and the Netherworld below, a realm of magic, of elves and dwarves, of Harpies and Griffons, of human rebels and their cruel enslaver, Siddonie, the sorceress queen. And it was the domain, too, of the Catswolders, shapeshifters with enchantments all their own, who prowled both the Netherworld and the upper one in either cat or human forms. 

Siddonie had long ago sworn to bring all of the Netherworld under her evil sway—but to succeed in her plans for conquest she needed both a healthy heir and the child whom she once held in her power, a young girl who'd suddenly, mysteriously vanished from both human and sorcerous ken. 

Condition: Pre-loved book. Minor yellowing of pages. Otherwise in good condition.

Format: Hardcover
Year published: 1992
Pages: 405
Sub-genre: YA fantasy, mystery
Imprint: Penguin