“What did you find?” Yann repeated.
“The impossible. A mining camp, hidden under the forest. Things I'd never seen, giant planes, giant nets extending for miles for camouflage. An entire excavation, completely undetected. And that's not even the main thing...”
The Kerguelen Cat is a 2021 historical fiction novel written by Rachel Relat. It is the direct sequel to the 2020 The Dragon Run.
One year after escaping from England, French pilot Yann Vatel is still in Bombay when Ascalon comes back knocking on his door. While allies are dealing with the phony war in Europe, Vatel will be sent to French Indochina to uncover illegal mining operations that could give the Axis powers an edge in the coming war. During the course of the mission, Vatel reconnects with old friends and builds new alliances, but the clues progressively lead him to a mysterious and powerful organization embedded deep into Nazi infrastructures, called Working Group Seven. As their terrifying goals become clear, Vatel embarks on a perilous flight to stop them once and for all.
As with its predecessor, the title references a plane that features prominently in the story, in this case the PBY Catalina
flying-boat.
The Kerguelen Cat contains examples of:
- The Ace: Frederik manages to take down a plane armed with only a rifle. Justified later when Agarwal mentions that his dossier describes him as an exceptional sniper. Not a surprise, considering how he dispatched the WG7 assassin.
- Actionized Sequel: While the first book had its share of action scenes but leaned more on the adventure angle, this one kicks it up several notches, with more fight scenes, several chases and even a High-Altitude Battle between Vatel's unarmed flying-boat and a Japanese fighter.
- All There in the Manual: Like the first, this book comes with a Planes Of Ascalon companion booklet that gives more details about the various planes that appear in the story.
- Anyone Can Die: Gornelli, Frey and eventually Hao don't survive their encounter with WG7.
- Artistic License – History: A couple of instances.
- Neither atomic research nor flying wings designs were anywhere near as advanced at that point in the war. Handwaved as Working Group Seven is shown to have funding and resources well in excess of other countries. Lampshaded at the end when the scientists sent to recover the bomb say they're not even certain Hashimoto's design would have worked as intended.
- Technically, the amphibian version of the Catalina was not launched until 1941, although prototypes had been tested. Handwaved in this case too as it is said to be a custom-built pre-production model.
- Back from the Dead: While readers knew that Frederik survived in The Stinger of The Dragon Run, the trope is played straight from Vatel's POV, who didn't. Frederik's wife also turns out to be Not Quite Dead, much to the man's shock.
- Bad Guy Bar: Lulu's joint combines this with The Neutral Zone. The bar in Port-Louis also qualifies.
- Becoming the Mask: Possibly what happened to Frieda Schenke, Frederik's wife, although he theorizes she might have been in it all along.
- Big Bad: Frieda Shenke.
- Boom, Headshot!: Poor Frey.
- City of Spies: Saigon.
- Continuity Nod: A remark by Frey explains the punchline of a throwaway joke in The Dragon Run. Agarwal also updates Vatel on what other characters have been up to since we last saw them.
- Cool Plane: A staple of the series.
- Yann starts off with a Waco UBF-2, the same plane Jock flies in the prologue of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
- He then flies the H-198 and the Caudron Simoun, two planes closely tied with Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of The Little Prince.
- The titular "Cat" is the mighty PBY Catalina, the most successful and versatile flying-boat type ever designed.
- For the bad guys, the Horten flying-wing certainly qualifies.
- Ghostapo: The Germans use the search for mythological artifacts as a cover while they really are looking for natural resources. One of the items mentioned is the Ark of the Covenant.
- Disney Death: Frederik's last appearance has him shot and falling in a river. His final fate is left to the reader.
- Easily Forgiven: Subverted. Nobody trusts Frederik at first and it takes some persuading for Ascalon to admit his motives are legit.
- Face–Heel Turn: Schenke, from Frederik's perpective.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Vatel with Sarif and Sir Timothy. Also, Vatel and Frederik, after they return from the mining camp.
- High-Altitude Battle: Vatel finds himself in one against a Japanese fighter.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Vice-Admiral Sato in the climax didn't realize that Hashimoto tampered with his bomb, removing the timer.
- Imported Alien Phlebotinum: Working Group Seven is openly looking for mythological artifacts and alien tech. It's all a front to hide their real agenda.
- It's Personal: Vice-Admiral Sato blames Vatel for killing his son. He scales it back significantly after Vatel tells him that in reality Hiroshi committed suicide to avoid detention (an honorable death). He still wants him dead though.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Captain Richter takes one look at the explosion and decides to get the hell out of Dodge.
- La Résistance: Hao is revealed to be part of a network that resists the French occupation of Indochina.
- Mirror Character: Frey's story is similar to Vatel's. Both left Aéropostale around the same time, both founded successful businesses in the colonies and are well connected, and both end up being private assets to governmental intelligence services.
- Myopic Architecture: While bringing Vatel up to date after he escapes from Saigon, the group comments on the abysmal failure of the Maginot Line as defense against German invasion.
- My Sister Is Off-Limits: Sarif jokingly pretends to do this at the end.
- Nebulous Evil Organisation: Working Group Seven has heavy shades of this.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: Frederik was this since his first appearance, but we eventually learn his real name towards the end of Act 2: Wilhelm Gartner.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Vatel still shows signs of PTSD, a year after the events of the first book.
- Shout-Out: Several.
- The discussion about ancient artifacts references the Ark of the Covenant, one of three nods to Raiders of the Lost Ark hidden in the book.
- Lulu's bar and the names of several gangsters are a nod to Les Tontons flingueurs.
- Schenke was the name of the scientist Cate Archer rescued in No One Lives Forever.
- Take That!: Agarwal scoffs when Vatel jokingly mentions the Ark of the Covenant.
- Trespassing to Talk: Frederik does it to Yann, but it's to propose an alliance, not to kill him.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: The Atlantis was a real ship that really stopped at Kerguelen in December of 1940.note The Ranchi and the Meigen Maru were also real ships that were in service during the time period.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Gornelli and Frey exit the story as soon as their narrative purpose is fulfilled.
- What the Hell, Hero?: From virtually everyone when Vatel allies with Frederik. Even he is not convinced he's making the right call, although events later prove him right.
- Will They or Won't They?: Vatel and Layla Sarif.
