The talking cat Shukru returns for his second adventure in this follow-up to Zeki and the Talking Cat Shukru, this time coming to the aid of the alchemist into whose laboratory he crashes his flying machine one stormy night. Ordered to produce gold by evil Count Zlotgar, or face being fed to the terrible monster Zludd, Dezso is in desperate need of allies. Determined to help his new friend, Shukru enlists the aid of Tom the Wildcat, Eshper the Fox, Aydin the elf, and the local villagers, leading to an epic showdown with Zlotgar...

Like its predecessor, The Cat and the Flying Machine is considerably enhanced by Laszlo Kubinyi's marvelous black and white illustrations, with their delicate detail, and expressive figures and faces. Unfortunately, the artwork is not enough to save this somewhat muddled story, which suffers from a sense of rushed confusion towards the ending. Kubinyi fans will enjoy the visuals, but young fantasy readers can find better fare... ( )