I very much enjoyed this episode. The description of kittens as "impressive purveyors of violence" was well worth the price of admission! I learned very early on that asking Gene about a story or book was like asking a magician how they do an illusion. They smile, chuckle, and wave their hands a bit, but you never really find out. Gene was like that. If you listen to him VERY closely, Gene might OCCASIONALLY let slip a little nugget of information to give you a clue about one of his stories. A great example was the February 31st prank at college becoming The House of 31 February in The Island Of Dr. Death and Other Stories. (see my comment under "The island of doctor death and other stories, redux”) I read Feather Tigers for the first time a few weeks ago. I immediately recalled a story that Gene told us about an experience he had in Korea. We would have Gene over for dinner on occasion. One time, after a most enjoyable repast, the talk turned, as it inevitably does, to the Korean War. Gene told us this story. Gene fought at the tail end of the Korean War. After the fighting ceased, Gene’s unit was stationed close to the newly established Demilitarized Zone (DMZ.) The DMZ is a 160 mile long, 2.5 mile wide strip of wild, undeveloped temperate forest that separates North and South Korea. Nobody dared enter the DMZ, Gene said, and not just because of the land mines. You see, he explained, all the wildlife in the area naturally fled the battlegrounds for the sanctuary of the DMZ. And where the deer and boar go, the apex predator follows. At night while sleeping in his tent, he could sometimes hear the coughing of the tiger as it patrolled its territory. His Republic of Korea compatriots would tell stories about the ferociousness of the cats. There are no longer any tigers in South Korea and no one knows about North Korea. The mines have been removed from the DMZ, but no one is quite sure whether tigers still prowl there. So watch the shadows closely. I bet that Gene’s experiences at the DMZ inspired Feather Tigers. I wish I were able to ask him, but he would probably just smile with that twinkle in his eye and enigmatically say “Perhaps.”