"For He Can Creep" is a 2019 historical fantasy short story by Siobhan Carroll, about the historical figure Christopher Smart and his cat, Jeoffry. The story was adapted into the final episode of the fourth volume of the Netflix anthology series Love, Death & Robots, also titled "For He Can Creep".
Synopsis While Christopher Smart is confined for insanity in St. Luke's Asylum, he is repeatedly visited by Satan, who wants him to write a poem that will end the world — and only his cat Jeoffry (with the help of several other cats) can stop him.
Reception For He Can Creep won the 2020 Eugie AwardEugie Award, at EugieFoster.com; retrieved Oct 11, 2020 and was a finalist for the 2019 Nebula Award for Best Novelette,For He Can Creep, at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved June 29, 2020 the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novelette.2020 Hugo Awards, at TheHugoAwards.org; retrieved June 29, 2020 and the 2020 World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction.
Lela E. Buis considered it "highly entertaining" and "way too short". Review of “For He Can Creep” by Siobhan Carroll, by Lela E. Buis; published March 18, 2020; retrieved June 29, 2020 In Locus, Karen Burnham praised the portrayal of Jeoffry as "both charming and intense", emphasizing the "ultimate cat attitude poured into every line".Karen Burnham Reviews Short Fiction: Tor.com, BCS, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, Bards and Sages, and Daily SF by Karen Burnham, in Locus; published November 20, 2019; retrieved June 29, 2020
Adaptation The story was adapted into an animated episode of Love, Death & Robots Season 4, directed by Emily Dean with scriptwriting from the author Tamsyn Muir.
References
External links Text of the story, at Reactor