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--- Andre Norton (http://www.gatchamania.net/threadid.php?threadid=2095)
Posted by Barrdwing on 07-09-2008 at 07:22:
Andre Norton
So, since there's a category for the books and authors that we love, I'm curious: does anyone else here enjoy reading Andre Norton's books? Considering that she was the author that got me interested in science fiction in the first place, I think her books as a whole are well above average. She really knew how to "just tell the story," without padding in a lot of extraneous detail, and she came up with some great adventures for her characters. She also wrote a bunch of fantasy novels, plus some historical novels and quasi-romances (minus the smut). Some days I sure wish I had her inspiration for storytelling! <sigh>
Posted by lborgia88 on 07-09-2008 at 14:35:
I'm not sure I've read anything by her, but you've got me intrigued. I will do some looking on amazon...
Posted by gogirl212 on 07-09-2008 at 15:06:
What a great, prolific and imaginative author! I read lots of her books when I was in high school and college. I don't think I ever got through all of the Witchworld series. Might be time to make a trip to the library as I am coming up on the end of the Wheel of Time Saga by Robert Jordan - another amazing epic story teller. He passed away just this last year. The series is not actually complete, but then again, maybe that was the point. I'm not sure how I would feel about someone else completing it.
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Posted by Barrdwing on 07-09-2008 at 16:57:
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She did a lot of writing in the fifties, sixties, and seventies, so you should be able to find copies of those older books for super-cheap. Used bookstores are my favorite place to find them, but there should be plenty on Amazon. Many of her books have gone into reprints which are priced more like today's books; I tend to look for the old, inexpensive ones. Besides, the old cover art is more fun.
I'd be happy to put up a list of my favorites if you like, and what they're about. While she never wrote a book I didn't like, there are some that I particularly enjoy re-reading. But individual tastes do differ, and since she wrote over a hundred books, there are plenty to choose from!
I've noticed some recent books with her name on the spine that are actually stories written by other authors who had planned to do a collaborative work with her, and didn't get it off the ground before she passed away. It's interesting, but not the same. While I enjoy seeing her characters return, the difference in writing style is distracting. There were some decent collaborative pieces written while she was still alive and able to contribute. (With one memorable exception, which features a really blatant Mary Sue. Yick.) Generally, though, the best books are the ones that she wrote by herself.
Sorry to hear about Robert Jordan, gogirl212. I hadn't realized that he was gone. I've read about two-thirds of his Wheel of Time. They're good books and he has some great material in there. I remember being frustrated because every time a loose end got tied up, another appeared. I figured he was having so much fun writing those books that he kept getting inspired with new ideas for the series, and it just kept going. Can't blame him for that!
And I agree with you about not being sure if someone else should try to finish the series. It doesn't seem to work out very well--no matter how thoroughly the new author does their homework, it's still very hard for them to mimic the style of the original, and readers notice.
Posted by lborgia88 on 07-09-2008 at 19:49:
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Ooh, if you could name a few of your top favourites, that would save me some guesswork! I keep a running list of books that I mean to read, and it needs some additions. My family is widely dispersed geographically, and every time Christmas or my birthday roll around I get emails with not-so-subtle requests for gift ideas, preferably ones that are easily ordered off amazon.com and shipped...
Posted by Barrdwing on 07-09-2008 at 20:28:
Okay! These would be my particular favorites among Norton's books.
Science fiction books:
The Stars are Ours!
Star Man's Son (alternate title: Daybreak--2250 A.D.)
Postmarked the Stars
Plague Ship/Voodoo Planet (Two stories published in one book; may be found separately)
Sargasso of Space
The Zero Stone
Uncharted Stars
Star Guard
Star Rangers (alternate title: The Last Planet)
The Time Traders
Galactic Derelict
Breed to Come
Fantasy titles:
The Crystal Gryphon
Gryphon in Glory
Gryphon's Eyrie
The Jargoon Pard
Year of the Unicorn (My favorite of the Witch World books, but all of this series are good, especially the first eight books.)
Fur Magic
Dragon Magic
Historical or quasi-historical/romance titles:
The White Jade Fox
Shadow Hawk
Iron Butterflies
Ralestone Luck
There are many, many more to choose from. I can also supply quick run-downs on the plotlines of most of her books (at least the ones I have), so if you spot something you're curious about and would like more info, just let me know! 
Posted by lborgia88 on 07-09-2008 at 20:35:
Thanks! I think I'll start with her sci fi, as I've been reading mostly fantasy/historical lately.
Posted by gogirl212 on 07-09-2008 at 21:57:
Bardwing - that is one challenging reading list! I was enthralled with Witchworld but didn't really get past that to her other books. I certainly think I will branch out to some of the sci fi titles as well. (Of course, that is in between reading every single gatchaman/botp fic I can chase down on the web - I am so obsessed.)
One of the things I like about writers like Norton and Jordon is that they are so epic and sweeping in their story lines and yet each story itself has detailed and rich characters that you can really fall in love with throughout their journey. I also love that the story isn't over after just three books (the trilogy as the ultimate form in fantasy/sci fi is really starting to just feel like a rut to me). I like that these authors create a rich world that just keeps living.
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Posted by Barrdwing on 07-09-2008 at 22:39:
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I agree completely.
It's as if these authors have so many ideas that they just flow onto the paper in rapid succession, and the story charges along without slow or dull sections. Norton somehow manages to develop storylines that can be completed in under 300 pages (sometimes well under), but without making the reader feel as if the material was shallow. The imagery is so vivid, and she creates it in almost a minimalist fashion. She's a good example of a writer who, when she uses a word, it's just the right word for the job and it doesn't need padding to explain it. Yeek--I, on the other hand, am using a lot of padding here. <blush>
Posted by Condorfan on 09-09-2008 at 15:13:
Thanks to everyone for recommending those titles. In a few weeks I have to have surgery and will be laid up for awhile. I need a good read! 
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Posted by Ebonyswanne on 10-09-2008 at 03:37:
Some of those Authors I have heard of but I haven't read their books... Would you believe I"m a big fan of fantasy but I have never read Robert Jordan. I knew of him, but his books didn't grab me when I read the blurbs.
I love Robin Hobb's 'Assasins apprentice' series and the "Tawny Man"...and her" Liveship Traders". Her characters are well rounded the story telling is detailed in a way that makes the plot solid. And its not a predictable story!
I seem to be attracted to stories that have complexities to them and the characters. Magic is there but it doesn't solve everything, and its not always accepted.
But thats me when it comes to authors of novels.
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Posted by gogirl212 on 10-09-2008 at 04:47:
It took me a while to decide to try Robert Jordan. I agree Ebony, the blurbs really didn't entice me. A friend who loved the series convinced (after several years of trying) to read them and it took a while to get into the first book, but then I was hooked.
I don't know Robin Hobbs, but it sounds like another author I have to look into!
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There are few problems that a swift kick to the head by a highly trained ninja can't solve.
Posted by saturn on 10-09-2008 at 13:30:
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Dear Condorfan
Hope that the surgery will go well and that you will have a speedy recovery.
Dear Barrdwing
Thank you for the recommendations. I have to be honest that I have never read any of Norton's books, but you've got me curious on her works. Perhaps I should really check out the Science Fiction sections in the bookstore next time.
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Posted by Barrdwing on 10-09-2008 at 15:28:
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Condorfan, I hope that your surgery goes very well and that the recovery goes smoothly. Good luck!
I'm imagining reading some of the books on my list while under the influence of painkiller. For the most part, I think they'd still be pretty easy to follow . . . except possibly Sargasso of Space, which can be a little confusing even stone cold sober! Saturn, you might be able to find some of the reprints in a new-book bookstore, but if not, perhaps Amazon might be useful in finding older used copies. The reprints are a little hit-or-miss in terms of what stories were chosen. Some of my favorite titles haven't been reprinted, but of the ones that have, just look for something that was written by Norton without a second author. Not that all of the books she wrote with another author are bad . . . but I don't think they're quite as good as the ones she wrote on her own.
Posted by Ebonyswanne on 10-09-2008 at 22:33:
I'll have to check out Norton too. I have heard of the author. When in a reading mode again I"ll buy one...
At the moment I've been reading books on raising kids and adoption. They can get boring since I like action in a book, and factual books can send me to sleep...
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Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up- Pablo Picasso.
Posted by Reboekah on 10-09-2008 at 22:53:
Andre Norton runs hot and cold for me...
I've enjoyed any number of her books (The Wraiths of Time, Ralestone Luck, the Gryphon trilogy... the Elf/Fae series with Mercedes Lackey) and some of them have left me absolutely cold (I've blocked their names... sorry).
In general, I enjoy her work, more especially when I recall the environment and audience for her publications.
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Posted by Ebonyswanne on 11-09-2008 at 02:23:
What do you mean by "cold" Reboekah?
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Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up- Pablo Picasso.
Posted by Reboekah on 11-09-2008 at 18:38:
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When I like Andre Norton's work, I really really like it - when I don't - I want to drop it into the deep freeze and forget I ever read it.... Hot and cold...
I was needing reading material while living in Asia, went through the (small) English-language section in a local store and picked up one of her Witch World works... and regretted it. Could have been the wrong place and wrong time, but I don't think I ever finished the book (which is terribly odd for me...)
-Boeke
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-Boeke
Bird Scramble OE
155 issues - 36.5Years! - and flying high!
Posted by Ebonyswanne on 11-09-2008 at 23:06:
So the book basically was boring is that what you're saying.
I've had that happen with books, they look good I persevere through them to find I wasted my time...
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Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up- Pablo Picasso.
Posted by gogirl212 on 12-09-2008 at 04:01:
I have a hard time not finishing a book, even if it is a disappointing read. I keep thinking it just has to get better and I persevere well past the point of it ever getting better. I just don't like not knowing the end of a story - even a bad one.
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