IanBruntlett
Emperor Mongoose
I've seen Andre Norton referenced a number of times in this forum. I haven't read any of her books so I'd appreciate an answer to this question: which book(s) should I read first?
Andre Norton
- Thread starter IanBruntlett
- Start date
Ooh.. that's a hard one. There are a number of really good ones. Try Star Solidiers.. much like the Solomani developing jump drives only to find the univers a already bureaucratized place!
Star Soldiers pre-dates Traveller, so I dunno if it influenced things, or its just a coincedence. It's not an uncommon theme in sci-fi, though Norton is old-school (50s) sci-fi.
I suppose her works would be considered to be juvenile fiction, much like many of Heinlien's works.
Also check out H.Beam Piper's works. Those are pretty good for the time as well.
Star Soldiers pre-dates Traveller, so I dunno if it influenced things, or its just a coincedence. It's not an uncommon theme in sci-fi, though Norton is old-school (50s) sci-fi.
I suppose her works would be considered to be juvenile fiction, much like many of Heinlien's works.
Also check out H.Beam Piper's works. Those are pretty good for the time as well.
Mongoose Pete
Mongoose
The Zero Stone was the first Sci-Fi book I ever read. I was ten and it captivated me utterly. I highly recommend it, along with
The Solar Queen series - Sargasso of Space, Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet and Postmarked the Stars
and
Exiles of the Stars - I prefer this as a stand alone book. Its alien, mysterious and has psychic stuff going on.
All of the above are great material for inspiring a Traveller game, especially one set at the edge of civilisation, out near the backwater systems.
The Solar Queen series - Sargasso of Space, Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet and Postmarked the Stars
and
Exiles of the Stars - I prefer this as a stand alone book. Its alien, mysterious and has psychic stuff going on.
All of the above are great material for inspiring a Traveller game, especially one set at the edge of civilisation, out near the backwater systems.
srogerscat
Mongoose
All of the above, plus Uncharted Stars - the sequel to The Zero Stone.. Hmm. The Judgment on Janus/Victory on Janus duology. Storm Over Warlock and The Witch World are perhaps her best mixes of tech and magic.
I would be hard pressed to name a specific one, because I have yet toIanBruntlett said:
find a book by Norton that is not worth reading, whether science fiction
or fantasy.
If you would be interested in a really strange and fascinating mix of sci-
ence fiction and fantasy, you could try the Witchworld series, beginning
with the novel Witch World.
IanBruntlett
Emperor Mongoose
Thanks to the feedback. I supplemented it by checking Andre Norton out on Wikipedia.
And then I battered my bank account by buying stuff from Amazon UK
And then I battered my bank account by buying stuff from Amazon UK
IanBruntlett said:Thanks to the feedback. I supplemented it by checking Andre Norton out on Wikipedia.
And then I battered my bank account by buying stuff from Amazon UK
Some of her works are available for free on the Gutenberg project:
http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/n#a7021
The Solar Queen books are my favorite, though IMHO the later ones co-written by someone else after her death are really bad teen Mary Suestories. On par with 'Twilight'
(Mary Sue stories, come from early Star Trek fanfic, are the derogtory term for "Captain Kirk falls in love with the Young Yeoman" whos descripion suspiciouly matches that of the young author.)
(Mary Sue stories, come from early Star Trek fanfic, are the derogtory term for "Captain Kirk falls in love with the Young Yeoman" whos descripion suspiciouly matches that of the young author.)
GypsyComet
Emperor Mongoose
The Solar Queen stories are where a big chunk of Traveller's merchant shtick comes from, with the rest coming from Poul Anderson's Falkayn stories and Tubb's Dumarest. The opening scene of the first Solar Queen book is also deeply suggestive of Traveller's rather eclectic "Draft".
Traveller players will also find some resonance with the Time Traders books, the Dipple books, Star Ranger, Android at Arms, Zero Stone/Uncharted Stars, and the Warlock/Storm books.
Note that these are all old school novels, never topping 300 pages and often not hitting 200. You aren't committing to The Circle of Time, here.
Traveller players will also find some resonance with the Time Traders books, the Dipple books, Star Ranger, Android at Arms, Zero Stone/Uncharted Stars, and the Warlock/Storm books.
Note that these are all old school novels, never topping 300 pages and often not hitting 200. You aren't committing to The Circle of Time, here.
Sir Hackalot
Mongoose
You know I actually find myself liking the older novels that weren't from a giant redwood!
Nuclear Fridge Magnet
Mongoose
Sir Hackalot said:
Something that doesn't have a 100-page 'what has gone before' preface just so you have a vague idea of what the actual story is about? :twisted:
GypsyComet
Emperor Mongoose
Chumbly said:
The other end of that cycle, many centuries later, is Star Ranger. While not as haunting as the cycle closers that Poul Anderson did ("The Horn of Time, The Hunter" for the Psychotechnic League, and "Starfog" for the Polesotechnic League/Terran Empire/Long Night), it does its job, and coincidentally provides some of the vibe for the Scouts of Traveller.
Much of the Traveller approach to psionics can be seen across Norton's works: rare, misunderstood, difficult to use, and sometimes dangerous.
Another place to get free old books is Many Books. They have a section with works by both Andre Norton and H. Beam Piper.
