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Ralestone Luck
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252 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1938
53 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
696 books1,377 followersAndre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
February 17, 2021
I believe this was the first book Andre Norton ever wrote, apparently written she was still a school-girl, and the second to be published. This possibly shows in the writing, and the plotting, and ... and so what!? It's still a great story about some kids who inherit a haunted old mansion in the Deep South of the USA (near New Orleans), called Pirates Haven! They have adventures in the nearby swamps, there's a mysterious boy hanging about, there's another rival claimant to the house backed up by local thugs, there are underground tunnels and lost treasure and it's just a thoroughly good rollicking adventure story. It's also fair to say that it is of its time and place in the depiction of the descended-from-slaves POC characters who inhabit the neighbouring property, but I think credit can be given to the author for moving on from this during her writing career, and also for writing a protagonist here who is somewhat disabled, which can't have been that common in 1938 fiction.
Interestingly, free-traders (a.k.a smugglers) get another mention. Andre Norton was clearly fascinated by them, as they appear in many of her SF works (e.g. the Solar Queen series)
Glad I read it? Absolutely.
Interestingly, free-traders (a.k.a smugglers) get another mention. Andre Norton was clearly fascinated by them, as they appear in many of her SF works (e.g. the Solar Queen series)
Glad I read it? Absolutely.
December 18, 2010
I know she is known cor her sci-fi or fantasy, but her suspense is fantastic. The characters come alive, and they are believable in their conflicts with the outside world. I hope that I can be as prolific a writer as she.
May 26, 2021
The Ralestones, consisting of oldest brother Rupert, younger brother Valerious, also known as Val, and little sister Richanda, known as Ricky. Having inherited a house, a title, and a ghost, the siblings move to the swamps outside New Orleans where they promptly encounter a sneering local who claims he deserves the house, followed by another who claims he owns it.
It was a trifle confusing at times as to the ages of the three, as I thought Val was the youngest. At one point though the trio is able to establish their ages, in reference to the family history. They do this while trying to establish their right to the house, and build a place in the community where they can live together.
I was uncomfortable with all the characterizations of the various people, southern gentlemen, swamp dwellers, and the neighboring black family who are the worst characterizations of all. This novel, which according to some research was the very first by the author, was first published in 1938 and thus would have been in the middle of some of the Jim Crow laws, patriarchal rules, and other era-related inequalities.
For those reasons, and including the horrible patois which characterized the conversation of the neighbors and of the swamp dwellers, I find this a difficult book to like, although I think that for the time period and the newness of the author to writing, it is decently written (I raise some of the same objections in my review of To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman.)
I liked the story, although it was really very predictable. I thought Ricky was very well done, being an outspoken and determined young lady in a time period when Flappers nearly caused heart attacks with their flamboyance. Val, with his handicap, was especially well done, and easy to sympathize with. Rupert was an enigma buried in a mystery surrounded by a conundrum. In other words, very hard to figure him and his motivations out. I liked the black family for the most part, but not their servile manner or horrible patois. I did like the main lawyer, and the vague hints of family history. Coming to that I was a bit puzzled at the acceptance of the revealed family linkage, even though it was well done.
Overall, not a book for the current ages, but still well written (but not up to the standards of later books such as Hands of Lyr or Year of the Unicorn).
It was a trifle confusing at times as to the ages of the three, as I thought Val was the youngest. At one point though the trio is able to establish their ages, in reference to the family history. They do this while trying to establish their right to the house, and build a place in the community where they can live together.
I was uncomfortable with all the characterizations of the various people, southern gentlemen, swamp dwellers, and the neighboring black family who are the worst characterizations of all. This novel, which according to some research was the very first by the author, was first published in 1938 and thus would have been in the middle of some of the Jim Crow laws, patriarchal rules, and other era-related inequalities.
For those reasons, and including the horrible patois which characterized the conversation of the neighbors and of the swamp dwellers, I find this a difficult book to like, although I think that for the time period and the newness of the author to writing, it is decently written (I raise some of the same objections in my review of To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set a Watchman.)
I liked the story, although it was really very predictable. I thought Ricky was very well done, being an outspoken and determined young lady in a time period when Flappers nearly caused heart attacks with their flamboyance. Val, with his handicap, was especially well done, and easy to sympathize with. Rupert was an enigma buried in a mystery surrounded by a conundrum. In other words, very hard to figure him and his motivations out. I liked the black family for the most part, but not their servile manner or horrible patois. I did like the main lawyer, and the vague hints of family history. Coming to that I was a bit puzzled at the acceptance of the revealed family linkage, even though it was well done.
Overall, not a book for the current ages, but still well written (but not up to the standards of later books such as Hands of Lyr or Year of the Unicorn).
September 19, 2018
Very pleased to have rediscovered an old favorite author..
I first started reading Ms Norton about 40 years ago, but had never seen this, as is only read her fantasy and science fiction. This has moat of the wonder and mystery of those, but more humor and a wry wink. I don't think i would have liked it as much as a young person, and am quite happy to have found it now. It's a gem.
I first started reading Ms Norton about 40 years ago, but had never seen this, as is only read her fantasy and science fiction. This has moat of the wonder and mystery of those, but more humor and a wry wink. I don't think i would have liked it as much as a young person, and am quite happy to have found it now. It's a gem.
June 8, 2018
Given the author and the book cover, I thought I was in for a different type of story, but it turns out, its a family mystery of sorts. Nothing futuristic or magical.
That said, it was an enjoyable read with interesting characters, set in Louisiana in the 1930's.
That said, it was an enjoyable read with interesting characters, set in Louisiana in the 1930's.
November 9, 2020
Entertaining reading
A family story set in Louisiana, a very will written novel with interesting characters. The story line is full of twist and turn leading to a great conclusion. I would highly recommend. Enjoy reading 2020
A family story set in Louisiana, a very will written novel with interesting characters. The story line is full of twist and turn leading to a great conclusion. I would highly recommend. Enjoy reading 2020
July 4, 2021
Palestine Luck, again
This a re-read. As usual, I picked up interesting details in the story development that I frequently breeze over the first time. Still very enjoyable and interesting....
This a re-read. As usual, I picked up interesting details in the story development that I frequently breeze over the first time. Still very enjoyable and interesting....
January 9, 2016
3 1/2 stars. This was a very enjoyable tale. It took me a little while adjust to the Librivox narrator's accent but once I did, I found I liked him.
May 27, 2020
Didn't realize until I started reading this that it was written in 1938. For it's time period, it could have been a lot worse but there is still enough racism to make this uncomfortable. Set in New Orleans as the scions of a pirating dynasty return to their homestead, this story of three siblings purports to be a mystery surrounding the loss of their historical pirate wealth. I realize that Andre Norton is supposed to be a lauded and prolific author, but this was surely not one of her best. The narrative was choppy, characters were referenced by their names or the boy/the girl thus making it difficult to follow, the plot seemed rushed, and the depiction of the southern accent, voiced only by the residents of color, was almost incomprehsible.
May 3, 2024
This is a great book!
The mystery, while pretty obvious, is nicely revealed and satisfactorily concluded. The characters are believable and engaging - especially Val and Jeems. The descriptions of Louisiana bayous are lovingly drawn and beautiful.
My one problem with the story is the depiction of the African Americans in the book, but I realize that was just reflective of the views at the time. And there is nothing hateful about the depictions. In fact, the white Cajuns are looked at just the same way, and an interesting sideline is the racial mistrust and dislike between the Cajuns and the African Americans.
Overall, this is a great story. Mystery, romance, adventure. Add it to your read list; you won't regret it!
The mystery, while pretty obvious, is nicely revealed and satisfactorily concluded. The characters are believable and engaging - especially Val and Jeems. The descriptions of Louisiana bayous are lovingly drawn and beautiful.
My one problem with the story is the depiction of the African Americans in the book, but I realize that was just reflective of the views at the time. And there is nothing hateful about the depictions. In fact, the white Cajuns are looked at just the same way, and an interesting sideline is the racial mistrust and dislike between the Cajuns and the African Americans.
Overall, this is a great story. Mystery, romance, adventure. Add it to your read list; you won't regret it!
February 13, 2021
Ralestone Luck was written in 1938, before Andre Norton became a SF writer. Some people of an old Ralestone family get the old Louisiana mansion and are talking about the sword named "Luck" and the history of the family. Five gallons of gasoline cost $1.10.
I got past where they talk history, but when a stereotypical black man of that era started talking in that vernacular, I decided I didn't need that much Norton history.
I got this book in an omnibus of her writing and will skip this book.
I got past where they talk history, but when a stereotypical black man of that era started talking in that vernacular, I decided I didn't need that much Norton history.
I got this book in an omnibus of her writing and will skip this book.
July 28, 2025
This is pretty light reading. 3 siblings are set to physically inherit an estate of theirs, but there are legal and paranormal (?) issues complicating the ownership. The book has a lot of barbs being exchanged by the siblings, which I found amusing, plus the remainder isn't a bad adventure. I would give it 4 but it was fairly predictable.
July 27, 2023
Entertaining reading
A family story set in Louisiana, a very will written novel with interesting characters. The story line is full of twist and turn leading to a great conclusion. I would highly recommend. Enjoy reading 2020
A family story set in Louisiana, a very will written novel with interesting characters. The story line is full of twist and turn leading to a great conclusion. I would highly recommend. Enjoy reading 2020
June 30, 2025
A well written and very fun book. It's billed as historical fiction in the book I'm reading from but it seems like it could well be taking place at the time it was written, so I'm not tagging it as that.
February 9, 2018
This book is a mystery, first time I have read one by Andre Norton, I do not usually read this genre to be honest, but I liked this story.
September 28, 2018
Andre Norton was my favorite author back in the 70s. Has it really been that long?
This isn't sci-fi, but still a good story with good plot twists and one final surprise at the end.
This isn't sci-fi, but still a good story with good plot twists and one final surprise at the end.
January 12, 2019
Severely dated, and a few details had me nonplussed, but this book does have its charms — mainly in the form of the Ralestone siblings themselves.
May 8, 2020
Not my typical read. A good story.
February 3, 2023
This is a very old book and a re-read for me. I don't think it is one of this author's best works. I remember liking it more on my first read. Overall it was a good story though and worth a read.
October 7, 2024
Andre Norton is one of my favorite authors. This book has good pacing and adventure, but it does show it's age in the treatment of race.
September 18, 2025
This is quite different from other books I've read from this author. It was very enjoyable.
March 2, 2014
Product Description
Her brother Val watched the gas gage on the instrument board of the roadster fluctuate wildly as the attendant of the station shook the hose to speed the flow of the last few drops.
About the AuthorFor well over a half century, Andre Norton has been one of the most popular science fiction and fantasy authors in the world. Since her first SF novels were published in the 1940s, her adventure SF has enthralled readers young and old. With series such as_ Time Traders, Solar Queen, Forerunner, Beast Master, Crosstime, _and Janus, as well as many stand-alone novels, her tales of action and adventure throughout the galaxy have drawn countless readers to science fiction.
Her fantasy, including the best-selling Witch World series, her "Magic" series, and many other unrelated novels, has been popular with readers for decades. Lauded as a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America, she is the recipient of a Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention. Not only have her books been enormously popular; she also has inspired several generations of SF and fantasy writers, especially many talented women writers who have followed in her footsteps. In the past two decades she has worked with other writers on a number of novels. Most notable among these are collaborations with Mercedes Lackey, the Halfblood Chronicles, as well as collaborations with A.C. Crispin (in the Witch World series) and Sherwood Smith (in the Time Traders and Solar Queen series). An Ohio native, Ms. Norton lived for a number of years in Winter Park, Florida, and now makes her home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where she continues to write, and presides over High Hallack, a writers' resource and retreat.
September 5, 2021
This is a scanned copy of the 1938 illustrated edition of Ralestone Luck. I love illustrated books in general and I would love to have a physical copy of this one. As I've found in several other scanned books, occasionally there are lines -or even paragraphs!- that have been missed in the process. A jarring note, but possible to overlook. A more jarring note is the racial stereotyping of people of color. The unquestioning loyalty to the family who enslaved their ancestors, the ignorant superstitions of one character, a sort of affectionate caricaturing of the others reveal the prejudices of the time. Books like this are a time capsule. The farther we get from that time, the more clearly we can see the differences.
January 29, 2023
Grade B-. Not SciFi. Sort of historical, teen in the 1930s I think.
2011 Grade B
2023 Grade B+/A-
This young adult adventure novel by Ms Norton was written when she was in High School and clearly illustrates her master writer abilities. It is not childish in any way. The Ralestones are three siblings age 26, 19 and 17. They inherit an old but well kept bayou mansion and have to find the secrets to save it from false claims. It is masterfully written from the 17 and 19 year olds' POV. I never lost interest and only skipped over a few of the longer paragraphs. Even those were simply because I have read that kind of material before.
2011 Grade B
2023 Grade B+/A-
This young adult adventure novel by Ms Norton was written when she was in High School and clearly illustrates her master writer abilities. It is not childish in any way. The Ralestones are three siblings age 26, 19 and 17. They inherit an old but well kept bayou mansion and have to find the secrets to save it from false claims. It is masterfully written from the 17 and 19 year olds' POV. I never lost interest and only skipped over a few of the longer paragraphs. Even those were simply because I have read that kind of material before.
December 17, 2012
This was a odd sort of book, I must admit; it's historic, about three siblings moving into a house (their ancestral home, in fact) and the mystery which surrounds it. The elder brother was a red headed writer (but hiding it), the middle brother a dark haired air pilot who crashed and hurt himself, and the red haired sister a spitfire. There were "Red Ralestones" and "Black Ralestones" with that meaning; their family's Luck has gone missing.
(The Luck ends up being a sword).
This is a mystery about this family, as much as it is mystery of a family trying to find what belongs to them. They find much more, in the end, than what they sought.
(The Luck ends up being a sword).
This is a mystery about this family, as much as it is mystery of a family trying to find what belongs to them. They find much more, in the end, than what they sought.
September 23, 2015
This is Andre Norton's second published book, although it was written before THE PRINCE COMMANDS, which was published first but written later. It's a pretty standard adventure story, with a once well-to-do family that has now fallen on hard times and is forced to move back to the familial estate, which has fallen into disrepair. There are the usual Norton twists and turns, with some clever plot twists, but overall it feels like a first novel. Norton is still finding her voice, and there are some pretty clunky moments. It hasn't aged particularly well, with a lot of outdated slang and references. Still, it's a fun diversion, and a good bit of escapism.
July 21, 2014
A fun and short book. the characters are rather dated and some of the culture is out of date but a fun story and a bit of mystery. Always helps if it is good writer who makes the characters come alive. The Ralestone is a lost sword and the purpose of an old family heritage. There is a story of restored glory for an old Bayou Family, complete with scalawags, lawyers, swamp foxes and old slaves still loyal to the "old ways". A simple "all's well" in the end. As a side note, I think I read this in series in Boy's Life when a young Scout.
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June 1, 2010This is Norton's 1st published work, copyrighted in 1938, when Norton was still in her late teens.
Given that Norton spent little time in bayou country (as far as I can tell), there are a few glaring errors (underground tunnels in the area would be underwater, for example, unless the house was up on a rare rise of land). Still, a creditable first effort.
Given that Norton spent little time in bayou country (as far as I can tell), there are a few glaring errors (underground tunnels in the area would be underwater, for example, unless the house was up on a rare rise of land). Still, a creditable first effort.
September 4, 2008
It could almost be Gothic, if it weren't as light hearted as the Boxcar Children. The last scions of the Ralestone family, penniless and uprooted, return to their old family home in the States. There's all sorts of intrigue and mystery and sass.
April 6, 2015
Pirate Treasure
This is one of Andre Norton's few novels that have no fantasy or science fiction elements. It's an adventure story set in New Orleans during The Great Depression where the title family is searching for treasure left by a pirate ancestor centuries before.
This is one of Andre Norton's few novels that have no fantasy or science fiction elements. It's an adventure story set in New Orleans during The Great Depression where the title family is searching for treasure left by a pirate ancestor centuries before.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews