The Opal-Eyed Fan

by Andre Norton

Lost Lady Key, off the Florida coast, had a long history of violence, as Persis Rooke soon discovered when she and her uncle were shipwrecked there en route to claiming an inheritance in the Bahamas. Not only the ghost of a Spanish lady victimized by pirates, but the much more ancient and terrifying cutoms of a vanished Indian race seemed to haunt the remote little island.

And Persis found herself threatened by very current skulduggery as well as shadows from the past.

Genres: Fantasy, Gothic, Romance, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Gothic Romance

212 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Andre 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.

Reviews

[Linda Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andre Norton, that is all I should need to say.

Classic stories that never grow old. An author that is a must read. Great for all ages. I read these when I was growing up and still re-read them after sixty years.

[Rosemary Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though this book is labeled SciFi, I truly think it can be considered more of a romance novel. Andre Norton did write both but is more famous for the SciFi. I don't care what she wrote I love all of them.

[Valerie]

In a half-page introduction, this book gives an almost certainly inaccurate accounting of the nature and doom of the precolumbian civilization in South Florida.

Norton was (as I've noted before) obsessed with interpersonal violence, so it's not surprising that she'd believe in an uneasy
'Spanish-Seminole' alliance which brought down a thriving civilization. But the evidence indicates that long before the first official landings by Spanish conquistadores, the Floridian civilization was already moribund, at least partly due to diseases brought to the area by marooned sailors. refugees from the Caribbean, etc.

As for 'Seminoles' doing anything, the evidence indicates that there was no such 'tribe' until well after the Spaniards arrived. The Seminole were a coalition of exiles, escaped slaves, etc. Their language was based on a Creek dialect, and they didn't form a coherent tribe until quite late. By that time, the south Floridian civilization was probably already quite defunct.

Norton's fear of reptiles is so pronounced in this book that she suggests that sea turtles might attack people. Think back: have you EVER heard of a sea turtle attacking anyone?

[Lynnette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading Andre Norton books for many years, and had thought I had read all her different "voices". This book seems a diversion from what I am used to reading in her sci-fi and fantasy genre, but as always it is a good solid read with well written characters and settings.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable light read and would recommend it for everyone to read.

[Sandra Munger · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of her non science fiction books but slightly in the witchcraft side. Girl and uncle take a trip to the keys to claim an inheritance. Their ship crashes and after rescue, the uncle dies. She must make decisions to save their rescuer and in the end her inheritance.

[Lily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a great airport read because I think even if I'd been in a normal state of mind, I wouldn't have known what was going on. It starts out totally normal. Young woman and her uncle and their servants (with no discernible goals besides servitude) get shipwrecked with a Hot Captain and his sister. She finds a haunted fan. Then we get way too much time spent in the house as her personal and societal situation gets worse and worse. But the last fifty or so pages, where everything is wrapped up through lengthy monologues and off screen totally killed the book for me. If this book were a pie chart, there'd be way too much time spent on her worrying about her future and not enough time of her doing anything about it.
That being said, I did enjoy it. I thought Norton did a great job exploring the significance of each loss for Persis, from her uncle to her normal life. Her relationship with Molly was sweet, especially as Molly attacked her uncle's sheltering of her. While there absolutely could have been more scenes between Persis and Crewe, I thought they were sort of almost Beauty and the Beast-esque, and that gave me a lot of convincing on the chemistry.
This book would have been fully saved by a dual POV between Persis and Crewe. It would've avoided that awkward "everything wrapped up while Persis slept" thing at the end, we could've gotten more about how he's pining after her, etc. But as it stands, it was an entertaining read and I don't regret the 99 cents I spent on it.

[Gilda Felt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow to start, I eventually was drawn into the mystery faced by Persia Rooke. As things begin to go wrong, she doesn’t know who to trust, or who to turn to. But when a new danger appears, Persis draws on strength she didn’t know she had in order to rescue her new ally.

Though I prefer Norton’s science fiction novels, she doesn’t disappoint with her historical stories, though this one has a bit of the supernatural thrown in. And while ostensibly a romance novel, the romance is barely touched on and left to the reader to decide where it will go. That’s classic Norton, as most of her novels don’t go there.

A lovely story well worth reading.

[Donna Huoppi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opal-eyed fan.

Beautiful story, filled with danger and intrigue. Well written and hard to put down. Loved it. Great story. A keeper.

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

1978 grade C-