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Garan the Eternal
In our world, he was Garin, jet pilot and explorer. In the lost land of Tav, he was Garan who would supply the link with their most ancient past. And in a world far distant in space and time, he was Garan of Yu-Lac, who would stand alone between a planet's doom and the ones he loved.
GARAN THE ETERNAL is a web of wonders woven by a master writer. It is the story of three lives tied by a recurrent destiny - that of Kepta the Ambitious, of Thrala the Divine, and of Garan himself, man of three worlds.
Here is a never-before-published novel by the author of the Witch World series - a new adventure in science fiction and fantasy sure to please Andre Norton's legion of readers.
(Source: back cover)
GARAN THE ETERNAL is a web of wonders woven by a master writer. It is the story of three lives tied by a recurrent destiny - that of Kepta the Ambitious, of Thrala the Divine, and of Garan himself, man of three worlds.
Here is a never-before-published novel by the author of the Witch World series - a new adventure in science fiction and fantasy sure to please Andre Norton's legion of readers.
(Source: back cover)
156 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1972
36 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
701 books1,390 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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June 7, 2020
DAW Collectors #45
Cover Artist: Jack Gaughan
Norton, Andre Alice, Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, USA, (17 February 1912 - 17 March 2005
Alternate Names: Andrew North, Andre Alice Norton,
This book was first produced in hardcover by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. (972/12) Price: $4.95
Pages: 199.
In our world he was Garin, jet pilot and explorer. In the lost land of Tav, he was Garan who would supply the link with their most ancient past. And in a world far distant in space and time, he was Garan of Yu-Lac who would stand alone between a planet’s doom and the ones he loved.
GARAN THE ETERNAL is a good story of wonders woven by a master writer. It is the story of three lives tied by a recurrent destiny - that of Kepta the Ambitious, of Thrala the Devine, and of Garan himself, Man of three worlds.
The book is greatly influenced by A. Merritt. The book collects four short stories, novelettes and novellas by Norton, including the "Witch World" story "Legacy from Sorn-Fen.".
The Book:
Introduction
"Garin of Tav" (1947)
"Garan of Yu-Lac" (1970)
"Legacy from Sorn-Fen" (original to the collection)
"One Spell Wizard" (original to the collection)
Cover Artist: Jack Gaughan
Norton, Andre Alice, Birthplace: Cleveland, Ohio, USA, (17 February 1912 - 17 March 2005
Alternate Names: Andrew North, Andre Alice Norton,
This book was first produced in hardcover by Fantasy Publishing Company, Inc. (972/12) Price: $4.95
Pages: 199.
In our world he was Garin, jet pilot and explorer. In the lost land of Tav, he was Garan who would supply the link with their most ancient past. And in a world far distant in space and time, he was Garan of Yu-Lac who would stand alone between a planet’s doom and the ones he loved.
GARAN THE ETERNAL is a good story of wonders woven by a master writer. It is the story of three lives tied by a recurrent destiny - that of Kepta the Ambitious, of Thrala the Devine, and of Garan himself, Man of three worlds.
The book is greatly influenced by A. Merritt. The book collects four short stories, novelettes and novellas by Norton, including the "Witch World" story "Legacy from Sorn-Fen.".
The Book:
Introduction
"Garin of Tav" (1947)
"Garan of Yu-Lac" (1970)
"Legacy from Sorn-Fen" (original to the collection)
"One Spell Wizard" (original to the collection)
July 8, 2021
This is a wonderful collection of two short stories, a novellette, and a novella. The two short stories, ten and thirteen pages each, and original to this collection, are at the end. They are Witch World stories, good ones at that. The first is a humorous story in the Sorceror's Apprentice mold. The other High Hallack story was very rich in background and had some great ideas. An abused spouse triumphs in an unusual way.
The heart of the collection are the two wonderful longer stories. The better known one is "The People of the Crater" (1947), Andre Norton's first ever published science fiction story. It appeared originally in the first issue of Fantasy Book (July 1947), where its chapters are divided a little differently (more frequently) and contains wonderful illustrations. It can be read in its magazine format through Internet Archive.
The story is about a pilot in the near future commissioned to help explore a mysterious crater in Antarctica. As a result of a failure that takes place during the mission he crashes into a spot occupied by aliens. The rest of the story is learning about the aliens' problems and figuring out how to help them.
The editor of Fantasy Book #1 said a sequel was tentatively scheduled for issue #3, but it didn't appear. A different Andrew North (Norton's pseudonym) story appeared instead, "The Gifts of Asti" (1948). Fans of the 1947 story had to wait 22 years for Andre Norton to finally publish the sequel in two issues of Spaceway in 1969 and 1970, collected together for the first time in this book, Garan the Eternal (1972). The 1969/70 novella is 50% longer than the 1947 novelette and better written. It would be. By 1970 Norton was a practiced writer.
The latter story is not a sequel, however; it's a prequel. Norton clearly had the incidents in the prequel in mind when she wrote her 1947 work because that story refers back to incidents contained in the 1969/70 prequel. It's clear Norton did not write the story until 1969, however, because there are incidents in the second story that show the influence of the 1960s: leaf drug smoking and social rebelliousness among the youth.
The second book (prequel) explains how the society that came to be in Antarctica made the interstellar trip to end up there and why they came in the first place. It's a good story that I won't spoil by providing details. Together, these two stories make for a wonderful exposition on Garan/Garin and the love he had for Thrala that transcended worlds, times, and even lives. It's quite a concept!
So why is the series so little read and reviewers so lukewarm (at best) about this book? I think it's because the stories are placed out of order. The second story, the prequel, needs to be read first. Not only was Norton's writing much better by then, the first story makes a lot more sense because it keeps referring back (ahead?) to events that will be in the prequel 22 years later as if the reader should already know them. Reading the second story first motivates the reader to read the first story because the reader will already know and care about many of the characters that are found in the first story, especially Thrala. Reading the second story first will also motivate a reader to give Norton a break for some of the inexperience mistakes she makes in the first story, like establishing characters in the first chapter she then discards for the rest of the book, not to mention some clunkiness in her word choices that makes her story hard to follow at a few points, and referring to characters she hasn't introduced and that never even actually feature in the story (like Thran, whose role we only understand upon reading the second story).
Read in the right order, these two stories really make for an imaginative, fun Norton romp that still isn't old.
The heart of the collection are the two wonderful longer stories. The better known one is "The People of the Crater" (1947), Andre Norton's first ever published science fiction story. It appeared originally in the first issue of Fantasy Book (July 1947), where its chapters are divided a little differently (more frequently) and contains wonderful illustrations. It can be read in its magazine format through Internet Archive.
The story is about a pilot in the near future commissioned to help explore a mysterious crater in Antarctica. As a result of a failure that takes place during the mission he crashes into a spot occupied by aliens. The rest of the story is learning about the aliens' problems and figuring out how to help them.
The editor of Fantasy Book #1 said a sequel was tentatively scheduled for issue #3, but it didn't appear. A different Andrew North (Norton's pseudonym) story appeared instead, "The Gifts of Asti" (1948). Fans of the 1947 story had to wait 22 years for Andre Norton to finally publish the sequel in two issues of Spaceway in 1969 and 1970, collected together for the first time in this book, Garan the Eternal (1972). The 1969/70 novella is 50% longer than the 1947 novelette and better written. It would be. By 1970 Norton was a practiced writer.
The latter story is not a sequel, however; it's a prequel. Norton clearly had the incidents in the prequel in mind when she wrote her 1947 work because that story refers back to incidents contained in the 1969/70 prequel. It's clear Norton did not write the story until 1969, however, because there are incidents in the second story that show the influence of the 1960s: leaf drug smoking and social rebelliousness among the youth.
The second book (prequel) explains how the society that came to be in Antarctica made the interstellar trip to end up there and why they came in the first place. It's a good story that I won't spoil by providing details. Together, these two stories make for a wonderful exposition on Garan/Garin and the love he had for Thrala that transcended worlds, times, and even lives. It's quite a concept!
So why is the series so little read and reviewers so lukewarm (at best) about this book? I think it's because the stories are placed out of order. The second story, the prequel, needs to be read first. Not only was Norton's writing much better by then, the first story makes a lot more sense because it keeps referring back (ahead?) to events that will be in the prequel 22 years later as if the reader should already know them. Reading the second story first motivates the reader to read the first story because the reader will already know and care about many of the characters that are found in the first story, especially Thrala. Reading the second story first will also motivate a reader to give Norton a break for some of the inexperience mistakes she makes in the first story, like establishing characters in the first chapter she then discards for the rest of the book, not to mention some clunkiness in her word choices that makes her story hard to follow at a few points, and referring to characters she hasn't introduced and that never even actually feature in the story (like Thran, whose role we only understand upon reading the second story).
Read in the right order, these two stories really make for an imaginative, fun Norton romp that still isn't old.
December 23, 2023
This book contains a fix-up novel by YA legend Andre Norton, as well as two unrelated short stories by her. As one of the first 100 titles of DAW Dooks, the first editions of it are collectible items. The novel is a linked sequence of previously published shorter works, featuring Garin Featherstone, a former American pilot living in the lost land of Tav, and now known as Garan of the Flame. As a young boy, I read quite a bit of Andre Norton’s science fiction, and none of her fantasy. This story had not yet been fixed up into a novel, but if I had found it, it probably would not have been among the Nortons I chose.
The People of the Crater, by Andrew North, retitled here as “Part One”. It was first published under Norton’s pseudonym Andrew North, in Fantasy Book, Vol. 1, No. 1, in 1947.
Garin Feathersone, an American pilot looking for work after the great future war of 1985-88, is recruited to fly into Antarctica. He crashes into an unknown crater, inhabited by descendants of aliens who fled the destruction of their homeworld to Earth millions of years ago. They built a scientific utopia, bio-engineering native species to their needs. But the situation has deteriorated, into an ongoing battle between the Learned Ones and the Dark Ones. In a plot almost as if written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Garin slips into the role of the warrior Garan of the Flame, fighting for the forces of good and suitor of the Princess. The plot is simplistic and near-magical, and the romance inexplicably unrequited. But the ending explains all and twists toward happy. Rating 3/5.
Garan of Yu-Lac, by Andre Norton, retitled here as “Part Two”. It was first published in serialized form, in Spaceway magazine – Part 1 in September-October 1969 – Part 2 in May-June 1970. But Spaceway magazine folded before Part 3 could be published. The first appearance of Part 3 is in this fix-up novel.
This contains a prequel and is a longer story than the prior one. It is framed as a recollection by Thrala, daughter of the Ancient Ones, as told to her new lover Garin. It concerns his predecessor in her affections, Garan of Yu-Lac, back on her homeworld Krand. There are many parallels between Garan and Garin, and they are perhaps incarnations of the same soul. In this story, Garan is a sincere, but lower-caste soldier who has worked his way up to military command. Garan and Thrala are in love, but it is a socially impossible romance. They are thrown into closeness by a conflict against an evil conspiracy led by Kepta of Koom. A lot of the action takes place in corridors and rooms of the Sotan Pleasure Palace, a den of thinly veiled dancing young women of many races. This story is a mostly worthless addition to the story arc, although it is redeemed somewhat by the tragic ending of the planet Krand, which led to the exodus to Earth. Rating 1/5.
One Spell Wizard (original to this book) An unrelated story in the Witch World universe. The lazy servant of a second-rate wizard named Saystrap attempts to gain fortune through meager shape-changing that he has learned. Rating 1/5.
Legacy from Sorn Fen (original to this book) An unrelated story in the Witch World universe. A story told as legend concerning Caleb, a kind drifter with a lame leg, who comes to serve in the household of the ambitious and ruthless Higbold. Driven out, he moves through a series of events and lifestyles until he again confronts his former lord. The comeuppance when Higbold is given what he wants, but not as he wants it, is sweet. Rating 3/5.
The People of the Crater, by Andrew North, retitled here as “Part One”. It was first published under Norton’s pseudonym Andrew North, in Fantasy Book, Vol. 1, No. 1, in 1947.
Garin Feathersone, an American pilot looking for work after the great future war of 1985-88, is recruited to fly into Antarctica. He crashes into an unknown crater, inhabited by descendants of aliens who fled the destruction of their homeworld to Earth millions of years ago. They built a scientific utopia, bio-engineering native species to their needs. But the situation has deteriorated, into an ongoing battle between the Learned Ones and the Dark Ones. In a plot almost as if written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Garin slips into the role of the warrior Garan of the Flame, fighting for the forces of good and suitor of the Princess. The plot is simplistic and near-magical, and the romance inexplicably unrequited. But the ending explains all and twists toward happy. Rating 3/5.
Garan of Yu-Lac, by Andre Norton, retitled here as “Part Two”. It was first published in serialized form, in Spaceway magazine – Part 1 in September-October 1969 – Part 2 in May-June 1970. But Spaceway magazine folded before Part 3 could be published. The first appearance of Part 3 is in this fix-up novel.
This contains a prequel and is a longer story than the prior one. It is framed as a recollection by Thrala, daughter of the Ancient Ones, as told to her new lover Garin. It concerns his predecessor in her affections, Garan of Yu-Lac, back on her homeworld Krand. There are many parallels between Garan and Garin, and they are perhaps incarnations of the same soul. In this story, Garan is a sincere, but lower-caste soldier who has worked his way up to military command. Garan and Thrala are in love, but it is a socially impossible romance. They are thrown into closeness by a conflict against an evil conspiracy led by Kepta of Koom. A lot of the action takes place in corridors and rooms of the Sotan Pleasure Palace, a den of thinly veiled dancing young women of many races. This story is a mostly worthless addition to the story arc, although it is redeemed somewhat by the tragic ending of the planet Krand, which led to the exodus to Earth. Rating 1/5.
One Spell Wizard (original to this book) An unrelated story in the Witch World universe. The lazy servant of a second-rate wizard named Saystrap attempts to gain fortune through meager shape-changing that he has learned. Rating 1/5.
Legacy from Sorn Fen (original to this book) An unrelated story in the Witch World universe. A story told as legend concerning Caleb, a kind drifter with a lame leg, who comes to serve in the household of the ambitious and ruthless Higbold. Driven out, he moves through a series of events and lifestyles until he again confronts his former lord. The comeuppance when Higbold is given what he wants, but not as he wants it, is sweet. Rating 3/5.
August 17, 2016
Ace pilot and discarded world war 3 hero Garin Featherstone, on a routine expedition, gets sucked down below the ice crust of Antarctica into a "land of the lost," of sorts: without the dinosaurs, but there are wise and civilized lizardlike people, furry house elves, and enormous intelligent bees. Those are the good guys. It seems to have been the lizards who called Featherstone down, using arcane means. His mission: to rescue and then mate with Thrala, last daughter of the humanlike Older Ones - they who, long ages past, came as refugees to this planet and kickstarted evolution. Or at least they gave it a helpful push or two towards the weird, down in the crater. Meanwhile on the bad guy side, you've got a bunch of bad descendents of the humanlike Older Ones, who used to call bad people down to mate with them instead of good people. As a result: all bad. They keep huge, slavering ratlike dogs (possibly doglike rats), and experiment with weaponized fungus.
Basically the top bad guy and Garin both want the same girl, and after all the drama pans out in the crater, we flash back to the original planet of the Older Ones where Garan, the same bad guy, and the same girl had roughly the same problem: reincarnation, apparently.
The main tales of Garin/Garan and his time-crossed exploits are backed up with two unrelated stories: "One-Spell Wizard" about a wizard who can't make his spells last more than 24 hours, and "Legacy of Sorn Fen" about a magic ring that turns one-eyed cripples into successful bartenders. But when the local jerk overlord discovers the secret, will bad stuff happen pending some further comeuppance?
Basically the top bad guy and Garin both want the same girl, and after all the drama pans out in the crater, we flash back to the original planet of the Older Ones where Garan, the same bad guy, and the same girl had roughly the same problem: reincarnation, apparently.
The main tales of Garin/Garan and his time-crossed exploits are backed up with two unrelated stories: "One-Spell Wizard" about a wizard who can't make his spells last more than 24 hours, and "Legacy of Sorn Fen" about a magic ring that turns one-eyed cripples into successful bartenders. But when the local jerk overlord discovers the secret, will bad stuff happen pending some further comeuppance?
Read
September 9, 2009There's evidently at least one other edition--mine is a DAW paperback.
This seems to've been an attempt to mimic something along the lines of Edgar Rice Burrough's Pellucidar books--set on Earth, but, in this case, in an artificial crater in Antarctica.
From internal evidence, it seems likely there were meant to be at least two other 'Garan' stories in this book, but apparently it came up a little short, because there're two Witch World Stories at the end: (1) One Spell Wizard, and (2) The Legacy of Sorn Fen. I don't remember the former in any other books, but the latter is in at least one other collection.
This seems to've been an attempt to mimic something along the lines of Edgar Rice Burrough's Pellucidar books--set on Earth, but, in this case, in an artificial crater in Antarctica.
From internal evidence, it seems likely there were meant to be at least two other 'Garan' stories in this book, but apparently it came up a little short, because there're two Witch World Stories at the end: (1) One Spell Wizard, and (2) The Legacy of Sorn Fen. I don't remember the former in any other books, but the latter is in at least one other collection.
April 14, 2019
Very poorly written. The sentences are choppy, lack any flow. The plot is boring with sections that are so useless it would make the book good to just get rid of them. Seems more like a rough outline of a story than something remotely finished.
July 10, 2017
Not worth a read, very poorly written, like some parts were just skipped. Boring beyond description.
June 30, 2023
This book has been a fascinating read for multiple reasons. At first I went in blindly, having just a very vague idea of what it was about, some parts were rough, others a bit confusing but still very interesting, others were good fun.
Part I is the oldest work and it's very easy to see, it started nicely with an intriguing set, but then it got a bit... crunched, let's say. English isn't my first language and it became quite hard for me to follow at some point, it felt like if I missed a line I was missing a whole chapter. The story felt rushed, as if trying to put a litre of water into a small glass, it still delivered a story, yet there was no development among the characters, things just happened, romance is nonsense. It still had good points I enjoyed, the link among the hero, the princess and the villain is exactly the same in The Legend of Zelda, where they reincarnate and meet and fight again over and over, that was a surprise. Also the end was a good funny bit.
Part II was completely different, written much, much later and it shows spectacularly, it was like day and night. Huge development and easier to follow, set, I believe, as another reincarnation of the trio. It still had its flaws, the part with the tunnels were a bit boring and confusing, but had a more solid structure and better main characters, while the extras often felt like they were there for just being there. Still enjoyed a good amount.
I wasn't expecting the last two stories to be two different works and I'll admit, I enjoyed them more than the rest of the book, especially the One spell wizard. That was snappier in style, more to the ground and a lot of fun.
Legacy From Sorn Fen felt more unique, almost like a Celtic folklore story and it was very solid and rewarding at the end.
Good book
Part I is the oldest work and it's very easy to see, it started nicely with an intriguing set, but then it got a bit... crunched, let's say. English isn't my first language and it became quite hard for me to follow at some point, it felt like if I missed a line I was missing a whole chapter. The story felt rushed, as if trying to put a litre of water into a small glass, it still delivered a story, yet there was no development among the characters, things just happened, romance is nonsense. It still had good points I enjoyed, the link among the hero, the princess and the villain is exactly the same in The Legend of Zelda, where they reincarnate and meet and fight again over and over, that was a surprise. Also the end was a good funny bit.
Part II was completely different, written much, much later and it shows spectacularly, it was like day and night. Huge development and easier to follow, set, I believe, as another reincarnation of the trio. It still had its flaws, the part with the tunnels were a bit boring and confusing, but had a more solid structure and better main characters, while the extras often felt like they were there for just being there. Still enjoyed a good amount.
I wasn't expecting the last two stories to be two different works and I'll admit, I enjoyed them more than the rest of the book, especially the One spell wizard. That was snappier in style, more to the ground and a lot of fun.
Legacy From Sorn Fen felt more unique, almost like a Celtic folklore story and it was very solid and rewarding at the end.
Good book
April 26, 2022
An anthology, though you can't tell that from the cover copy.
"People of the Crater" was Norton's first short story and it shows. It's a very A.Merritt-ish lost world story but while she knows what this sort of story should have in it, she can't bring it to life. The secon story, "Garan of Yu-Lac," is a prequel that shows how much she's improved in the 20 years between them. Not up to her best work though.
The backup Witch World stories, though? Fun. "One Spell Wizard" is a romp about a young man who learns shapeshifting, "Legacy of Sorn Fen" is a somewhat grimmer one. They're the reason this gets three stars instead of two.
"People of the Crater" was Norton's first short story and it shows. It's a very A.Merritt-ish lost world story but while she knows what this sort of story should have in it, she can't bring it to life. The secon story, "Garan of Yu-Lac," is a prequel that shows how much she's improved in the 20 years between them. Not up to her best work though.
The backup Witch World stories, though? Fun. "One Spell Wizard" is a romp about a young man who learns shapeshifting, "Legacy of Sorn Fen" is a somewhat grimmer one. They're the reason this gets three stars instead of two.
June 2, 2017
This is a collection which I did not realize at first. One failing of e-books is the inability to flip quickly through a book and see its divisions.
The first story I kept thinking I had read, and I had, it is People of the Crater which leads into the second which is Garan the Eternal followed by some Witch World short stories.
All and in all its ok but not great. The stories are fine and I think the Witch World ones might be the better. The grouping doesn't make much sense. Its like someone just put together stuff to make a book of a certain length and let it go.
The first story I kept thinking I had read, and I had, it is People of the Crater which leads into the second which is Garan the Eternal followed by some Witch World short stories.
All and in all its ok but not great. The stories are fine and I think the Witch World ones might be the better. The grouping doesn't make much sense. Its like someone just put together stuff to make a book of a certain length and let it go.
January 2, 2025
Wow. Reading me some Andre Norton for the first time in decades. She was probably my number one favorite author in High School and she still does not disappoint. I mean, an Eternal Champion, an Eternal Love Triangle, and the Eternal struggle of Good vs. Evil? With zombies! Go Andre!
It's an old book from an older version of American Culture so bear that in mind while reading.
It's an old book from an older version of American Culture so bear that in mind while reading.
October 11, 2010
Picked up a stack of old space opera sci-fi from the junk store around the corner. Just looking at them took me back to my youth. When I was 13-14 I must have gone through at least a dozen books by Andre Norton... the plots had a lot of similarity to each other, but the level of creativity in the imagined-worlds, I recalled, was formidable. That seemed pretty appealing.
Actually reading them, though, was a little trickier. The writing is, in some places, hilariously bad. (In others, it's fine). The book reads as if it were cranked out without time for thought or revision; the plot veers from crisis to crisis without attention to where it'll end up.
My wife delightedly made fun of the genre after dipping into a few of the books and narrated to me something much like this:
"Grob rested his Yor-spear on the battlement of Rew and sighed. All of Rytukk was in peril, for only he and his dark-eyed witch-princess Twiffil, she of the lissome limbs and crystal throne, knew of the onrushing armies of Vrud, which would crush all of gentle Floom before their horned feet unless a miracle were to befall them. If only, he though, I had not vowed to stay here in Rew and never leave off the defense of this high quartz tower unless the three moons, Quop, Vrit, and Xid, were first smashed into splinters... for if he could leave Rew, then he would be able to sally forth in his retro-jet-equipped wov-craft, with a hand-picked crew of Fwif-fighters and Zum-wizards, and take up his three-pointed Yor-spear against Vrud's menace. But that could never happen, for all Rewians knew that the triple moons were prophesied to be un-splinterable, save only in the fated upheaval of Brigqop, which was an impossible dream.
Just then, Twiffil came loping from the shadows, crying out: 'Grob! The moons! The moons!"
All in all, very enjoyable reading.
Actually reading them, though, was a little trickier. The writing is, in some places, hilariously bad. (In others, it's fine). The book reads as if it were cranked out without time for thought or revision; the plot veers from crisis to crisis without attention to where it'll end up.
My wife delightedly made fun of the genre after dipping into a few of the books and narrated to me something much like this:
"Grob rested his Yor-spear on the battlement of Rew and sighed. All of Rytukk was in peril, for only he and his dark-eyed witch-princess Twiffil, she of the lissome limbs and crystal throne, knew of the onrushing armies of Vrud, which would crush all of gentle Floom before their horned feet unless a miracle were to befall them. If only, he though, I had not vowed to stay here in Rew and never leave off the defense of this high quartz tower unless the three moons, Quop, Vrit, and Xid, were first smashed into splinters... for if he could leave Rew, then he would be able to sally forth in his retro-jet-equipped wov-craft, with a hand-picked crew of Fwif-fighters and Zum-wizards, and take up his three-pointed Yor-spear against Vrud's menace. But that could never happen, for all Rewians knew that the triple moons were prophesied to be un-splinterable, save only in the fated upheaval of Brigqop, which was an impossible dream.
Just then, Twiffil came loping from the shadows, crying out: 'Grob! The moons! The moons!"
All in all, very enjoyable reading.
October 20, 2015
This is a collection of short stories. I'll post reviews as I finish the stories.
PEOPLE OF THE CRATER: Written in 1947 under the pen name "Andrew North," this is Andre Norton's first published work of what we would call today "Sword and Sorcery." I read somewhere that she wrote this very early in her writing career, and couldn't sell it because "women don't write science fiction or fantasy," so she eventually had to use the pen name.
That may be an apocryphal story, but it rings true with the quality of this story, which lacks the "punch" that much of Norton's writing that shows in other work written around the same time.
This is a standard by-the-numbers Edgar Rice Burroughs pastiche, about a pilot in the future (well, 1985, but it was the future then), who is hired to explore something strange at the South Pole. Things get weird, and suddenly he is in a fantasy world fighting to rescue a princess from some typical fantasy bad guys.
It's pretty lightweight, and there's not a lot to recommend it as anything more than a curiosity. There is a kind of funny "gotcha" ending, but that's not enough to recommend it to anyone but a Norton enthusiast. The follow up story, GARAN of YU-LAC was written in 1967, and I'll review that when I get to it chronologically.
PEOPLE OF THE CRATER: Written in 1947 under the pen name "Andrew North," this is Andre Norton's first published work of what we would call today "Sword and Sorcery." I read somewhere that she wrote this very early in her writing career, and couldn't sell it because "women don't write science fiction or fantasy," so she eventually had to use the pen name.
That may be an apocryphal story, but it rings true with the quality of this story, which lacks the "punch" that much of Norton's writing that shows in other work written around the same time.
This is a standard by-the-numbers Edgar Rice Burroughs pastiche, about a pilot in the future (well, 1985, but it was the future then), who is hired to explore something strange at the South Pole. Things get weird, and suddenly he is in a fantasy world fighting to rescue a princess from some typical fantasy bad guys.
It's pretty lightweight, and there's not a lot to recommend it as anything more than a curiosity. There is a kind of funny "gotcha" ending, but that's not enough to recommend it to anyone but a Norton enthusiast. The follow up story, GARAN of YU-LAC was written in 1967, and I'll review that when I get to it chronologically.
October 15, 2017
Garan the Eternal is like reading a MST3K screenplay. Hilariously bad. It's even better dramatically read out loud with a friend.
September 12, 2012
Garan the Eternal: "Garin of Tav"/"Garan of Yu-Lac" does a lot to remind me in it's writing of Edgar Rice Burroughs's Barsoom/Mars books. This is not necessary a bad thing - merely somewhat surprising to me, and while Andre Norton does put her own bent to it, Barsoom is not usually to my liking.
Yet I found Garin/Garan intriguing, if not quite so engaging as I would have liked and come to expect from Andre Norton's writing. The other two short stories dealt in the Witch World sage, "Legacy from Sorn-Fen"/"One Spell Wizard".
Yet I found Garin/Garan intriguing, if not quite so engaging as I would have liked and come to expect from Andre Norton's writing. The other two short stories dealt in the Witch World sage, "Legacy from Sorn-Fen"/"One Spell Wizard".
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July 31, 2016I adored Andre Norton as a child, but returning as an adult to read this book leave me less impressed. The twists in the plot seemed to have over easy answers and so I couldn't get into the story. Mind you it is from 1947 and I would have enjoyed this as a child.
August 8, 2008
Probably 2 and 1/2 stars. Not bad, but not great.
January 20, 2014
A blast from the past - Andre Norton was one of my favorite authors from way way back, 6th grade in fact. Enjoyed re-reading this one (a Kindle freebie).
May 26, 2014
I enjoyed the the story enough to finish the book. It was a quick easy read. The second piece being the best of the book.
August 11, 2015
Saran the Eternal
There was no real ending to this story . It just ended and another story started in the middle than another with no end or beginning. It started out good but!!!
There was no real ending to this story . It just ended and another story started in the middle than another with no end or beginning. It started out good but!!!
November 10, 2016
I love Andre Norton! I have since way back when I was in her primary target demographic, ten boys. I still love anything she wrote.
January 21, 2017
This was just okay for me. Not as good as her other books.
March 5, 2015
1982 grade B-
aka Garin of Tav
aka Garin of Tav
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May 2, 2019I have the german edition: Garan der Ewige
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