SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
This topic is about
Catseye
Group Reads Discussions 2019
>
"Catseye" First Impressions *No Spoilers*
This is my first Norton read. I'm on page 130 (out of 189 in my Ace paperback copy -- I'm curious if this was printed the year it came out, 1961, the cover price is listed at $0.75) As I understand it, this was printed with a YA audience in mind. With any work of science fiction this old there are bound to be parts that feel dated. What's tough for me w/o being a SF historian is to know what if any of the concepts she introduces here are new and might have influenced later works. So far I'd say that this would be about a 2 star book if it were written in 2018, but I'd bump it up to 3 to give it the benefit of probably having some new ideas at that time. Of course, my impression might change in the last portion of the book and I'm looking forward to discussing some themes in the full discussion later this month.
I discovered Andre Norton as a teen in the late 60s and have been a fan since, although this is my first in a while. As a cat person, I’m always game for a yarn that involves felines, especially ones that can communicate with humans!
That animal was frequently shown in the live animal talks at my local science museum growing up, so I'd seen one up and close a few times.Dayna, I see what you did there with word choice for a story -- "yarn that involves felines"
My first Norton, but I can't read it yet; I'm on the waiting list at two sources for an ebook of it.
Haha Christopher! I wasn’t thinking of the connection between cats and yarn but it fits.
I remember reading quite a few Andre Norton books in the early/mid-60s. There was a bookstore that I frequented when I was downtown waiting for my bus home. They had a pulp rack in the back and these fit right in (at least in terms of length, price, and pacing). Later I "graduated" to Doc Savage books and then to epics like the Lord of the Rings trilogy but hers were the gateway drug. They were all together on that rack in the back.Somehow I missed this one. Thanks for adding it to the shelf.
My copy says it was sold for .75 cents as well. It was a pain to try and find it on goodreads as it has no ISBN.I'm looking forward to this. The only previous work of Norton's I've read was a collaboration with Mercedes Lackey.
message 12:
by
Melanie, the neutral party
(last edited Jan 01, 2019 03:27PM)
(new)
-
rated it 4 stars
Mod
kinkajou
"
Me too! And damn it's cute.
Also, a new author for me.
Christopher wrote: "This is my first Norton read. I'm on page 130 (out of 189 in my Ace paperback copy -- I'm curious if this was printed the year it came out, 1961, the cover price is listed at $0.75) As I understand..."as far as new concepts - the bonding with and working with animals wasn't very common at the time. Also, most of her main characters were misfits. Telepathy, the Forerunners and those who studied the past civilizations were also newish to the genre. And humans were not always the most advanced like there were in a lot of books of the time.
I'm not too far yet, but I'm really enjoying it so far. As tired as I am, I'll leave it at that, so I don't post some sleep-deprivation-fueled spoilers.
I have read six chapters, and am not enjoying this book. None of the characters, the worlds, themes, or the writing style appeal to me. Right off the bat I'm inclined to agree with Raucous' "pulp" and Christopher's "YA" comments. I like some shorter and some older science fiction novels, but this one just doesn't have anything pulling me through.The only element that might bring me back is, as CBRetriever outlined, the one that touches on the study of past civilisations. That and it's short.
I'm also six chapters into it and am finding it a compulsive read. I remember that from reading Andre Norton books growing up. At least this time I'm not doing the flashlight under the covers thing. Some of her characterizations don't work for the older me and there are themes that run deeper than the pre/early-teen me would have seen in the push to get to the next page, but those don't keep me from getting pulled along by the plotting. I don't think that I'd want to read many of her books back to back now but I'm enjoying going back to the '60s for this quick visit.It constantly impresses me how wildly different people's reactions are to the same book. I have a friend who can't put down canine-themed murder mysteries. I'm rarely able to finish one. Despite structural similarities that I'm seeing to those I'm pretty sure that she wouldn't like this book for some of the same reasons that you mentioned.
Started this on audio last night, so far so good. This is my first Andre Norton.
I'm three chapters in. I have no real idea where this is going, but so far I'm okay with the style.
message 19:
by
Allison, Fairy Mod-mother
(last edited Jan 02, 2019 09:23AM)
(new)
-
rated it 2 stars
Mod
I'll try to give it a fair shake despite my reckless button-clicking nature.
Allison wrote: "Well, I accidentally clicked the ebook AND the audiobook on Hoopla, eating 2/3 of my credits for this one book, so I'm already frustrated with it and I haven't even started!I'll try to give it a ..."
Oh sh***! I admit that would be a reason to start grumpy with the book for me as well!
Thinking more about SF history, I remembered that Jo Walton wrote a series of articles covering the Hugo’s each year from 1953 to 2000 on Tor’s website (recently collected into book form). Looking at the 1962 Hugo (for works written in 1961 when Catseye was published) the winner was “Stranger in a Strange Land” (I’d link to the book on my desktop but I’m using the app and I’m not sure how to do it here). Two other works she points out as being significant that year are Stanislaw Lem’s “Solaris” (adapted multiple times to film) and Arthur C Clarke’s “A Fall of Moondust”. One other data point is that a current buddy read “A Canticle for Leibowitz” won the Hugo the year prior. Just trying to put “Catseye” in the context of its time.
What has me on the "not loving it" side is that the prose is very dry to me. The plotting and dialogue is still engaging enough, but anytime it drifts into exposition I really have to fight to keep focus; it just doesn't flow for me. If it wasn't so short I probably wouldn't keep going with it, but I'll probably manage to wrap it up by the end of the weekend.
I've only read four chapters, I'm still not sure if I feel any particular way. I'm hoping the rest of the book will be all about cute animals! Fluff and purrs and such.
Andre Norton isn't really known for cute, fluffy and purry, though Eet in another series was kinda funny
I just read through to the start of chapter 7 and things are heating up, so persevere. I'm liking it so far.
Amanda wrote: "What has me on the "not loving it" side is that the prose is very dry to me. The plotting and dialogue is still engaging enough, but anytime it drifts into exposition I really have to fight to keep..."I am also having a bit of a hard time with the exposition! This feels like a style thing that has evolved, to me. I am going to power through a bit more and hope I get a little more drawn in.
Ariana wrote: "This feels like a style thing that has evolved, to me. "Exactly! I haven't read enough mid-century sci-fi to say with confidence, but it does feel very "of its era" to me.
Amanda wrote: "Ariana wrote: "This feels like a style thing that has evolved, to me. "Exactly! I haven't read enough mid-century sci-fi to say with confidence, but it does feel very "of its era" to me."
I'd say that's correct. I read quite some stories from this era (40ies to 60ies) and Norton's style fits those others. I guess that's why I don't have problems with her writing, it feels familiar.
This book was "okay". If this is a typical sampling of Andre Norton, I am not sure I will be reading any more of her work any time soon.I found Norton's writing style different, but oddly refreshing. The grammar was impeccable and she did not waste a single word. This meant no speed reading - and sometime re-reading to gain the true meaning of the sentence or paragraph.
From a story perspective it was underwhelming (to me anyway). The concept was intriguing but as it was really gathering steam - it suddenly ended. Don't get me wrong - the ending was okay - but in today's offerings, where trilogies are king, it felt a little too early to wrap up the story as she did. (although that might be a good thing too)
I look forward to a deeper discussion with spoilers.
I agree that this book underwhelmed. I did like certain aspects, however, that I’ll share in the full discussion.
Please remember that even saying "I didn't like it" can spoil the book for someone else. This thread is really only for first impressions, so reserve your final thoughts, spoilery or not, for the Final Thoughts thread, thanks!
Sorry, will be more careful about that in the future! Looking forward to the full discussion. As a total aside, since the various covers of our other monthly read was discussed, does anyone have a favorite cover for Catseye? A Google Image search brought up a ton of different covers over the years (I count at least 12). Not sure how to link to them through the app. The copy I own has an illustration of a man with glowing eyes standing in a jungle surrounded by animals whose eyes similarly glow.
Yes, I looked at all the covers! They're so different, I like many of them for several reasons. I'm not far enough in the book to know which one is the best suited to the story, but I kind of like the one I used as our group pic this month. It's such a futuristic image, paired with a 1961 release :DAlso, for some reason, in this smaller picture, the boy looks like he has cat ears!
That one is probably my favorite of them artistically in a vacuum, but I prefer one of the more retro covers just as they feel more true to how the book reads. The cover of my volume draws me in, but feels a bit more intense and scary than the general vibe I get from the book. I found a link to the one I feel most closely matches my mental image I had while reading along (sort of goes along with comments that the book feels “of its time”, I wanted a cover that looked like 60’s SF, ala something like Lost in Space which aired in 1965):https://goo.gl/images/m5hbnX
Haha, that cover is amazing! I like the focus on the animals. Although I like the animals in this (second) one even better:
The second one is the cover on the copy I own! It definitely draws you in.
can't wait for the spoilers thread (I've finished it)
This is a fun story so far. There are a few things off putting that may make me avoid Andre Nortpn in the future, but I'm compelled by the story.Andre Norton does seem to, by the impression I have so far, seem to have little regard for those of us who have trouble paying attention by often interrupting - in my opinion - her own sentences.
FWIW I did some research on Andre Norton and here are some tidbits that might provide some context for this read:From her SFWA biography:
-Norton loved cats so the title of this read wouldn't have surprised her longtime readers.
"She surrounded herself with books and cats, ending each evening reading in bed with a favorite cat curled next to her. She incorporated her love of both in the many cat anthologies she edited, and in numerous short stories. Her latest published short story, “Faire Likeness” in Renaissance Faire, features a cat she adopted. When her health began to decline in 2004, she parted with a few of her cats. However, she continued to keep the oldest - RT - by her side until the end, and she managed to feed the stray cats that frequently visited her yard."
-Her target audience was boys and that prompted her name change (and might be why this feels YA)
" She began using the name Andre that year (1934), after publishers told her that a masculine name would help sell to her target audience of boys."
- She was prolific :
"She wrote more than 130 novels, nearly one hundred short stories, and edited numerous anthologies in the science-fiction, fantasy, mystery, and western genres. "
- Not pertinent to this read per se, but interesting that she gave her support to other burgeoning writers. Here's a remembrance by Ursula Leguin
"My first published novel was an Ace Paperback Double -- the kind where you read the book to the middle of the book and then it stopped, The End, and you turned it over, and there was a whole other novel starting upside down on the other side. It may sound ridiculous, but for fifty cents it was a bargain. Fifty cents was pretty much what the author got paid, also.
Anyhow, it was my first published novel, and I was proud of it, but nowhere near as proud as when I got a letter about it from Andre Norton. The letter is in my files at the U. of Oregon now and I don't remember the words, only that she praised the book discerningly, and encouraged me to write more. As she was, in the mid 1960's, a Major Person in the field of imaginative literature, it seemed miraculous to me that she had taken the time from her own work to write a newcomer at all -- let alone telling them, hey, it's good, write more!
I treasure the memory of that letter, and the kind, shy, brilliant, and generous woman who wrote it. It was completely characteristic of her.
Ursula K. Le Guin"
with the young boys as a target audience, there was initially little or no romance in her books (the Witch World series is an exception). To modern readers this would seem odd, but if you look at early Robert Heinlein books, they're fairly similar.
Christopher wrote: "FWIW I did some research on Andre Norton and ..."I treasure the memory of that letter, and the kind, shy, brilliant, and generous woman who wrote it. It was completely characteristic of her.
-Ursula K. Le Guin" "
This is so lovely! Thanks for looping us in.
I read some of Norton’s work in Danish as a teenager in the 90s, so it must be over over 25 years ago and I’ve wanted to reacquaint myself with her. I’m about two hours into the audiobook and gotta say I find her prose clumsy and her dialog clunky. I can’t really find any flow. Maybe that’s her style, I don’t know. Will keep reading!
Curt wrote: " it suddenly ended. Don't get me wrong - the ending was okay - but in today's offerings, where trilogies are king, it felt a little too early to wrap up the story as she did. (although that might be a good thing too) ..."This is from the time I started reading SF. I am sure I read it as soon as the library got it, but don't remember a word.
The style is different. As you have pointed out today, the trilogy (or longer) is king, and I am not sure that's a good thing. I found the story fun and plan on revisiting more Norton as time allows.
Andre Norton, along with Robert Heinlein, were the first two SFF authors I was aware of enough to actively seek out their books when I was a teen in the early 70s. Norton's works (and Heinlein's "juveniles") where the perfect escape for the young social misfit I was at the time. It's been decades since I read any of Norton's books, so I'm looking forward to seeing how I feel about them now.
I've read a lot of Andre Norton's books in the early 90s - due to the loophole in international copyright law allowed the USSR (and then in the ex-Soviet countries) it was allowed to publish all works initially published before 1972 - thus as a teenager I read much more of Golden age SF than the contemporary ones. I agree that she is a bit dated now but reading her is a guilty pleasure - these pulpy universes with many different aliens, with hi-tech and high inequality of opportunities.
As for stand-alone books vs trilogies I actually prefer the former because usually they have the same number of original ideas
I'm about 20% finished and am surprised that a book so short is taking its time to setup the main drive for the protagonist. That being said, I'm definitely finishing it.
Thank you Christopher. For the links:Jo Walton's series of essays: https://www.tor.com/features/series/r...
Stranger in a Strange Land
Solaris
A Fall of Moondust
A Canticle for Leibowitz
"Just trying to put “Catseye” in the context of its time."
Cheryl wrote: ""Just trying to put “Catseye” in the context of its time." "I guess this is like saying that as featherweight boxer cannot box because he doesn't compete with heavyweights. Norton's book is a juvenile, while all mentioned books are 'adult' literature, they are for different readers
I did not interpret Christopher's post that way. I assumed it was more about the zeitgeist of the era. After all, they are all speculative fiction books from that time period. Just as in your analogy, they are all boxers.
:shrug:
Cheryl wrote: "I did not interpret Christopher's post that way. I assumed it was more about the zeitgeist of the era. "Sorry if I sounded offensive, this was not my intention. I only meant to say that while they are all boxers, they shouldn't be directly compared :)
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Lavender-Green Magic (other topics)Catseye (other topics)
Stranger in a Strange Land (other topics)
Solaris (other topics)
A Fall of Moondust (other topics)
More...
Please be extremely careful not to say much about plot, characters or anything that changes people's expectations of later parts of the book. The full spoiler thread will go up on the 7th!