9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Tale in the Norton Tradition, March 27, 2004
Beast Master's Circus is the fourth novel in the Beast Master series, following Beast Master's Ark. In the previous volume, the Ark came to Arzor with DNA samples and live animals from the devastated Earth. Storm Hosteen inquires about mates for his team and meets Tani, a genetic engineer and niece of the couple running the Ark. Storm and Tani work together to investigate a mystery called the Death-which-comes-in-the-night and discover that the Xik have brought deadly clicker swarms to Arzor. Together they lead the fight to defeat the Xiks and eradicate the voracious creatures.
In this novel, Storm and Tani are presented with the mystery of Laris, a young orphan from the refugee camps who performs in Dedran's Circus. Logan Quade is much taken by the young woman and invites her to the main ranch. Brad Quade also becomes fond of his son's new friend and offers to investigate her past. When Laris agrees, Brad starts sending messages to the camps and other sources to determine her history.
Laris is very good with animals and has a special friend of her own, the cat-like Prauo. Laris found Prauo as a bedraggled kitten on the outskirts of a spaceport. Laris took him back to the circus, fed and sheltered him, and he grew rather large. Laris and Prauo gradually developed the ability to communicate emotions and images and lately have been able to see with each other's eyes, but they have also been able to exchange thoughts since Prauo's last growth spurt.
Jas Cregan is an animal trainer with the circus. A former beast master, he has been damaged somehow so that he can no longer link with the animals. He is not quite sane and blames the other beast masters for his problems. Dedran is using him to acquire the enhanced animals from beast master teams, but the animals always die when separated from their masters. Now Dedran is after the enhanced animals partnered with Storm and Tani.
This story depicts a young woman in a moral and legal quandary. She has signed a bond of indenture as Dedran's servant to get out of the refugee camp. Although she was underage at the time, Laris knows that Dedran can use his contacts in the Thieves Guild to counteract any legal complaints that she might pursue. Moreover, Dedran would certainly take Prauo away from her. Nonetheless, Laris risks all to try to help Storm and Tani.
The story follows the customary style of this author's science fiction, involving young persons and their symbiotic partners in a fight to gain liberty from an oppressive social situation. It slowly reveals the backstory of Laris and Cregan. In addition, the story reveals more about Bright Sky, Tani's father and a Cheyenne beast master, and his defense of Trastor against the Xiks.
Highly recommended for Norton & McConchie fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of determined young persons linked with clever, and sometimes sapient, animals.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
not up to the Grand Master's best, March 28, 2005
This review is from: Beast Master's Circus (Hosteen Storm/Beastmaster, Bk. 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
I wanted to like this book. I tried to like it, I really did. But this book failed to capture me. I love Andre Norton and grew up reading her. The first sci-fi I ever read as a kid was Andre Norton's Solar Queen books, and I quite like the new collaborations written in the SQ universe.
Even as an adult, I can pick up and re-read with great enjoyment most of her books. I often pull out my copies of "Catseye" or "Moon of Three Rings" or "Flight in Yiktor" for a great few hours of reading.
I'm afraid I won't be re-reading this book. For while the basic idea of this book is vintage Norton, the writing failed to pull me in like the best of her books always do. The switching point of view threw me out of Laris' character, but then again she didn't come across as a very compelling character to begin with. The writing was noticeably choppy to the point where I had to put the book down in frustration several times.
It's a fairly mediocre successor to the excellent "Beastmaster" in my opinion.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
fine Beast Master aimed at young teens, February 8, 2004
The orphan Laris is held in servitude bondage by Dedran the Circus Master until she attains the credits to can pay for her freedom. Though Laris loves the animals that she cares for, she equally loathes the avaricious Dedran, who is nasty and abusive to everyone. As she tours from planet to planet on The Queen of the Circus vessel, Laris and the big alien feline Prauo forge a telepathic bond that she hides from her master for fear of the consequences.
As the troupe heads towards Arzor, Laris learns that Dedran plans to help his fellow Thieves Guild members steal and clone special animals. At Arzor, Laris befriends several Beast Masters on the planet, but hides her skill to communicate with her big cat that she shares in common with her new pals for fear that Dedran will harm them. Still if she is to stop Dedran and the Thieves Guild from their odious scheme of harming beasts, she needs allies beyond just the few "malcontents" that journey with her as part of the circus.
The latest Beast Master tale is targeted towards a young teen audience as the story line is simplistic in its good vs. evil scenario, the mystery of who is Laris seems obvious, and the action somewhat limited. Still the support cast adds depth to the ultimate High Noon confrontation starring a delightful young lady in a non-earth setting accompanied by some comic relief that should please the Potter crowd and perhaps those even younger. Anyone a bit older will pass.
Harriet Klausner
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