Customer Reviews

Dread Companion

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Dread Companion (1970) is a standalone SF novel set in the 25th century After Flight. The Survey Service allowed their space personnel leave to marry and to produce children. After several years, the marriage was break-bonded and the couple went their own ways. Any children from the marriage were raised in a Service creche.

In this novel, Kilda c'Rhyn was born on Chalox. Her father was Rhyn Halcrow, a Survey scout, and her mother was a Forsmanian of a trading family. After three years, the marriage is ceremoniously broken and Rhyn spaces out. Kilda's mother remarries within her clan and Kilda goes to the creche.

Kilda does well in the creche. Unluckily, she takes after her father in her restless nature. She doesn't want to just bear children and raise a family, but to explore new worlds.

Her mentor and sponsor -- Lazk Volk -- finds her a job that will get her off the planet to a less conventional society. She is employed as a house aide for a woman traveling to Dylan to be with her husband. Kilda is to take care of the two young children.

Oomark -- the younger child -- is a typical boy. However, Bartare -- the older sister -- probably has too much influence on the boy. Kilda notes an element of slyness in the girl and hears them talk about a mysterious "She" in their private conversations.

Gentlefem Guska -- the children's mother -- journeys to Dylan in deep sleep. Kilda stays with the children to supervise their activities during the journey. When they reach the spaceport at Tamlin, Commandant Piscov meets them with bad news. Konroy Zobak -- the children's father -- has been killed in a freak accident. But Bartare already knows of the death.

In this story, Kilda finds herself living in a daze for days at a time. She suspects that Bartare is an esper, but forgets to call for an appointment with the parapsychologist. Eventually she breaks out of the daze, but is still unable to talk to any other person about the girl.

Bartare wants to go on a field trip with Oomark's class. Her brother refuses and something bad happens to Griffy, Oomark's fur friend. When Oomark changes his mind, Griffy starts to recover.

On the field trip, Bartare and Oomark slip off and down the hill. When Kilda notices their absence, she follows behind the pair. Kilda finds them striking rocks against red boulders, producing clear tones. When Kilda tries to catch up, she slips and bumps the supply bag against a boulder at the same time as the children strike their boulders. The three tones blend and Kilda falls unconscious.

When Kilda recovers, she finds herself in a gray space filled with bright, colorful geometric figures. Oomark is also there, but he sees normal terrain, plants and insects. When Kilda drinks from a stream, she too starts to see a normal environment.

This story takes Kilda and the children to somewhere else away from Dylan. Oomark starts to change and later Kilda changes also. They meet a creature made of purple triangles who is another lost human. From Jorth Kosgro, they learn that the land is inhabited by the Folk and the Dark Ones.

The other dimension or world in this story is the source of tales about Faery. Eating food or drinking water in that place will cause changes in the body so that the person becomes one of the Folk. If such changes are resisted, one becomes Between, neither Folk nor Dark One.

The temper of this story is rather dark, with Kilda having little control over her situation. The ending is down beat, with the children and Kilda returning decades later than they left. On the good side, Jorth returns with them, but even further from his own time. They find Dylan greatly changed during their absence.

This work is a precursor to the Witch World series. In the other world or dimension, magic is effective and controlled by the Folk and even by Jorth to some extent. So, too, is magic a force in the dimension containing the Witch World.

Recommended for Norton fans and for anyone who enjoys tales of magical forces, fantastic worlds, and desperate actions.

-Arthur W. Jordin

"Changeling -- a creature begotten by some supernatural being and then secretly exchanged for the rightful child."

"Dread Companion" begins and ends in a future where humanity had long ago reached the stars and scattered itself across thousands of planets. Terra itself is nothing but a half-remembered legend of origin.

Norton combines a theory of parallel universes with themes from folklore to create her story of a changeling who drags her brother and governess out of the twenty-fifth century AF (After Flight) and into the world of Faerie.

It's an odd amalgamation, but I think it works well because her story is anchored by the governess, Kilda and her brave attempts to rescue her charges. Almost as soon as she meets the children, Kilda realizes that the girl Bartare has some kind of unnatural hold over her younger brother, Oomark. The governess does everything she can to solve the mystery of Bartare's invisible `Dread Companion'---invisible that is, until Kilda and her charges are yanked into Faerie.

Kilda has to drink the water of Faerie before she can even see properly. The boy Oomark stays with her, but eats freely of alien fruit. When Kilda finally regains her normal vision, Oomark has begun a physical transformation into a creature of hooves and horns---a faun. Kilda must now struggle to stay human, locate a gate back to the sane world of the 25th century, keep Oomark by her side, and find Bartare who has gone to join the Dread Companion she believes to be her true mother.

"Dread Companion" was published in 1970, sandwiched between the Witch World novels, "Sorceress of the Witch World" (1968) and "The Crystal Gryphon" (1972), as well as many other works by this prolific author. Norton fans will discern several common elements between her excellent Witch World fantasy series and this stand-alone SF novel. Examples: there are nurturing trees that are havens from evil hound- and vulture-like creatures; and Bartare's kidnapper turns out to be a Great One of the Light---not that it matters so unhuman is She.

I think if you can find a copy of "Dread Companion," you will read some of the best descriptions of Faerie ever written, even though this book is officially classified as science fiction.

Norton has written of a place that is wondrous, terrible, and truly alien.

"Dread Companion" is an eerie story about a governess named Kilda, who senses something sinister about the two children in her care. Eventually she realizes that one of the kids has an invisible friend, a powerful and malevolent entity who has plans for the child. Kilda accompanies the kids and their mother to a remote planet, where the invisible entity makes its move to claim the child for its own purposes. Scary and bizarre adventures ensue as Kilda tries to protect her young charges and escape from a world that is unimaginably alien.

I must admit that I didn't entirely enjoy this book, because the alien scenes were so bizarre that it was sometimes hard to figure out what was going on. Nevertheless, if you want to learn more about the mystery of the Forerunners, you should definitely read this one.

"Dread Companion" was recently reprinted (along with another Norton novel called "Dark Piper") in one large volume called "Dark Companion." Both are set in Norton's Forerunner universe, in which humans keep finding the remains of alien civilizations as they explore deep space. They take place late in the greater story arc of this universe, but the books can be read in almost any order. (Click on my name to see the list.)

"Dread Companion" is an eerie story about a governess named Kilda, who senses something sinister about the two children in her care. Eventually she realizes that one of the kids has an invisible friend, a powerful and malevolent entity who has plans for the child. Kilda accompanies the kids and their mother to a remote planet, where the invisible entity makes its move to claim the child for its own purposes. Scary and bizarre adventures ensue as Kilda tries to protect her young charges and escape from a world that is unimaginably alien.

I must admit that I didn't entirely enjoy this book, because the alien scenes were so bizarre that it was sometimes hard to figure out what was going on. Nevertheless, if you want to learn more about the mystery of the Forerunners, you should definitely read this one.

"Dread Companion" was recently reprinted (along with another Norton novel called "Dark Piper") in one large volume called "Dark Companion." Both are set in Norton's Forerunner universe, in which humans keep finding the remains of alien civilizations as they explore deep space. They take place late in the greater story arc of this universe. (Click on my name to see the list.)

If you're the kind of person who likes reading Umberto Eco and watching French films, you might like this. Otherwise, happy slogging. Trying to read & enjoy this book is like trying to play chess blindfolded without anyone telling you the rules - some people can do it, but whether you're one of them is another matter entirely. This book would be a much better story if its middle 80% was chopped out and the story continued from where it ends.

"Changeling -- a creature begotten by some supernatural being and then secretly exchanged for the rightful child."

"Dread Companion" begins and ends in a future where humanity had long ago reached the stars and scattered itself across thousands of planets. Terra itself is nothing but a half-remembered legend of origin.

Norton combines a theory of parallel universes with themes from folklore to create her story of a changeling who drags her brother and governess out of the twenty-fifth century AF (After Flight) and into the world of Faerie.

It's an odd amalgamation, but I think it works well because her story is anchored by the governess, Kilda and her brave attempts to rescue her charges. Almost as soon as she meets the children, Kilda realizes that the girl Bartare has some kind of unnatural hold over her younger brother, Oomark. The governess does everything she can to solve the mystery of Bartare's invisible `Dread Companion'---invisible that is, until Kilda and her charges are yanked into Faerie.

Kilda has to drink the water of Faerie before she can even see properly. The boy Oomark stays with her, but eats freely of alien fruit. When Kilda finally regains her normal vision, Oomark has begun a physical transformation into a creature of hooves and horns---a faun. Kilda must now struggle to stay human, locate a gate back to the sane world of the 25th century, keep Oomark by her side, and find Bartare who has gone to join the Dread Companion she believes to be her true mother.

"Dread Companion" was published in 1970, sandwiched between the Witch World novels, "Sorceress of the Witch World" (1968) and "The Crystal Gryphon" (1972), as well as many other works by this prolific author. Norton fans will discern several common elements between her excellent Witch World fantasy series and this stand-alone SF novel. Examples: there are nurturing trees that are havens from evil hound- and vulture-like creatures; and Bartare's kidnapper turns out to be a Great One of the Light---not that it matters so unhuman is She.

I think if you can find a copy of "Dread Companion," you will read some of the best descriptions of Faerie ever written, even though this book is officially classified as science fiction.

Norton has written of a place that is wondrous, terrible, and truly alien.

"Changeling -- a creature begotten by some supernatural being and then secretly exchanged for the rightful child."

"Dread Companion" begins and ends in a future where humanity had long ago reached the stars and scattered itself across thousands of planets. Terra itself is nothing but a half-remembered legend of origin.

Norton combines a theory of parallel universes with themes from folklore to create her story of a changeling who drags her brother and governess out of the twenty-fifth century AF (After Flight) and into the world of Faerie.

It's an odd amalgamation, but I think it works well because her story is anchored by the governess, Kilda and her brave attempts to rescue her charges. Almost as soon as she meets the children, Kilda realizes that the girl Bartare has some kind of unnatural hold over her younger brother, Oomark. The governess does everything she can to solve the mystery of Bartare's invisible `Dread Companion'---invisible that is, until Kilda and her charges are yanked into Faerie.

Kilda has to drink the water of Faerie before she can even see properly. The boy Oomark stays with her, but eats freely of alien fruit. When Kilda finally regains her normal vision, Oomark has begun a physical transformation into a creature of hooves and horns---a faun. Kilda must now struggle to stay human, locate a gate back to the sane world of the 25th century, keep Oomark by her side, and find Bartare who has gone to join the Dread Companion she believes to be her true mother.

"Dread Companion" was published in 1970, sandwiched between the Witch World novels, "Sorceress of the Witch World" (1968) and "The Crystal Gryphon" (1972), as well as many other works by this prolific author. Norton fans will discern several common elements between her excellent Witch World fantasy series and this stand-alone SF novel. Examples: there are nurturing trees that are havens from evil hound- and vulture-like creatures; and Bartare's kidnapper turns out to be a Great One of the Light---not that it matters so unhuman is She.

I think if you can find a copy of "Dread Companion," you will read some of the best descriptions of Faerie ever written, even though this book is officially classified as science fiction.

Norton has written of a place that is wondrous, terrible, and truly alien.

"Changeling -- a creature begotten by some supernatural being and then secretly exchanged for the rightful child."

"Dread Companion" begins and ends in a future where humanity had long ago reached the stars and scattered itself across thousands of planets. Terra itself is nothing but a half-remembered legend of origin.

Norton combines a theory of parallel universes with themes from folklore to create her story of a changeling who drags her brother and governess out of the twenty-fifth century AF (After Flight) and into the world of Faerie.

It's an odd amalgamation, but I think it works well because her story is anchored by the governess, Kilda and her brave attempts to rescue her charges. Almost as soon as she meets the children, Kilda realizes that the girl Bartare has some kind of unnatural hold over her younger brother, Oomark. The governess does everything she can to solve the mystery of Bartare's invisible `Dread Companion'---invisible that is, until Kilda and her charges are yanked into Faerie.

Kilda has to drink the water of Faerie before she can even see properly. The boy Oomark stays with her, but eats freely of alien fruit. When Kilda finally regains her normal vision, Oomark has begun a physical transformation into a creature of hooves and horns---a faun. Kilda must now struggle to stay human, locate a gate back to the sane world of the 25th century, keep Oomark by her side, and find Bartare who has gone to join the Dread Companion she believes to be her true mother.

"Dread Companion" was published in 1970, sandwiched between the Witch World novels, "Sorceress of the Witch World" (1968) and "The Crystal Gryphon" (1972), as well as many other works by this prolific author. Norton fans will discern several common elements between her excellent Witch World fantasy series and this stand-alone SF novel. Examples: there are nurturing trees that are havens from evil hound- and vulture-like creatures; and Bartare's kidnapper turns out to be a Great One of the Light---not that it matters so unhuman is She.

I think if you can find a copy of "Dread Companion," you will read some of the best descriptions of Faerie ever written, even though this book is officially classified as science fiction.
Norton has written of a place that is wondrous, terrible, and truly alien.

"Changeling -- a creature begotten by some supernatural being and then secretly exchanged for the rightful child."

"Dread Companion" begins and ends in a future where humanity had long ago reached the stars and scattered itself across thousands of planets. Terra itself is nothing but a half-remembered legend of origin.

Norton combines a theory of parallel universes with themes from folklore to create her story of a changeling who drags her brother and governess out of the twenty-fifth century AF (After Flight) and into the world of Faerie.

It's an odd amalgamation, but I think it works well because her story is anchored by the governess, Kilda and her brave attempts to rescue her charges. Almost as soon as she meets the children, Kilda realizes that the girl Bartare has some kind of unnatural hold over her younger brother, Oomark. The governess does everything she can to solve the mystery of Bartare's invisible `Dread Companion'---invisible that is, until Kilda and her charges are yanked into Faerie.

Kilda has to drink the water of Faerie before she can even see properly. The boy Oomark stays with her, but eats freely of alien fruit. When Kilda finally regains her normal vision, Oomark has begun a physical transformation into a creature of hooves and horns---a faun. Kilda must now struggle to stay human, locate a gate back to the sane world of the 25th century, keep Oomark by her side, and find Bartare who has gone to join the Dread Companion she believes to be her true mother.

"Dread Companion" was published in 1970, sandwiched between the Witch World novels, "Sorceress of the Witch World" (1968) and "The Crystal Gryphon" (1972), as well as many other works by this prolific author. Norton fans will discern several common elements between her excellent Witch World fantasy series and this stand-alone SF novel. Examples: there are nurturing trees that are havens from evil hound- and vulture-like creatures; and Bartare's kidnapper turns out to be a Great One of the Light---not that it matters so unhuman is She.

I think if you can find a copy of "Dread Companion," you will read some of the best descriptions of Faerie ever written, even though this book is officially classified as science fiction.
Norton has written of a place that is wondrous, terrible, and truly alien.