Firehand [Hardcover]

Andre Norton (Author), P. M. Griffin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1994

Time traveler Ross Murdoch faces his ultimate challenge when he must change the course of a war in an alien world, or doom an entire planetary system and perhaps Earth itself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a satisfying return to Norton's Time Trader world, a young man finds himself as he teaches guerrilla warfare to a feudal, nonterrestrial offshoot of humanity in order to prepare them properly for a future in which space- and time-traveling humans are battling for survival against murderous aliens. Ross Murdock, a young criminal recruited as a Time Agent for his survival skills, is sent to the Dominion of Virgin, which had abruptly turned from a populous planet to a burned cinder as a result of time-travel by the Baldies, as the aliens are known. The key development that would have saved the planet was the evolution of mental powers that were delayed because of the turmoil following a warlord's conquests 700 years previously. Murdoch, scientist Gordon Ashe and arms expert Eveleen Riordan are sent back in time to Dominion to develop a resistance movement without revealing the existence of Earth or drawing the attention of the Baldies. The authors, who collaborated on Redline the Stars and several Witch World books, have developed an attractive world and likable characters. This coming-of-age novel may be better suited for the young-adult market, however.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Time Agent Ross Murdock and his companions travel to the past of a distant planet to defeat an alien invasion and prevent a future disaster. Veteran collaborators Norton and Griffin cloak a medieval fantasy in sf trappings in this latest adventure in the "Time Traders" series. Smooth narration and appealing protagonists rescue an otherwise ordinary story. Large sf and YA collections may want to consider purchase.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 220 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (July 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312853130
• ISBN-13: 978-0312853136
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Utterly disappointing, February 16, 2009

By 

Brent Butler (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Firehand (Paperback)

**** Spoilers follow, but that's OK because you want to avoid the book like the plague anyway ****

Having recently read the first four books in the Time Traders series (which are OK but not the best of Norton), I expected this book to be more of the same.

I was disappointed to find out that the book was not in fact written by Norton, and this is clear from the cloying parsing and utter lack of dramatic plotting which the book suffers from throughout. Griffin, the co-author, is obviously the author of this book, with little to no input from Andre Norton herself.

Worse, it was obvious to me that Griffin's original effort was not a Time Trader's story at all, but a book written by her otherwise, and then hastily and ineptly adapted to wedge it into the Time Traders series. Yep, add a chapter to the beginning and to the end, globally replace a few character names, insert a few references to the project, and there you have it ... a Time Traders series book! Well, not really.

Griffin is so in love with her characters that they NEVER suffer a setback to their plans, completely relieving any possibility of dramatic tension. The very evil plans of the bad guys are briefly discussed by the bad guys ... and never again bear on the course of the book.

The two sets of 'bad guy' leaders are found and dispatched in the most contrived and simplistic way (un)imaginable.

Ashe's contributions to the story are effectively completely dumped for Griffin's newly introduced character Eveleen Riordan, with whom she is completely in love.

Let me just tell you that Ross Murdock falls in love and marries Riordan during the course of this book. Knowing that, you can safely bypass this and you are caught up for the next installment.

You may notice that Griffin was dumped as the new author of the series very quickly after the appearance of this stinker.

I'm not a big fan of authors turning over their work to a 'guest author', and having their name appear on the cover only to spur sales. This book is a perfect example of why that can go VERY VERY wrong. The book has nothing of Norton but a few character names. The plot is completely broken, and even action sequences near the end that resolve the conflict are contrived and unworkable.

Book 6, written by the replacement 'guest author', Sherwood Smith, is a big improvement, and I recommend that you skip this pitiful sell out and go directly to Echoes in Time!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of viewpoints are possible for this book, November 3, 2011

By 

Indiana Reviewer (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Firehand (Paperback)

If Firehand is compared to the first three Time Trader novels written by Norton, it doesn't quite cut the mustard. The Ross and Ashe characters are just a bit different from their namesakes in the earlier books. Those first Time Trader stories were - in my opinion - among Norton's best works.

But relative to the fourth and final novel of the series written exclusively by Norton - Key out of Time - Firehand is a work of art. Back in 1963 Norton had clearly gotten bored with the whole story line, and after a very lackluster effort had left the three humans and two dolphins stranded thousands of years in the past.

Fast forward 31 years, and P. M. Griffin was invited to dig them out of the hole where Norton had left them. In my opinion she did a very nice job of it, and I judge the first part of this book to be the best part

The adventures on the next planet where they're tasked to actually go back in time and change the future there was perhaps a little too routine. Ross Murdoch becoming a major military commander was really a stetch!

Though there were no surprises at all, this book was still a pleasant read for me.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars surprise, March 30, 2000

By 

"shaelyn" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Firehand (Paperback)

I picked up this book at a resellers shop with no cover on it or any idea what it was about.(It is hardback,not stolen).Norton is great and she doesn't let you down here.Smooth writing and great characters who you feel you know by the end of the book.My only complaint is that the book is fairly short and therefore not a terribly engrossing novel.Try it,you might be surprised as pleasantly as I was.