Customer Reviews

Moon of Three Rings

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Moon of Three Rings is the first novel in the Moonsinger series. Krip Vorland is assistant cargomaster on the Free Trader ship Lydis. Maelen of the Kontra is a Moon Singer of the Thassa. Both have come to Yrjar on Yiktor for the great trade fair.

In this novel, Maelen has been approached by Osokun, son of Oskold, and an off-worlder, Gauk Slafid, of the Combine. They want Maelen to lure a member of the Lydis crew into a trap to gain off-world knowledge and weapons. Maelen refuses, yet is troubled by the plot. When Krip and a fellow crew member attend her beast show, she has her partner, Malec, approach the off-worlders, offer a tour of the show, and then bring them to her so that she might question them and better understand the conspiracy against the Free Traders.

After she has introduced all the animals to the Free Traders, she asks them about the possibility of a touring beast show among the stars, but then they are interrupted by a oddjob boy, who she has tasked with watching an animal dealer, Othelm of Ylt, suspected of abusing his creatures. When Maelen begs leave to go, Krip asks permission to accompany her and they go to the dealer's tent, where they find a badly abused barsk. As Maelen goes to the animal, Othelm tries to attack her with a poisoned snik-claw knife, but Krip paralyzes his hand with a stunner. Maelen provides a token payment for the beast and removes it from Othelm's custody.

Krip reports the incident to his captain. After checking the persona tape on Krip's belt, the captain absolves him of any wrong doing, but still limits him to the ship and the ship's fair booth as a precaution. Later the duty priest and fair guards come to take Krip for judgment. Since he is busy with important customers, the captain stays behind but retains Krip's stunner and sends along another crew member. The priest and guards escort Krip to the fringe of the fairgrounds, where they are attacked by another party and Krip is taken captive.

After recovering full consciousness, Krip finds himself in a pit within a Yiktor fort. Osokun has found another way to gain a captive for his plot to extort weapons and knowledge. While he is waiting for a reply to his demands, Osokun also has Krip tortured in an attempt to break the off-world conditioning. When Krip awakens again, he knows that the only way that he is going to survive is to escape his captors.

After Krip's capture, Maelen senses his condition and leaves the fair to rescue him, taking along the barsk and several other animals with useful capabilities and skills. She doesn't know where Krip is located, but follows the pull of her wand eastward.

Like some other novels by the author, this story is just barely science fiction, for it postulates powers that are much like the magic of Witch World. Some of these powers are beyond the present day speculations of psionics; switching identities between bodies, for example, is an old standby of fantasy tales, but not in the parapsychological repertoire. However, this notion has been used in a variety of SF tales, including Schmitz's "Resident Witch".

This novel also differs from most other works by the author in that the heroine initially appears less than lovable. While caring deeply for her animal friends, Maelen has little empathy for anyone who is not Thassa (and not much even for the Thassa). Moreover, she arrogantly believes that she is more capable than any other living Moon Singer, as evidenced by her belief that she will be the first to tame a wild barsk. However, these flaws of personality are quite deliberate, as the storyline takes a step beyond the coming of age tale to an account of developing maturity and wisdom.

Recommended to Norton fans and anyone who enjoys tales of personal and interpersonal growth in a space adventure setting.

-Arthur W. Jordin

First read this book years ago. Loved it then and love it now. As a dyed in the wool Sci-Fi fan, This is one of my top five all time favorites. The empathy of the youg woman and her animal charges is wonderfully poetic.

As another reviewer wrote, this book was one of my first introductions to the world of Science Fiction/Fantasy more than 30 years ago. It was a turning point in my life. But that doesn't tell you much about the book.

The main characters, Krip Vorlund, Spacer, and Maelen, Moon Singer of Yiktor are brought to life under the uniquely creative pen of Andre Norton. The story of how they are brought together, the trials they undergo, and their triumphs, (some of which are double-edged), flow with subtle twists and turns of plot to keep the reader spellbound until the end. Then you realize that the story is not truly over. For those captured as I was by this story and it's characters, the next book is 'Exiles to the Stars'. A much later addition to the "series" is 'Flight in Yiktor' and the latest addition is 'Dare to Go A-Hunting'.

I read this book 30 years ago and never forgot it. After reading it again recently, I'm just as impressed as I was back then. This is one of Andre Norton's best books. It is creepy, exciting, and unpredictable. The writing is much more smooth and focused than many of Norton's more recent works.

"Moon of Three Rings" is the first of the Moonsinger series, followed by the equally good "Exiles of the Stars," and then the somewhat less interesting "Flight in Yiktor" and "Dare to Go A-Hunting." "Moon of Three Rings" and "Exiles of the Stars" are scheduled to be reprinted in May 2006 in a single volume called "Moonsinger."

The Moonsinger series is an integral part of Norton's Forerunner universe, explaining a great deal about who the Forerunners were and why they disappeared. (Click on my name to see the list of Forerunner books.) The first two books in this miniseries are told from the point of view of a spaceman named Krip and a shape-changing alien named Maelen, who is one of the strongest and most complex female characters in the Forerunner saga.

(MINOR SPOILER - plot summary)
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Krip's starship sets down on Maelen's planet, where he encounters enemies who plot to kill him. To save his life, Maelen transfers Krip's mind and soul into the body of a predatory animal. The rest of the book follows their adventures as they try to evade the villains and restore Krip to his own body.

I found an old, ragged copy of this book at a garage sale a while back. I read it and LOVED it. It sparked my love for reading again, and also sparked my interest in Andre Norton. I really want to find a copy in mint condition to add to add to my bookshelf.

This book is great. It is one of the first sci-fi books I read as a kid. I became a fan of sci-fi in large part because of this book. I hope to get a copy for myself soon.

I found this book to be good reading same as the other reviews except no one mentioned a sequel Flight in Yiktor.

I found this book many years ago and loved it! Because of a life-changing event, my copy was lost. I just HAD to have it back and am so glad that it was available. Many times I wished that Andre Norton had written another book with the main characters (maybe she did and I don't know about it?).

Anyway, the book arrived well wrapped and sooner than I expected. Thank you.

This has remained in my list of favorite books for over 35 years. Every time I wear out a copy, I have to purchase a new one. Classic sci fi morality tale, with space travel, animals, paranormal elements, and a romance of sorts. What's not to love?

I am perhaps not a die-hard Norton fan, but I have enjoyed all of her books that I have read. This one was just as competent and entertaining as the others. Telepathy and telepathic animals are featured here again, as in many of her books. Her gift is economy of words, which is to say that she can tell a story effectively and clearly without more than is needed. This story moves quickly, is interesting, and has some moments of emotional impact. Science fantasy would probably be an appropriate label for this, and as such it is well done. while not among the best books I have read, it was worth my time for sure.