The Sioux Spaceman [Paperback]

Andre Norton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ace (August 1, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441768040
• ISBN-13: 978-0441768042
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,596,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beware the Horsemen of the Stars!, April 11, 2004

By 

OAKSHAMAN "oakshaman" (Algoma, WI United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sioux Spaceman (Paperback)

When the Terran Confederation finally made the great leap into interstellar space they discovered that they were not the first. They found that the vast Styor Empire enslaved two-thirds of the star systems of the known galaxy, and their inhabitants. The Styor, in spite of their vast numerical and technological superiority, found that it was never worth the effort and losses to try to enslave the upstart Terrans. Yet, they could not ignore the Earthmen either, for they were popping up everywhere. So the Styor allowed the newcomers to operate as traders- an occupation unfit for imperial bureaucrats and warriors. The Earthmen accepted this status, for it allowed them to travel to the enslaved worlds where the Patrol could not yet venture. They kept their eyes open and noted the growing cracks in the decadent Empire. Here and there they could do what they could to widen those cracks.

This was the case on the planet Klor, where Kade Whitehawk, Amerindian of the Northwest Terran Confederation noticed that the vast grasslands of that world were distinctly reminiscent of his plains homeland. The enslaved native race of Klor, the Ikkinni, reminded Whitehawk of his own people, the Lakota. They only lacked one essential to fight back against their Styor masters- the horse. Kade could get horses- and if a few managed to slip away....

After all, had not Whitehawk's own people accomplished the impossible when they won back their own land from the mechanized civilization that had once tried to enslave them?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fast-moving SF adventure on an alien world, October 31, 2008

By 

E. A. Lovitt "starmoth" (Gladwin, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sioux Spaceman (Mass Market Paperback)

The late Andre Norton was a scholar of Amerindian history and lore, and incorporated her knowledge into many of her novels, e.g. "Galactic Derelict" (1959), and "The Beast Master" (1959).

"The Sioux Spaceman" (1960) stars Kade Whitehawk as a rebellious junior member of the Terran Space Service, an organization involved in intergalactic trade. The background of this science fiction novel is a little different from the author's usual universe of Free Traders and long-vanished Forerunners. Here, the Terrans are newcomers to the stars where the humanoid Styor lords still rule a decaying galactic empire. Kade despises the Styor for their arrogant belief that all other races are little more than animals or slaves. On his first outbound mission, he tangles with a Styor lord and is bundled back to the Traders' Base on Lodi in disgrace.

Kade is surprised to learn that he has been assigned to another mission, this time on the primitive, fur-trading world of Klor, with the warning that if he screws up again, he'll end his career on a labor gang.

Unfortunately, the Styor have already established themselves on Klor and have enslaved the aboriginal population of Ikkinni, who very much remind Kade of his Sioux ancestors prior to the Spanish introduction of horses into the New World. When he accidentally learns how to free the Ikkinni from their Styor slave collars, Kade must decide whether to step back into his official role as a trader, or join the slave rebellion.

What are the Ikkinni still lacking that made Kade Whitehawk's Sioux ancestors into such formidable warriors? When the junior trader figures out the answer to this question, he and the Ikkinni are off and galloping.

"The Sioux Spaceman" is yet another fast-moving adventure story on a believably crafted alien world that made Andre Norton so popular with YA and adult readers for over half a century. I was quite drawn into the character of the proud, resourceful Kade Whitehawk in his battle against the decadent Styor Empire, and am sorry she never continued his story. Still, this SF novel is very good on its own. "Yat-ta-hay," as her Navaho hero of "The Beast Master" once said. "Very, very good!"

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent story, December 15, 2006

By 

A. G. Boggs "bookaholoic extradinaire" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sioux Spaceman (Mass Market Paperback)

In the future the humans are not top dog. There is an alien race that controls most of the known areas of space and believes that all other races are there to serve them. Humans get by because this other race sees itself as "too noble" to be mere traders/merchants, so that's the role that humans have to fulfill. In this story a young Sioux is sent to one of the planets controlled by this other race to join a trading post there. The aliens of the world are kept in slavery by the wearing of collars that can stun, punish or kill them. The Sioux discovers accidently that the world would be a perfect place for horses and that the natives, much like the Native American's have a true affinity for horses. The trials and tribulations of getting the horses, helping the natives and keeping himself alive all make for a very enjoyable read.