Customer Reviews

Star Hunter

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This very short novella was previously published along with "Voodoo Planet" as "The Space Adventure Novels of Andre Norton." It takes place in Andre Norton's Forerunner universe. As humans explore the far reaches of the galaxy, they keep finding the ruins of highly advanced alien civilizations that have vanished. Some planets have not been well explored, some have been colonized, and some are home to aliens. (Click on my name to see the list of about 40 books in this universe.)

"Star Hunter" is a typical Andre Norton buddy story about two characters who don't like each other very well. In fact, one of them has had the other brainwashed, to be passed off as the heir to a fortune .. and to be used as someone's puppet. They end up trekking on foot across an unexplored planet, pursued by bizarre creatures, trying to figure out a mysterious alien device that has entrapped and killed all the humans who have come before. The relationship that develops between these two characters is the strong suit of this tale. If you're a fan of Andre Norton, you will probably enjoy it. I give "Star Hunter" four stars because it's entertaining but very much like many others by this author.

We love Andre Norton books!!!!! This is another fine example of her wonderful writing skill!!! A "must have" in anyone's collection of good books to keep!!! Can not go wrong with this book!!

"Star Hunter" was first published in 1961 and is one of the few 'straight' science fiction novellas (96 pages) of Lifetime Grand Master of Fantasy, Andre Norton, who passed away on March 17, 2005 after a long and extremely fruitful career. Her first novel, "The Prince Commands" was published in 1934, and her last, "Three Hands for Scorpio" in 2005. Her magically detailed world-building skills and upright, against-all-odds characters will be sorely missed.

"Star Hunter" is a forerunner of Norton's Dipple series, starring dispossessed planetary outcasts (usually orphans), who are sometimes gifted with mysterious psi talents. These likeable, self-reliant young men and women start off in the cesspool of galactic civilization (the `Dipple' of later novels), and fight their way to freedom through a series of adventures with inscrutable, powerful aliens and evil, grasping humans.

Vye Lansor is a malnourished swamper (janitor) in a down-and-outers' bar near Nahautl's starport. Part of his job involves cleaning up the burned and bloody bits after a typical night's brawl. He can't believe his luck when an Out-Hunter (stellar big game hunter) offers to take him on as a gearman on his next frontier-world safari.

He is right to guess that his fortune has not changed for the better. When he next wakes up, Lansor is on a strange planet, implanted with a set of false memories about a young castaway named Rynch Brodie.

Okay Norton fans, we're on a strange planet but in otherwise familiar territory: a young outcast pitted against an alien wilderness, hunted by mysterious, unsavory characters--this time consisting of a big-game safari, and the even more deadly aliens of Jumala's humid jungles. This author keeps us turning the pages, not only for the cliff-hangers that Lansor gets himself into, but also for tantalizing clues as to the nature of the aliens, who seem to have turned an entire planet into a death-trap for out-worlders.

This is another fantastically populated universe, created by one of the most underrated fantasy/science fiction writers of our time. "Star Hunter" was closely followed by other similarly-themed coming-of-age, galactic-adventure stories such as "Secret Of Lost Race" (also published in 1959), "Storm Over Warlock" (1960), "Catseye (Dipple, Bk. 1)" (1961), and "Night of Masks" (1964).

Ras Hume is an Out-Hunter on Nahautl, and agrees to participate in a conspiracy. He conspires with the Nahautl Veep to produce an heir to a rich estate. The heir, last seen as a boy of fourteen, was thought lost on the planet Jumala after his craft crashed there. There were no known survivors, and the craft was lost - until now. Hume has discovered its location, and wants to plant an impostor on Jumala. The impostor will be the lost boy, Rynch Brodie, who is now a young man. He will be planted near the craft. Hume will then escort a group of planet-hunting tourists there, who will "discover" the missing boy. Hume and the Veep will likely enjoy a large reward after the discovery.

Preparation begins to find a suitable impostor. Vye Lansor is that man. He awakens mysteriously one day on Jumala, with the memories of Brodie. But something is wrong... Lansor's mind alteration was not complete, and he realizes he may not be Brodie. His journey of discovery and his efforts to survive on Jumala create a fun adventure, which is an easy and quick read.