Andre Norton (1912–2005)
Author of The Elvenbane
About the Author
Born Alice Mary Norton on February 17, 1912 in Cleveland, Ohio, she legally changed her name to Andre Alice Norton in 1934. She attended the Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve) for a year then took evening courses in journalism and writing that were show more offered by Cleveland College, the adult division of the same university. Norton was a librarian for the Cleveland Library System then a reader at Gnome Press. After that position, she became a full-time writer. She is most noted for writing fantasy, in particular the Witch World series. Her first book The Prince of Commands was published in 1934. Other titles include Ralestone Luck, Magic in Ithkar, Voorloper, Uncharted Stars, The Gifts of Asti and All Cats are Gray. She also wrote under the pen names Andre Norton, Andrew North and Allen Weston She was the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and the Nebula Grand Master Award. She has also received a Phoenix Award for overall writing achievement, a Jules Verne Award, and a Science Fiction Book Club Book of the Year Award for her title The Elvenbane. In 1997 she was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. She died on March 17, 2005. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: OrangeCon, 1978.
Series
Works by Andre Norton
Secret of the Lost Race / One Against Herculum (Vintage Ace Double D-381) (1959) — Author — 41 copies
Follow the drum, being the ventures and misadventures of one Johanna Lovell, sometime lady of Catkept Manor in Kent… (1942) 32 copies
The Magic Sequence Volume Two: Dragon Magic, Lavender-Green Magic, and Red Hart Magic (2018) 13 copies
Die Leute von Santaroga, Das große Abenteuer des Mutanten (Unterwegs in die Welt von morgen) (1991) 6 copies
The Stars are Ours (Pax/Astra, #1) 6 copies
Wizard's World [short story] 5 copies
The Outling 4 copies
Mousetrap [short story] 4 copies
The Andre Norton Omnibus 3 copies
Long Live Lord Kor! [short story] 3 copies
Time Traders, and Other Works 2 copies
Earthborne 2 copies
Sand Sister [short story] 2 copies
Korona z jelenich rogów 2 copies
The Way Wind 2 copies
Short Science Fiction Collection 019 2 copies
Teddi [short story] 2 copies
Nine Threads of Gold {short story} 2 copies
Ritorno a Estcarp 2 copies
Through the ice 1 copy
Scarface r 1 copy
L'ALTRA FACCIA DEL PASSATO 1 copy
Epic Sci-Fi Odyssey: A Premium Collection of Classic Science Fiction Novellas and Short Stories 1 copy
Knight or Knave 1 copy
Cat Fantastic III 1 copy
Exils of the Stars 1 copy
Four From the Witchworld 1 copy
Operation Timesearch 1 copy
Sorceress of the Witxh World 1 copy
The Trillium Quartet: Blood Trillium; Lady of the Trillium; Golden Trillium; Black Trillium (1996) 1 copy
Avariynaya planeta 1 copy
Na skrzydłach magii 1 copy
O Castigo dos Yurth 1 copy
Changeling [short story] 1 copy
The Beast Mage 1 copy
The Worlds of Andre Norton 1 copy
Through The Needle's Eye 1 copy
One Spell Wizard 1 copy
By a Hair [short story] 1 copy
Nightmare [short story] 1 copy
London Bridge [short story] 1 copy
Sow's Ear—silk Purse 1 copy
Dragon MAster 1 copy
Hob's Pot [short story] 1 copy
Noble Warrior [short story] 1 copy
Procession to Var 1 copy
Set in Stone 1 copy
Gray Mare's Colts, The 1 copy
Władca Gromu 1 copy
Witch World: The Turning: 1. Storms of Victory; 2. Flight of Vengence; 3. On Wings of Magic (1992) 1 copy
Island of the lost 1 copy
Urania 1156 - LIMBO 1 copy
Sargasso of Space [abridged] — Author — 1 copy
Plague Ship and Other Works 1 copy
Limbo 1 copy
Witch World Series 1 copy
The stars are ours! 1 copy
Associated Works
The Pendragon Chronicles: Heroic Fantasy from the Time of King Arthur (1989) — Contributor — 303 copies
The Future Is Female! 25 Classic Science Fiction Stories by Women, from Pulp Pioneers to Ursula K. Le Guin: A Library… (2018) — Contributor — 232 copies
New Eves: Science Fiction About the Extraordinary Women of Today and Tomorrow (1994) — Contributor — 62 copies
Sisters of Sorcery: Two Centuries of Witchcraft Stories by the Gentle Sex (1976) — Contributor — 31 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Norton, Andre Alice
- Other names
- North, Andrew
Weston, Allen
Norton, Alice Mary (birth) - Birthdate
- 1912-02-17
- Date of death
- 2005-03-17
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Place of death
- Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
- Cause of death
- congestive heart failure
- Places of residence
- Ohio, USA
Maryland, USA
Coral Gables, Florida, USA
Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA - Education
- Western Reserve University (Flora Stone Mather College)
- Occupations
- librarian
bookshop manager
editor
science fiction writer - Organizations
- Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America (SAGA)
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America - Awards and honors
- Gandalf Award (Grand Master, 1977)
Ohioana Book Award (Juvenile Literature, for her body of work, 1980)
World Fantasy Nominee (Lifetime Achievement, 1981)
World Fantasy Nominee (Lifetime Achievement, 1982)
SFWA Grand Master (1983)
E.E. Smith Memorial Award for Imaginative Fiction (1983) (show all 9)
SF Hall Of Fame (Living Inductee, 1997)
World Fantasy (Lifetime Achievement, 1998)
P.E.A.R.L. (Career Achievement, 2007) - Agent
- Russell Galen (Scovil-Chichak-Galen Literary Agency)
Members
Discussions
Which Andre Norton book? in Book talk (February 5)
Children's science fiction book: forgotten title & author in Name that Book (December 2018)
domed city, YA-kid's novel, at least 30years ago in Name that Book (November 2015)
YA post-apocalyptic sci-fi, living in a walled city with "breather" machines in Name that Book (October 2015)
YA fantasy: Siblings and Magic Mailbox in Name that Book (May 2012)
Recommend me something by Andre Norton in FantasyFans (July 2011)
Children's ghost story/mystery/time travel, 60s-70s in Name that Book (September 2010)
Children's book with a flying horese and giant knives and forks! in Name that Book (March 2009)
Reviews
Krip Vorlund, a junior crew member of a trading space ship, gets into some trouble in a technologically backward planet. Some local nobles want to get galactic technology, which is extremely illegal, and they kidnap Krip. At some point, with the help of Maelen, a woman from a nomadic people with ancient mystical powers, he escapes, but he has to swap his body with that of an animal's. Then his quest to get his body back gets complicated.
Old school YA science fiction, in the style of Heinlein's juveniles. However, unlike Heinlein's YA novels, this one did not quite work for me. Nothing really wrong with it, it's just that the writing style (subjectively) rubbed me the wrong way for some reason and I could never get into the story. The characters were not engaging enough, and the descriptions interrupted the flow of the narration. It's quite short and to the point, as SF used to be.… (more)
Old school YA science fiction, in the style of Heinlein's juveniles. However, unlike Heinlein's YA novels, this one did not quite work for me. Nothing really wrong with it, it's just that the writing style (subjectively) rubbed me the wrong way for some reason and I could never get into the story. The characters were not engaging enough, and the descriptions interrupted the flow of the narration. It's quite short and to the point, as SF used to be.… (more)
I first read this 50 years ago as a preteen and had remembered it as 'kid stuff', probably because I started reading Clarke and Heinlein right after it. A rereading was eye-opening in the best way; this book was remarkably solid and clear-eyed for its 1952 publication date, and rings as ridiculously influential. Really, if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, this book has been well and truly flattered.
For a YA novel written during the Cold War, even before such cautionary works as Shute's "On the Beach" or Miller's "A Canticle For Leibowitz," this book brings pretty adult pragmatism to a world 200 years removed from nuclear apocalypse. It's still a YA novel in terms of tone, scope, pacing, and action, but a good one that rises above its limitations and the few dated bits. I must admit, I am most surprised at how dated this book does NOT feel, and how actively inclusive it reads. Norton's call to rise above racial tribalism is as timely now as the threat of armageddon. This is a classic and, like Buddy Holly singles, needs to be dusted off and played for young minds.… (more)
For a YA novel written during the Cold War, even before such cautionary works as Shute's "On the Beach" or Miller's "A Canticle For Leibowitz," this book brings pretty adult pragmatism to a world 200 years removed from nuclear apocalypse. It's still a YA novel in terms of tone, scope, pacing, and action, but a good one that rises above its limitations and the few dated bits. I must admit, I am most surprised at how dated this book does NOT feel, and how actively inclusive it reads. Norton's call to rise above racial tribalism is as timely now as the threat of armageddon. This is a classic and, like Buddy Holly singles, needs to be dusted off and played for young minds.… (more)
Read this book in junior high or high school. It was dense packing in a lot of action and travel for Fors in a post-apocalyptic world a couple of centuries past the atomic wars. It would have been the core of a good larger novel with more developed characters. But AN's characters are are well sketched out but lack depth. Why wouldn't they in a 191 page novel. I wonder if this was serialized before it was a book. Reading my old sci-fi on occasion is my mind stepping into a time machine.
Lists
Cats in Fiction (1)
Witchy Fiction (1)
Books Read in 2013 (40)
Faerie Mythology (1)
Books Read in 2021 (12)
Books Read in 2019 (10)
Books Read in 2016 (18)
Elevenses (2)
al.vick-series (2)
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 393
- Also by
- 79
- Members
- 68,864
- Popularity
- #190
- Rating
- 3.6
- Reviews
- 716
- ISBNs
- 1,845
- Languages
- 15
- Favorited
- 137
The first 2/3 of The Cosmic Puppets (published in 1957, Wikipedia says first draft was 1953) is classic Dick. Ted Barton drags his reluctant wife to visit Millgate, the small town he grew up in, where he discovers everything he remembers is not only not there, but never was. In a newspaper archive he discovers he died as a child. His wife leaves him when he stays to explore. Peter, a young boy, keeps spiders in his pocket, molds small living golems out of clay, can stop time, and knows what is going on but is clearly hostile. Mary, a 13-year old girl, also seems to know what's going on, may be an enemy of Peter's, and talks to bees. And then there are the two giant forms, visible only through Peter's magnifying class, whose bodies appear to form the hills that surround Millgate. Though the characters are a bit less Dickian than later novels, the fragility of reality is very much in line with his work. Then there's one horrific scene and we enter Stephen King land, especially King's Under the Dome and The Langoliers. For King, those works were more SFnal than usual. For Dick, The Cosmic Puppets is more fantasy than usual.
Despite this turn of style, the novel works quite well. Dick could do horror when he needed to -- see his short story The Father Thing -- and he has a pretty sure hand throughout. Recommended.
In contrast, Sargasso of Space is disappointing for Norton. It starts out like the many young adult adaptations of 1950 kids SF, such as Tom Corbett, churned out by ghost writers. Names are comic book - Dane Thorson, Rip Shannon, etc. There is some diversity of nationalities, but it's all male, all the time. [More when I finish in a few days...]… (more)