Forerunner

Forerunner #1

by Andre Norton

A quest for our beginnings and beyond. In a future so distant that Earth has become only a legend and its very name corrupted. Xarth, a beautiful young woman, blue-black of skin, silver of hair is left alone in the dark age civilization that is all that remains of a once mighty culture. She is forced by circumstances to accompany a star traveler in a quest on whose outcome rests not only knowledge of the origins of mankind but also the last, best hopes of its future.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, American, Sci Fi Fantasy

282 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I found myself rereading parts because the writing didn't always flow well* and the ending was rather abrupt, I enjoyed this tale of adventure and discovery. I love intelligent animal companions so I really liked reading about the bond between the main character Simsa and Zass, the injured zorsal she rescued and trained. Simsa is a determined character, and I'd like to read the sequel about her.

Rating: 7/10

Full Review: http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2016/0...

* This may be at least partially due to Moving Brain. Since I've been preparing to move for the third time in just under two years, I've had a lot of difficulty concentrating on reading and writing reviews!

[David Sarkies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had Potential But Fell Flat
16 May 2021

I guess the fact that this book doesn’t have a Wikipedia page dedicated to it says quite a lot about it, namely that it really is pretty forgettable. Mind you, I thought that the idea did have potential, especially with the setting, but in the end I really couldn’t really get into it, and it simply devolved into another of the many quest stories out there that has the main character come out of it at the end much wiser and having a greater understanding of herself than previously.

One of the main reasons that I grabbed this book was that I wanted to buy something from the second-hand bookshop that I was visiting at the time, and I hadn’t actually read anything by Andre Norton (who happens to be a female writer, though ironically many of her pen names happen to be male, which I found to be rather odd because there were quite a few female fantasy writers back in the 80s). Another interesting thing that I discovered about Norton was that she wrote the first novel that was based on the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, at the request of Gary Gygax himself. Mind you, based upon what I could find out about it, it wasn’t particularly good, but then again neither are many of the other books based upon the Dungeons and Dragons game.

The interesting thing I found about this story is that it is set in a world which is visited by space travelers who come here to trade. In part, the main city reminded me of Malacca, and the other trading ports that were set up by the merchants to facilitate trade with the interior. In part it seemed as if there might be some concepts of colonialism, but it turned out that there wasn’t. Yeah, that is one of the things I’d like to see in a fantasy/Sci-fi novel, and that is exploring colonialism, particularly from the point of view of the colonised. Unfortunately, this book wasn’t it.

The main character is sort of interesting, but once again it is a trope that you tend to see time and time again. She is unique, living in a city of thieves, and because she doesn’t have that many connections she has to scrape together what she can from the crumbs that are thrown her way. However, she encounters Thom, one of the spacemen, who discovers that she possesses an item that may lead to the location of his lost brother. Yeah, as you can see, this book just seems to be full of the tropes that you find in many, many of the Science Fiction/Fantasy books that seem to compete with each other for our attention these days.

As I suggested, I really did want to like this book, but unfortunately it is one of those stories that sort of had quite a lot of promise, but seems to fail in its execution. I could suggest that this was because it was written back in the 80s, but even back in the 80s there was scope for books that explore concepts as opposed to just being another story that is pretty much a copy of countless numbers of other stories, just with the names changed, and a few other things as well.

Sure, I might not have read many of her other works, and unfortunately this seems to be a rather disappointing entrance to the works of a rather prolific author.

[Frank]

I have read all of Nortons work for third until 1990 or so. I have not read any of Her co-authored works because it feels like trading on Nortons name. I don't recall a single novel that wasn't enjoyable read Some of the older works feel a bit dated now. But it's not like reading Ee Doc Smirh. Norton is usually a fun light read

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time for some standard sci-fi. I pulled this one off the shelves and so far so ... ok. I suspected that I'd read another of this prolific author's books and indeed I have. But ... I barely remember any of it. According to my review I kind of liked it but not in any big deal kind of way. This story is set on an alien planet far into mankind's future. The her(oine) is a sort-of human; very capable and resourceful, but extremely untrusting and survival-oriented. She has her reasons ... The cultural setting is the by-now very familiar medieval sort of society that one finds so often in sci-f lit of the 60's and 70's(this book was new in 1981). Think dark, dingy, violent and scary. Almost lawless ... This is all very well described, but makes for a grim reading experience. If you want something better and lighter but in the same vein look to Jack Vance. The KING of sci-fi ... Simsa and some human guy are about to set out on one of those challenging(for them) and familiar(to the reader) treks across alien and dangerous terrain.

Finished last night with a bit of a let-down feeling. For one thing, the ending was inconclusive, which I suppose is what one must endure reading a book that's part of a series. Oh well ... the other let down had to do with the action of the ending. There was a fair amount of it, but mood-wise it seemed a bit jarring and hasty after the slow build of the journey to the Hard Hills. The author wrote that well, and the aura of mystery and antiquity was well described as the two trekkers encounter the remains of a VERY old civilization. But then ... the rush to provide an ending that wasn't an ending at all. Oh well ... I wonder which book is the sequel. I'll have to look it up.

- A brief mention is made of tele-powers, a la "The Rowan"(same hair color too!)

- The last line reminds of the last line of GWTW!

- 3.25* rounds down to the usual 3*.

- Acc. to G'reads this is Forerunner #4, while "Storm over Warlock" is #1.

[Jim Standridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read. I have always likes Ms Norton. Pace picks up as you go along. Simsa is an interesting character, turns out to be more than first appears. A surprise even to herself. She and her star man have quite an adventure. Kind of a 'well, what happened?' ending. But I have to believe right triumphs.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one of Norton's buddy novels, there are two protagonists working together, the women Simsa and the man Thom. If this were a modern YA, there would be some romance, but that's not old school, their relationship is one of mutual respect. In the beginning, Simsa is the lowest status imaginable but she does have animal buddies, typical for many of the author's heroes. Thom is the starfarer with all the tech know-how that Simsa's culture lacks.

The story is told from Simsa's perspective and she initially distrusts Thom. Gradually as the adventure unfolds the grow to rely on each other and Simsa matures rapidly in the process. Then comes the magic pill, Simsa is the avatar of a bad ass forerunner from the past and when she wakes to her new powers, she defeats the villains in a most convenient way. The ending feels a bit forced.

While this book is part of the Forerunner series, it has nothing to do with the previous novels in the series and can be read as a standalone. Also this edition is illustrated, but they aren't needed to understand the story, so any edition will be a decent read.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not one of Norton's stronger stories - although Simsa is very relatable and the story starts off well, it loses a ton of pace and interest around the time they hit the desert - and then later an event occurs which considerably alters Simsa in a way which makes her a much less enjoyable character.

Not a terrible story, but not great either.

[Tamara Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great fantasy novel filled with action and a relationship between burrower Simsa and ship traveler Thom built upon mutual respect rather than a romantic relationship.

[Lissa Notreallywolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Andre Norton is always a delight because she is so provocative of one's imagination. She sparcely describes things, like the four-legged winged critters that accompany our mudlark. At first my mind paints a terradactyle, and then I find out they have fur, some pages later they have antennae. I am not going to attempt spelling the critters because I haven't seen the word for them in print. Ditto with Simsa, the Burrower. I actually listened to the Libravox version of this, but I am not going to fuss about the edition statement.
Tom is a spaceman who visits planets to supervise and assist in archaelogical research into the Forerunners. On this planet he is also looking for his brother, who is gone missing on a similar expedition in the Hard Hills. He meets a black-skinned merchant who has some very interesting fragments that he wants. The alien agrees to meet him at a tavern so he can exchange currency in exchange for the bits he wants. Simsa is alerted by her sentry critter and watches as the spaceman disarms a thug. She rescues him from being involved in the nightwatch who have appeared on a street they have no business patrolling. The plot thickens and she has to go back to the room she has sought to escape, pretending that Tom is a conquest she picked up for the night. He's surprised that the tall alien is female, but willing.
They have to flee town, bringing her three little raptor foxes to buy a boat and some provisions. They are running to the Hard Hills where Tom hopes to find his brother. Simsa has no desire to go to the Hard Hills, the surrounding desert or to go on a boat journey. But pursuit keeps foiling her plans to escape Tom. Eventually they end up in the Hard Hills after some interesting adventures in the desert. Once there they find a subterranean lake with healing powers, surrounded by a loving mist. They encounter bad guys, worse than the monster on the way in. They find an intergalactic salvage of bad weapons of mass distruction, and eventually Simsa figures out who she is. First, she has to accept that her flyers aren't possessions, they are responsibilities and beloved. Then she has to figure out she isn't just a salvage operation, she is precious. She has some archaeology to do on her own, but it involves a transformation that Tom never anticipates. Throughout the book we see the conflict between Tom's assumptions about What is Important and her paranoid and monetizing tendencies. The last conversation they have is a great dissection of objectification. How they work it out is a good read.

[Ryan Southworth · Rating 1 out of 5]

“Kuxortal had always been-any trader would have sworn by his guild oath to that.”

So begins Forerunner by Andre Norton. I’ve been reading a lot of C. J. Cherryh the last couple years and decided that I wanted to branch out a bit before continuing with her corpus. But where to begin? I found a page on Cherryh’s old blog where she lists books/authors that she’s enjoyed over the years and, as she’s my favorite author, figured I’d start with the books she likes. I made a list and Forerunner was the first to make it off my shelf.

This copy included the sequel (hence, The Forerunner Factor), but my review only covers Forerunner.
In brief, this is the story of Simsa, a young girl living on a distant planet. Orphaned and with her guardian recently passed away, Simsa is forced to fend for herself in the bowels of the city of Kuxortal. This technologically backwards city is a harsh and dangerous place for a burrower like Simsa, all the more so as her appearance stands out so starkly from the general mob around her. But she has plans. Plans to use the odd trinkets collected by her late guardian to trade with the starmen who regularly visit Kuxortal for trade. When a specific starman, Thorn, takes a special interest in her artifacts, Simsa finds herself swept up in a conflict far more dangerous than her ambitions anticipated. The artifacts she so carefully guards are a link to Simsa’s own past; a past much stranger than she could possibly have guessed.

I don’t like doing bad reviews. Nobody wants to read about a crummy book, and I’d much rather be pointing people to a great read than steering them away from a terrible one. Honesty, however, is the best policy.

I didn’t enjoy this book at all. I found Norton’s writing to be awkward and bumpy. I was constantly kept from the story by the strange sentence structures and a whole lot of “telling” me what the characters were doing or thinking or feeling, rather than showing me. By the end – which was wholly unsatisfying in every way – I didn’t care about the characters or the plot. I just wanted to be done.

Obviously, Norton was a popular writer and lots of people enjoyed her books. Maybe I’ll even give her another try someday. I won’t, however, be reading the sequel to Forerunner (which is called, uninspiringly, Forerunner: The Second Venture).

On to a new book….

(This review, and others like it, can be found on my blog at thisdadathome.com)

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norton, Andre. Forerunner. Forerunner No. 4. Tor, 1981.
Andre Norton is certainly one of the most prolific grandmasters of science fiction and fantasy. I know that I have read more of her work over the years than I remember, but Forerunner was new me. A look at Wikipedia showed me that the series was written over three decades with years between each installment, and it had the honor of being the first book Tom Doherty published under the Tor imprint. Its original cover art also stands out with a dramatic picture of its heroine—with blue-black skin, long white hair, and a no-nonsense expression. The story is mainstream fantasy space opera. The forerunner universe very much resembles the Humanx Commonwealth universe created by Alan Dean Foster. Certainly, our heroine Simsa and her telepathic flying pet are meant to remind us of Foster’s Pip and Flinx. Both have connections to Heinlein’s Citizen of the Galaxy and more distantly to the work of Rudyard Kipling. (One could argue that if it were not for the work of Edward Gibbon, Rudyard Kipling, and C. S. Forester, there would be no space opera.) Simsa is a humanoid orphan, who looks like no one else on the planet, living in the ruins of the ancient Forerunner race. She hooks up with a human agent from the current galactic civilization and helps him search some desert ruins for his missing brother. Along the way, she discovers why she is more special and powerful than she could have imagined. It is standard stuff for the most part, but a bit transgressive for its racial and gender themes. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I knew that Andre Norton was a pseudonym of a woman writer, but I had no idea until I read about her that she was born in Cleveland just a few miles from my own birthplace. I love reading and promoting the works of other Ohio authors so it was a small shock to me that I had never read such a titan in the realm of science fiction and fantasy before now.
I chose to read Forerunner because it was gifted to me by someone years ago who knows good classic sci fi and fantasy and I trust his judgment. I was not disappointed by this book. The premise is great. A young alien woman named Simsa who has lived as a scavenger on her homeworld discovers an artifact and finds herself entangled in an offworlder's quest to find out what happened to his brother who came to her world and disappeared. During their search for his whereabouts, Simsa learns some shocking truths about herself and her planet. Though the few similarities are likely coincidental, Simsa's story reminds me in small ways of Rey Skywalker's arc in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, except for the contrived part about her being the villain's granddaughter.
I think this is a must-read for anyone who reads classic sci fi or fantasy. My only qualms is with the narration which, given that it's told from the alien girl's perspective is understandable, but still a little stilted as though Yoda was telling the story at times.
Yet, this story though many decades old still is engaging and entertaining.

[Katherine Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the inventive world and some unexpected plot developments. The style was rather unlike other stories I'm used to reading, so it did take me a bit to adjust, but I got used to it. The writing is all grammatically correct (I appreciate complete sentences) but sort of formal and distant and sometimes a bit convoluted. I had to reread some sentences to gather the meaning. But I did appreciate the complexity of the main character, her distinct personality, and interesting backstory. The world setting is also pretty well developed and mostly made sense. I also really liked the animal companions of the main character; they were probably my favorite part. I didn't care for all the talk of breasts. I also found the lead male character to be rather unpleasant, especially when he does some things to the lead female character without her consent. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to like him or not. The story is also exposition heavy, without much dialog, and sometimes I felt quite distant from the main character. I think I'll be donating this book. It was an interesting read, but I feel no need to reread it.

[Lucy Cummin · Rating 4 out of 5]

What fun! Simsa has grown up in the Burrows under the care of "the Old One" a wise old woman -- who has advised her to hide her white hair, brows and lashes and to dress to look like a boy. But her caretaker has died. Simsa knows she will soon be attacked (well, raped) and taken to a Guild Lord as a toy and gathers up all the Old One's treasures and goes to meet the next incoming trader vessel from space. One of these spacers, Thom, and she connect and soon Simsa finds herself embarked on more adventure than she bargained for as Thom heads out into the desertlands to find out what happened to his brother. They don't find him but Simsa finds enlightenment about her heritage. Simsa is accompanied by a crippled flying creature, Zass, kind of bat/cat/moth -- a fearful predator at all events -- and her two 'sons'. The story is great. As ever, I get a little weary of Norton's arch and formal prose style, but whatever.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simsa lives in the Burrow, but is unlike anyone else there. The woman who raised her has taught her to hide her differences as much as possible - she has black skin and white hair. She hopes to sell some of her gleanings to the spacers when a ship lands, and meets Thom. He recognizes some of her things as X-Arth and is very interested. When he is followed by dangerous men, she helps him escape. He tells her he is hunting for his brother who came to her planet and never returned. She ends up going with him, she discovers a little about her possible origins and perhaps also her destiny.

[Cr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best that Norton has done. The plot and the premise is weak. Although Norton is known for a wave of the hands, a little hocus-pocus and voila she's got a novel.

If you like Norton, you will like the book. If you want something with meat, try a steak, or perhaps another writer.

I've always been fond of Norton, her chaste, young adult schlock is amusing to me. . .

No accounting for taste. . .

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the story was epic, I feel that I've read so many derivations of the same. I wish I'd known about this book when I was younger because it is the OG of female protagonists in a sci-fi/fan setting, with the ever-present animal sidekick to boot. Still, it was well worth the read! Norton has some serious skills.

[Elizabeth R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Forerunners are so often mentioned in Norton’s work. It seems to me, though, that when we get a story about them it's impossible for such to live up to the hype. That said, I think this may also be among her earlier works. In any event, worth reading, although not as good as we expect.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

And the next Norton. Featuring a trader World with our heroine not only at the bottom of the pile but strikingly different from all around her and viewed with suspicion as a result. Is getting involved in the affairs of an off-worlder the end or a new beginning?

[Jim Mcclanahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The next to last of the Forerunner series, this story features an intriguing female character along with an animal sidekick and a quest for origins. Bad guys search for artifacts and an alien male compadre assists in her adventures. Ultimate questions remain unanswered awaiting the final volume.

[Julie Akeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting sci-fi coming of age type of story, fun, interesting characters and the owllike creatures that Simsa has are very endearing..I get a thing for animal sidekicks so very good story.

[Ellis Wasend · Rating 4 out of 5]

First half was a tad slow but the second… holy moly guacamole. Incredibly written, easily my second fav of her books, after iron cage.

[Bob Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over 40 years old, another great story by Ms. Norton.

[Janice Seagraves]

I just finished Forerunner last night and feel a little disappointed. I've read Andre Norton since I was in HS and I'm found of her work. I've always loved her strong female lead characters.

Forerunner is written from the POV of the main Character Simsa, who is raised among the Burrowers (simple people who live underground and dig for treasure in old part of the city).

Simsa's black skin and white hair marks her as different. With little to no education, and raised by an old woman who never told her anything about her history, Simsa has to make it on her own after the old woman dies.

When the Starmen come, Simsa sees an opportunity she's been waiting for.

After she sells some old broken trinkets to the Starman Thom, Simsa finds herself in trouble with a local crime boss. She then sets out on an adventure with Thom as he goes in search of a long lost city and his lost brother.

In the end, Simsa finds out who she is and discovers more power than she's ever dreamed of (which reads like God in the machine).

I found the dialogue stilted and the ending abrupt. After a long rambling speech by Simsa, it's as if Norton said that's it, and the book just ends with no real conclusion to the story.

[Jacqueline J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this 3 stars because other books by this author are so much better but I will say that the boys loved it and want me to immediately start the next in the series. They just love to listen to Andre Norton books. I love AN too but honestly this one was not her best. I believe it is a pretty early book. The writing style is very convoluted and it is difficult to read out loud. I always get the feeling that the boys might have forgotten the beginning of the sentence by the time I get to the end. Something about it seemed to move slow and it seemed as if not a whole lot happened plot wise. The style that AN has in which the magic elements are rather vague and not extremely concrete seems to be worse here. I'm not really saying this is a bad thing. If you read AN you know how "wispy" feeling her magic stuff is. But that it seems that she hasn't quite got a handle on it here.

All that being said, we liked the book. I am always appreciative when the boys beg me to read to them at night. All our read out loud choices do not elicit this reaction. Also I am glad that a) they like sci fi/fantasy and b)they can appreciate a more difficult read with denser more interesting sentence structure.

[Mary Catelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of her SF works. I noticed in this one there was rather more coherence about the problems they faced than the somewhat random jumble some of her characters face.

It opens with Simsa, a Burrower -- someone who lives in the poor quarters -- having grown up under the protection of an older woman, who died. She still has her tame zorsals, which can help defend her, but not enough to protect her from those who want to move in on her. So she rummages through her treasures for sale, first to buy herself better clothes, and second to bring when the starmen arrive in their spaceships.

The first ship has on it a passenger who's interested in her pieces. He's also interested in what other ruins and artifacts this planet may have, and above all, what happened to his older brother, who came in search of them. Securing the money that he promised her involves in his affairs.

The rest of the tale involves a trader who decided to skip auction and sell his wares himself, a long voyage over the sea, a desert, a fierce draconic creature, pictures taken by his brother, a pool that doesn't have water in it, and a statue that looks like Simsa. Among much else.

[Leila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Instantly readable, exciting tale which falls somewhere between sci-fi and fantasy. "Forerunner" is one of those tales that you can't put down until you've read all of it. An engaging, likable orphaned heroine with mysterious origins labors for a vile old hag who has little warmth to give her ward. The girl must take care to cover her hair when she goes out on errands, lest the curious recognize that there is something special here: an ancient prototype of humanity with ebony skin and splendid silver hair. Our heroine parts company from her unloving guardian very early in the story, and events blossom into a fine alien adventure novel. As with many semi-mythological tales, the heroine's strength and confidence must withstand many tests. Freedom and self-possession are the prizes for which she must fight.

The sequel, however--whole different story. Probably one of those rush-rush jobs according to publisher demands. Virtually the entire story in that one is a battle for survival with plant-like alien creatures. Pass on it. Wish I had. Buying the paperback was pouring money down a drain. Read "Forerunner" twice, instead.

[Valerie]

Norton had a gift for astrobiology which has rarely been matched. The zorsals in this book and its sequel (called, not surprisingly, Forerunner: The Second Venture) are batlike carnivores, larger than most Earth fruit bats, but otherwise similar, except that they're
six-limbed (wings count as limbs).

This is hard to place in the sequence of Norton's somewhat vaguely imagined future history. Earth has been so nearly forgotten that few still know where it is, or even how to spell the name. The hero of this book, an orphaned girl named Simsa, is definitely not of Earth--but there's some tie that's not quite clear, even to her. She is, btw, described as 'beautiful'. If so, it's (literally) a negative beauty. In pictures and descriptions, she resembles what you see when you look at a negative of a photograph.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

...Despite all the negatives I did enjoy Forerunner. It is not a memorable novel but certainly a lot better than my first encounter with Norton's writing. Simsa is a character you can really root for, even if she is too stubborn for her own good sometimes. If you are willing to overlook Norton's prose and the occasionally illogical plot in favour of a good adventure, this book might be a good read. Norton published a sequel named Forerunner: The Second Venture in 1985. I won't rush to the nearest book store to get it but I won't rule out reading it at some point either.

Full Random Comments review

[Kaylee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The entire book is written in run-on sentences, probably to show how alien the character is. I think this is completely unnecessary, and makes it hard to read. The only reason to use an accent or a different way of speaking is to contrast between human and alien, but this book takes place entirely on an alien planet, where *everyone* is an alien. The plot was interesting enough that I kept reading and finished the book, but I really hated the execution.

Before you commit to taking this book home, I highly recommend reading a few pages to see if you can stand it. Not a few paragraphs, mind you, but a few pages; it makes a difference.