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Wraiths of Time
HANDMAIDEN OF THE GODS
Abducted by powerful spirits released from an ancient ankh, talisman of Egyptian gods, young archaeologist Tallahassee Mitford suddenly found herself hurled back in time to a strange Nubian kingdom called Meroe. There, moved by forces beyond human comprehension, she learned the reason for her summoning.
In the land known as Egypt's darker sister, Tallahassee Mitford became Ashake, the reincarnation of a magnificent warrior princess, a priestess of power ordained for a destiny of war against unearthly forces of evil -- and the unfathomable specters known only as the wraiths of time....
Abducted by powerful spirits released from an ancient ankh, talisman of Egyptian gods, young archaeologist Tallahassee Mitford suddenly found herself hurled back in time to a strange Nubian kingdom called Meroe. There, moved by forces beyond human comprehension, she learned the reason for her summoning.
In the land known as Egypt's darker sister, Tallahassee Mitford became Ashake, the reincarnation of a magnificent warrior princess, a priestess of power ordained for a destiny of war against unearthly forces of evil -- and the unfathomable specters known only as the wraiths of time....
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
73 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
696 books1,389 followersAndre 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 10, 2019
When I was in college, I was a hardcore sci-fi and fantasy reader. There was a bookstore in town about a ten minute walk or so from my dorm and I went there a lot with my roommate Judy. We could usually be found in the back, sitting on the floor pulling out paperback novels and carefully selecting what we would spend our hard-earned work study cash on. The front of the shop sold pipes and tobacco, so turning the pages of our books released a whiff of tobacco. Andre Norton is one of the authors I read in those days and this book, Wraiths of Time, is probably one of the books I bought from my favorite used bookstore but never got around to reading. Maybe if I had read it at the impressionable age of 19, I would have enjoyed it. The adult me found the story cringe-inducing and somewhat incomprehensible.
Tallahassee Mitford is an archaeologist at (as far as I can tell) an unnamed museum. She is called in to verify an unusual artifact of possible African-Egyptian origin. It is a small wooden box decorated with ivory and gold inlays. Although she does provide some information, she tells the owner that a specialist at the museum should also examine the artifact. She and an FBI agent (who also happens to be her cousin), take the box back to the museum and lock it in her supervisor’s safe. While doing so, they have a run-in with another scholar at the museum who definitely has a problem with Tallahassee, either because she is black or because she is a woman (or both). Later, Tallahassee receives an urgent call from her supervisor to return to the museum. Someone had broken into his office, clearly looking for something of value. Dr. Carey, the unpleasant scholar, is also in Dr. Greenley’s office. They take the mysterious artifact out of the safe to examine it, but Dr. Carey pushes Tallahassee and Dr. Greenley aside to open the box. When he does so, he releases some kind of powerful force that takes over Tallahassee’s body and forces her to seize the ankh from the box and another artifact from a secure case in another office. After she has both items in her possession, she loses consciousness and wakes up in the past—in a Nubian kingdom called Meroë.
Soooo….nothing about the plot made any sense to me. The author does a terrible job of explaining the political situation of the time and what exactly one group (the one Tallahassee becomes a part of) is fighting the other group for. It seems to me it comes down to groups of other areas (often called “the barbarians”) are trying to seize control of this woman-controlled empire by appealing to disaffected and power-hungry members of the empire. The “barbarians” are turning these people away from their traditional gods/goddesses and customs. A mysterious stranger from another world/time, Khasti, uses technology they don’t have to subdue them and take Tallahassee aka Ashake, a warrior princess, hostage. These people are a strange combination of advanced technology (they have something like airplanes and a translation device), but otherwise they seem to operate like an ancient Egyptian civilization. Some people have a magical force akin to telepathy and telekinesis called the Talent, but not everyone. Also, you must also be of the Blood (pure royalty?) in order to possess the Talent…Tallahassee, of course, is not of the “Blood,” but because she has Ashake’s memories and looks like her, she has the Talent as well. A lot of characters are introduced along with their titles and frankly, I just didn’t care enough to keep them straight. There are long sections of conversation about all the various parties involved and again, it was so convoluted and uninteresting I began skimming it. I essentially finished the book just to find out what happens. I’m not sure it was worth the effort. The time wraiths of the book’s title are sort of like displaced time ghosts and while they may make for a jazzy title, they don’t seem to be worthy of much attention.
The book was written in the 1970s and you can definitely tell. Because this is a matriarchal society/empire, not all the men are happy about it and of course, those are the men who are fighting to overthrow it. Dr. Carey, Khasti, some others, are such outright misogynists and so obvious in their loathing of powerful women, that I couldn’t take them seriously. They are cartoon villains. Even though I believe the author had a feminist message with the book, she continually described Tallahassee as the “girl.” It was a childish way of referring to her heroine who is an educated woman and later, a warrior princess who controls magical objects of power. Also, this book is supposedly described as science fiction, but I didn’t see much of that genre in the book. However, there are many elements of the fantastical, so I’m categorizing it as magic/fantasy.
This entire book is a mess. My reaction while reading it: ??!!!. My reaction upon finishing it: ??!!!%%$@**% what the fuck was that??? Maybe someone else will enjoy the weird incomprehensible mess of Wraiths of Time, but I did not.
Tallahassee Mitford is an archaeologist at (as far as I can tell) an unnamed museum. She is called in to verify an unusual artifact of possible African-Egyptian origin. It is a small wooden box decorated with ivory and gold inlays. Although she does provide some information, she tells the owner that a specialist at the museum should also examine the artifact. She and an FBI agent (who also happens to be her cousin), take the box back to the museum and lock it in her supervisor’s safe. While doing so, they have a run-in with another scholar at the museum who definitely has a problem with Tallahassee, either because she is black or because she is a woman (or both). Later, Tallahassee receives an urgent call from her supervisor to return to the museum. Someone had broken into his office, clearly looking for something of value. Dr. Carey, the unpleasant scholar, is also in Dr. Greenley’s office. They take the mysterious artifact out of the safe to examine it, but Dr. Carey pushes Tallahassee and Dr. Greenley aside to open the box. When he does so, he releases some kind of powerful force that takes over Tallahassee’s body and forces her to seize the ankh from the box and another artifact from a secure case in another office. After she has both items in her possession, she loses consciousness and wakes up in the past—in a Nubian kingdom called Meroë.
Soooo….nothing about the plot made any sense to me. The author does a terrible job of explaining the political situation of the time and what exactly one group (the one Tallahassee becomes a part of) is fighting the other group for. It seems to me it comes down to groups of other areas (often called “the barbarians”) are trying to seize control of this woman-controlled empire by appealing to disaffected and power-hungry members of the empire. The “barbarians” are turning these people away from their traditional gods/goddesses and customs. A mysterious stranger from another world/time, Khasti, uses technology they don’t have to subdue them and take Tallahassee aka Ashake, a warrior princess, hostage. These people are a strange combination of advanced technology (they have something like airplanes and a translation device), but otherwise they seem to operate like an ancient Egyptian civilization. Some people have a magical force akin to telepathy and telekinesis called the Talent, but not everyone. Also, you must also be of the Blood (pure royalty?) in order to possess the Talent…Tallahassee, of course, is not of the “Blood,” but because she has Ashake’s memories and looks like her, she has the Talent as well. A lot of characters are introduced along with their titles and frankly, I just didn’t care enough to keep them straight. There are long sections of conversation about all the various parties involved and again, it was so convoluted and uninteresting I began skimming it. I essentially finished the book just to find out what happens. I’m not sure it was worth the effort. The time wraiths of the book’s title are sort of like displaced time ghosts and while they may make for a jazzy title, they don’t seem to be worthy of much attention.
The book was written in the 1970s and you can definitely tell. Because this is a matriarchal society/empire, not all the men are happy about it and of course, those are the men who are fighting to overthrow it. Dr. Carey, Khasti, some others, are such outright misogynists and so obvious in their loathing of powerful women, that I couldn’t take them seriously. They are cartoon villains. Even though I believe the author had a feminist message with the book, she continually described Tallahassee as the “girl.” It was a childish way of referring to her heroine who is an educated woman and later, a warrior princess who controls magical objects of power. Also, this book is supposedly described as science fiction, but I didn’t see much of that genre in the book. However, there are many elements of the fantastical, so I’m categorizing it as magic/fantasy.
This entire book is a mess. My reaction while reading it: ??!!!. My reaction upon finishing it: ??!!!%%$@**% what the fuck was that??? Maybe someone else will enjoy the weird incomprehensible mess of Wraiths of Time, but I did not.
May 13, 2025
Girl power and black power rises in Andre Norton's SF universe. Black archaeologist Tallahassee Mitford is transported to a parallel Earth in which the culture and spirit of ancient Egypt did not die but, after invasion, moved southward to Meroe and Nubia and then westward to flourish as the dominant power on the planet. The exact site of New Napata is not specified by the author but I suspect she had in mind the old civilizations of the Niger valley: Songhai, ancient Mali and Ghana.
The civilization is black, a fact the author points out very clearly. The white people to the north are developing their industrial and technological revolution and beginning an age of exploration, yet New Napata sees them as warlike barbarians unaware of the ancient powers they are challenging. When Tallahassee is taken she is the double of the warrior princess Ashake, both in appearance and supernatural ability. Ashake was sent to our Earth to recover a sacred rod of power and its associated ankh. She is lost in the transfer so Tallahassee must take her place.
All would have been well until Khasti arrived: humanoid in appearance, alien in origin and descended from the advanced race that had observed Egypt thousands of years earlier, and probably built their pyramids and the Sphinx, though Andre Norton thoughtfully remains silent on that speculation. Khasti despises the Napatans and what he sees as their primitive ways. He wants power – all to himself. So begins a fight for survival and supremacy.
The racial side is a bit hit and miss. Tallahassee and the Napatans are Black, but twice Tallahassee has her skin cosmetically darkened to fit in: once to make her look more like Ashake and again much later to give her the appearance of one of the servants who, disturbingly, are portrayed as being much darker than the Napatans. And Idieze, the female villain, is seen applying Black-face before meeting with her generals: she is actually a Northerner. However, female supremacy dominates. The Empress, the Candace, is female, as is the chief emissary of the priesthood, Jayta; they have an all female army with female commanders to protect them, the Sworn Swords. The men form the armies on the borders but it is clear who gives the orders and who obeys.
Then there is the science, or the lack of it. A large part of the plot is the rivalry between the science of the barbarians, and of Khasti, and the use of supernatural, almost magical powers of radiating rods and ankhs, mind control and telekinesis. I have the impression the triumph of magic mirrors Andre Norton's wishes. At one point Tallahassee is captured by Khasti and imprisoned inside a cage in his laboratory. The cage mesh is electrified to keep her in but the laboratory could have come from any 1950s SF movie with a mad scientist.
“To her left stood a clicking box which reached nearly to the ceiling, but elsewhere there were two long tables crowded with retorts, bottles, instruments. And the air was slightly acrid with the fumes of chemicals.”
Bare in mind that Khasti is of a race that was advanced enough for inter-galactic space travel at the time of the Pharaohs and now he is reduced to retorts, bottles, chemicals – no doubt bubbling and frothing away - and instruments on a table. The machine which controls the cage is only described as having one button for on, another for off, and two others which have an indeterminate purpose - perhaps they clean up the detritus after the victim has been barbecued on the wire trying to escape.
That said, Wraiths of Time is a science fiction adventure novel for girls and is full of chases, captures and escapes. The final scene could be from Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers with its race through the sewers followed by the climactic confrontation with Khasti. Stirring stuff and a very good, old-fashioned read.
The civilization is black, a fact the author points out very clearly. The white people to the north are developing their industrial and technological revolution and beginning an age of exploration, yet New Napata sees them as warlike barbarians unaware of the ancient powers they are challenging. When Tallahassee is taken she is the double of the warrior princess Ashake, both in appearance and supernatural ability. Ashake was sent to our Earth to recover a sacred rod of power and its associated ankh. She is lost in the transfer so Tallahassee must take her place.
All would have been well until Khasti arrived: humanoid in appearance, alien in origin and descended from the advanced race that had observed Egypt thousands of years earlier, and probably built their pyramids and the Sphinx, though Andre Norton thoughtfully remains silent on that speculation. Khasti despises the Napatans and what he sees as their primitive ways. He wants power – all to himself. So begins a fight for survival and supremacy.
The racial side is a bit hit and miss. Tallahassee and the Napatans are Black, but twice Tallahassee has her skin cosmetically darkened to fit in: once to make her look more like Ashake and again much later to give her the appearance of one of the servants who, disturbingly, are portrayed as being much darker than the Napatans. And Idieze, the female villain, is seen applying Black-face before meeting with her generals: she is actually a Northerner. However, female supremacy dominates. The Empress, the Candace, is female, as is the chief emissary of the priesthood, Jayta; they have an all female army with female commanders to protect them, the Sworn Swords. The men form the armies on the borders but it is clear who gives the orders and who obeys.
Then there is the science, or the lack of it. A large part of the plot is the rivalry between the science of the barbarians, and of Khasti, and the use of supernatural, almost magical powers of radiating rods and ankhs, mind control and telekinesis. I have the impression the triumph of magic mirrors Andre Norton's wishes. At one point Tallahassee is captured by Khasti and imprisoned inside a cage in his laboratory. The cage mesh is electrified to keep her in but the laboratory could have come from any 1950s SF movie with a mad scientist.
“To her left stood a clicking box which reached nearly to the ceiling, but elsewhere there were two long tables crowded with retorts, bottles, instruments. And the air was slightly acrid with the fumes of chemicals.”
Bare in mind that Khasti is of a race that was advanced enough for inter-galactic space travel at the time of the Pharaohs and now he is reduced to retorts, bottles, chemicals – no doubt bubbling and frothing away - and instruments on a table. The machine which controls the cage is only described as having one button for on, another for off, and two others which have an indeterminate purpose - perhaps they clean up the detritus after the victim has been barbecued on the wire trying to escape.
That said, Wraiths of Time is a science fiction adventure novel for girls and is full of chases, captures and escapes. The final scene could be from Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers with its race through the sewers followed by the climactic confrontation with Khasti. Stirring stuff and a very good, old-fashioned read.
September 3, 2021
“A life that has been bought by the blood of friends must not be thrown away.”
Has the bones of an exciting science fiction/alternate universes tale, but the final product doesn’t deliver. Tallahassee is a timely protagonist, though this was first published in 1976. The mystery and conflict between members of the parallel cultures is good. Post-Egyptian dynastic cultures is a good historical spring board.
“Rumor can cause much trouble, Sela. There is no weapon in the end as difficult to overcome as the tongue of an enemy.”
Though apparently no follow-on story was published, this ends with all the hooks and cliff hangers normally associated with a series opener. Perhaps its public reception discouraged Norton from continuing.
“Because we are each shaped from our birth, not only by the blood and inheritance that lies behind us, but also by those we love and by whom we are loved in turn, by the knowledge given to our thirsty minds, to the learning of ourselves.”
Has the bones of an exciting science fiction/alternate universes tale, but the final product doesn’t deliver. Tallahassee is a timely protagonist, though this was first published in 1976. The mystery and conflict between members of the parallel cultures is good. Post-Egyptian dynastic cultures is a good historical spring board.
“Rumor can cause much trouble, Sela. There is no weapon in the end as difficult to overcome as the tongue of an enemy.”
Though apparently no follow-on story was published, this ends with all the hooks and cliff hangers normally associated with a series opener. Perhaps its public reception discouraged Norton from continuing.
“Because we are each shaped from our birth, not only by the blood and inheritance that lies behind us, but also by those we love and by whom we are loved in turn, by the knowledge given to our thirsty minds, to the learning of ourselves.”
September 3, 2009
I just could not get interested in this book and gave up after 81 pages. I thought this was going to be about a time travel to ancient Egypt. Instead it was turning out to be a alternate universe travel to a futuristic Egypt style world which wasn’t working for me. It started out in modern times, then jumps to ancient Egypt, but then the sci-fi stuff starting popping into play like flying crafts and weird gun-like weapons. Besides, I was also having trouble with all the strange names and who was who. I’ve just got too many other books in the TBR pile to keep reading something that’s confusing and not enjoyable.
March 5, 2010
The story was overall ok but I often got lost or confused at some parts.
Read
September 1, 2010This book is one of the reasons I kept reading Norton even after I began to realize her (not particularly thickly disguised) cruelty.
I had never heard of Meroe before I read this book, and it led me to further research on the subject. I've always had great respect for Norton's knowledge of the back alleys and culdesacs of history.
She's also a good storyteller, and good at extrapolation. The society of the Empire of Amun (and its predecessors, Meroe and 'Khem' (Egypt) is well developed (at first). The descent into the sewers and secret passages isn't quite so disorienting as in other Norton books. The machinations of Khasti and the titular 'wraiths' aren't very plausible, but court intrigues are well developed, and the material elements are nicely realized. More later, as I reread, and am reminded of faded elements.
Not particularly well-managed sewers, come to that. If the city of New Napata has been sited for hundreds of years over sewers which are essentially no more than underground canals draining who knows where, I would expect that there must be an area outside the city that was heavily polluted, and the city's drinking water must be badly compromised. Furthermore, I seriously doubt whether crocodiles could live in such a noisome environment.
If the wraiths aren't particularly personalized (only one is known by name), the citizens of New Napata (with the exception of a very few) are almost as faceless. There are a few mentions of Guilds and suchlike (and one merchant who lost a donkey in an intruiguing way)--otherwise, mostly not even the shadows of a city full of ordinary people living their lives are to be seen.
The most incredible part to me is the fact that a competent, professional woman from our society easily accepts the notion of an anointed caste-based society. In the prologue, she is a sophisticated member of a cosmopolitan society, eating Chinese food, discussing developements in other lands. Very soon after arriving in Amun, she accepts the basic premises of a xenophopic society, even to the point of scornfully rejecting the religious beliefs of the 'southern barbarians'. Of course, she's entered the society as a princess and priestess. Maybe a little trip through the sewers could prove a useful lesson after all--IF she learned anything from it.
I had never heard of Meroe before I read this book, and it led me to further research on the subject. I've always had great respect for Norton's knowledge of the back alleys and culdesacs of history.
She's also a good storyteller, and good at extrapolation. The society of the Empire of Amun (and its predecessors, Meroe and 'Khem' (Egypt) is well developed (at first). The descent into the sewers and secret passages isn't quite so disorienting as in other Norton books. The machinations of Khasti and the titular 'wraiths' aren't very plausible, but court intrigues are well developed, and the material elements are nicely realized. More later, as I reread, and am reminded of faded elements.
Not particularly well-managed sewers, come to that. If the city of New Napata has been sited for hundreds of years over sewers which are essentially no more than underground canals draining who knows where, I would expect that there must be an area outside the city that was heavily polluted, and the city's drinking water must be badly compromised. Furthermore, I seriously doubt whether crocodiles could live in such a noisome environment.
If the wraiths aren't particularly personalized (only one is known by name), the citizens of New Napata (with the exception of a very few) are almost as faceless. There are a few mentions of Guilds and suchlike (and one merchant who lost a donkey in an intruiguing way)--otherwise, mostly not even the shadows of a city full of ordinary people living their lives are to be seen.
The most incredible part to me is the fact that a competent, professional woman from our society easily accepts the notion of an anointed caste-based society. In the prologue, she is a sophisticated member of a cosmopolitan society, eating Chinese food, discussing developements in other lands. Very soon after arriving in Amun, she accepts the basic premises of a xenophopic society, even to the point of scornfully rejecting the religious beliefs of the 'southern barbarians'. Of course, she's entered the society as a princess and priestess. Maybe a little trip through the sewers could prove a useful lesson after all--IF she learned anything from it.
September 10, 2021
Read this as a child. Need to reread. Hope the publishers will rerelease it as all paper copies are in the 100s of dollars.
February 20, 2022
I like Andre Norton but always read her fantasy books as I'm not a fan of sci-fi. In the library I paid attention to a cover of her book "Wraiths of Time" where Ancient Egypt was drawn. After reading an annotation, I decided I want to read this book. Later I found out that its genre is sci-fi, however, I can't say it really is, I would say it's something between sci-fi and fantasy.
The novel is short, only 210 pages, and, probably, it's its main disadvantage that leads to the rest of drawbacks. First of all, there are several interesting ideas and lines in the book but all of them are shown and described roughly. There is quite a big number of characters and often you don't understand who they are because there is no any explanation. Besides, they disappear as quickly as appear. Moreover, characters are described badly: you have only a vague description of their appearances, you have no idea about their points of character. That's why all their actions are unpredictable and you can't decide if you believe them or not, if they are logical or not.
The title of the book is "Wraiths of Time". However, you won't find out a lot about these wraiths, they appear several times without any rational purpose. The explanation what they are is bizzare. Moreover, this explanation gives us nothing about how they are linked in with time. So, the title isn't explained in a believable or at least careful way in the course of the book.
The plot is weak. There are no any reasonable actions, explanations, answers to innumerable questions about the happenings. All the events are chaotic, described too poorly and sharply. All this looks more like a draft rather than a finished novel.
Last, but not least is the target audience of the book. Obviously, it's a book for youth, up to 16-17 years old. If you read the book at 25+, you'll probably find it boring, weird and meaningless. Really, for me it was just a waste of time, unfortunately.
The novel is short, only 210 pages, and, probably, it's its main disadvantage that leads to the rest of drawbacks. First of all, there are several interesting ideas and lines in the book but all of them are shown and described roughly. There is quite a big number of characters and often you don't understand who they are because there is no any explanation. Besides, they disappear as quickly as appear. Moreover, characters are described badly: you have only a vague description of their appearances, you have no idea about their points of character. That's why all their actions are unpredictable and you can't decide if you believe them or not, if they are logical or not.
The title of the book is "Wraiths of Time". However, you won't find out a lot about these wraiths, they appear several times without any rational purpose. The explanation what they are is bizzare. Moreover, this explanation gives us nothing about how they are linked in with time. So, the title isn't explained in a believable or at least careful way in the course of the book.
The plot is weak. There are no any reasonable actions, explanations, answers to innumerable questions about the happenings. All the events are chaotic, described too poorly and sharply. All this looks more like a draft rather than a finished novel.
Last, but not least is the target audience of the book. Obviously, it's a book for youth, up to 16-17 years old. If you read the book at 25+, you'll probably find it boring, weird and meaningless. Really, for me it was just a waste of time, unfortunately.
September 14, 2025
I love accidental time travel stories, so this should have been a slam dunk for me. The fantastical world the protagonist was transported to was super fun -- lots of political intrigue, ancient alien technology, and a magic system that didn't come with a tutorial, so it felt like the protagonist and the reader were learning it together.
The major letdown for me was that the protagonist didn't get to use her skills from her "before time" anywhere -- she was an archaeologist specializing in the exact civilization she was transported to, and that just never ever comes up. More than that, she gains memories from the girl she assumes the identity of, and she seems to lose herself within that other identity at every pivotal moment in the story. This could just has easily have been a book about that other girl, without any time travel at all.
I'd say it's still worth reading, for anyone interested in ancient aliens or seeing a group of strong women save the day.
The major letdown for me was that the protagonist didn't get to use her skills from her "before time" anywhere -- she was an archaeologist specializing in the exact civilization she was transported to, and that just never ever comes up. More than that, she gains memories from the girl she assumes the identity of, and she seems to lose herself within that other identity at every pivotal moment in the story. This could just has easily have been a book about that other girl, without any time travel at all.
I'd say it's still worth reading, for anyone interested in ancient aliens or seeing a group of strong women save the day.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2024
Any book that Andre Norton wrote will never grow old or out of date!
I have been reading her books for so long that I do not remember when I started reading them. Even before I was born in 1948, I believe in her field of writing she has not and never could be surpassed. She was a one of a kind author. In a time when female authors were not readily accepted in the science fiction field, she carved out her own place in the world. Her pen name was Andre Norton so her books would be read and would be considered by book companies to be printed. In the time period when she first started to write books, female authors were not deemed capable of writing her kind of fiction. Later on in time I do not know when, she legally changed her name to Andre Norton!
I have been reading her books for so long that I do not remember when I started reading them. Even before I was born in 1948, I believe in her field of writing she has not and never could be surpassed. She was a one of a kind author. In a time when female authors were not readily accepted in the science fiction field, she carved out her own place in the world. Her pen name was Andre Norton so her books would be read and would be considered by book companies to be printed. In the time period when she first started to write books, female authors were not deemed capable of writing her kind of fiction. Later on in time I do not know when, she legally changed her name to Andre Norton!
January 16, 2019
Nostalgia Is a thing. When I first read this book back in the 1980s I was really surprised that the protagonist was a black woman. there were no black women in science fiction that I knew about when I was in the seventh grade. Reading this again just a firm for me my love of Andre Norton I really love her as a writer. I wasn't as fond of the ending this time around but I understood the ending this time around a little bit better. Still one of my favorite stories by one of my favorite writers.
5/5
5/5
January 14, 2020
I read this book as a young teen way back in the eighties. I used to read all kinds of SF and hoovered up all the Andre Norton I could get, to the point that they all blend together in my head and I can't remember the titles. 🤣 The setup for this one really stuck with me -- time travel, a black female protagonist who's a professional academic, etc. For some reason I was thinking about this one today and browsed the Norton catalog (not for the first time!) to see if I could find it and today I finally did.
April 18, 2018
Enjoyable
Saying Andre Norton is the author is enough for many readers to automatically know a book will be good. This is not one of her best, but is still worthy of a 5 star rating.
Saying Andre Norton is the author is enough for many readers to automatically know a book will be good. This is not one of her best, but is still worthy of a 5 star rating.
February 20, 2022
Three and a half stars.
Interesting but not as coherent as I would have liked. The main character was oddly passive while being the central driver of the story, would have liked he to have been more . . . there and less a slave to circumstances.
Still an interesting read.
Interesting but not as coherent as I would have liked. The main character was oddly passive while being the central driver of the story, would have liked he to have been more . . . there and less a slave to circumstances.
Still an interesting read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2022
I suppose a one star review isn't fair, as i did not finish the book. The writing style was a real chore, the characters were not engaging and the plot was a hot mess of too many disconnected themes mashed together.
August 9, 2017
Norton fan
I enjoy the imagery and historical foundations of Norton's writing. Her fusion of fact and fantasy provide excellent stories for reading pleasure.
I enjoy the imagery and historical foundations of Norton's writing. Her fusion of fact and fantasy provide excellent stories for reading pleasure.
April 17, 2018
Not her best work, but still enjoyable, especially to a fan.
April 11, 2021
Will review at www.fantasyliterature.com.
April 4, 2024
It's fun to see where some of my favorite modern sci-fi writers cut their teeth. Bit ponderous, but good stuff.
May 15, 2024
Loved this tie in with ancient Egypt. Although a simpler plot line than some other sci-fi writers, Norton still tells a good story with a good plot.
October 16, 2024
Space Time Contimuum
Interesting story with good writing and a different twist of history and fantasy. Have always enjoyed Andre Norton's workout time.
Interesting story with good writing and a different twist of history and fantasy. Have always enjoyed Andre Norton's workout time.
January 13, 2014
This is a book I remember getting from the library in my childhood. Many years later, a friend gave me a second hand ex-library copy and I was delighted to have my own copy, even if I never quite got to reading it again. The Baen released it in ebook as an omnibus with Android at Arms (which I admit I have no desire to read at all) and I bought it. Of course, then it sat on my Kindle for a while.
Now that I've made the decision I'm going for rereading old favourites this year, my "Rereads" collection on the Kindle is where I start looking each time I'm choosing a new book and this is the one I decided to pick.
I'm delighted to discover that this is another book that stands the test of time (maybe I'll track down some more Andre Norton as I read many of her books as a child, although this one is written for a slightly older audience). The strange set up remained mysterious, even though I'd read the book before. Of course, the fact I could remember next to nothing about the plot (contemporary - for 1976 - woman seems to be drawn back in time to ancient Egypt but it's an alternate reality was about as far as it went) probably helped there.
Tallahasse is a great heroine and I like the way she manages to maintain her own identity and yet also merge parts of Ashake into herself as required. By the end, she is mostly Tally, but not quite the same as before. She has found a place where she fits, perhaps better than before, and that's a good and satisfying place to end. The only thing I found dated in the text was the way she keeps getting referred to by the author as "the girl" when she was a young woman and I felt should have been named as such.
I do find it rather sad that the hates-women-with-agency-and-authority male villain could fit in a book today was easily as it did almost 40 years ago. Clearly, society still has a long way to go.
The action and adventure of the plot is also fun as Tally tries to understand this world she's fallen into and work out which bits of it match her reality, which bits don't and which bits don't fit either Earth or Amun.
All in all, another good reread and the Suck Fairy so far remains at bay. Long may it continue.
Now that I've made the decision I'm going for rereading old favourites this year, my "Rereads" collection on the Kindle is where I start looking each time I'm choosing a new book and this is the one I decided to pick.
I'm delighted to discover that this is another book that stands the test of time (maybe I'll track down some more Andre Norton as I read many of her books as a child, although this one is written for a slightly older audience). The strange set up remained mysterious, even though I'd read the book before. Of course, the fact I could remember next to nothing about the plot (contemporary - for 1976 - woman seems to be drawn back in time to ancient Egypt but it's an alternate reality was about as far as it went) probably helped there.
Tallahasse is a great heroine and I like the way she manages to maintain her own identity and yet also merge parts of Ashake into herself as required. By the end, she is mostly Tally, but not quite the same as before. She has found a place where she fits, perhaps better than before, and that's a good and satisfying place to end. The only thing I found dated in the text was the way she keeps getting referred to by the author as "the girl" when she was a young woman and I felt should have been named as such.
I do find it rather sad that the hates-women-with-agency-and-authority male villain could fit in a book today was easily as it did almost 40 years ago. Clearly, society still has a long way to go.
The action and adventure of the plot is also fun as Tally tries to understand this world she's fallen into and work out which bits of it match her reality, which bits don't and which bits don't fit either Earth or Amun.
All in all, another good reread and the Suck Fairy so far remains at bay. Long may it continue.
August 12, 2014
Solid science fiction, and, for its time, an attempt at diversity. It suffers from the personality overlay and a certain emotional stunting which may also be a product of the SF publishing standards of its time. What would have happened to Meroe had it not been overrun? Norton trades here on the mysteries of ancient Egypt and associated kingdoms as well as the exotic idea of artifact-linked mental powers. The villan is of course stock Norton, but there seems to have been a good bit of worldbuilding going on under the surface, which Norton waves at as she hurries us through the plot (and the sewers...)
May 5, 2016
When Tally Mitford tries to prevent the theft of a recent museum acquisition, she is dragged into an alternate-universe Egyptian battle. She’ll have to take the place of her now-dead double, accept new memories, and help ‘her people’ in a struggle of politics and strange forces.
*
The idea felt less than creative. An alternate-universe Egyptian culture, where all the pop-culture rumors are true; they've got telepathic powers, aliens had a hand in the development, etc. Hand in hand with this, some of the shadier parts are never actually explained, to characters or audience. I was not really engaged.
*
The idea felt less than creative. An alternate-universe Egyptian culture, where all the pop-culture rumors are true; they've got telepathic powers, aliens had a hand in the development, etc. Hand in hand with this, some of the shadier parts are never actually explained, to characters or audience. I was not really engaged.
January 24, 2009
This is the first book by Andre Norton I read. And I was hooked! I've probably re-read the book at least 20 times since high school. (Ignore the ugly cover-it's an awesome read.)
It's about a young woman who is pulled into a parallel universe to take up the battle against an ancient evil. What's so cool about the book is it incorporates ancient Egypt, the very little known kingdom of Meroe and adds a science fiction/fantasy flair.
This is my favorite title by Andre Norton.
It's about a young woman who is pulled into a parallel universe to take up the battle against an ancient evil. What's so cool about the book is it incorporates ancient Egypt, the very little known kingdom of Meroe and adds a science fiction/fantasy flair.
This is my favorite title by Andre Norton.
September 11, 2015
This was a bit of a slow mover, with the feeling that not a whole lot ever happens. I did warm up to it by the end, and was impressed with the ending, though.
I'll probably hold onto this book just because it is an Andre Norton book, though I don't know if I should since I don't have any plans to re-read it in the future.
I'll probably hold onto this book just because it is an Andre Norton book, though I don't know if I should since I don't have any plans to re-read it in the future.
December 29, 2013
I love Andre Norton. In this book she has mixed various themes into a single story - ancient Egypt, "modern" time, extradimensional travel, psionic abilities - and woven them all in a tight, fast-moving plot.
September 6, 2025
Reread KU 9/6/25
September 1, 2014
Wow. That was kind of cool. It did take my a bit longer to read than some books but it was really good. If I had a chance I think I'd read it again.
March 1, 2015
Apn amazing write. To create such a story and fit so much in so smoothly and easy to follow in such a slim volume is a gift indeed. Enjoyed story and writing!
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