Postmarked the Stars

Solar Queen #4

by Andre Norton, Tony Roberts (Illustrator)

Trouble started early for the free-trader Solar Queen the moment cargo-master Dane Thorson collected a package for transit from Xecho to Trewsworld. What was in the package Dane did not learn until after he had been kidnapped, knocked out, and a dead man bearing his credentials had been substituted for him aboard the ship.

Efforts to find out the reasons for the mysterious switch seemed hopeless until they made the ghastly discovery that their precious cargo of alien embyos had been subjected to secret radiation, causing them to regress genetically into monster forms.

Only after Dane and his fellow spacemen had endured a series of nightmare adventures on their port of call did they begin to fit the puzzle together - to realize that they had stumbled upon a criminal operation that involved a whole cluster of stars.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Space Opera, Adventure

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

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

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today I very gently reread my 51 year old copy of Postmarked the Stars. And I loved it just as much as I did the first time I read it. The Solar Queen series is the epitome of sci fi adventure.

Nov. 3, 2024
I found Postmarked in ebook format, bought it, reread it, and wrote this review:
The Solar Queen series was, and is, one of my original favorite science fiction series. I was thrilled to see Postmarked finally in ebook format and immediately bought it. My original paperback copy hasn't aged well. Dane and the crew are likeable and believable characters, and their adventures are enthralling. I admit the violence and high body count didn't bother me until I got older. I have read this series more times than I can count.

[Наталья · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Такое быстродействие радиации на животных вызывало постоянное сомнение. В более длительных временных рамках воспринималось бы правдоподобнее.

[Valerie]

This is the 4th story in the Solar Queen series. For many years it was also the last, until the publication of Redline The Stars.

There's a very thorny legal and ethical point raised in this story, which isn't really resolved. The Free Traders tend to fight shy of complex ethical questions (so how come the Solar Queen crew helped fight the Gorp on Sargol? If there were ever a case of local politics...), but the question of whether you have a moral responsibility to restore intelligence to a species that's lost it is not-too-deftly evaded. I'll have to get to the end again to remember who it was finally foisted off on, but the Traders essentially just offer to serve as negotiators for the intelligent brachs.

Nope, got there, and the brachs are last mentioned as being VIP residents in a lab. Not exactly a free and untrammeled life, though they are free to leave, if they insist. But to go where?

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Solar Queen's crew stumbles into another criminal conspiracy that starts off with the Queen accidentally shipping a strange radiation source that devolves animals into their ancestral forms. It's a bit hokey, but it was a popular trope in the 50/60s (Giant ants!). An animal buddy, one of Norton's favorite shticks, shows up to help the crew and the wonder translator figures out the language almost instantly. Mixed in with some other retro-tech, I'd give the science a barely passing grade. Good characters and an interesting adventure make up for the bad science, and unlike most early SF, space is not filled up with middle class Anglos. It's still a fun read 50 years after it was written!

[Jim Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Andre Norton’s books are SF from another age. Her work was first printed in pulp magazines in the 1940’s and 50’s, so her stories are geared toward young male teens who craved action, advanced technology (for that time), and danger. There is never any sex, or even a hint of desire. Animals, often with psychic connections to humans, are nearly always present. Characters are never fleshed out and her writing can be stilted (I often think it reads like a badly translated Saga). And yet, I enjoy her books. She is a female pioneer in SF, so her books offer readers a different perspective about the future. She is not interested in the tales of warriors with scantily clad women clinging to them that often graced the covers of pulps. While there is a lot of violence and war in her books, she is more interested in harmony and peace (especially racial harmony). Postmarked the Stars is typical of Norton’s work—a galactic delivery ship is caught up in a complex plot to take over a planet by flooding it with mutated “monsters” to drive settlers off. The plot is pretty silly, and the ending has plenty of coincidences and luck to wrap it all up in a bow. A fun read for the most part, but not her best work.

[Nick Brough · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the final Andre Norton Solar Queen story and was written in the mid to late 1960s. It takes the story on from the last previous novel (or novella) and again focusses mostly on Dane and the junior crew members.

In my opinion, this is the best of the Solar Queen novels and benefits from a more experienced Norton, and a wider scope of writing. It's still narrower and more confined that you'd find in the best of modern sci-fi writing, but the Novel benefits from Norton's greater experience as a writer.

This book, for some reason is very hard to obtain in the UK. I have yet to find an e-book either and the pdf version I have seems to be missing some small sections, although this may just be my faulty memory. A second pdf version I downloaded had at least 1 chapter missing, if not two.

The story is a little more realistic and essentially told in a more first person style, but is much clearer in setting out Dane's thoughts and doubts than in the previous books. The writing style is more mature and more adult, although none of Norton's books I've read can really be regarded as adult.

The planet and the conspiracy are well realised ad the ending is drawn out and happens over quite a few more pages than previously (or seems to happen in a more extended way at least).

[Mick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of the strongest in the series. This one didn't really hook me some much. The opening was absolutely engrossing with Dane replaced by stowaway it looked it it had all the requirements to be a great story, but it simply fell apart about halfway through. Keep in mind, it isn't a bad story, it just hit a plateau early and never really moved off it for me.

Still a good entry in the Solar Queen series.

[Judi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another adventure for the Solar Queen crew. Lots of action and thoughtful treatment of ideas new to the world at the time. What do you do when you find an animal that has been made intelligent? Star Trek's prime directive was honored more in the breach than followed. Ms. Norton's humans are closer to contemporary man in their actions toward other species and their greed seems similar to people now. A good read and recommended.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another exciting adventure with the Solar Queen. Apart from some plot holes, this book was interesting and entertaining. There was not a whole lot of closure with the brachs and what happens to them in the future. It would have been nice to know what was going to happen with them. Overall 3 out of 5 stars.

[Neil Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

When writing this sort of space opera/adventure Andre Norton excelled. Her more fantasy related books (although most are in a 'science fiction' setting - i.e. another planet etc.), are still very good, but I absolutely love her space adventure books - like this one. Grabs you from the very opening and never lets up. Recommended.

[Benjamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second Andre Norton book I have read, both of which have been from this series. That said I do have to say that this pales in comparison to Plague Ship.

I particularly found the end of this book to be very rushed. It did in 5 pages what should have been done in 30-40.

Still, I enjoyed reading it so I'm still giving it 3 stars.

[Randall Hunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off with a great mystery, then devolves into an endless escape. The end is abrupt and the mystery is never explained. I am learning that Andre Norton, once my favorite author, is very hit and miss.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was so promising.. and then we had cute animal sidekicks and wandering around and a lot of radiation doing things that radiation does not do.

Oh well. The rest of the series is with co-authors and I have higher hopes, assuming I can track down copies of the books.

[Ray L · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Even though it is listed as part of a series, I think one could read this as a stand-alone; it is an episodic story, and no prior knowledge of the series seems to be needed. A good old-school spacefaring tale!

[Leif · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is nothing objectionable about this nice, all-ages SF novel. And that is probably my greatest complaint as well. Super safe, almost rote adventure.
This particular book was noteworthy to me because of its Jeffrey Catherine Jones cover. I love that artist.

[Ken Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started Andre Norton’s SiFi series I wanted to read them all.

[Сибин Майналовски · Rating 1 out of 5]

Поредицата почна като космическа опера и свърши като Джералд Даръл, егати...

[Jessica Lerbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fast-paced adventure with Dane his crewmates, this time during what they thought would be a boring mail run

[Regalia Lenzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ciekawy pomysł skrzynki uwsteczniającej — zwykle jeśli chodzi o rozumność, to stawia się na rozwój, nie regres. Wątek szemranych eksperymentów dobrze przepleciony z szokiem kulturowym. Szkoda, że to ostatni przetłumaczony tom serii.

[Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A postal delivery pick-up goes disasterously wrong and when the Solar Queen arrives at its destination the crew discovers that they made their pick-up after all, and now must deal with the awful consequences.

I like the way Norton imagines life on semi-developed agricultural planets, and that her aliens really don't all look like humans.

[Wendell Saunders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, easy read, typical Andre Norton. I've read the first three books in this series years ago, but never read this, the 4th book. Now, with Miss Norton using co-authors, there are 3 more waiting to be read.

[Benjamin Comings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels fragmented

Story feels a little fragmented and incomplete. Dane never really understands what's going on around him and neither does the reader. And the Brachs - sometimes very important, sometimes forgotten, and no resolution to that storyline.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of the Solar Queen series I read in the 60's. Others were issued later.

[SciFiOne · Rating 4 out of 5]

1977 grade C+
1995 grade B-

Series book ST3

[Sandra Munger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the Solar Queen series. It's straight forward science fiction. Traders meeting different species, seeing different worlds.