What do you think?
Rate this book
Time Traders/Ross Murdock #3-4
Time Traders II: The Defiant Agents / Key Out of Time
LOST IN TIME
Exploring space and time is a dangerous business, and no one knows this better than Time Agents Travis Fox and Ross Murdock. So when both men are stranded on far-off planets with no hope of rescue from Earth, they must rely on their wits and their training to survive.
But survival is only the beginning. To better handle the rigors of the alien world of Topaz, Fox and his crewmates have been implanted with the memories of their Apache ancestors -- but the Opposition has sent its own team with the reawakened memories of their Mongol ancestors!
Meanwhile, Murdock is trapped in the ancient past of the water world of Hawaika, facing terrifying wizards in a kingdom he knows will soon be utterly annihilated by an alien empire that is bent on the conquest of the entire galaxy.
The fates of two worlds, and possibly the galaxy itself, will be determined by the actions of these castaways in time -- and whatever happens, the lives of Time Agents everywhere will be changed forever....
Exploring space and time is a dangerous business, and no one knows this better than Time Agents Travis Fox and Ross Murdock. So when both men are stranded on far-off planets with no hope of rescue from Earth, they must rely on their wits and their training to survive.
But survival is only the beginning. To better handle the rigors of the alien world of Topaz, Fox and his crewmates have been implanted with the memories of their Apache ancestors -- but the Opposition has sent its own team with the reawakened memories of their Mongol ancestors!
Meanwhile, Murdock is trapped in the ancient past of the water world of Hawaika, facing terrifying wizards in a kingdom he knows will soon be utterly annihilated by an alien empire that is bent on the conquest of the entire galaxy.
The fates of two worlds, and possibly the galaxy itself, will be determined by the actions of these castaways in time -- and whatever happens, the lives of Time Agents everywhere will be changed forever....
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 30, 2001
38 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
695 books1,385 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 6, 2021
In The Defiant Agents, Travis Fox is part of a new and different mission, establishing a new colony on a habitable world, called Topaz, that's uninhabited now but may once have been part of the collapsed Galactic Empire that the Americans and Russians have both looted advanced technology from. The new colony will be composed mostly of Apaches like Travis. They have been subjected to a new process called Redax, that revives ancestral memory, the memories of their ancestors from the 19th century.
What they haven't been told is that the effects of Redax may leave them believing they really are Apaches of the 19th century. What no one knew is that the Russians are a little bit ahead of them in establishing a colony on Topaz, with Tatars. They've been subjected to a process similar to Redax, regressed to the memories of their Mongol ancestors.
The Russians have also established a circle of sentry satellites, to protect against unwanted intrusion. The American ship isn't destroyed, but it does crash, killing a significant part of the intended colony. Travis and the other survivors emerge into the new world, still heavily under the effects of Redax. Some emerge faster than others, but this has the effect of creating political tensions among them.
Meanwhile, there are also strains in the Russian colony, though the Russian machines weren't damage in a crash, nor the technicians responsible for operating them killed. The problems in the Russian colony are, it's fair to say, different.
The two groups meet, the two groups clash, and some among the Apaches as well as some among the Tatars realize they may have common interests--interests which are not served by the Russian techs remaining in control. The question is, can people with incomplete memories of their 21st century lives, and knives, spears, and bows and arrows as their only weapons, overcome the weapons and mind-control technology of a 21st century major power?
In Key Out of Time, Ross Murdock, his first partner and trainer Gordon Ashe, and Karara Trehern, a scientist teamed with two dolphins, Tino-rau and Taua, are part of an expedition to plant a Polynesian colony on the water world now named Hawaika. While exploring some unusual features near their landing site, they set up a "peep gate" to look at the past of the area, and it's clear there has been both civilization and conflict. A storm blows up, a major storm, and something goes wrong. They find themselves pulled through the gate, all five, into a past where conflict is clearly in progress. There are sea-going rovers or traders, a rough coast, and "wrecker lords" on the cliffs overlooking the coast. When ships are wrecked, the wreckers are there to collect the goods, including the survivors, at least the ones uninjured enough to be taken as slaves. The seriously wounded are killed.
But Ross, Ashe, and Karara and the dolphins have become separated, and need to find each other. We see this through Ross's viewpoint, and he reconnects with Karara and her dolphin partners fairly quickly--though not before he has seen, from hiding, a figure in an oddly colored cloak, with a wand with unusual and dangerous powers, intimidating the wreckers to claim some of the cargo and have it carried off by accompanying guards.
Ross and Karara need to find Ashe, figure out what's going on locally, and find out if they can get back to their own time. Along the way, they discover that the Baldies, the forces of the Galactic Empire that their advanced tech is taken from, are on this planet, too, but not yet in control.
Can they change history? Should they?
As is standard in Norton's science fiction from this period, the viewpoint character in both books is male. That's what was assumed to sell well at the time. Unlike some of her contemporaries, in each Norton also has a strong, intelligent, independent female character who plays a major role. There's good, solid storytelling here, and good characters, and altogether it's a solid, enjoyable read that holds up well and doesn't disappoint.
I bought this audiobook.
What they haven't been told is that the effects of Redax may leave them believing they really are Apaches of the 19th century. What no one knew is that the Russians are a little bit ahead of them in establishing a colony on Topaz, with Tatars. They've been subjected to a process similar to Redax, regressed to the memories of their Mongol ancestors.
The Russians have also established a circle of sentry satellites, to protect against unwanted intrusion. The American ship isn't destroyed, but it does crash, killing a significant part of the intended colony. Travis and the other survivors emerge into the new world, still heavily under the effects of Redax. Some emerge faster than others, but this has the effect of creating political tensions among them.
Meanwhile, there are also strains in the Russian colony, though the Russian machines weren't damage in a crash, nor the technicians responsible for operating them killed. The problems in the Russian colony are, it's fair to say, different.
The two groups meet, the two groups clash, and some among the Apaches as well as some among the Tatars realize they may have common interests--interests which are not served by the Russian techs remaining in control. The question is, can people with incomplete memories of their 21st century lives, and knives, spears, and bows and arrows as their only weapons, overcome the weapons and mind-control technology of a 21st century major power?
In Key Out of Time, Ross Murdock, his first partner and trainer Gordon Ashe, and Karara Trehern, a scientist teamed with two dolphins, Tino-rau and Taua, are part of an expedition to plant a Polynesian colony on the water world now named Hawaika. While exploring some unusual features near their landing site, they set up a "peep gate" to look at the past of the area, and it's clear there has been both civilization and conflict. A storm blows up, a major storm, and something goes wrong. They find themselves pulled through the gate, all five, into a past where conflict is clearly in progress. There are sea-going rovers or traders, a rough coast, and "wrecker lords" on the cliffs overlooking the coast. When ships are wrecked, the wreckers are there to collect the goods, including the survivors, at least the ones uninjured enough to be taken as slaves. The seriously wounded are killed.
But Ross, Ashe, and Karara and the dolphins have become separated, and need to find each other. We see this through Ross's viewpoint, and he reconnects with Karara and her dolphin partners fairly quickly--though not before he has seen, from hiding, a figure in an oddly colored cloak, with a wand with unusual and dangerous powers, intimidating the wreckers to claim some of the cargo and have it carried off by accompanying guards.
Ross and Karara need to find Ashe, figure out what's going on locally, and find out if they can get back to their own time. Along the way, they discover that the Baldies, the forces of the Galactic Empire that their advanced tech is taken from, are on this planet, too, but not yet in control.
Can they change history? Should they?
As is standard in Norton's science fiction from this period, the viewpoint character in both books is male. That's what was assumed to sell well at the time. Unlike some of her contemporaries, in each Norton also has a strong, intelligent, independent female character who plays a major role. There's good, solid storytelling here, and good characters, and altogether it's a solid, enjoyable read that holds up well and doesn't disappoint.
I bought this audiobook.
February 14, 2019
I love the first book "The Defiant Agents" but not so much the second one. For some reason "Key Out of Time" is slower paced and has to do with Time Travel that just does not seem plausible to me. I love most Time Travel and dimensions I read, but this one for some reason just seems unbelievable.
I enjoyed the first three books in this series, but the last three books just got boring.
I enjoyed the first three books in this series, but the last three books just got boring.
February 25, 2019
An excellent saga worthy of your time.
This sci-fi takes the reader through a myriad of time and space. From current time to the far past with people with their own beliefs and problems. The Time Agents find new wonders and abilities in others that they come to respect and have a need for. This tale would make a great movie.😊
This sci-fi takes the reader through a myriad of time and space. From current time to the far past with people with their own beliefs and problems. The Time Agents find new wonders and abilities in others that they come to respect and have a need for. This tale would make a great movie.😊
March 15, 2018
Good 2 stories that continue the series.
February 2, 2021
Felt both stories endings were a little rushed. Went all Stephen King on me.
July 3, 2010
I thought this the weakest of Ms. Norton's Time Travel Series that I've read so far. [return][return]The story involves Western Agents, whose minds (through technology) have been reverting back to their Apache cultural past, along with Red Agents (presumably the USSR and China) and their Mongolian "mind slaves." The Reds have also used a technology (it appears the same on Western Agents are using) for the Mongols to operate with their cultural past mindset. The reason for the culture linking technology is to prepare time travel agents to go back into time. The Reds though also have a technology that turns the Mongols into obedient slaves. [return][return] The plot centers on the Western Agents preventing the Reds from acquiring advanced alien technology. The story is mostly a lot of action and not much insight (not my formula for good reading. The book doesn't describe any new races or cultures (that haven't already been described by other books of the series.) It does compare and contrast the cultures of the Apache and the Mongol. Unfortunately the book doesn't develop this the way it could have.
September 10, 2015
As good as the first book.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews