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Pax/Astra #1
Gwiazdy należą do nas
Po pierwszych lotach na Marsa i Wenus na Ziemi następują zmiany, powodujące zakaz lotów kosmicznych na wiele lat. Ale nie ustaje ludzka tęsknota do dalekich gwiazd. Bohater powieści - Dard Nordis stracił dom i starszego brata. Kiedy los zetknął go z ludźmi, których zawołaniem było "Ad astra", dowiedział się, czym zajmował się jego zmarły brat i jak ważną spełniał misję.
362 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1954
5 people are currently reading
690 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
695 books1,384 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 66 reviews
August 22, 2008
On the outside it appears to be just a stock science fiction novel...but somehow it has always appealed to me, and become one of my all-time favorites.
It would make an excellent movie.
It would make an excellent movie.
May 10, 2020
When I was in junior high and high school, I read mostly science fiction novels. I'd take them out at the library or buy them at the local drug store, Lincoln Pharmacy. A lot of the science fiction novels in the drugs store were ACE paperbacks, which had two novels in one binding. You'd read the story on the front cover and then flip the book over to read the story on the reverse side, which had its own cover.
I bought a copy of Andre Norton's The Stars Are Ours at the Lincoln Pharmacy when I was in the 7th or 8th grade. It was an ACE single book, not a double one. Now, over fifty years later, I still had the paperback until I gave it to a friend a few weeks ago who collects old science fiction novels and magazines to sell to collectors. Norton's books are so old that they're mostly out of print and I had to read the e-book version of The Stars Are Ours.
Anyway, Andre Norton was one of my favorite science fiction writers back then. (Her real name was Alice Mary Norton, who was a librarian. Andre Norton was her pseudonym because publishers were reluctant to take on female science fiction writers. I'm sure glad things have changed since then.)
The plot's fairly simple. Before the book opens, armed men took over a space station orbiting the Earth and turned it into a weapon that devastated the Earth. A firebrand named Arturo Renzi seized control and blamed the catastrophe on scientists. Now Renzi is dead and scientists are being hunted down by Peacemen who belong to the new ruling elite, the Company of Pax. So far, the scientists, who went into hiding, have managed to elude them. But their end is nearing as Peacemen capture and kill more and more of them.
Dard Nordis lives with his older scientist brother, Lars, and Lars' young daughter, Dessie. Lars, who is in bad health, is working on something secret for the free scientists. After Peacemen attack their home, Dard and Dessie embark on a journey with the results of Lars' work that might take them to freedom in a solar system beyond ours. Unless the Peacemen capture them first.
The Stars Are Ours had been sitting on my bookshelf for decades and I kept wanting to reread it for the pleasure of the memories and to see how it's stood the test of time. Would I enjoy it as much? Yes, I did. Norton's writing style is a bid antiquated now. But I really have to judge her style by the standards of the time back half century ago. Now I'm reading the sequel, Star Born, which takes place several generations later. And I'm really enjoying it.
Andre Norton is a classic – and prolific – science fiction writer who turned from having male leads in her novels to having female leads. She was way ahead of her times. Or did she start the trend?
I bought a copy of Andre Norton's The Stars Are Ours at the Lincoln Pharmacy when I was in the 7th or 8th grade. It was an ACE single book, not a double one. Now, over fifty years later, I still had the paperback until I gave it to a friend a few weeks ago who collects old science fiction novels and magazines to sell to collectors. Norton's books are so old that they're mostly out of print and I had to read the e-book version of The Stars Are Ours.
Anyway, Andre Norton was one of my favorite science fiction writers back then. (Her real name was Alice Mary Norton, who was a librarian. Andre Norton was her pseudonym because publishers were reluctant to take on female science fiction writers. I'm sure glad things have changed since then.)
The plot's fairly simple. Before the book opens, armed men took over a space station orbiting the Earth and turned it into a weapon that devastated the Earth. A firebrand named Arturo Renzi seized control and blamed the catastrophe on scientists. Now Renzi is dead and scientists are being hunted down by Peacemen who belong to the new ruling elite, the Company of Pax. So far, the scientists, who went into hiding, have managed to elude them. But their end is nearing as Peacemen capture and kill more and more of them.
Dard Nordis lives with his older scientist brother, Lars, and Lars' young daughter, Dessie. Lars, who is in bad health, is working on something secret for the free scientists. After Peacemen attack their home, Dard and Dessie embark on a journey with the results of Lars' work that might take them to freedom in a solar system beyond ours. Unless the Peacemen capture them first.
The Stars Are Ours had been sitting on my bookshelf for decades and I kept wanting to reread it for the pleasure of the memories and to see how it's stood the test of time. Would I enjoy it as much? Yes, I did. Norton's writing style is a bid antiquated now. But I really have to judge her style by the standards of the time back half century ago. Now I'm reading the sequel, Star Born, which takes place several generations later. And I'm really enjoying it.
Andre Norton is a classic – and prolific – science fiction writer who turned from having male leads in her novels to having female leads. She was way ahead of her times. Or did she start the trend?
August 2, 2013
I first read this when I was eight or nine years old, and probably read it a couple of dozen times during my childhood. It was probably my favorite book. In general, early Andre Norton (she got wonky as she got older, and wrote crazy cat lady stuff) is the best there is in juvenile science fiction, along with Heinlein juveniles like Farmer in the Sky.
Other early Andre Norton favorites were The Time Traders, The Defiant Agents, The Beast Master, Lord of Thunder, Star Guard, Star Man's Son, and Star Rangers.
Other early Andre Norton favorites were The Time Traders, The Defiant Agents, The Beast Master, Lord of Thunder, Star Guard, Star Man's Son, and Star Rangers.
Read
February 5, 2010This is sort of part of a series, although the second book (Star Born) is actually a 'next generation' sort of thing.
This book is unaccountably dedicated to Harlan Ellison. I suppose if I'd thought of it, I'd've assumed that Norton and Ellison would've met--just seems odd, somehow.
Because it involves a sleeper ship, the book is somewhat fragmented, and the part set on Earth is something like a prequel. The rest of the book is set on Astra. If I had to give a name to the series, I'd call it the Astra series: and although at the time of these two books, Astra is a world apart, unconnected to any interstellar union, the flora and fauna of Astra were apparently later exported to the rest of the Galaxy.
Note that though this book begins with an explicit disavowal of racism, it ends by equally explicitly embracing racism, by means of the standard dodge 'they're not like us, and there's no way we can ever meet in peace'. In this case, the rejection is in absentia: the immigrants have never so much as MET 'Those Others', and yet they make prejudicial decisions about them based almost solely on a visceral response to their writings. It's important, however, that they respond that the abuses heaped on them by their fellow humans are understandable, if appalling: but 'Those Others' are damned out of hand, merely because they are alien, though the ills involved are very similar.
This book is unaccountably dedicated to Harlan Ellison. I suppose if I'd thought of it, I'd've assumed that Norton and Ellison would've met--just seems odd, somehow.
Because it involves a sleeper ship, the book is somewhat fragmented, and the part set on Earth is something like a prequel. The rest of the book is set on Astra. If I had to give a name to the series, I'd call it the Astra series: and although at the time of these two books, Astra is a world apart, unconnected to any interstellar union, the flora and fauna of Astra were apparently later exported to the rest of the Galaxy.
Note that though this book begins with an explicit disavowal of racism, it ends by equally explicitly embracing racism, by means of the standard dodge 'they're not like us, and there's no way we can ever meet in peace'. In this case, the rejection is in absentia: the immigrants have never so much as MET 'Those Others', and yet they make prejudicial decisions about them based almost solely on a visceral response to their writings. It's important, however, that they respond that the abuses heaped on them by their fellow humans are understandable, if appalling: but 'Those Others' are damned out of hand, merely because they are alien, though the ills involved are very similar.
October 23, 2014
I'm finally getting around to listening to this book, as read by Uvula Audio. It's somewhat dated I suppose, but I'm finding it an exciting adventure thus far and am looking forward to hearing how the outlaw scientists do at trying to avoid the blasters of the anti-science authorities.
FINAL
I enjoyed the adventure and the exploration of the alien planet. Just about the time when I was getting bored with the exploration, Norton amped up the action with ... well, I won't say with what so anyone else coming to this story will enjoy it also ... but it was exciting.
FINAL
I enjoyed the adventure and the exploration of the alien planet. Just about the time when I was getting bored with the exploration, Norton amped up the action with ... well, I won't say with what so anyone else coming to this story will enjoy it also ... but it was exciting.
August 13, 2022
170915: continuing my reading of woman-authored pulp/golden age sff: this is a weird book. part one is a familiar persecuted-scientist dystopian future. part two is 300 years later (miracle of freezing...) landing on an earth-type other world. there does not seem to be any organic connection. part one is basic chase adventure, part two is discovering/settling. easy read, fast, simple plot and characters. maybe i am reading into it but it seems almost comic and self-referential like philip k dick...
September 2, 2018
This 1954 novel was Andre Norton's third in the science fiction genre. It follows Star Man's Son, 2250 A.D (1952), and Star Rangers (1953). This novel has two parts. The first part envisions a world where scientists have become outlawed as a result of being blamed for wiping out most of the world's population. Life on Earth becomes so intolerable for scientists and technicians that it leads some to form a group and escape together in order to colonize new worlds. A group of scientists do just that, but is the new world inhabitable, or just as dangerous as the one they left behind?
Andre Norton spends 190 pages attempting to answer those very questions where most authors would need at least 600. The fact that this novel is not 600 pages means there are some pretty significant gaps of unanswered questions. How exactly is the colony to be governed? Who decides on how resources are going to be allocated, and why are these people the ones deciding? How is the new world to be set up, and how are relations with encountered species going to work? None of these questions get much resolution here. Despite these questions being left unanswered, and the abrupt ending which came just when it seemed the novel's situation was properly set up, and make no mistake, these are serious flaws, I liked this book a lot.
Her protagonists are teenagers. Presumably Norton's target audience was YA. Whether this was her intention or her editors', I have no idea. Thankfully, as usual, she missed that mark by a mile. The novel was surprisingly dark, even for Andre Norton, a good thing for this adult reader. The degree of persecution of the scientists, and then the harsh conditions traveling to (resulting in numerous deaths) and the many dangers and losses of resources on the new planet make this grim fare indeed for a YA audience.
What saves the book and makes it such an entertaining read is that the characters are very strong and three-dimensional, a feat few authors of the period manage. There are also many fascinating plot elements introduced to consider. In fact, there are more plot elements raised than poor Ms. Norton can possibly deal with adequately. By the end, there are just too many directions in need of exploration for the novel to possibly continue, therefore it stops abruptly with no resolution to anything.
This novel is the first in a series called Ad Astra (To the Stars), so I am relieved we get to continue exploring this world. Sadly, there is only one more novel in the series, Star Born. One is a number so low it can't possibly do justice to all the concepts. Still, I look forward to seeing which concepts Ms. Norton chose to expand in the 1957 sequel.
Andre Norton spends 190 pages attempting to answer those very questions where most authors would need at least 600. The fact that this novel is not 600 pages means there are some pretty significant gaps of unanswered questions. How exactly is the colony to be governed? Who decides on how resources are going to be allocated, and why are these people the ones deciding? How is the new world to be set up, and how are relations with encountered species going to work? None of these questions get much resolution here. Despite these questions being left unanswered, and the abrupt ending which came just when it seemed the novel's situation was properly set up, and make no mistake, these are serious flaws, I liked this book a lot.
Her protagonists are teenagers. Presumably Norton's target audience was YA. Whether this was her intention or her editors', I have no idea. Thankfully, as usual, she missed that mark by a mile. The novel was surprisingly dark, even for Andre Norton, a good thing for this adult reader. The degree of persecution of the scientists, and then the harsh conditions traveling to (resulting in numerous deaths) and the many dangers and losses of resources on the new planet make this grim fare indeed for a YA audience.
What saves the book and makes it such an entertaining read is that the characters are very strong and three-dimensional, a feat few authors of the period manage. There are also many fascinating plot elements introduced to consider. In fact, there are more plot elements raised than poor Ms. Norton can possibly deal with adequately. By the end, there are just too many directions in need of exploration for the novel to possibly continue, therefore it stops abruptly with no resolution to anything.
This novel is the first in a series called Ad Astra (To the Stars), so I am relieved we get to continue exploring this world. Sadly, there is only one more novel in the series, Star Born. One is a number so low it can't possibly do justice to all the concepts. Still, I look forward to seeing which concepts Ms. Norton chose to expand in the 1957 sequel.
August 13, 2019
As much as I love Norton's books, I consider them closer to fantasy (as action in a fantastic setting) than to science fiction (emphasis on science). However, this one is as close to the latter as possible. It explored the different ways the humanity can continue its development, and what those ways can lead to; however, the background, especially in the second, extraterrestrial, part, was way too fantastical for my taste. The descriptions were not just unexplained, they were illogical and contradictory; it felt like the author simply wanted some stuff in the background of the story instead of actually thinking them through.
Bit it's a very short and fast-paced story, so the downsides weren't too off-putting.
Bit it's a very short and fast-paced story, so the downsides weren't too off-putting.
February 6, 2011
This was the first science fiction book I read, 'way back in grade school in the mid '50's. It changed my life, opening my mind to possible futures and a love of science.
March 11, 2019
I picked this slim volume up at Mac's Backs because I remembered loving Andre Norton as a kid. (And assuming Andre was a guy, and cute, and maybe crushing on him a little.)
Ah! Still enjoyable pulp. The real strength are the alien environments. Imaginative creatures and obstacles. Does it have a picaresque plot? Well, yeah. Do the female characters feel oddly secondary? yup. (Though I wryly note that the few times Dr. Carlee is on screen, she is the voice of reason.)
Even a woman author in 1954 had trouble, I guess, imagining active roles for women that weren't supporting men.
Or maybe her editor had trouble. ;)
I dunno. I ate it up in a day. The beginning wasn't as fleshed-out as I'd like... I was intrigued by a "future where science is outlawed!" but there wasn't much to say about that... generic oppression... which the characters fortunately escape to get to the more interesting part of the story, flying to another planet!
Hard not to thrill to the "because we can!" excitement of the explorers.
Norton's first helpful stranger to the protagonist is a girl who is "a bit slow" and heroic! And then the member of the Scientists In Exile who most interacts with our main character is black... which... points! Though it's dated how there are repeated references to his brown-ness, just in case we forgot, but no sense of his cultural identity being different, or anyone reacting to his brown-ness.
Still, anyone acting like diversity is a new thing gotta step back. 1954 and we have disabled and POC on the good guys side. Ms. Norton, legend, Clevelander and WRU student, I salute you!
Ah! Still enjoyable pulp. The real strength are the alien environments. Imaginative creatures and obstacles. Does it have a picaresque plot? Well, yeah. Do the female characters feel oddly secondary? yup. (Though I wryly note that the few times Dr. Carlee is on screen, she is the voice of reason.)
Even a woman author in 1954 had trouble, I guess, imagining active roles for women that weren't supporting men.
Or maybe her editor had trouble. ;)
I dunno. I ate it up in a day. The beginning wasn't as fleshed-out as I'd like... I was intrigued by a "future where science is outlawed!" but there wasn't much to say about that... generic oppression... which the characters fortunately escape to get to the more interesting part of the story, flying to another planet!
Hard not to thrill to the "because we can!" excitement of the explorers.
Norton's first helpful stranger to the protagonist is a girl who is "a bit slow" and heroic! And then the member of the Scientists In Exile who most interacts with our main character is black... which... points! Though it's dated how there are repeated references to his brown-ness, just in case we forgot, but no sense of his cultural identity being different, or anyone reacting to his brown-ness.
Still, anyone acting like diversity is a new thing gotta step back. 1954 and we have disabled and POC on the good guys side. Ms. Norton, legend, Clevelander and WRU student, I salute you!
October 24, 2024
By 1954 standards, I suppose this is pretty solid, but I don't think it's aged very well. One strength is, as was often the case with books of this vintage, that today a similar amount of plot would probably fill a 1,500-page trilogy. That would of course provide a lot of room for things Norton doesn't really do, such as create complex characters, engage in detailed world-building, or fully work out the socio-political underpinnings of the world. On the other hand, it would also be way too long; Norton manages in under 200 pages to provide plenty of action as the remnants of the scientific community escape from the idiotocracy currently in charge (part one) and begin to settle a new but not uninhabited Earth-like planet. Part one is akin to many post-WW II SF stories that depict a future in which the scientists whose WMD have lead to massive destruction end up being hunted down, and it quite binary in its representation (with a few exceptions). Norton basically writes as if science is some sort of blood- or birthright, rather than a systematic way of thinking. Part two is a tad more interesting, given its exploration of an alien planet with evidence of a mysterious, vanished civilization, and with some nice action sequences (even if they depend on a pretty simplistic alien-monster! trope; the characters basically seem to expect any alien life the encounter to be "human," if it is to be worth anything).Even so, there's some pretty dumb stuff, such as explorers sleeping out in the open without bothering to set a watch--on a world that ahs already demonstrated that it has dangerous critters on it. When the intrepid Earthlings do encounter sentient humanoid creatures--conveniently, merfolk, so land and sea domains can be separate realms--Norton, to her credit, does make the marker of intelligence the fact that they have weapons, and even in the early days of the new relationship showing that plenty of the humans are skeptical about trying to form any sort of alliance. We are not left to imagine some sort of utopian human/alien hybrid society. Nevertheless, this one's probably (IMO) more of historical interest than literary.
December 28, 2019
This was an OK stock 50's sci-fi novel (matching what is today a stock post-apocalyptic YA plot).
The first half of the plot is propelled by the main character caring for his young niece...who he weirdly and disturbingly suddenly forgets at the mid point, until the last chapter. This undermined the book and character significantly for me.
The first half of the plot is propelled by the main character caring for his young niece...who he weirdly and disturbingly suddenly forgets at the mid point, until the last chapter. This undermined the book and character significantly for me.
February 28, 2011
This is a science fiction novel written by the great science fiction author Andre Norton. I found it a real enjoyable read.
February 23, 2019
This was really two novellas in one, one titled “Terra” and the other, starting in my copy on page 96, “Astra.” The stories are strongly linked and involve many of the same characters.
“Terra” takes place on Earth in the future, after a devastating global war and is technically something of a post-apocalyptic setting (though a civilization that Pol Pot might like is around). With a bit of exposition, the reader finds that the world is divided into two factions, both before and after a massive conflict that killed most of the people in the world. The ruling side is the Pax or Peacemen, a definitely non-democratic government that rewards those it approves of with land, slaves, and other benefits, but hunts down those it disapproves of, the Free Scientists principally, a group of scientists and “techneers” who are understandably pro-science, pro-technology, and against racism and nationalism. Though making use of technology (including helicopters, a supercomputer, and stun ray guns as well as rifles), the Peacemen publicly push for a society that does not believe in science, barely believes in learning or even reading, all while continuing to use technology that it probably can never adequately repair or replace. The Free Scientists meanwhile in secret seek to advance technology and science, all while doing what they can to oppose the Peacemen (who basically shoot scientists on sight).
In that setting we meet the main character Dard Nordis, who with his niece Dessie and his older brother (and Dessie’s father) Lars Nordis, live in hiding, having hidden from the purge of scientists and techneers on a small farm somewhere in the western U.S., maybe Utah (I am not clear and don’t remember, but it felt like Utah). Lars, injured escaping from the purge and unable to quickly or easily walk, isn’t just hiding with his family; he has been working on a secret formula as a part of an underground network of scientists, all with the hopes of building and then launching a sleeper starship to a new world (not in the solar system) and escape the tyranny of the Peacemen. The novella “Terra” is basically an action/adventure story, with among other things the Peacemen coming for the Nordis farm, a daring escape, meeting up with an operative of the Free Scientists, and Dard’s involvement in launching the starship. It had a good pace, had lots of action, some really good descriptions of winter survival in the mountains (you could feel the cold especially when the author described the somewhat wretched conditions of the Nordis farm), and dealt with betrayal and lies among the various people Dard and others encountered.
The second book has an understandable gap in time (and a huge difference in feel) but the reader didn’t miss anything, as not to spoil things, but Dard and many others despite fierce opposition by the Peacemen did manage to escape Earth and land on a new, alien world (having slept the entire time in suspended animation so that they could make the incredibly long journey successfully, though some didn’t). Though it had action and adventure, the feel of the story was different; the second book, “Astra,” had a golden age feel to it as the crew of the ship explore the new world they find and have adventures with weather, terrain, the local wildlife, and intelligent aliens. Unlike with “Terra,” the dangers are almost completely unknown; what monsters lurk in that valley? Why are those ruins abandoned? What made them ruins? Are the builders gone? Are the destroyers gone? Will they find food to eat on the new world?
Compared to “Terra,” the second book “Astra” felt a little incomplete. “Terra” had a series of related missions and these missions were completed. It had a strong plot driven feel and was very fast paced. “Astra” sort of left things off at the end incomplete, that some success has been achieved, but how temporary is it? Definitely a feel of optimism but one tinged with a real appreciation of the many dangers the colonists face and interestingly, realizing the parallels between Earth and the past of this world.
I liked the creative alien life, especially the sentient alien life, and the wide open, sense of anything is possible on the new world. I definitely got the sense the world has a bit of depth to it and was ripe with possibilities to explore as all we saw was part of one land mass. I cringed maybe a tiny bit at some of the contemporary anachronisms in the book, of lots of shooting of wildlife on the new world (though I do recognize the wildlife they did shoot presented a danger and laud the characters for avoiding killing those just a nuisance, I still cringe at the idea of exterminating a species), of some of the 1950s era slang and speech patterns (completely forgivable, but it does date the book), the relative lack of powerful female characters (there were a few female characters but pretty much any active character in terms of either fighting the Peacemen or exploring the new world was a man, with Dessie for the most part just something to propel Dard to save the day), and the lack of more modern tech (film is still used, no thought given to a reconnaissance satellite to map the new world before landing or aid in communication once on the new world, some rather unsophisticated ways to tell if alien food wasn’t poison, they also seemed forgivable but again, did date the story).
It was a quick and easy read, I think the first novel “Terra” the better written of the two but I did like the new alien world the characters explored (at least part of) in “Astra.”
“Terra” takes place on Earth in the future, after a devastating global war and is technically something of a post-apocalyptic setting (though a civilization that Pol Pot might like is around). With a bit of exposition, the reader finds that the world is divided into two factions, both before and after a massive conflict that killed most of the people in the world. The ruling side is the Pax or Peacemen, a definitely non-democratic government that rewards those it approves of with land, slaves, and other benefits, but hunts down those it disapproves of, the Free Scientists principally, a group of scientists and “techneers” who are understandably pro-science, pro-technology, and against racism and nationalism. Though making use of technology (including helicopters, a supercomputer, and stun ray guns as well as rifles), the Peacemen publicly push for a society that does not believe in science, barely believes in learning or even reading, all while continuing to use technology that it probably can never adequately repair or replace. The Free Scientists meanwhile in secret seek to advance technology and science, all while doing what they can to oppose the Peacemen (who basically shoot scientists on sight).
In that setting we meet the main character Dard Nordis, who with his niece Dessie and his older brother (and Dessie’s father) Lars Nordis, live in hiding, having hidden from the purge of scientists and techneers on a small farm somewhere in the western U.S., maybe Utah (I am not clear and don’t remember, but it felt like Utah). Lars, injured escaping from the purge and unable to quickly or easily walk, isn’t just hiding with his family; he has been working on a secret formula as a part of an underground network of scientists, all with the hopes of building and then launching a sleeper starship to a new world (not in the solar system) and escape the tyranny of the Peacemen. The novella “Terra” is basically an action/adventure story, with among other things the Peacemen coming for the Nordis farm, a daring escape, meeting up with an operative of the Free Scientists, and Dard’s involvement in launching the starship. It had a good pace, had lots of action, some really good descriptions of winter survival in the mountains (you could feel the cold especially when the author described the somewhat wretched conditions of the Nordis farm), and dealt with betrayal and lies among the various people Dard and others encountered.
The second book has an understandable gap in time (and a huge difference in feel) but the reader didn’t miss anything, as not to spoil things, but Dard and many others despite fierce opposition by the Peacemen did manage to escape Earth and land on a new, alien world (having slept the entire time in suspended animation so that they could make the incredibly long journey successfully, though some didn’t). Though it had action and adventure, the feel of the story was different; the second book, “Astra,” had a golden age feel to it as the crew of the ship explore the new world they find and have adventures with weather, terrain, the local wildlife, and intelligent aliens. Unlike with “Terra,” the dangers are almost completely unknown; what monsters lurk in that valley? Why are those ruins abandoned? What made them ruins? Are the builders gone? Are the destroyers gone? Will they find food to eat on the new world?
Compared to “Terra,” the second book “Astra” felt a little incomplete. “Terra” had a series of related missions and these missions were completed. It had a strong plot driven feel and was very fast paced. “Astra” sort of left things off at the end incomplete, that some success has been achieved, but how temporary is it? Definitely a feel of optimism but one tinged with a real appreciation of the many dangers the colonists face and interestingly, realizing the parallels between Earth and the past of this world.
I liked the creative alien life, especially the sentient alien life, and the wide open, sense of anything is possible on the new world. I definitely got the sense the world has a bit of depth to it and was ripe with possibilities to explore as all we saw was part of one land mass. I cringed maybe a tiny bit at some of the contemporary anachronisms in the book, of lots of shooting of wildlife on the new world (though I do recognize the wildlife they did shoot presented a danger and laud the characters for avoiding killing those just a nuisance, I still cringe at the idea of exterminating a species), of some of the 1950s era slang and speech patterns (completely forgivable, but it does date the book), the relative lack of powerful female characters (there were a few female characters but pretty much any active character in terms of either fighting the Peacemen or exploring the new world was a man, with Dessie for the most part just something to propel Dard to save the day), and the lack of more modern tech (film is still used, no thought given to a reconnaissance satellite to map the new world before landing or aid in communication once on the new world, some rather unsophisticated ways to tell if alien food wasn’t poison, they also seemed forgivable but again, did date the story).
It was a quick and easy read, I think the first novel “Terra” the better written of the two but I did like the new alien world the characters explored (at least part of) in “Astra.”
November 3, 2012
Overall quite good. A bit of a departure from Norton's norms but definitely display her great abilities.
January 1, 2021
My Grade = 75% - C
Published 1954. 183 pages.
I found this one recently among the books on my many shelves. The version pictured here as a price of 65 cents on it. The version I reread is from my boyhood; (I’m currently 72), and it was one of the first science fiction stories I ever read.
The version I have in front of me is an original of mine and a classic ACE double volume (when reversed and turned upside down, there’s another novel on the other side, in this case, 3 Faces of Time by Sam Merlin, Jr. The two together were sold as one book at the whopping price of 35 cents.
My copy shows a voluptuous redhead with obviously made up eyebrows and bright red lipstick, breasts barely covered, in a capsule and being supported by an older gentleman holding a glass near those bright red lips. Translation: a young woman is being woken from a hibernation capsule and being given something, probably with lots of electrolytes in it to revive her.
Side Note: At one time I had a large collection (still have my favorites) of classic early paperbacks with lurid artwork to enhance the reading public into buying them. My favorites are The Scarlet Letter, 1984, and Brave New World.
Anyway my boyhood memory liked this one a lot more than I did today. I only picked it up as a sense of end-of-the-year nostalgia.
Story - it’s sometime after 2500 and the few people left on the planet are divided into the Peacemen (an anti-Science movement) who are the dominant ruling class, the farming peasantry, and slaves descended from the former Free Scientists.
As the story opens, it’s a harsh winter and Dard, Dessie, and Lars Nordic are barely surviving, but Lars, a former Scientist, at the point of death sends Dard and Dessie, with an important scientific formula to friends in a nearby Forrest setting.
The friends just happen to have an intergalactic spaceship to take them to a faraway planet. The only two things needed are the formula (for longtime hibernation) and a route given them by the only computer left.
They get there, find the remains of other civilizations, and meet small dragon-like sea-living creatures with whom they can communicate, thanks to Dessie’s ability to speak to other creatures.
A nice piece of nostalgic reading, but I like it a lot better 60 years ago.....
Published 1954. 183 pages.
I found this one recently among the books on my many shelves. The version pictured here as a price of 65 cents on it. The version I reread is from my boyhood; (I’m currently 72), and it was one of the first science fiction stories I ever read.
The version I have in front of me is an original of mine and a classic ACE double volume (when reversed and turned upside down, there’s another novel on the other side, in this case, 3 Faces of Time by Sam Merlin, Jr. The two together were sold as one book at the whopping price of 35 cents.
My copy shows a voluptuous redhead with obviously made up eyebrows and bright red lipstick, breasts barely covered, in a capsule and being supported by an older gentleman holding a glass near those bright red lips. Translation: a young woman is being woken from a hibernation capsule and being given something, probably with lots of electrolytes in it to revive her.
Side Note: At one time I had a large collection (still have my favorites) of classic early paperbacks with lurid artwork to enhance the reading public into buying them. My favorites are The Scarlet Letter, 1984, and Brave New World.
Anyway my boyhood memory liked this one a lot more than I did today. I only picked it up as a sense of end-of-the-year nostalgia.
Story - it’s sometime after 2500 and the few people left on the planet are divided into the Peacemen (an anti-Science movement) who are the dominant ruling class, the farming peasantry, and slaves descended from the former Free Scientists.
As the story opens, it’s a harsh winter and Dard, Dessie, and Lars Nordic are barely surviving, but Lars, a former Scientist, at the point of death sends Dard and Dessie, with an important scientific formula to friends in a nearby Forrest setting.
The friends just happen to have an intergalactic spaceship to take them to a faraway planet. The only two things needed are the formula (for longtime hibernation) and a route given them by the only computer left.
They get there, find the remains of other civilizations, and meet small dragon-like sea-living creatures with whom they can communicate, thanks to Dessie’s ability to speak to other creatures.
A nice piece of nostalgic reading, but I like it a lot better 60 years ago.....
September 13, 2023
This was published a year before I was born. My goodness. It is pretty good though. I really liked it. It is a little clunky here and there but nothing extreme.
The story: It begins with some background narrative. The near planets of the solar system have been explored but found unsuitable for colonization. They are looking to the stars when a terrorist group seizes the space station orbiting Earth and destroys it, causing devastation on Earth as parts of it plumet from the sky. The people react badly, blaming scientists for the misfortune so scientists are hunted down and killed. A few have escaped, though. Lars, his daughter Dessie, and his brother, Dard have been hiding out at a farm, while Lars continues working on a secret project. His plan is to complete his research and then escape with his brother and daughter to a safer place. The day before their planned escape, the farm is attacked. This precipitates a number of severe actions as everyone is caught off guard. Eventually, the small band of scientists and freedom fighters escape on a space ship to head for a new home amongst the stars. They will have to do it in hibernation though, and thus the cover of this book showing a scientist trying to revive a woman in hibernation.
Yes. They find aliens.
Any problems with this story? The participants seemed overly optimistic, as if simply thinking they would succeed would carry them through. A lot depended on improvisation and sheer guts so to speak. It was a little cliche but fairly common for SciFi of the 1950s. No big surprise.
Any modesty issues? No. Not really.
WARNING: Children were in deadly danger here. It was not too terrible, but if that sort of thing disturbs you, then skip this book.
The ending was a little unexpected but reasonably good. It left a big opening for the sequel, "Star Born". I have that on my list to read.
The story: It begins with some background narrative. The near planets of the solar system have been explored but found unsuitable for colonization. They are looking to the stars when a terrorist group seizes the space station orbiting Earth and destroys it, causing devastation on Earth as parts of it plumet from the sky. The people react badly, blaming scientists for the misfortune so scientists are hunted down and killed. A few have escaped, though. Lars, his daughter Dessie, and his brother, Dard have been hiding out at a farm, while Lars continues working on a secret project. His plan is to complete his research and then escape with his brother and daughter to a safer place. The day before their planned escape, the farm is attacked. This precipitates a number of severe actions as everyone is caught off guard. Eventually, the small band of scientists and freedom fighters escape on a space ship to head for a new home amongst the stars. They will have to do it in hibernation though, and thus the cover of this book showing a scientist trying to revive a woman in hibernation.
Yes. They find aliens.
Any problems with this story? The participants seemed overly optimistic, as if simply thinking they would succeed would carry them through. A lot depended on improvisation and sheer guts so to speak. It was a little cliche but fairly common for SciFi of the 1950s. No big surprise.
Any modesty issues? No. Not really.
WARNING: Children were in deadly danger here. It was not too terrible, but if that sort of thing disturbs you, then skip this book.
The ending was a little unexpected but reasonably good. It left a big opening for the sequel, "Star Born". I have that on my list to read.
June 12, 2024
Andre Norton wrote many science fiction books while I was growing up, but I never read any of her books until now. If I had read this in, say, 7th grade, I might have appreciated it. Now the faults are too glaring to ignore. It consists of two parts, as others have said: Pax and Astra. The first takes place on a future Earth where scientists are hunted and must hide. One of the last strongholds of scientists is building a space ship to go seek a life-supporting world around some distant star. To get there, they will go into cryogenic hibernation until the ship awakens them at a likely destination. The second part of the story, Astra, tells their story on the new world. Animals quite different from those on Earth are discovered, but once seen they mostly disappear from the story. A scouting party makes discoveries of a former civilization, now destroyed and in rubble. Finally, intelligent life is detected. What I most object too is the padding in the first part and the rushed and unlikely (not well thought) details in the second part. Just looking at the book's cover, you know the scientists will arrive on their new world, but this part is drawn out with sub-missions to obtain coordinates and such. I couldn't help thinking, "Let's get on with is." The second part is rushed to the point of being little more than a series of sketches. A scouting party leaves relatively soon after landing, but by the time they return everyone has been awakened and crops are being harvested. (Fortunately, some of the local food turns out to be edible.) There is a follow-up novel, but I just can't find the interest. Maybe you can.
August 26, 2025
This is a strange book. As a standalone, Its bad. It feels more like a youtube summary of a book than a book itself. Way too fast paced with all everything being introduced and resolved in what feels like the same paragraph. It also doesn't really have a good climax. Part one (middle of the book) ends with what should have been the cumulation of an entire book, and then part two drags out what should have been 2 or 3 chapters. And then it just ends. As part 1 of a duology, its still pretty bad because it does a terrible job getting you invested. I would not have read the sequel if I hadn't already. But since I read the sequel first I was also judging it as a prequel. And its OK as that. It fills in some details and lets you see stuff that was only talked about, but it feels more DLC than Franchise entry. It was rereleased as a single book with Starborn and while it still suffers from the other problems, them being together excuses the lack of peaks is the action.
October 26, 2024
Despite being written in the 1950s, 'The Stars are Ours' remains a thoroughly enjoyable read. Its themes, particularly those of power, corruption, and the quest for knowledge and freedom, are as relevant today as they were then.
She states her theme clearly near the end of the book.
"Fanatic belief in an idea—a conviction that an idea or a nation is greater than the individual man—it has scourged us again and again. Utter power over his fellow men changes a man, rots him through and through. When we are able to breed men who want no influence over each other—who are content to strive equally for a common goal—then we'll pull ourselves above that—"
Norton, Andre. Star Flight (Astra Book 1) (p. 91). Baen Books. Kindle Edition.
It's an optimistic vision that is worthy of consideration in our world, where many fear and even hate any who are different from themselves.
She states her theme clearly near the end of the book.
"Fanatic belief in an idea—a conviction that an idea or a nation is greater than the individual man—it has scourged us again and again. Utter power over his fellow men changes a man, rots him through and through. When we are able to breed men who want no influence over each other—who are content to strive equally for a common goal—then we'll pull ourselves above that—"
Norton, Andre. Star Flight (Astra Book 1) (p. 91). Baen Books. Kindle Edition.
It's an optimistic vision that is worthy of consideration in our world, where many fear and even hate any who are different from themselves.
December 25, 2024
Sporo błędów logicznych i nieścisłości, postacie mogłyby być bardziej zarysowane. Powtarzające się motywy - monotonia. Bohaterowie chwilami nie kojarzą faktów. Dziwne nietypowe rozwiązania, czasami jakby brakowało konsekwencji w narracji i fabule. Dialogi momentami nielogiczne, chociaż być może to kwestia tłumaczenia, które jest tak nieudolne momentami, iż mam wrażenie, że tłumacz nie zastanawiał się zbyt długo nad rozwiązaniami językowymi czy składnią zdań lub tłumaczył zbyt dosłownie. Niektóre terminy nie pasują do ich przeznaczenia lub treści. Niestety ale chyba tłumacz nie podołał chyba. Nie wierzę, że oryginał też posiada tyle błędów. Rozwiązanie - trochę pójście na łatwiznę. Odnoszę wrażenie, że cała ta książka to pójście na łatwiznę.
December 1, 2020
Like so many of Andre Norton’s books, I couldn’t stop reading, but I didn’t want it to come to an end. That’s a tough dilemma. :-)
The second book (Star Born) had more ‘wonder’ in it, and I think I liked it a little more, but they’re very different stories. You can read them in either order. I read Star Born first and finally found this at the Internet Archive.
The plot is basically believable, the characters are very likable, and it has her characteristic style that very few authors can match.
The second book (Star Born) had more ‘wonder’ in it, and I think I liked it a little more, but they’re very different stories. You can read them in either order. I read Star Born first and finally found this at the Internet Archive.
The plot is basically believable, the characters are very likable, and it has her characteristic style that very few authors can match.
October 22, 2022
I first read this book over 50 years ago. Even though I could not remember any details about the story, I had vague positive feelings about it. So, I decided to read it again in 2022. The only thing I remembered was that it was about escaping a dystopic Earth and reaching a new world. Now, as an adult I see many nuances that I missed at the age of 13. All in all, I like the story, the writing is excellent. However, the story flow is episodic, typical of the writing style of the 1950s. Of course, there are anachronisms in science and social norms. I plan to read the sequel, Star Born.
January 23, 2023
Another classic mid-century pulp SF adventure by a powerhouse of the genre.
The book is split into two parts: the first looking at an Earth-like world in the year 2500 where science and learning has become taboo and a radical group of scientists hatch a plan to leave their planet; the second begins when they’ve left their planet and discover a new one, landing to explore and settle it—but there are traces of an advanced civilisation without inhabitants which raises more questions than answers.
A nice short adventure story you could read easily on a lazy weekend.
The book is split into two parts: the first looking at an Earth-like world in the year 2500 where science and learning has become taboo and a radical group of scientists hatch a plan to leave their planet; the second begins when they’ve left their planet and discover a new one, landing to explore and settle it—but there are traces of an advanced civilisation without inhabitants which raises more questions than answers.
A nice short adventure story you could read easily on a lazy weekend.
May 25, 2020
This month's re-reads of Andre Norton has this book and its sequel. This was one of my favorite books when younger, and I still enjoyed it but sort of found the unbelievability factor of a small group pulling off an intergalactic journey under pressure. Another look at a favorite science fiction theme, the survival of a society after implosion either by an outside force or interior divisions (something very relevant today).
July 16, 2021
Ms. Norton's books are always interesting and good reads. After the apocalypse, the anti-science forces (blame the scientists for it, not the politicians who used the tech...) kill off as many scientists as they can--and their families, the dastards--and take all the tech to use for themselves. [Gee, this sounds familiar...] But one pocket of scientists has saved a spaceship, untested, and mankind can be saved... Recommended.
July 31, 2025
Pax is so clearly a metaphor for the Soviets and yet could very well be talking about capitalism and our government today, sowing distrust in science, keeping the poor uneducated. This first novel in the Ad Astra series is very good, although it's a little disappointing how heteronormative the gender roles are written from one of the first female science fiction writers to have a successful career in the 20th century.
September 18, 2019
2 მნიშვნელოვანი რამ გავიგე წიგნის დასრულების შემდეგ: რომ 1954 წელს დაწერილა და რომ ანდრე ნორტონი ქალია :დ ამიტომაც, დიახაც წელში გამართული ოთხიანი!
ბოლოს ისე დამთავრდა, თითქოს უადგილოდ გაწყდა, მაგრამ პრინციპში, ალბათ ადამიანების მიზანი უკვე მიღწეული იყო. მოსალოდნელი ბრძოლა კი უკვე იმ ყოველდღიურობის ნაწილი იქნებოდა, რომლისთვისაც აქამდე ამდენი იწვალეს.
ბოლოს ისე დამთავრდა, თითქოს უადგილოდ გაწყდა, მაგრამ პრინციპში, ალბათ ადამიანების მიზანი უკვე მიღწეული იყო. მოსალოდნელი ბრძოლა კი უკვე იმ ყოველდღიურობის ნაწილი იქნებოდა, რომლისთვისაც აქამდე ამდენი იწვალეს.
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November 20, 2020I read this novel when I was very young (under 10?) and it made such a huge impression on me that I can see scenes from the book now, half a century later. I remember dying to read the sequel, Ad Astra. If I did read that sequel, it left a much, much smaller impression. Andre Norton was my go-to author, before turning to Heinlein’s juveniles.
November 25, 2016
Definitely a book of two halves. I really didn't like the "Boys Own" style of the first half of the book but loved the classic science fiction of the second. Stick with it and it pays off. My first "Norton" but definitely not my last!
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