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Moon Magic #1
Moon of Three Rings
At the time of the Moon of Three Rings, the galactic trade ship Lydis lands on the planet Yiktor. On Yiktor, Krip Vorlund, a junior crew member, seeks amusement at a beast show. He is strangely attracted to the owner of the show animals, a delicate and mysterious woman, Maelen. When Vorlund is kidnapped by a Combine seeking to control the planet, he learns too well the nature of Maelen's sorcery; she transforms him into a wolfish creature, in which form he retains his own soul.
Between them -- Krip and Maelen -- they spin an eerie tale of dreams and visions, of metamorphoses and extrasensory perception, of timelessness and limitlessness...
Between them -- Krip and Maelen -- they spin an eerie tale of dreams and visions, of metamorphoses and extrasensory perception, of timelessness and limitlessness...
316 pages, Hardcover
First published August 29, 1966
13 people are currently reading
717 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 51 reviews
October 16, 2020
Like Dune, this book may be more fantasy than science fiction, but it has a wonderful, somewhat eerie feeling. If humanity spreads among the stars and establishes itself on countless different planets, what strange things might a spacer find in the out-of-the-way corners? Do yourself a favor and don’t read any spoilers for the book. It’s best tackled without expectations. There are sequels if you want, and I remember reading and enjoying the second one.
May 11, 2011
This has remained in my list of favorite books for over 35 years. Every time I wear out a copy, I have to purchase a new one. Classic sci fi morality tale, with space travel, animals, paranormal elements, and a romance of sorts. What's not to love?
April 30, 2025
If the film Forbidden Planet was derived from Shakespeare's The Tempest, then there is something in Moon of Three Rings that suggests an origin in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The rude mechanicals of the trader ship Lydis land on the planet Yiktor and quietly begin their business of buying and selling to the locals – a basically human people living in a medieval, European-style society of castles, local lords and their private armies. Also there are the Moon Singers, a race that may have been of alien origin many centuries earlier.
Maelen, a Moon Singer and surely a proud Titania at heart, runs a theatre of performing animals at the local fair. Krip Vorlund, the youngest mechanical among the Lydis crew – and a natural candidate for Nick Bottom - attends a performance and is drawn away backstage into a love infatuation with Maelen and a life-endangering adventure in the moonlit landscape of Yiktor.
As in the Dream the transformation of Bottom into a beast is essential to the plot. However, unlike the Dream in which the metamorphosis is performed by Oberon and Puck out of mischief and malice, in Three Rings it is Maelen who changes Krip out of dire necessity to save his life and she works with disregard to her spiritual overlord Molaster. The romance that follows, as the two cross the dangerous world of Yiktor to reach a hoped for sanctuary where Krip may be returned to his human body, shares some of Oberon's maliciousness. The image of the beautiful Maelen and the slavering wolf-like barsk that Krip has become mirrors Titania's induced obsession with the donkey-headed Bottom. I know this is a dreadful simplification of a small part of the Dream but, you know, I am describing a science fiction novel.
The story continues through various tribulations for the protagonists until it succumbs to a quite conventional SF ending of a fight scene, good triumphing over evil, Krip regaining a human form – though not his own – and Maelen becoming the helpless heroine waiting to be rescued. As a part of that rescue she has to be transmuted into animal form – a small furry creature that Krip takes with him back on to the Lydis and away into space. He keeps her in his cabin - for purposes best known to Mr. Vorlund. Thankfully that is where Ms. Norton – a naughty Puck - brings down the curtain.
The rude mechanicals of the trader ship Lydis land on the planet Yiktor and quietly begin their business of buying and selling to the locals – a basically human people living in a medieval, European-style society of castles, local lords and their private armies. Also there are the Moon Singers, a race that may have been of alien origin many centuries earlier.
Maelen, a Moon Singer and surely a proud Titania at heart, runs a theatre of performing animals at the local fair. Krip Vorlund, the youngest mechanical among the Lydis crew – and a natural candidate for Nick Bottom - attends a performance and is drawn away backstage into a love infatuation with Maelen and a life-endangering adventure in the moonlit landscape of Yiktor.
As in the Dream the transformation of Bottom into a beast is essential to the plot. However, unlike the Dream in which the metamorphosis is performed by Oberon and Puck out of mischief and malice, in Three Rings it is Maelen who changes Krip out of dire necessity to save his life and she works with disregard to her spiritual overlord Molaster. The romance that follows, as the two cross the dangerous world of Yiktor to reach a hoped for sanctuary where Krip may be returned to his human body, shares some of Oberon's maliciousness. The image of the beautiful Maelen and the slavering wolf-like barsk that Krip has become mirrors Titania's induced obsession with the donkey-headed Bottom. I know this is a dreadful simplification of a small part of the Dream but, you know, I am describing a science fiction novel.
The story continues through various tribulations for the protagonists until it succumbs to a quite conventional SF ending of a fight scene, good triumphing over evil, Krip regaining a human form – though not his own – and Maelen becoming the helpless heroine waiting to be rescued. As a part of that rescue she has to be transmuted into animal form – a small furry creature that Krip takes with him back on to the Lydis and away into space. He keeps her in his cabin - for purposes best known to Mr. Vorlund. Thankfully that is where Ms. Norton – a naughty Puck - brings down the curtain.
May 28, 2018
This tale set on an alien planet could almost be a fantasy given the setting of a feudal society in which warlords scheme against each other and an outsider race who were once dominant but have become roamers, preferring to live in symbiosis with animals. It starts with the male protagonist, Krip Vorlund, who goes to a 'beast show' while ashore: from a Free Trader ship, he and his comrades are meant to look out for trade goods that might sell well offworld. They have come at a time when a fair is held, and the rules of the fair mean that the various warlords are not meant to cause trouble, the fair being neutral ground - but a hothead son of one of the warlords is encouraged to do so in an attempt to win over the others, egged on by offworlders from a rival ship.
The book then switches between his viewpoint and that of Maelen, the alien woman from the outsider race, who runs the beast show. The intelligent animals that accompany her are friends with whom she shares a mental bond. Maelen is approached by a representative of the troublemaking ship who wants her to lure Krip - she doesn't co-operate but inadvertantly is drawn into a sequence of events which involve kidnapping, murder, body swaps into animals, raids on peaceful settlements and her having to answer to her own superiors for what she has been compelled to do.
After finishing the book, I found out it was the start of a series and this didn't surprise me as the ending is a set up for such - . I didn't find the story compelling sadly; I really enjoy the author's Witch World series, but somehow couldn't get into the characters and didn't find the motivation of the various villains believable. So can only rate it as 2 stars.
The book then switches between his viewpoint and that of Maelen, the alien woman from the outsider race, who runs the beast show. The intelligent animals that accompany her are friends with whom she shares a mental bond. Maelen is approached by a representative of the troublemaking ship who wants her to lure Krip - she doesn't co-operate but inadvertantly is drawn into a sequence of events which involve kidnapping, murder, body swaps into animals, raids on peaceful settlements and her having to answer to her own superiors for what she has been compelled to do.
After finishing the book, I found out it was the start of a series and this didn't surprise me as the ending is a set up for such - . I didn't find the story compelling sadly; I really enjoy the author's Witch World series, but somehow couldn't get into the characters and didn't find the motivation of the various villains believable. So can only rate it as 2 stars.
May 6, 2020
I first read this in High School. I can't remember how many times I checked it out from the library. I thought it a most magical and wondrous story. A great blend of sci-fi and fantasy. I went on a quest of my own and found the exact library copy from the great evil Amazon. I read the book again a few years ago. I still love it and think its a most magical and wondrous story. You will never change my mind.
And through the joys of the interwebs I discovered 3 more books to follow!
Read Again for the millionth time. May 2020.
I just needed to read something familiar. I hold this story close in my heart.
And through the joys of the interwebs I discovered 3 more books to follow!
Read Again for the millionth time. May 2020.
I just needed to read something familiar. I hold this story close in my heart.
April 14, 2018
This is my third time reading this book (January 2014). I first read it, probably way back in high school, and I remembered that I loved the story. But I couldn't remember the details, except that someone was turned from a man to a beast, so I have typed the details here to help me remember the story in the future. The writing is almost lyrical, and the action is fast-paced. Still as wonderful as I remembered it.
"I spin from world to world because it is a way of life to which I have been born and bred. I know of none different."
This way of life was to bring Krip Vorlund, a Free Trader, to a planet called Yiktor at the time of the Moon of the Three Rings. The Three Rings meant power for those few of Yiktor who possessed it (the Moon Singers of the Thassa). Maelen, the trainer of almost sentient animals, had this power. On visiting her animal show at the Yrjar fair, Krip and his ship mate are shown around backstage, when Maelen receives word of a mistreated animal. Krip asks to accompany her when she goes to the rescue and she agrees. On freeing the animal, a wolf-like barsk, they are confronted by the abuser, who is about to cause Maelen harm, when Krip stuns him with his stunner and they get away. When some priests come to take Krip to a tribunal hearing for his actions, he is kidnapped instead, and taken to a fort held by Osokun, son of Oskald. Osokun is in league with off-world Combine traders, hoping to gain more power for himself by learning from Krip about off-world weapons. Osokun holds him in a prison and tortures him, but gets no answers from him. Eventually Krip escapes, but is much weakened. Maelen had heard of what happened to him, and has been looking for him, and actually helped ease his escape with her powers. When she finds him, she is afraid that Osokun and his men will find them and kill Krip. She offers him a solution: let her transfer his spirit into the body of the wolfish barsk, who is half-mad anyway, and transfer the barsk spirit into Krip's body. Then, because Krip will appear insane, she hopes that Osokun's people will take him to the Valley where priests care for insane people. (Terrible things supposedly happen to those who mistreat or kill insane people). They head for the Valley in hopes of re-uniting Krip with his own body, only to find out that Osokun's people took Krip's body back to the spaceport, hopefully to ransom it. (That didn't work out either & Osokun's little rebellion was crushed). Unknown to Krip, his ship takes off with his body; also the captain plans to report to the space Patrol the illegal activities on Yiktor. Krip takes off from the Valley on his own, hoping to get to the spaceport and try to convince someone that he, in the wolf body, was actually Krip. Instead, he meets up by chance with Maelen's partner, Malek, who has brought their vans and animals out of Yrjar, the town where the fair is held. But Osokun's men, burdened with an injured Osokun, attack the vans and kill Malek and several of the animals. The rest of the animals and Krip warn Maelen about the raid as she approaches, and then they join forces to kill the marauders; afterwards, Krip goes after the three escapees. Although he does kill all three, he does so at great cost to himself as one stabs him horribly in the neck. He manages to get back to the vans and Maelen does her best to keep him alive. Back they head for the Valley, where Maelen hopes to transfer Krip back into a human body, specifically Maquad, Maelen's insane brother-in-law. But when they arrive, they find that the Valley has also fallen victim to raiders, though the priests still live as does Maquad. The transfer is accomplished and Krip now resides in Maquad's body. Shortly afterwards, all the Thassa are called to a council meeting in a hidden lake bed. There they find out that there are rebels who are trying to kidnap Maelen, as they blame her for many things. Maelen and her sister Merlay swap bodies, so that Maelen can escort Krip/Maquad back to the spaceport in disguise (which will last 4 days only). At the spaceport, they learn that Krip's body had died while on board his spaceship. They race back to meet up with the other Thassa, as Maelen/Merlay's power fades, only to find that Merlay/Maelen has been taken by the rebels. Merlay and Maelen automatically change places again when the four days are up. So Merlay, Krip, and other Thassa mount a rescue party for Maelen and succeed. But Maelen is dying. Although the third ring is fading, one of the Thassa, Mathan, saves Maelen by transferring her spirit into one of her small animals, Vors.
Then Krip returns, with Vors as his companion (so the Thassa had ordered), to his ship, convinces Captain Foss of his identity, and leaves Yiktor with his ship.
"I spin from world to world because it is a way of life to which I have been born and bred. I know of none different."
This way of life was to bring Krip Vorlund, a Free Trader, to a planet called Yiktor at the time of the Moon of the Three Rings. The Three Rings meant power for those few of Yiktor who possessed it (the Moon Singers of the Thassa). Maelen, the trainer of almost sentient animals, had this power. On visiting her animal show at the Yrjar fair, Krip and his ship mate are shown around backstage, when Maelen receives word of a mistreated animal. Krip asks to accompany her when she goes to the rescue and she agrees. On freeing the animal, a wolf-like barsk, they are confronted by the abuser, who is about to cause Maelen harm, when Krip stuns him with his stunner and they get away. When some priests come to take Krip to a tribunal hearing for his actions, he is kidnapped instead, and taken to a fort held by Osokun, son of Oskald. Osokun is in league with off-world Combine traders, hoping to gain more power for himself by learning from Krip about off-world weapons. Osokun holds him in a prison and tortures him, but gets no answers from him. Eventually Krip escapes, but is much weakened. Maelen had heard of what happened to him, and has been looking for him, and actually helped ease his escape with her powers. When she finds him, she is afraid that Osokun and his men will find them and kill Krip. She offers him a solution: let her transfer his spirit into the body of the wolfish barsk, who is half-mad anyway, and transfer the barsk spirit into Krip's body. Then, because Krip will appear insane, she hopes that Osokun's people will take him to the Valley where priests care for insane people. (Terrible things supposedly happen to those who mistreat or kill insane people). They head for the Valley in hopes of re-uniting Krip with his own body, only to find out that Osokun's people took Krip's body back to the spaceport, hopefully to ransom it. (That didn't work out either & Osokun's little rebellion was crushed). Unknown to Krip, his ship takes off with his body; also the captain plans to report to the space Patrol the illegal activities on Yiktor. Krip takes off from the Valley on his own, hoping to get to the spaceport and try to convince someone that he, in the wolf body, was actually Krip. Instead, he meets up by chance with Maelen's partner, Malek, who has brought their vans and animals out of Yrjar, the town where the fair is held. But Osokun's men, burdened with an injured Osokun, attack the vans and kill Malek and several of the animals. The rest of the animals and Krip warn Maelen about the raid as she approaches, and then they join forces to kill the marauders; afterwards, Krip goes after the three escapees. Although he does kill all three, he does so at great cost to himself as one stabs him horribly in the neck. He manages to get back to the vans and Maelen does her best to keep him alive. Back they head for the Valley, where Maelen hopes to transfer Krip back into a human body, specifically Maquad, Maelen's insane brother-in-law. But when they arrive, they find that the Valley has also fallen victim to raiders, though the priests still live as does Maquad. The transfer is accomplished and Krip now resides in Maquad's body. Shortly afterwards, all the Thassa are called to a council meeting in a hidden lake bed. There they find out that there are rebels who are trying to kidnap Maelen, as they blame her for many things. Maelen and her sister Merlay swap bodies, so that Maelen can escort Krip/Maquad back to the spaceport in disguise (which will last 4 days only). At the spaceport, they learn that Krip's body had died while on board his spaceship. They race back to meet up with the other Thassa, as Maelen/Merlay's power fades, only to find that Merlay/Maelen has been taken by the rebels. Merlay and Maelen automatically change places again when the four days are up. So Merlay, Krip, and other Thassa mount a rescue party for Maelen and succeed. But Maelen is dying. Although the third ring is fading, one of the Thassa, Mathan, saves Maelen by transferring her spirit into one of her small animals, Vors.
Then Krip returns, with Vors as his companion (so the Thassa had ordered), to his ship, convinces Captain Foss of his identity, and leaves Yiktor with his ship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2020
This is the story of Krip Vorlund, a Free Trader, and Maelen, a Singer of the Thassa people of the planet Yiktor. Krip came to Yiktor hoping, as all young Free Traders do, to stumble across something that might make his fortune. He finds himself drawn to a beast show (basically a circus, although the text makes it sound more mystical than that) run by a beautiful and mysterious Thassa woman named Maelen. Maelen's goal is to one day add a barsk (a dangerous dog-like creature) to her group of "little people," and to one day perhaps take her beast show to space and other planets.
Unfortunately for both Krip and Maelen, there are dangerous politics at work, people who want power and the advanced weaponry Free Traders have access to (or so I understood - I admit that I lost track of the political aspects after a while). Maelen, her motivations a tangle, saves Krip's life but leaves him so changed that he wonders if it was worth it. The question then, is whether she can manage to make things right again, and what the ultimate price will be.
I have some nostalgic feelings where Norton's works are concerned. I fell in love with her Star Ka'at and Witch World books when I was in the 5th grade. However, it's been about that long since I last read a lot of her stuff (I reread Breed to Come in late 2019, but that's about it), and there were many of her works I never read. Although the title of Moon of Three Rings sounded familiar, I'm pretty sure this was my first time reading it.
Although this wasn't terrible, it was a chore to get through. I disliked the writing style - the characters spoke like they'd just stepped out of a high fantasy story, and it was occasionally a struggle to understand what they were saying. The pacing was slow, and I didn't particularly like or connect with any of the characters, although Maelen gradually became more interesting as the story progressed.
I will say this, at least: the story didn't at all go in the direction I thought it would, when Maelen and Krip first met. Maelen, who initially seemed like she'd be some infallible mystical woman, turned out to be very fallible (but still mystical, with telepathy and other powers), and the wishes and hopes she hid from Krip and even, to a certain extent, from herself ended up causing a big and bloody mess.
I didn't realize, going in, that this was the first book in a series. It might be interesting to see how things turn out for the characters in the later books, but I'd really rather not subject myself to more of that "high fantasy-like, but in space" writing style, so I'll be stopping here.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
Unfortunately for both Krip and Maelen, there are dangerous politics at work, people who want power and the advanced weaponry Free Traders have access to (or so I understood - I admit that I lost track of the political aspects after a while). Maelen, her motivations a tangle, saves Krip's life but leaves him so changed that he wonders if it was worth it. The question then, is whether she can manage to make things right again, and what the ultimate price will be.
I have some nostalgic feelings where Norton's works are concerned. I fell in love with her Star Ka'at and Witch World books when I was in the 5th grade. However, it's been about that long since I last read a lot of her stuff (I reread Breed to Come in late 2019, but that's about it), and there were many of her works I never read. Although the title of Moon of Three Rings sounded familiar, I'm pretty sure this was my first time reading it.
Although this wasn't terrible, it was a chore to get through. I disliked the writing style - the characters spoke like they'd just stepped out of a high fantasy story, and it was occasionally a struggle to understand what they were saying. The pacing was slow, and I didn't particularly like or connect with any of the characters, although Maelen gradually became more interesting as the story progressed.
I will say this, at least: the story didn't at all go in the direction I thought it would, when Maelen and Krip first met. Maelen, who initially seemed like she'd be some infallible mystical woman, turned out to be very fallible (but still mystical, with telepathy and other powers), and the wishes and hopes she hid from Krip and even, to a certain extent, from herself ended up causing a big and bloody mess.
I didn't realize, going in, that this was the first book in a series. It might be interesting to see how things turn out for the characters in the later books, but I'd really rather not subject myself to more of that "high fantasy-like, but in space" writing style, so I'll be stopping here.
(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
September 10, 2010
I've read this book at least twice before, but never finished the whole series and was left with a strange feeling of unfinished-ness. So this time I'm going to go through the whole thing, and maybe that feeling will go away.
Okay, I finished it and I enjoyed it, and reading it again made the storyline much more clear - perhaps I just wasn't processing everything before, or I'd forgotten it and that's why it felt fuzzy. Now going to try the rest of the series and see where it goes.
Okay, I finished it and I enjoyed it, and reading it again made the storyline much more clear - perhaps I just wasn't processing everything before, or I'd forgotten it and that's why it felt fuzzy. Now going to try the rest of the series and see where it goes.
February 27, 2013
Where would SF and Fantasy writing have been without Andre Norton? She made many readers enjoy SF/Fantasy. She wrote about strong female characters way back before the 'Female Eunuch' and gave female readers a taste for SF/Fantasy. For years she was the only serious writer of this type of story and was she ever a story teller.
The novels about Krip and Maleen are among my favourites.
The novels about Krip and Maleen are among my favourites.
October 12, 2021
Will review at Fantasy Literature.
September 8, 2024
Narrated by Chris Abernathy and Chelsea Stephens
Krip Vorlund is an apprentice on an interplanetary space trader who gets into trouble during a trading fair on the planet Yiktor when he helps Maelen, a Thassa Moon Singer and animal trainer, to rescue a barsk kept in cruel captivity. Kidnapped by the son of Osgold a plainsman lord, in order to get off-worlder weapons. Krip escapes, and finds Maelen, but in danger of being captured and killed, Maelen shifts his consciousness into the barsk, a fierce dog-like creature, leaving his body alive, but empty, and believing that Osgold will be forced to send the empty shell to the place where the mind-injured are cared for. (Because that's how it works on the planet Yiktor. Unfortunately Krip's body is sent back to his ship instead and there's a desperate scramble to reunite his consciousness with his body. They say you should never go back. This used to be one of my favourite Norton juveniles, but I haven't read it for the best part of forty years. Sadly, the sucks fairy has visited it in the intervening time. The story is slight but interesting enough, but the language is stilted, especially the dialogue. This is something I was always aware of, but forgave for the sake of the stories. Because this is an audiobook it's a lot more difficult to ignore. I suspect I previously glossed over the style for the content. The narrators do the best with what they've got, but they have to stick to the script, and they sound awkward doing so. This audiobook is a two-part collection, but I'm stopping at the end of Moon of Three Rings and will not be listening to Exiles of the Stars.
Krip Vorlund is an apprentice on an interplanetary space trader who gets into trouble during a trading fair on the planet Yiktor when he helps Maelen, a Thassa Moon Singer and animal trainer, to rescue a barsk kept in cruel captivity. Kidnapped by the son of Osgold a plainsman lord, in order to get off-worlder weapons. Krip escapes, and finds Maelen, but in danger of being captured and killed, Maelen shifts his consciousness into the barsk, a fierce dog-like creature, leaving his body alive, but empty, and believing that Osgold will be forced to send the empty shell to the place where the mind-injured are cared for. (Because that's how it works on the planet Yiktor. Unfortunately Krip's body is sent back to his ship instead and there's a desperate scramble to reunite his consciousness with his body. They say you should never go back. This used to be one of my favourite Norton juveniles, but I haven't read it for the best part of forty years. Sadly, the sucks fairy has visited it in the intervening time. The story is slight but interesting enough, but the language is stilted, especially the dialogue. This is something I was always aware of, but forgave for the sake of the stories. Because this is an audiobook it's a lot more difficult to ignore. I suspect I previously glossed over the style for the content. The narrators do the best with what they've got, but they have to stick to the script, and they sound awkward doing so. This audiobook is a two-part collection, but I'm stopping at the end of Moon of Three Rings and will not be listening to Exiles of the Stars.
March 29, 2015
I had first picked up "Moon of 3 Rings" when I was in middle school. I had the hard back edition checked out from the local library. At that point, the writing style of Andre Norton was not something I was familiar with, and I admit I struggled through it.
But it stuck with me. And years later I came across the book again at a library in another town. My library had since withdrawn the copy I had read, so I looked for it online.
It had been so long that I could only a little of the outline of synopsis. I have just finished the book and it was everything I could remember from that time plus more. I enjoy Andre Norton's style and imagination. This book is absolutely wonderful and I recommend it to anyone.
But it stuck with me. And years later I came across the book again at a library in another town. My library had since withdrawn the copy I had read, so I looked for it online.
It had been so long that I could only a little of the outline of synopsis. I have just finished the book and it was everything I could remember from that time plus more. I enjoy Andre Norton's style and imagination. This book is absolutely wonderful and I recommend it to anyone.
October 29, 2014
I found the first person prose style of Norton’s to be without urgency and a little lifeless. The female protagonist was interesting, but the story told from the male protagonist’s point of view was totally boresville. Dropped it after about 90 pages. It sounds like the story improves after that, but I couldn’t connect to the writing style.
December 24, 2013
It's been so long since I read this that I don't remember anything about it except this: this was the book that got me interested in science fiction and fantasy. That by itself is enough.
April 4, 2023
"Those who do venture ever into the unknown— the First-in Scouts of Survey, the explorers, and not the least, the Free Traders who pluck a living from the fringes of the galaxy—to these it is a commonplace thing to discover that the legends and fantasies of one planet may be lightsome or grim truth on another world. For each new planet-fall brings its own mysteries and discoveries." Or "If you visit enough planets you're bound to find a fantasy setting."
Krip Vorlund is a journeyman merchant aboard the trading ship Lydis. He dreams of discovering a valuable commodity during his travels, hoping to strike it rich and become the captain of his own ship. Krip also dreams of finding a pet to ease the loneliness of life aboard a starship. It is this quest for companionship that leads Krip to Maelen and her menagerie of 'little people'. Maelen is an enchanting enchantress, her troupe of performing animals is charming, Krip can't help but find himself head over heals...in trouble.
Strife is brewing on the sleepy little planet of Yiktor, fomented by men from beyond the stars with their own hidden agendas. Krip and Maelen find themselves swept into the mischief with only Maelen's moon-tied magic to save them. Body swapping hijinks ensue with predictable results. Krip and Maelen have a good old time saving and being saved by each other while Yiktor falls apart around them.
Andre Norton knows how to weave a good tale, she's an expert worldbuilder, but her syntax is a nightmare. I can't tell if the convoluted sentence construction is a Norton thing, or if it was simply in vogue for midcentury Sci-Fi writers to play chess with their phrases, resulting in mind-bending sentences that require multiple rereads to comprehend. Despite the headache I developed, I read on. Mostly because I read the third book in the series when I was but a lad and always hoped to read more of the series. That and the critters, Maelen's menagerie is full of alien critters so of which are quite mogwai-esque. I will put myself through all manner of pain for small, fuzzy, bipedal critters, ask H. Beam Piper.
Krip Vorlund is a journeyman merchant aboard the trading ship Lydis. He dreams of discovering a valuable commodity during his travels, hoping to strike it rich and become the captain of his own ship. Krip also dreams of finding a pet to ease the loneliness of life aboard a starship. It is this quest for companionship that leads Krip to Maelen and her menagerie of 'little people'. Maelen is an enchanting enchantress, her troupe of performing animals is charming, Krip can't help but find himself head over heals...in trouble.
Strife is brewing on the sleepy little planet of Yiktor, fomented by men from beyond the stars with their own hidden agendas. Krip and Maelen find themselves swept into the mischief with only Maelen's moon-tied magic to save them. Body swapping hijinks ensue with predictable results. Krip and Maelen have a good old time saving and being saved by each other while Yiktor falls apart around them.
Andre Norton knows how to weave a good tale, she's an expert worldbuilder, but her syntax is a nightmare. I can't tell if the convoluted sentence construction is a Norton thing, or if it was simply in vogue for midcentury Sci-Fi writers to play chess with their phrases, resulting in mind-bending sentences that require multiple rereads to comprehend. Despite the headache I developed, I read on. Mostly because I read the third book in the series when I was but a lad and always hoped to read more of the series. That and the critters, Maelen's menagerie is full of alien critters so of which are quite mogwai-esque. I will put myself through all manner of pain for small, fuzzy, bipedal critters, ask H. Beam Piper.
August 11, 2024
I was a huge fan of Andre Norton when I was a teenager. Some of the very first novels I bought were mass-market paperbacks of her books. At one point in my early days, I had read nine of her novels, more than any of my other authors.
I remember thinking that this particular novel was great when I read it - and that I really really like the cover of the library edition that I read (with the amazing alien canine on the cover). But - that's all I remember.
I rated the novel "A" when I read it, but I strongly suspect my rating would have changed since 1968!
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
I remember thinking that this particular novel was great when I read it - and that I really really like the cover of the library edition that I read (with the amazing alien canine on the cover). But - that's all I remember.
I rated the novel "A" when I read it, but I strongly suspect my rating would have changed since 1968!
My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.
April 3, 2021
Buzzwordathon April 2021 – 01
This slapped. My only complaints are that the writing isn't my favourite, which is completely subjective, so who cares, and that the pacing, especially at the end, felt a little off. So much of the book was spent on lengthy descriptions of the characters' journey, which I personally really love. I can see how other readers might find that boring, but I really enjoy stuff like that. But the "big reveal" at the end is way too short compared to that imo.
Other than that,,, love the concept, the world(s), everything is great, finished this in a day because I was so invested. I'll pick up the second book right away after I finish my dumb essay for uni that I've been putting off to read this lmao
This slapped. My only complaints are that the writing isn't my favourite, which is completely subjective, so who cares, and that the pacing, especially at the end, felt a little off. So much of the book was spent on lengthy descriptions of the characters' journey, which I personally really love. I can see how other readers might find that boring, but I really enjoy stuff like that. But the "big reveal" at the end is way too short compared to that imo.
Other than that,,, love the concept, the world(s), everything is great, finished this in a day because I was so invested. I'll pick up the second book right away after I finish my dumb essay for uni that I've been putting off to read this lmao
December 19, 2018
Krip Vorlund, a junior crew member of a trading space ship, gets into some trouble in a technologically backward planet. Some local nobles want to get galactic technology, which is extremely illegal, and they kidnap Krip. At some point, with the help of Maelen, a woman from a nomadic people with ancient mystical powers, he escapes, but he has to swap his body with that of an animal's. Then his quest to get his body back gets complicated.
Old school YA science fiction, in the style of Heinlein's juveniles. However, unlike Heinlein's YA novels, this one did not quite work for me. Nothing really wrong with it, it's just that the writing style (subjectively) rubbed me the wrong way for some reason and I could never get into the story. The characters were not engaging enough, and the descriptions interrupted the flow of the narration. It's quite short and to the point, as SF used to be.
Old school YA science fiction, in the style of Heinlein's juveniles. However, unlike Heinlein's YA novels, this one did not quite work for me. Nothing really wrong with it, it's just that the writing style (subjectively) rubbed me the wrong way for some reason and I could never get into the story. The characters were not engaging enough, and the descriptions interrupted the flow of the narration. It's quite short and to the point, as SF used to be.
September 9, 2018
This is a story in which the story is secondary. All the seemingly major plot points - the uprising, the sacking of Yim-Sin, the desecration of the Valley - occur outside the protagonist’s sight. Instead, the book focuses almost entirely upon the strangeness of the alien life inhabiting the planet. Yet even here, explanations are frustratingly dim and cracked, and characters are left underdeveloped in favor of mystical musings that reveal nothing to push the story forward.
Intriguing setup and disappointing execution.
Intriguing setup and disappointing execution.
January 10, 2021
Another exercise in narrative torpor from Norton. This one is readable but so, so narrowly-focused...as though the narrator is looking through the wrong end of the binoculars with blinders on. A dreary, bloody trudge through the landscape, eyes cast down upon boot tops. Perhaps it's my own limited vision, but Norton's style suggests an almost galvanizing agoraphobia.
All that said, the parts of the story that peek between the fingers are interesting, essentially a corporate-sponsored coup is underway. Our protag is the only one who can stop it.
All that said, the parts of the story that peek between the fingers are interesting, essentially a corporate-sponsored coup is underway. Our protag is the only one who can stop it.
Read
March 2, 2021I read a story in the 60’s about two astronauts who discover a VERY (1000 kilometer wide) large mirror in a crater on a moon and as they investigate it they fall in. Rapidly falling to the center then to the other side they had to figure when, due to the moons rotation, where they would have to come back out or they would run out of oxygen if they came out too far from the fall in point. They were tethered together and has to use complicated math to figure how to get out.
Does any one remember the story?
TIA
Joe
Does any one remember the story?
TIA
Joe
August 23, 2018
This is an enchanting book. I read it as a young girl and loved it. I just read it again, many years later, and it was just as wonderful. I didnt want the book to end. But there's a sequel (Exiles of the Stars) Be sure to read it too!
April 6, 2020
One of my favorites since I discovered Norton as a kid. The seamless blend of SF and Magic, the emphasis on personhood and knowing who you are, strong protagonists (male and female alike), all make this a really fine and enjoyable book.
November 25, 2023
Started slow, took a while to get used to the language, but it got rolling about 1/2 way thru, and ended up being a pretty good book overall.
Nice prose once you got used to the language, which I guess was an attempt to frame the story in a far off world with different speech patterns.
Nice prose once you got used to the language, which I guess was an attempt to frame the story in a far off world with different speech patterns.
March 24, 2018
Ciencia fantasía de calidad.
August 28, 2019
This was an interesting book. I really loved the ideas and I loved the plot. I really enjoyed the characters.
September 25, 2021
On the better end of Norton's space fantasies
March 30, 2022
An old favourite. It's so good to read a book which manages to create a world and tell a complex story in just 256 pages.
May 26, 2017
Sometimes, I just need to read some good, old sci-fi, and Andre Norton has always been one of the best writers from the golden age of sci-fi.
July 8, 2012
(As posted on my blog, see "Book Blog" dated July 8, 2011)
Moon of 3 Rings is classic Andre Norton. I enjoy Norton's writing and this novel doesn't disappoint in that aspect. (I'm starting to think that newer authors don't know how to do classic story-telling. It's a pity, some things should never die out. Nothing wrong with new ways of telling stories, mind you, but new doesn't equate to better, just different.) I decided to read Moon of 3 Rings because Brother to Shadows was recommended to me, and I thought these two novels were part of the same series, but it turns out Brother to Shadows is a standalone novel. In any case, Moon of 3 Rings was another enjoyable read by Norton. It tells the story of Krip and Maelen. Krip works on a Free Trader ship. (You will notice that Cherryh's Merchanters are very similar to Free Traders. She does in fact list Andre Norton as an influence in her writing.) While looking for things to buy on one planet, Krip unwittingly gets caught up in a plot to seize power over that planet. In order to save him, Maelen gives Krip a new body. :-D There are, of course, reasons why she does this. First, she feels a small debt to him for he intervened on her behalf during a quarrel with another. Second, in saving Krip she hopes to save another. How Krip reacts to being put in a new body and what he does after is amusing. Norton has excellent pacing in her novels, which is what makes them fairly easy to read. I have yet to read an Andre Norton novel I didn't enjoy.
Moon of 3 Rings is classic Andre Norton. I enjoy Norton's writing and this novel doesn't disappoint in that aspect. (I'm starting to think that newer authors don't know how to do classic story-telling. It's a pity, some things should never die out. Nothing wrong with new ways of telling stories, mind you, but new doesn't equate to better, just different.) I decided to read Moon of 3 Rings because Brother to Shadows was recommended to me, and I thought these two novels were part of the same series, but it turns out Brother to Shadows is a standalone novel. In any case, Moon of 3 Rings was another enjoyable read by Norton. It tells the story of Krip and Maelen. Krip works on a Free Trader ship. (You will notice that Cherryh's Merchanters are very similar to Free Traders. She does in fact list Andre Norton as an influence in her writing.) While looking for things to buy on one planet, Krip unwittingly gets caught up in a plot to seize power over that planet. In order to save him, Maelen gives Krip a new body. :-D There are, of course, reasons why she does this. First, she feels a small debt to him for he intervened on her behalf during a quarrel with another. Second, in saving Krip she hopes to save another. How Krip reacts to being put in a new body and what he does after is amusing. Norton has excellent pacing in her novels, which is what makes them fairly easy to read. I have yet to read an Andre Norton novel I didn't enjoy.
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