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Here Abide Monsters
Nick Shaw and Linda Durant pass through a door to another realm, into a world where their nightmares are real and deadly. They band together with an English group, some of whom have been on the planet since before the turn of the century...
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
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259 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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June 19, 2020DAW Collectors #121
Cover Artist: Jack Gaughan.
Alternate Names: Andrew North, Andre Alice Norton, Allen Weston
Nick Shaw knows that the Cut off Road near his family's lakeside cabin has the reputation for being one of those places where people disappear from time to time, kind of like the Bermuda Triangle. So he's better prepared than we are when he and his new friend Linda find themselves propelled into an Arthurian Avalon full of mythical beasts, other timewarp travelers and menacing demons who attack from the air.
There's no way back from Avalon, and Nick and Linda must either become eternal fugitives in the wilds or accept an offer of safety in the cities from a being known as the Herald. Deciding whether the Herald is out to save their souls or buy them sets off a chain of omen-ridden confrontations.
Cover Artist: Jack Gaughan.
Alternate Names: Andrew North, Andre Alice Norton, Allen Weston
Nick Shaw knows that the Cut off Road near his family's lakeside cabin has the reputation for being one of those places where people disappear from time to time, kind of like the Bermuda Triangle. So he's better prepared than we are when he and his new friend Linda find themselves propelled into an Arthurian Avalon full of mythical beasts, other timewarp travelers and menacing demons who attack from the air.
There's no way back from Avalon, and Nick and Linda must either become eternal fugitives in the wilds or accept an offer of safety in the cities from a being known as the Herald. Deciding whether the Herald is out to save their souls or buy them sets off a chain of omen-ridden confrontations.
January 25, 2013
Second book for my WWE Women of Genre Fiction challenge! I've been meaning to try reading Andre Norton since forever: I know she's not exactly neglected as a female SF/F writer, but she's one of those SF/F giants that I never found time for.
My choice was somewhat dictated by what was available. I wasn't sure what was in a series or not, or whether it mattered, so this one -- obviously a standalone -- caught my eye in the second-hand shop. I always love the idea of fairytale creatures and the real world crossing over, the idea that there's a reason why we used to believe in such things even though we've never seen them before.
I have no idea if this was a good specimen of Andre Norton's work, though. I found it slow, in the first two thirds or so, maybe even three quarters. There was a slow, slow build-up to a massive finish, with the characters taking a huge step in their development in barely a page, at the end... I felt a little cheated, there: I wanted to see an agony of indecision, not the helpless acceptance that we seem to see at the end.
Parts of it are beautiful, though -- the descriptions of the city, of Rita, and the whole character of the Vicar. He was so locked into his faith, in a way that's alien to me. To me, "there is only one source after all, but from it many rivers"; the faith and singleness of belief that the Vicar displays, choosing his one river and following it, not denying the rest but holding to the rightness of that choice -- I admire his faith, but I can't emotionally understand his unwillingness to change when he accepts that the other choices aren't evil, are just as valid. He seems to still say, in the end, "my way is the only way" -- that's what's so difficult for me, though maybe it can be seen as "my way is the only way for me", and that does ring true.
Anyway, I think I enjoyed it overall, but it really was rather slow and, for a while, pretty dry. I don't feel much for the main male and female protagonists, particularly because of how badly Nick sees women. I sort of wondered if Norton was going to have him come to any kind of realisation about that, as part of his growth, but I'm afraid he doesn't.
My choice was somewhat dictated by what was available. I wasn't sure what was in a series or not, or whether it mattered, so this one -- obviously a standalone -- caught my eye in the second-hand shop. I always love the idea of fairytale creatures and the real world crossing over, the idea that there's a reason why we used to believe in such things even though we've never seen them before.
I have no idea if this was a good specimen of Andre Norton's work, though. I found it slow, in the first two thirds or so, maybe even three quarters. There was a slow, slow build-up to a massive finish, with the characters taking a huge step in their development in barely a page, at the end... I felt a little cheated, there: I wanted to see an agony of indecision, not the helpless acceptance that we seem to see at the end.
Parts of it are beautiful, though -- the descriptions of the city, of Rita, and the whole character of the Vicar. He was so locked into his faith, in a way that's alien to me. To me, "there is only one source after all, but from it many rivers"; the faith and singleness of belief that the Vicar displays, choosing his one river and following it, not denying the rest but holding to the rightness of that choice -- I admire his faith, but I can't emotionally understand his unwillingness to change when he accepts that the other choices aren't evil, are just as valid. He seems to still say, in the end, "my way is the only way" -- that's what's so difficult for me, though maybe it can be seen as "my way is the only way for me", and that does ring true.
Anyway, I think I enjoyed it overall, but it really was rather slow and, for a while, pretty dry. I don't feel much for the main male and female protagonists, particularly because of how badly Nick sees women. I sort of wondered if Norton was going to have him come to any kind of realisation about that, as part of his growth, but I'm afraid he doesn't.
September 23, 2011
The premise of Here Abide Monsters is that there are gateways between our world and a parallel world (with similar geography) where unicorns and lamiae and other monsters of mythology live. Two young Americans pass through such a gateway, and must team up with the other trapped people they meet to...
...to what? Return to their own world and their own time? Overthrow the forces of evil? Befriend the forces of good? All of the above?
In a standard fantasy novel, sure, that’s exactly what would happen. But this isn’t a standard fantasy novel. It’s Andre Norton. We are instead drawn along on a philosophical journey exploring what it means to be human, the sources and importance of myths, and how (and whether) one can continue to observe one’s religion in this parallel world. I finished reading this book back in mid-January 2009, and haven’t finished digesting what I read. Like The Last Unicorn and Labyrinth, it is a fantasy with surprising depth. I recommend it.
...to what? Return to their own world and their own time? Overthrow the forces of evil? Befriend the forces of good? All of the above?
In a standard fantasy novel, sure, that’s exactly what would happen. But this isn’t a standard fantasy novel. It’s Andre Norton. We are instead drawn along on a philosophical journey exploring what it means to be human, the sources and importance of myths, and how (and whether) one can continue to observe one’s religion in this parallel world. I finished reading this book back in mid-January 2009, and haven’t finished digesting what I read. Like The Last Unicorn and Labyrinth, it is a fantasy with surprising depth. I recommend it.
December 6, 2022
"Interesting book! It's one to really pay attention to while reading. "
June 25, 2025
While driving with his car a young man takes a shortcut that is notorious because several people disappeared there. And the same happens to him.
I disliked the wild hodgepodge of ideas. Unicorns and UFOs in one alternate world? This just did not work for me. When Norton added yet another element, i.e. the influencing of reality by the human mind, I had enough and quit at page 100 of 160.
I disliked the wild hodgepodge of ideas. Unicorns and UFOs in one alternate world? This just did not work for me. When Norton added yet another element, i.e. the influencing of reality by the human mind, I had enough and quit at page 100 of 160.
August 2, 2021
I really should stop trying to read Science Fiction (also, this book masquerades as fantasy, but it isn't. Just because you have a unicorn show up at one point doesn't make your book fantasy).
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April 10, 2010?The description of this books seems to've been referring to a completely different book.
This is another of Norton's evocations of Tir na Nog. The tone is different from, say, Dread Companion. Several things remain constant, though, and they're things that probably should change. No attempt is made to establish peaceful communication with other abductees. One small group forms, later adds three more members (counting the dog), but there's no general attempt to establish trade, settlements, ets.
Further, the notion that there exist people who are baselessly, implacably evil (and so fit candidates for ) is genocide) is simply introduced undebated, and never questioned. The flying saucer aliens are (as usual for villains) undifferentiated, depersonalized plastic figurines. While heroes are presented as varied and fallible, villains are accounted no identity at all. If you saw things that way, it'd ameliorate your grief and guilt at murdering them--which is what makes this premise so dangerous.
This is another of Norton's evocations of Tir na Nog. The tone is different from, say, Dread Companion. Several things remain constant, though, and they're things that probably should change. No attempt is made to establish peaceful communication with other abductees. One small group forms, later adds three more members (counting the dog), but there's no general attempt to establish trade, settlements, ets.
Further, the notion that there exist people who are baselessly, implacably evil (and so fit candidates for ) is genocide) is simply introduced undebated, and never questioned. The flying saucer aliens are (as usual for villains) undifferentiated, depersonalized plastic figurines. While heroes are presented as varied and fallible, villains are accounted no identity at all. If you saw things that way, it'd ameliorate your grief and guilt at murdering them--which is what makes this premise so dangerous.
June 22, 2021
I first read this book in 1975 and it was definitely one of those books that stuck with me. Besides being peopled with unicorns and flying saucers it's got some philosophy under the grid, not your average YA novel. One thing I never noticed until I re-read it this time in 2021 is that this book is set in the "future." I don't know how I missed that when I was a kid. It was published in 1973 and one character clearly states that it is 1985. . . so not our future, but the future as far as the story goes.
The main character is capable and thoughtful. Although there is a girl, it's not a love story. (Maybe that's why I liked this book so much when I was ten.) It's an adventure story with an unusual ending. A synopsis I saw somewhere mentioned that "Nick" is fed up with his parents' divorce and I thought what? I didn't remember anything about parents or divorce. That's because that tension is mentioned in the first chapter and only briefly subsequently - - it's really not a big part of the story. Not like most YA where that would BE the story: messy divorce, kid runs off and has an adventure. No, this is a very different sort of adventure - our hero is catapulted unexpectedly into his journey; he isn't a run-away.
Looking back I realize one reason this book resonated with me as a child is that the core of the conflict is about discovering one's inner power. Kids love that stuff. I recommend this book for young adults, teens and tweens - it has held up well and is refreshingly not sexist for such an old book.
The main character is capable and thoughtful. Although there is a girl, it's not a love story. (Maybe that's why I liked this book so much when I was ten.) It's an adventure story with an unusual ending. A synopsis I saw somewhere mentioned that "Nick" is fed up with his parents' divorce and I thought what? I didn't remember anything about parents or divorce. That's because that tension is mentioned in the first chapter and only briefly subsequently - - it's really not a big part of the story. Not like most YA where that would BE the story: messy divorce, kid runs off and has an adventure. No, this is a very different sort of adventure - our hero is catapulted unexpectedly into his journey; he isn't a run-away.
Looking back I realize one reason this book resonated with me as a child is that the core of the conflict is about discovering one's inner power. Kids love that stuff. I recommend this book for young adults, teens and tweens - it has held up well and is refreshingly not sexist for such an old book.
June 17, 2024
I enjoyed it, but it was . . . odd? Like, usually when you have a revisiting of fairy folk or crossing over into their world type story, it's . . . internally coherent? In this one, you've got fairy folk and nixies, but also UFO's and demons and Avalon and . . . it seems a bit jumbled to me? Like where the lines are drawn between "The People" and Avalon was never clear to me, and the things that made certain choices unbearable to certain characters were never clear to me either. In the end an interesting work, but I feel like I enjoy more modern versions better, and I have enjoyed other books from Andre Norton much more.
October 12, 2017
This is definitely not my favorite of the Andre Norton books I've read, but it was interesting enough. I never really connected with any of the characters, although the Vicar, Mrs. Clapp, and Rita all had facets that I appreciated. I liked the ideas, especially the exploration of the power of belief, but the pacing of the story felt off to me, with not enough of importance happening in the first part of the book and too much crammed into the last part.
October 31, 2019
I like Andre Norton's storytelling whether it's fantasy like this book or her space novels like Galactic Derelict. Her writing is imaginative and creative yet her characters are thoughtful and intelligent. I agree that it is not one of her best but if you enjoy her writing it's worth reading. I've been reading her since the 1960's and still enjoy rereading her novels.
December 29, 2021
I'm sure there are many people who enjoy this book, but I wasn't wild about it. Too improbable and I'm not "into" monsters and such. I've probably read this before, but I don't remember it. I won't read it again. I'd guess my tastes have changed since then.
The dynamic between the small group of survivors is interesting, as well as the two pets.
The writing is solid and clean of errors.
The dynamic between the small group of survivors is interesting, as well as the two pets.
The writing is solid and clean of errors.
March 26, 2023
Criticism is wide off the mark.
February 20, 2024
2/5
This was my first Andre Norton, and boy was it middling.
It really does have an interesting concept: what if all mythical creatures, and human disappearances are from/go to the same alternate dimension of earth? Cool right? Well, Norton takes that decent start and does nothing much with it at all. Most of the time, she spends time about writing either lots of dialogue or internal monologue between the humans lost in the alternative realm, as they wring their hands about what they can do to save themselves. Little to no effort is put into descriptions of these fantastical places, the action that ensues, or on a decent plot.
Whats worse is the not so subtle subtext of christian allegory. The humans who lose themselves to 'The People" are redeemed, safe, and presumed a part of some greater collective. They gain powers that protect them from the horrors of the world, where those humans who refuse salvation stay and suffer because of their individual sins. Heaven and hell. Bleh.
There's also a weird YA tinge to the whole story, while the emotion and tone change wildly throughout. I did appreciate the mysterious/dream like quality that she was able to imbue the story with, but it's a little to tiny of a consolation prize.
Overall, it's not abhorrent, but it's nothing special either. I have a feeling the memory of this one will slip out of my mind within the next few weeks, hopefully to be replaced by something more deserving.
This was my first Andre Norton, and boy was it middling.
It really does have an interesting concept: what if all mythical creatures, and human disappearances are from/go to the same alternate dimension of earth? Cool right? Well, Norton takes that decent start and does nothing much with it at all. Most of the time, she spends time about writing either lots of dialogue or internal monologue between the humans lost in the alternative realm, as they wring their hands about what they can do to save themselves. Little to no effort is put into descriptions of these fantastical places, the action that ensues, or on a decent plot.
Whats worse is the not so subtle subtext of christian allegory. The humans who lose themselves to 'The People" are redeemed, safe, and presumed a part of some greater collective. They gain powers that protect them from the horrors of the world, where those humans who refuse salvation stay and suffer because of their individual sins. Heaven and hell. Bleh.
There's also a weird YA tinge to the whole story, while the emotion and tone change wildly throughout. I did appreciate the mysterious/dream like quality that she was able to imbue the story with, but it's a little to tiny of a consolation prize.
Overall, it's not abhorrent, but it's nothing special either. I have a feeling the memory of this one will slip out of my mind within the next few weeks, hopefully to be replaced by something more deserving.
March 15, 2009
Copying old review: I've been a huge fan of Andre Norton's work for many years now, but I have to say that I was a little disappointed in _Here Abide Monsters_. I just could *not* get into this book, at all. The story just seemed to drag on, and nothing was happening. I was two-thirds of the way though the book wondering how on EARTH Andre Norton was going to manage a decent ending.
The last third of the book, however, redeems the first 2/3s, and is the only reason that I am changing my initial rating of the book from a 2 to a 3. In a very short span of text, Norton manages to bring the story to its climax, and resolve it. The ending made wading through the rest of the novel *almost* worth it...but I think it is fair to say that this is definitely not the best, nor my favorite, of Andre Norton's works.
The last third of the book, however, redeems the first 2/3s, and is the only reason that I am changing my initial rating of the book from a 2 to a 3. In a very short span of text, Norton manages to bring the story to its climax, and resolve it. The ending made wading through the rest of the novel *almost* worth it...but I think it is fair to say that this is definitely not the best, nor my favorite, of Andre Norton's works.
August 28, 2016
I was torn between three stars and four. Clearly a fascinating adventure, Here Abide Monsters had a few too many characters—that is, "monsters"—for my taste. However I had no trouble finsihing it; indeed it was not easy to put down.
January 12, 2017
I really enjoyed this book and had a hard time putting it down quite often. I love the world it describes and all the creature and aliens of that world. Very action packed and really had my imagination going. One of those books you read and like to think about more of the story on your own.
October 27, 2010
A spectacular little blast of wild imagination.
March 8, 2024
I always said this was my favorite book from childhood. After reading it again, I would have to say no. It's a real mess and just not as rewarding as I remembered.
March 5, 2015
1982 grade C+
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