Storm Over Warlock

Forerunner #1B

by Andre Norton

The Throg task force struck the Terran survey camp a few minutes after dawn, without warning, and with a deadly precision which argued that the aliens had fully reconnoitered and prepared that attack. Eye-searing lances of energy lashed back and forth across the base with methodical accuracy. And a single cowering witness, flattened on a ledge in the heights above, knew that when the last of those yellow-red bolts fell, nothing human would be left alive down there. And so Shann Lantee, most menial of the Terrans attached to the camp on the planet Warlock, was left alone and weaponless in the strange, hostile world, the human prey of the aliens from space and the aliens on the ground alike.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Aliens, Adventure

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Andre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 1960.

Forerunner #1

[Jeff Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways when reading one Andre Norton novel is like reading all her novels. When I checked out her Wikipedia page I found this on recurring themes.

"Norton started out writing juvenile historical fiction and adventure, and then moved into fantasy and finally science fiction. Again and again in her works, alienated outsiders undertake a journey through which they realize their full potential; this emphasis on the rite of passage continued her association in many readers' minds with young adult fiction, although she became a best seller to adults.

In most Norton books, whether science-fiction or fantasy, the plot takes place in the open countryside, with only short episodes in a city environment. Protagonists usually move about singly or in small groups, and in conflict situations they are more often scouts, spies or guerrillas rather than regular soldiers in large military formations.

As could be expected of such characters, they tend to be resourceful and capable of taking independent initiative. In some books, protagonists are introduced already in possession of such characteristics. In others the protagonists (often young) are thrust into situations where they must develop them quickly, and invariably succeed at it."

That being said, even with recurring themes her novels are still enjoyable and usually well written. This book was no exception and it made for an interesting plot where a colony world is invaded by an enemy alien species and the hero of the novel works to keep from getting captured with the plot taking on some interesting directions.

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started last night. I've certainly heard of the author, though I don't recall having read one of his/her books before. The cover image is not exact, but it's the only one that depicts a bug-"person"(Throg) on the cover.

Moving on ... this 1960 book(my edition is a hardbound book, not paperback) in some ways resembles the later-published(1967?) "The Demon Breed"(aka "The Tuvela" by James H. Schmidt. The nasty invading aliens, the semi-sentient badgers(otters in the later book). The "hounds" in this book = the nasty tarms in "Demon Breed." She tells her story very well, though it seems like a pretty typical space opera of its time.

I'm at about the middle of this story and it's still a page-turner. Very well written.

And so to the alien inhabitants of Warlock. One reviewer writes that Norton's aliens have the quality of being REALLY alien, but I'm not so sure. Most sci-fi aliens have to be relatable to some degree or else the drama or whatever in the story is missing. Jack Vance does this well ... If you want to encounter something REALLY alien, read "Solaris" - great book.

- "wild surmise" pops up - think Keats

- lots of typos all of a sudden

- Shann marooned = Tom Hanks in "Castaway"

Finished last night with this solid sci-fi tale from the 60's. This is also the first of five books in the "Forerunner" series. It wasn't so great that I necessarily want to read the sequels, however. UPDATE: I did just read(#3 in the series(Forerunner), and it was pretty good to.

- 3.25* = 3* rounded off.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the first science fiction books I read. I was completely blown away by it as a kid. I found it at the local library (with the same cover shown) and I must've taken it out at least three times.

Sometime in third grade the entire school was told to dress as a character from their favorite book. I dressed as Shan Lantee, in my purple jumpsuit with "SURVEY" printed across the back in black electrical tape. Not a single person in my school had any idea who I was. I kinda liked that.

I'd love to get my hands on a copy of this book and reread it. It's been about 30 years, but names and the images my mind's eye conjured are still floating around in my head.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reread planned. I have a Hoopla ebook out from the library 4/25/22

First published 1960, when I was 14. So this may be the one I mentioned at "Forerunner Foray"? On deck for TBR. Of course, now I have a BUNCH of new library books to read first, before they come due. It never rains but it pours! A good problem to have.

April 2022 update: wrong book! I read and then skimmed before stalling and giving up. Not for me. SFAICT, I'd never seen this one before. But the old Norton books were pretty formulaic.

[Wilson E. Stevens Sr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read this when it came out in the 60's. I liked it because it continues the Andre Norton theme of the underdog youth who triumphs over all hardship with perseverance and tenacity. I feel it introduced the first bug alien in Science Fiction. I also liked the Wolverines in the book, which was an early introduction to what became later the beast master series of books.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shann Lantee, a poor and uneducated young man, feels fortunate to have achieved his goal of being included on a survey team of Terrans seeking out new planets to colonize. Unfortunately, here on the planet of Warlock, the team’s survey camp has been attacked and all but destroyed by the Throgs, an alien race of beetle-like beings that have plagued mankind’s ascendancy to the stars for more than a century. Shann must not only somehow survive against the Throgs but also, along with his two pet wolverines, determine the nature of the local planetary species, known for now as the Warlockians, and carve out some sort of a future for himself.

First published in 1960, this was one of the first novels to appear under Alice Mary Norton’s pseudonym, Andre Norton. It also begins the “Forerunner” series which features a vanished alien race whose power was incomprehensible if the artifacts left behind are any indication. The series also loosely ties in with other Andre Norton series, most notably in the description of the “witches” found on the planet Warlock.

The novel is fairly typical of an Andre Norton yarn. We have a protagonist with a less-than-ideal background, traveling across the wilderness in a largely solo affair, to ultimately surprise everyone, including himself with a profound contribution. The aliens encountered along the way are well-developed and unique, a hallmark of Norton’s work. There is plenty of adventure along the way, but also a lot of introspection from Shann. Along his journey, he discovers another Terran survivor, a survey team officer who begins by taking Shann for granted but who ultimately recognizes Shann’s grit and wisdom. It’s sort of a coming-of-age novel, which is also not surprising given the majority of the author's output as well as her origins as a young-adult writer.

An interesting tale that pulls me toward reading more from the prolific Andre Norton.

[Robert Adam Gilmour · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has an aesthetic of old generic science fiction that I can easily imagine a very deliberately retro cartoon tapping into (in a sort of Ariel Pink way). Ships like plates, insect people and reptile people, a colorful planet (but not especially lush) with glowing plants.

In the author biography page, Norton describes herself as being a staid teller of old fashioned stories. The style did come across slightly odd to me, not quite wooden or robotic but staid is probably closer. I've seen someone describe her writing as detached but there is a definite investment in the characters and the observations about gender/species relations are hardly without emotion.

Main character Shann is black and in 1960 that was unusual, he is one of two human survivors on a planet attacked by insect people (it is often written like a survival journal). A love of animals comes across in the depiction of the two wolverine pets.

I was worried this was going to be a simple humans vs insect people story but it gets more interesting when the dreams and reptile people are focused on. I was kept guessing about the trajectory and even close to the end I really couldn't tell where it was going. But ultimately I cant recommend this because every situation is over-explained to tedium and although there are interesting things in here, nothing to make the journey feel like it was all worthwhile.

My bedside oxford dictionary didn't really describe fiords (or fjords) very well because after an online image search, it changes the look of this fictional landscape considerably.

I should have started with another Norton book. The reason I chose this one is because I happened to find it in a charity shop last year and someone on a Norton thread recommended Forerunner Foray (the third book in the series, only tenuously linked to the previous two). Despite feeling let down, I do actually want the first omnibus because the next two books sound much better, but who knows, some people love this book. But next I'm going to the short stories, Wheel Of Stars (someone said it was a good horror fantasy) and Search For The Star Stones omnibus and Solar Queen omnibus.
I'm determined to know what Norton is all about.

[Carla Remy · Rating 3 out of 5]

From 1960
When I was a kid, I remember being at the library and seeing a whole row of Andre Norton paperbacks. And I remember thinking, because I have the same last name, who is this mysterious Andre Norton? And picturing a shadowy figure of a man, and thinking, boy, he's written a lot of books. So it was funny to find out the prolific writer was a woman named Alice Norton.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never turn your back on a Throg. That's one important lesson to be learned from Shann Lantee. Another is, there are actually women in the early Norton universe playing a dominant and important role.

Young Shann, a typical Norton hero - no surviving family and ready to fight his way up regardless - believes he has been left alone and stranded on the fringe planet of Warlock after his Terran Survey party is gunned down by a Throg task force. Alone but for his wolverine companions - there is almost a hint of a Beast Master in their relationship. However, Warlock is far from uninhabited by sentient beings. First Shann comes across another human, one of Norton's beloved Viking descendants, Ragnar Thorvald, straight-limbed, square-jawed, and as rugged as they come. He is also fleeing the Throgs and together they move in order to survive, not knowing there is a power drawing them to a particular destination.

It seems Thorvald has possession of an alien artefact - it is not unlike the much later The Zero Stone. He has no idea what it is but it is that medallion-shaped object which is pulling them southward. It is when they reach the Sea Islands that Norton introduces her innovation. Living there, under the ground, is a Warlockian race controlled by its women. Women who can command the minds of others and which power leads them to regard men as an inferior species suited only to work and breeding. It is a strong hint pointing towards the later Witch World series, in fact Shann insists on calling them Witches, though Thorvald insists they are Wyverns. Eventually Shann and Thorvald make their peace with the Wyverns, however, there are still the Throgs - and Shann manages to be captured by them. Brave lad that he is, he outwits them and guides a Patrol ship in to slaughter them with the help of the Wyverns.

The story is not strong on science; however, the Norton imagination dazzles as ever and the adventure speeds along at Norton's usual breathless pace. But it is the Wyverns who hold centre-stage. Dominant women in a juvenile science fiction novel from 1960? It's hard to believe.

[Rikard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The protagonist works on a newly established outpost on a foreign planet. The evil Throgs attack and he becomes one of two survivors of the attack.

When the survivors make contact with an indigenuos humanoid lifeform things start to move forward.

As always in Andre Norton’s books the world-building is excellent.

Five stars.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Storm Over Warlock is classic Andre Norton space opera. A young man who has been typically underestimated proves to have skills highly valuable to the situation in which he finds himself: alone on an alien planet, attempting to make friendly contact with the natives and avoid the enemies pursuing him. Sounds kind of like the plot of The X Factor, doesn’t it? And yet the story is totally different.

Shann Lantee is an undersized, street-smart Terran who, despite being poor and uneducated, has managed to become part of the Survey Corps, an organization that searches out and settles colonizable planets. The Terrans operate under the constant fear of the Throgs, an alien species that is in the habit of murdering Terrans and looting their bases. Shann is part of the team that attempts to settle Warlock and is interrupted by a Throg attack. He is the only survivor.

Various hijinks ensue, and Shann, with the help of another Terran and the natives of Warlock, fights off the Throgs and makes Warlock safe for democracy. As is typical of Andre Norton stories, the tale is tightly plotted and well-written, the characters fairly well-realized, and the aliens original and unique. A good read.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just recently found out that Andre Norton was actually a women. That has nothing to do with this review other than I think it’s really cool. Now, on to the review:

I’m actually a Norton/classic Sci-Fi fan, but I just had a really hard time getting into this book. I love the wolverines, I even like the main character, but the plot just wasn’t moving along for me. Personally I think that her other works are better, and if you’re looking to getting into some of her books I would go with “The Plague Ship” before you start on this one.

I’m giving it a 2 because I didn’t hate it, I just didn’t really like it. I reserve my 1 stars for books that I loathe or think completely unredeemable. In fact, I didn’t mind reading it until the last chapter (the climax, ironically), when it really started to lose my attention.

I listened to this book for free on Librivox.org and would like to thank Mark Nelson for his (always) excellent readings.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this enjoyable survival story in the 1960's. Shann is the only survivor of an alien attack on his survey team. They were on an alien planet when the attack occurred. Shann survived because he was away from camp during the attack. He was trying to bring back two mutant woverines. He sets off to survive on his own with two wolverines and later another crashed Survey Officer.

[Michael Laflamme · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome! Vintage Norton.

This story was full of surprising turns. Not the usual alien menace story, but something much more sophisticated. Imagined contact with two alien groups of vastly different cultures. Well done!

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do very alien species communicate and eventually work together? When Norton writes of an alien, they are indeed alien.

[Shane Ver Meer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, sweet, to the point. The function of dreams in the story is pretty neat. My main drive to read older sci-fi such as this is to gain a sense of the imagination of people who had yet to witness man landing on the Moon. That makes these works endlessly fascinating, even when they aren't particularly riveting. 3 out of 5 with rice.

[jersey9000 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got a pretty sweet Kindle bundle of seven of Ms. Norton's books, so I am currently working through them. I have heard of her books and stories for years, but I don't think that I have actually read anything from her, until now.

So this book was written in the 60s, and it didn't seem to age very well, at least for me. She is an evocative writer, for sure. Her description of the planet and the various races was good, and the little kid in me has a soft spot for old school sci fi (as my Megapack reviews show), but I found the plot to be pretty lame. The book seemed more about setting up the world then moving a story along. Is this the beginning of a series? If so, that'd make sense.

It's basically a sci fi take on the whole "boy stranded by himself on an island/strange country/new planet and has to survive using his wits/lasers/animal sidekicks, whereby he saves the world/country/girlfriend and finds his true inner strength (like the plot of my first book, The Learning Curve- cheap plug, I know). So, nothing new there, but the writing style is good. I am curious to read the other books.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norton, Andre. Storm over Warlock. Forerunner No. 1. Ace, 1960.
Andre Norton wrote novels in the Forerunner universe from time to time over twenty-five years. Storm over Warlock is the first. A Terran survey camp on the planet Warlock is attacked by off-planet aliens. Two survivors, Shann, a menial laborer, and his officer, escape into the surrounding wilderness. What follows is an island-castaway survival story. The wildlife in the jungle and in the sea is dangerous. But Shann, aided by two trained wolverines (no kidding), is managing until his officer begins acting strangely, hijacks their makeshift boat, and leaves Shann and his animals behind. Things get more difficult when sentient mind-controlling aliens show up. All in all, this is classic adventure space opera fantasy. It is certainly the first story I have read with trained wolverines. Three stars with a bonus star for the wolverines.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third 2015
Second 1994
First read 1983,


I just reread this, and with a few more years and a bunch more books, I have to say that it reads better to me now. It brings us another tale of a discarded youth striving to improve himself and his chances in life. He works hard to make a difference and get noticed in a positive way.

I did have to wonder how he would have handled the bully if said bully had stayed around. The lack of proper settlement of that is the only downside to this story.


Note - the picture on my copy matches the attachment but the ISBN matches to a different picture.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to reread this because I remember reading it during my childhood, but did not remember anything about it. Some interesting twists toward the end seem memorable, I had totally forgotten about the indigenous aliens and their interesting culture, although I was a bit ruffled by the gender stereotyping of aliens, but other than that the plot was a bit too dry for me and the characters, except for some perfunctory details, were exceedingly flat. It could be classified as an action-adventure, but the "action" is more of the Robinson Crusoe survivalist type and didn't really engage me.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Andre Norton in high school and read thrlugh as many of her books as I could, but she kept writing the so fast even I(read500 words a minute) could not keep ahead of her. Storm over warlock Is a perfect example of Norton, telpathic aliens, animals and people in the most amizing settings. If it is by Norton I'll like it.

[Jim Mcclanahan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 1960 Andre Norton YA story. Even by the standards of fiction aimed for juvinile audiences, this one was a tad disappoitning. The characters were pretty much all one-dimensional and the story was just about the hero v. various critturs, aliens and witches. Pretty shallow. I may not read any of the sequels.

[Anna Ballard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good science-fiction before it became sci-fi. I would have enjoyed it immensely back in my late teens, early 20's when I was actively searching out science fiction. I still enjoyed it even 4 decades later. I will continue to read the collection of Andre Norton that I have recently found.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an old science fiction story that can't quite decide if it's a commentary on war or the human psyche. The book ends without a resolution to this conundrum.

[Faith Justice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norton is hitting her stride with this early novella: great action, sympathetic characters, fascinating aliens, and genetically modified wolverines! It's fun seeing her growth as a writer as I plow through a megapack containing her earliest works.

The Andre Norton Megapack - works read so far:

Plague Ship - 1940 - 3*
The People Of The Crater - 1947 - 3*
Voodoo Planet - 1955 - 3*
Star Born - 1957 - 4*
The Time Traders - 1958 - 3*
Storm Over Warlock - 1961 - 4*

I loved reading Norton as a kid--particularly the Witch World and Time Trader series--and would probably have added a star to all these ratings, if Goodreads existed back then. The current ratings are based on modern sensibilities with a reverence for classic pulp science fiction.

[5t4n5 Dot Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ok little sci-fi story.   Andre was the earliest of women sci-fi writers, even before Ursula K Le Guin, and this book certainly feels quite old school in that it has quite a few elements that you're more likely to find in pure fantasy books these days.

Not really the kind of thing i would think the youth would be into these days, but for us old school types who enjoy going back in time and don't care if people mix witches, warlocks and dream spells in with their lasers, spaceships and food pills it's quite an enjoyable little read and a wonderful piece of sci-fi history.

Essentially, a scout team are on a new planet, named 'Warlock', setting things up when aliens arrive and destroy them all, except the youngest and newest member of the team and two wolverines.   Then it becomes a case of surviving on an alien planet while being hunted by the aliens.   And so the story begins as more things are discovered about the planet and its native flora and fauna along the way.

Available as a single book or in the collection, 'Visions of Distant Shores'.

[Josh Galbraith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that it was an interesting read, and the book did a great job at conveying the sense that the characters were on an alien world. It felt actually unknown, with a varied topography and climate zones (unlike many sci-fi planets that are basically a planet made entirely of one of the climate zones of earth, preferably desert of jungle).

The main character was well defined, and had a good arc.. At the same time I felt like there were odd jumps, where the entire way the character related to the world shifted with no explanation. In the end it felt somewhat like the reading equivalent of a documentary, and I would have been fine with the death of any of character.

[Catherine Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

55 cents bought a 15 book "Megapack" of Andre Norton books from Kindle. This novel was one I had never read. Ms. Norton was a remarkable writer in many ways. Her novels from the 50s and early sixties are interesting for the ways that they reflect the political climate of the U.S. at the time as well as for her ability to describe plausible alien landscapes. She also exhibits a sympathy for abused or lonely children in this and other novels that was very appealing to me as a child and still is at the age of 70.

[Martyn Vaughan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Interstellar Pot Boiler from Andre Norton. The hero is one of 2 survivors of an attack from the evil Throgs on the Terran base on planet Warlock. He and his two wolverines (sic) must survive a hostile environment whilst fleeing from the Throgs who intend claiming planet Warlock for themselves.
He and the only other survivor meet a race of intelligent Warlockians who have Psi powers. After some misunderstandings they team up and together drive the hated Throgs from Warlock.

Suitable for a long train journey but not much else.