Beast Master's Planet: Omnibus of Beast Master and Lord of Thunder (Beastmaster)

Beast Master's Planet: Omnibus of Beast Master and Lord of Thunder (Beastmaster)
Average customer rating:

An Amerindian on Arzor

Grateful for this omnibus edition

Beast Master's Planet

Omnibus Book

Beast Master's Planet: Omnibus of Beast Master and Lord of Thunder (Beastmaster)
Andre Norton , and Lyn McConchie
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Norton, Andre | ( N ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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Moonsinger

ASIN: 0765313278
Release Date: 2005-04-14

Book Description

'This is an exciting adventure story,and first-ratescience-fiction.' -ST.LOUIS GLOBE DEMOCRAT I n 1959 Andre Norton published The Beast Master, an exciting science fiction adventure that introduced Hosteen Storm, one of her most popular heroes. Storm is a Navajo scout for Earth's forces in the future. When Earth is destroyed by the alien Xik, Storm becomes a rancher on frontier planet Arzor. In telepathic rapport with a team of animals, he is the closest thing the planetary Confederacy has to law on Arzor. In this novel and its sequel, Lord of Thunder(1962), he finds that safeguarding the colonists, the native aboriginals, and the natural resources of the planet is a full-time job full of action and excitement. Arzor's ruins of a bygone race present their own puzzles and problems, but thwarting a genocidal plot of a crazed war vet turns his job into a deadly challenge.

Customer Reviews:

An Amerindian on Arzor.......2007-08-05

Beast Master's Planet (2005) is an omnibus edition of the first two SF novels in the Beast Master series. It includes The Beast Master and Lord of Thunder. The action takes place on Arzor, a human colonized planet, but with intelligent natives and alien ruins. The situation is much like that of the Spanish settlers among the southwestern tribes in the North American plains.

In The Beast Master (1959), Hosteen Storm is a native of Terra and an Amerindian. He is also a Galactic Commando and a Beast Master with an unusual affinity with animals, who is mustering out of the service to be repatriated on Arzor. "The last desperate thrust of the Xik invaders had left Terra...a deadly blue, radioactive cinder", leaving the native Terrans homeless and in shock. Some had gone mad, killing themselves and others. Finally, all Terran troops had been forcibly disarmed. Since Hosten has not displayed any symptoms of such delayed shock, the service medics reluctantly agreed they could not deny Storm's release.

Storm travels with Baku, Ho, Hing and Surra -- his commando team -- to Arzor on a troop ferry and then looks for employment herding horses to the auction to be held during the Gathering at Irrawady Crossing. To prove his ability to ride, he tames a young stallion and introduces him to Surra, the dune cat. When the horse tolerates the cat breathing in his nose, Storm gets the job without further questioning. He claims the stallion as his working mount and names him Rain-On-Dust.

Since the horse herd is an attraction for covetous natives as well as wild animals, Surra patrols the camp at night and Baku, the African Black Eagle, scouts the route by day as they proceed cross-country to the Gathering. On the first night, they encounter a yoris and Storm, Surra and Baku kill the lizard in a coordinated attack before it can harm the horses. But its scent and hissing causes the horses to stampede.

With the herd scattered all over the area, the drivemaster hires some Norbies, the local native sentients, to track down the horses. It soon becomes evident that someone has separated the herd and stashed the small bands in out of the way places. However, even the Norbie trackers cannot determine who has done this.

While the horses are being returned to the herd, Storm spends some time gentling a few of the wild stock to replace riding animals lost in the stampede. The other men soon come to respect his skills and he gains an even closer relationship with Put Larkin -- the drivemaster -- and Dort Lancin -- an old Arzor hand -- who is teaching him finger talk and other lore. However, Coll Bister has developed a hostile attitude toward Storm for some unknown reason.

Storm has also become accepted by the Norbies as a fighting man with a fighting bird totem. Gorgol, the youngest of the trackers, is drawn to Storm by admiration and curiosity, providing him with lots of chances to practice finger talk as he answers Gorgol's questions.

At the gathering, Storm fends off a couple of attempts to kill or maim him, in which Bister seems to be involved, and meets Brad Quade, the man he has come to Arzor to see, but not quite yet. He accepts a job with the Survey Service to locate and explore the Sealed Caves within the High Peaks.

In Lord of Thunder (1962), Storm is returning to the Quade place after staking his claim within the Peaks country. It's the Big Dry season, so nobody rides during the heat of the day. He takes shelter in a cave and finds the Norbie warrior Gorgol there before him.

Gorgol is working for Storm this season. Storm expected him to be back at the Quade spread watching the horses. After explaining that he had left the horses in the Quade corral, Gorgol tells Storm that all the natives have been recalled to their clans for medicine talk.

Storm knows better than to probe too deeply into medicine talk, but he is quite puzzled by the recalls. Usually the Norbies urge warriors to hire on with the settlers during Big Dry season, if for no other reason than to reduce the number of thirsty mouths drinking scarce water. Of course, these warriors are commonly paid in horses and the clans are always short of the offworld creatures.

This recall puts a cramp in a lot of plans. Most settlers in the Peaks will be short of riders with the natives gone back to their clans. After the land cools down, Gorgol heads into the mountains and Storm rides toward the Quade ranch.

Upon returning home, Storm finds Brad Quade hosting an impromptu settler conclave on the native recall. Rig Dumaroy is busily running his mouth about native uprisings, although he is finding fewer settlers willing to listen to him after his mistaken accusations during the Xik attacks a few months ago. Brad Quade, the Lancin brothers and a few other level-headed settlers are more concerned about the shortage of riders.

During this conversation, Storm learns that the natives have moved out of their home ranges and are heading into the Blue range. No settler knows much about that section of mountains, although Logan -- Storm's half-brother -- probably knows more than anyone else. But Logan has not returned from his visit with the Shosonna clan and is probably traveling with them toward the meeting.

When the conclave ends, Brad Quade points out that Storm has a claim to file. The next day, he should take a 'copter into Galwadi to make his claim and then he can find some extra riders to hire. He could also try to meet with Kelson and learn what the Peace Officer knows about this strange native behavior.

These stories introduce outside forces into Arzor affairs, raising the possibility of native uprisings. Even the Norbies, who are friendly and used to human customs, have problems with settlers such as Rig Dumaroy, who definitely doesn't hire native riders. On the other hand, Storm and the Quades have friends among the natives. Logan Quade has even been adopted into the Shosonna clan.

These novels are vintage Norton, but with an older protagonist than usual. However, there is the psionic bond between man and animal, natives who are strangely like his own kin, and a deadly danger that must be faced. Moreover, there is the element of hope that survives among disaster.

Highly recommended for Norton fans and anyone who enjoys tales of competent and talented persons, dangerous but friendly animals, and mysterious alien artifacts.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Grateful for this omnibus edition.......2007-07-30

My originals of the two books collected in this omnibus were so old and ragged that I was tremdously grateful that they were re-printed! Andre, or Mary Alice, Norton was one of the shining lights among women writers in science fiction, and we will miss her. And never was her writing better than in Beast Master and Lord of Thunder.

New readers, beware! Andre Norton is addicting, and mostly you have to locate her books in the Young Readers sections. The saving grace is that she was also a prolific writer (two whole shelves on my bookshelves!) so that it will take a while to read them all. She is one writer you can give a young reader without worry about too much violence or "adult" content, and she liked to write about younger heros/heroines before they were a more widespread phenomenon. But her books cover some wonderful, thought-provoking topics, as timely now as they were when she wrote them.

Beast Master's Planet.......2006-10-09

Ok--while I do not own this book--I do own the 2 stories that it contains (4 copies of Beast Master and 2 of Lord of Thunder--what can I say--I'm a major Andre Norton fan) and the 2 stories are GREAT. The little blurb provided by the publisher frankly does nothing to engage a possible reader's attention.

Basically Hosteen Storm (called only Storm by his own choice) is one of the few survivors of an Earth that has been totally destroyed during a war with an alien race. There are many human settled worlds tho, so there is still no shortage of humans in the galaxy. Storm, with his beast team, 2 meercats, an African Black Eagle and a Sand Cat (all genetically enhanced so that they are at least semi-intelligent and also able to telepathically communicate with Storm and each other) come to Arzor to settle. Altho there is a secondary agenda on Storm's part. While riding herd they become mixed up in other adventures.

These are the first 2 of a 5 part story arc. Altho many years elapsed between the publishing of these 2 and the other 3 books in the series. While I have enjoyed the other 3 books in the series (Beast Master's Ark, Beast Master's Circus and Beast Master's Quest) these 2 are my favourites in the arc of stories. Because of the almost 25 years between the publishing of books 1 and 2 (comprised in this book) and books 3,4 and 5, you can really see the difference in attitudes that have occured in even that short a time.

The stories in this book are also popular with younger fans (6th grade reading level and above), especially with boys. I was 13 myself when I found Andre and have been an addict ever since.

Omnibus Book.......2006-03-19

Excellent single book containg both stories. Saves shelf space. These are both intriguing narratives of a possible future.

Average customer rating:

Beast Masters Quest
Very Very Disappointed
this book is recommend to all
Beast Master's Quest
Beast Master Saga Continues in Triumph

Beast Master's Quest (Beastmaster)
Andre Norton , and Lyn McConchie
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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Moonsinger

ASIN: 0765314533
Release Date: 2006-05-30

Book Description

Readers will welcome this new novel in the highly popular and award-winning Beast Master series. Set in the future on the frontier world of Arzor, at its heart are the beast masters, people gifted with telepathy and trained to work and communicate mind-to-mind with teams of animals. Laris, a young, orphaned, ex-refugee who has the beast master ability, has bonded with a remarkably intelligent and mysterious cat-like creature named Prauo. Having made a home for herself with the Quades, a family of Arzor ranchers, Laris also becomes friends with beast masters Tani and Hosteen Storm. When Laris inherits a spaceship, she realizes that she might fulfill her dream of finding Prauos home planet. But it wont be easy, and she is relieved when she is able to convince her adopted family to embark with her on a journey into the unknown depths of space. What Laris and her friends find, however, tests their abilities and threatens their very lives. Working together with Hosteen and Tani, Laris can only hope that they will all get back to Arzor alive. This exciting action and adventure novel will keep readers on the edge of their chairs until the very last page.

Customer Reviews:

Beast Masters Quest.......2007-09-14

I have enjoyed Andre Norton's stories since finding my first one in my elementary schools'library nearly 40 years ago. This was tedious and difficult to maintain any interest in. I've tried to look at it as a stand alone novel; no go. It's just not a very good story. Thankfully, Ms. Norton's estate is re-releasing her original stories for fans old and new to enjoy. Track those down and read a real story tellers masterful hand. The other continuations were at least readable, but please don't waste your time and money on this one.

Very Very Disappointed.......2007-08-10

I was really looking forward to this book. As soon as it became available, I grabbed it. I have not read it all the way through, but after being a fan of Andre Norton since high school (I'm now 60) I have found it the most juvenile book I have ever read. Not up to par at all. Her co-author should go back to writing school. I will finish it, but not right now. Have to be in the mood. I really liked Beastmaster Circus and thought it would be a follow up of that book. Not.

this book is recommend to all.......2007-07-10

For those of you who might not have read the beast master series I highly recommend that you read it before this one but the entire series is great : )

Beast Master's Quest.......2007-01-04

I found this to be a great addition to my Andre Norton books

Beast Master Saga Continues in Triumph.......2006-11-05

I still have the original Beast Master title in soft cover, and I still reread it. I also have every story that followed. Beast Master Quest is a worthy continuation. It will be reread many, many times as well. I'm in my 6th decade, and I still thrill to Andre Norton's fantastic stories.

Average customer rating:

Beast Master's Circus
not up to the Grand Master's best
Another Tale in the Norton Tradition
somewhat lusterless
fine Beast Master aimed at young teens

Beast Master's Circus (Beastmaster)
Andre Norton , and Lyn McConchie
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Adventure | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

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The Duke's Ballad (Witch World Chronicles)

ASIN: 0765300427

Book Description

A new original adventure in Andre Norton's popular Beast Master SF series ith Beast Master and Lord of Thunder Andre Norton created one of her most popular characters, Hosteen Storm, a soldier for Earth who is part of the Beast Master corps. With his team of animals with whom he communicates telepathically, Storm lives on the planet Arzor, where he uses his military training and team of animals to protect the residents of the planet, human and otherwize. In Beast Master's Circus Arzor is visited by a circus that features a young woman, Laris, who has been sold into bondage to Dedran, the circus's manager. Laris works with a number of alien species to perform entertaining feats of derring-do. And Laris has become aware of the disturbing ties Dedran has to the secret interstellar Thieves Guild. The Guild seeks to breed or clone telepathic beasts for their own purposes, and they have been killing beast masters who stand in their way. Now, Arzor's beast masters are their target. They'll stop at nothing to get to the beasts . . . unless Laris can somehow find away to warn Storm and Tani. . . .

Customer Reviews:

Beast Master's Circus.......2007-01-19

Entertaining, keeps the story going (Beast Master) without lapses. Lyn McConchie is an author worth reading on her own "standing."

not up to the Grand Master's best.......2005-03-29

I wanted to like this book. I tried to like it, I really did. But this book failed to capture me. I love Andre Norton and grew up reading her. The first sci-fi I ever read as a kid was Andre Norton's Solar Queen books, and I quite like the new collaborations written in the SQ universe.

Even as an adult, I can pick up and re-read with great enjoyment most of her books. I often pull out my copies of "Catseye" or "Moon of Three Rings" or "Flight in Yiktor" for a great few hours of reading.

I'm afraid I won't be re-reading this book. For while the basic idea of this book is vintage Norton, the writing failed to pull me in like the best of her books always do. The switching point of view threw me out of Laris' character, but then again she didn't come across as a very compelling character to begin with. The writing was noticeably choppy to the point where I had to put the book down in frustration several times.

It's a fairly mediocre successor to the excellent "Beastmaster" in my opinion.

Another Tale in the Norton Tradition.......2004-03-28

Beast Master's Circus is the fourth novel in the Beast Master series, following Beast Master's Ark. In the previous volume, the Ark came to Arzor with DNA samples and live animals from the devastated Earth. Storm Hosteen inquires about mates for his team and meets Tani, a genetic engineer and niece of the couple running the Ark. Storm and Tani work together to investigate a mystery called the Death-which-comes-in-the-night and discover that the Xik have brought deadly clicker swarms to Arzor. Together they lead the fight to defeat the Xiks and eradicate the voracious creatures.

In this novel, Storm and Tani are presented with the mystery of Laris, a young orphan from the refugee camps who performs in Dedran's Circus. Logan Quade is much taken by the young woman and invites her to the main ranch. Brad Quade also becomes fond of his son's new friend and offers to investigate her past. When Laris agrees, Brad starts sending messages to the camps and other sources to determine her history.

Laris is very good with animals and has a special friend of her own, the cat-like Prauo. Laris found Prauo as a bedraggled kitten on the outskirts of a spaceport. Laris took him back to the circus, fed and sheltered him, and he grew rather large. Laris and Prauo gradually developed the ability to communicate emotions and images and lately have been able to see with each other's eyes, but they have also been able to exchange thoughts since Prauo's last growth spurt.

Jas Cregan is an animal trainer with the circus. A former beast master, he has been damaged somehow so that he can no longer link with the animals. He is not quite sane and blames the other beast masters for his problems. Dedran is using him to acquire the enhanced animals from beast master teams, but the animals always die when separated from their masters. Now Dedran is after the enhanced animals partnered with Storm and Tani.

This story depicts a young woman in a moral and legal quandary. She has signed a bond of indenture as Dedran's servant to get out of the refugee camp. Although she was underage at the time, Laris knows that Dedran can use his contacts in the Thieves Guild to counteract any legal complaints that she might pursue. Moreover, Dedran would certainly take Prauo away from her. Nonetheless, Laris risks all to try to help Storm and Tani.

The story follows the customary style of this author's science fiction, involving young persons and their symbiotic partners in a fight to gain liberty from an oppressive social situation. It slowly reveals the backstory of Laris and Cregan. In addition, the story reveals more about Bright Sky, Tani's father and a Cheyenne beast master, and his defense of Trastor against the Xiks.

Highly recommended for Norton & McConchie fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of determined young persons linked with clever, and sometimes sapient, animals.

-Arthur W. Jordin

somewhat lusterless.......2004-03-26

This is the first beast master book I have read, and probably the only one that I will. It is directed more towards young readers, and is rather lackluster. Laris seems to have no opinions or mind of her own, and slavishly allows herself to be used by the circus owner who is also her bondmaster. Since she has been illegally bonded to him, she could have announced this on various planets the circus has visited, and be freed. The author tries to give her a conscious, but she never seems to use it, even when it would be in her best interest. In the end, she betrays those who befriended her, then tries to atone and they are astonishinly forgiving.

fine Beast Master aimed at young teens.......2004-02-08

The orphan Laris is held in servitude bondage by Dedran the Circus Master until she attains the credits to can pay for her freedom. Though Laris loves the animals that she cares for, she equally loathes the avaricious Dedran, who is nasty and abusive to everyone. As she tours from planet to planet on The Queen of the Circus vessel, Laris and the big alien feline Prauo forge a telepathic bond that she hides from her master for fear of the consequences.

As the troupe heads towards Arzor, Laris learns that Dedran plans to help his fellow Thieves Guild members steal and clone special animals. At Arzor, Laris befriends several Beast Masters on the planet, but hides her skill to communicate with her big cat that she shares in common with her new pals for fear that Dedran will harm them. Still if she is to stop Dedran and the Thieves Guild from their odious scheme of harming beasts, she needs allies beyond just the few "malcontents" that journey with her as part of the circus.

The latest Beast Master tale is targeted towards a young teen audience as the story line is simplistic in its good vs. evil scenario, the mystery of who is Laris seems obvious, and the action somewhat limited. Still the support cast adds depth to the ultimate High Noon confrontation starring a delightful young lady in a non-earth setting accompanied by some comic relief that should please the Potter crowd and perhaps those even younger. Anyone a bit older will pass.

Harriet Klausner

Beast Master Team (Beast Master's Ark & Beast Master's Circus)
Average customer rating:
Beast Master Team (Beast Master's Ark & Beast Master's Circus)
Andre Norton , and Lyn McConchie
Manufacturer: SFBC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Star Soldiers

ASIN: 0739441809

The Beast Master (Hosteen Storm/Beast Master, Bk. 1)
Average customer rating:

Super Reader

Great read.

A VERY SOLID BIT OF WRITING AND A CLASSIC

Great tale of coming to terms with one's past

A Man of the People

The Beast Master (Hosteen Storm/Beast Master, Bk. 1)
Andre Norton
Manufacturer: Harcourt, Brace
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Classics by Age | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: B0006AVZXA

Customer Reviews:

Super Reader.......2007-08-30

Hosteen Storm is an ex-soldier. After a war with aliens is over, the human soldiers are resettled on other planets, as Earth has been rendered uninhabitable. He chooses a home that should suit his preference for an outdoor lifestyle, and has brought his animal battle team with him. This includes an eagle, two meerkats, and a big cat. He takes a job that uses his animal control talents, and hence adds a horse to his group of friends.

He does have another motive, tracking down an enemy named Quade.

However, he ends up working with Quade, and makes an amazing alien discovery. His war is not over yet.

Great read........2007-07-30

I recently read this book. I couldn't put it down. I found that I had to keep reading to find out what happened next.

A VERY SOLID BIT OF WRITING AND A CLASSIC.......2005-05-01

I first read this one well over 40 years ago and am not ashamed to admit that I reread it every few years. It has a Strong story, strong characters and is simply well written. Warning: This is not the story found in the awful movies and TV series of recent years. Yes, the films do have animals, but that is about as close as they get. This is a good, clean read for any one of any age, told my a master story teller. There were a group of writers that came out of the late 50s and early 60s who all turned out work of this calibre, and Norton was one of them. Anyone interested in the evolution of SiFi (Fantasy?) writing needs to give this work a close look. So much of what has been turned out over the past 20 years has been directly influenced by this and the other works of it's ilk. Recommend this one highly and recommend you purchase it and add it to your collection.

Great tale of coming to terms with one's past.......2004-04-28

In _Beast Master_ Norton gave us a really good coming of age tale. Hosteen Storm was a beast master in the now-defunct Patrol. The military (and the need for his talents) was reduced after their defeat of the Xiks, which came only after those aliens had destroyed Terra. All Terrans are being repatriated to other human colonies, including Arzor where Storm has arrived. With him he has brought his Team, a Dune Cat, an African Eagle, and two Meercats. These are creatures developed and trained to work in concert with the telepathic beast masters. The eagle is the scout from the air, the meercats the saboteurs, and the cat provides muscle and cunning on the ground.

Storm has come for two reasons, to settle snd find a home, and to fulfill a vow made to his Grandfather for revenge. He has sworn to kill a man named Quade, for what Quade did to Storm's family. Storm meets with Quade before he is ready, and pretends not to possess the knowledge of his Navajo heritage. He ends up working with Quade to find that man's son, encountering a umber of natives ("Norbies"), with whom communication consists of sign language due to differing vocal abilities.

Storm signs on to help herd horses, then makes his way to the wilderness with some Norbies in tow. Exploration leads to danger, as they encounter remnants of an ancient civilzation that had lived upon Arzor. They also encounter violence, from Norbie-hating humans and some aliens who should not be there. It falls to the Beast Master team to oppose these foes.

Norton does a good job of presenting mood, exposition, and character development. The resolution is somewhat abrupt, leaving the reader wanting more. Eventually more was presented in _Lord of Thunder_. With new books coming out recently from Norton about the Beast Master, after a 40 year hiatus, I felt a review of the old ones was in order. They are both enjoyable reads.

A Man of the People.......2003-04-22

The Beast Master (1959) is the first novel in the Beast Master series. Hosteen Storm is a native of Terra, an Amerindian, a Galactic Commando, and a Beast Master with an unusual affinity with animals, who is mustering out of the service to be repatriated on Arzor. "The last desperate thrust of the Xik invaders had left Terra...a deadly blue, radioactive cinder", leaving the native Terrans homeless and in shock. Some had gone mad, killing themselves and others. Finally, all Terran troops had been forcibly disarmed. Since Hosten has not displayed any symptoms of such delayed shock, the service medics reluctantly agreed they could not deny Storm's release.

Storm travels with Baku, Ho, Hing and Surra -- his commando team -- to Arzor on a troop ferry and then looks for employment herding horses to the auction to be held during the Gathering at Irrawady Crossing. To prove his ability to ride, he tames a young stallion and introduces him to Surra, the dune cat. When the horse tolerates the cat breathing in his nose, Storm gets the job without further questioning. He claims the stallion as his working mount and names him Rain-On-Dust.

Since the horse herd is an attraction for covetous natives as well as wild animals, Surra patrols the camp at night and Baku, the African Black Eagle, scouts the route by day as they proceed cross-country to the Gathering. On the first night, they encounter a yoris and Storm, Surra and Baku kill the lizard in a coordinated attack before it can harm the horses. But its scent and hissing causes the horses to stampede.

With the herd scattered all over the area, the drivemaster hires some Norbies, the local native sentients, to track down the horses. It soon becomes evident that someone has separated the herd and stashed the small bands in out of the way places. However, even the Norbie trackers cannot determine who has done this.

While the horses are being returned to the herd, Storm spends some time gentling a few of the wild stock to replace riding animals lost in the stampede. The other men soon come to respect his skills and he gains an even closer relationship with Put Larkin -- the drivemaster -- and Dort Lancin -- an old Arzor hand -- who is teaching him finger talk and other lore. However, Coll Bister has developed a hostile attitude toward Storm for some unknown reason.

Storm has also become accepted by the Norbies as a fighting man with a fighting bird totem. Gorgol, the youngest of the trackers, is drawn to Storm by admiration and curiosity, providing him with lots of chances to practice finger talk as he answers Gorgol's questions.

At the gathering, Storm fends off a couple of attempts to kill or maim him, in which Bister seems to be involved, and meets Brad Quade, the man he has come to Arzor to see, but not quite yet. He accepts a job with the Survey Service to locate and explore the Sealed Caves within the High Peaks.

This novel is vintage Norton, but with an older protagonist than usual. However, there is the psionic bond between man and animal, natives who are strangely like his own kin, and a deadly danger that must be faced. Moreover, there is the element of hope that survives among disaster.

Highly recommended for Norton fans and anyone who enjoys tales of competent and talented persons, dangerous but friendly animals, and mysterious alien artifacts.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Average customer rating:

A wonderful continuation
Problems with Creepy-crawlies
Beast Master's Ark
Teamwork, both with Animals and Co-Authors, Sometimes Works
Disappointing

Beast Master's Ark (Beastmaster)
Andre Norton , and Lyn McConchie
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0765340097

Book Description

The first new exciting Beast Master adventure in decades!Danger on ArzorBeast Master Hosteen Storm has endured great perils to carve out a life for himself on Arzor, the colony planet he's called home since the destruction of Earth by the alien Xik. On a planet with alien life forms and untold secrets from it's pre-Human past, there are always dangers in the wild, especially the vast desert and rugged mountain region known as Big Blue. But nobody has ever experienced a threat like the devastating scourge the natives call Death-Which-Comes-in-the-Night. Something is killing grazing animals . . . and has begun to attack humans as well, leaving nothing but the bones of its victims behind.Hosteen, aided by his telepathically linked animals, knows that if he can't stop the killings Arzor will be decimated. His only ally is a young woman who has beast master ability, but was raised to mistrust others with such a power. At stake is the safety of all those on Arzor, and on other colony planets as well. Because Death-Which-Comes-in-the-Night is a scourge that if not stopped here, could spread . . .

Customer Reviews:

A wonderful continuation.......2007-07-30

This is a wonderful continuation of the Beast Master series, and I hope to see more works by the young writer who helped Andre Norton on this and Beast Master's Circus (Hosteen Storm/Beastmaster, Bk. 4). I loved the strong woman character who ended up being a suitable counter for Hosteen Storm.

Read them all, in order.

Problems with Creepy-crawlies.......2006-08-24

Beast Master's Ark (2002) is the third SF novel in the Beast Master series, following Lord of Thunder. In this novel, the Arkship is trying to collect genes from every available Terran species. This collection started with unauthorized samples of species used by the Beast Master Command and expanded to include all Terran species. After the flaming of Terra by the Xiks, the Ark became an official instrument of the High Command.

Tani is the niece of Brion and Kady Carraldo, the couple running the Ark. She is the daughter of a Beast Master who died with his whole team on Trastor. Tani's mother went a little crazy after his death and she has told Tani that the High Command deliberately sent her father on a suicide mission. She also tells Tani that most Beast Masters send their beasts into combat without regard for their safety. Then her mother is killed by Xiks on Terra.

Tani has been working on the Ark for her aunt and uncle as a biogenetic technician, collecting gene samples and splicing gene sequences for various species. She is a good worker, but she still has an attitude toward Beast Masters. When an effort to obtain samples from one team on Fremlyn was mishandled and a beast died, Tani blamed the Beast Master rather than her uncle.

With this attitude of disdain and distrust for beast masters, Tani comes to Arzor to collect samples from the team of Hosteen Storm. While Hosteen had been scheduled to greet the Ark crew, a local rancher reports that something is killing his frawn and asks for help from the Beast Master and his team. Hosteen finds evidence of something eating both animals and men down to the skeleton. The natives are also suffering from its hunger and are totally mystified.

When he is not present at their arrival, Tani decides that Storm is being rude toward her aunt and uncle. However, she learns to like Brad Quade, Hosteen's stepfather. After Storm arrives and encounters Mandy, the paraowl, Tani reacts defensively and abruptly asks his business. Then she foists him off to Jarro, an unimaginative prig, who snubs the Beast Master and sends him on his way.

Although Tani continues to see Storm as an arrogant and self-centered man, Hosteen learns more about her and begins to treat her as a victim of war trauma. When the mobile lab vehicle arrives at the Quade ranch, Tani relaxes her defenses and spends much time with Logan Quade, Hosteen's half-brother. They go for long rides and Logan tells her about the Norbies and other aspects of Arzor.

Then Tani starts to have trouble sleeping. When her aunt gives her something to help her sleep, she has a full-blown nightmare. From her description, Hosteen suspects that she is picking up the feelings of both the victim and its killer.

Tani grows tired of being confined to bed and decides to go for a ride. She sees a young duocorn-bred filly in the corral and makes friends with the animal. The filly is entranced by the young women who displays no trace of fear. Tani presents the riding tack to the filly and then saddles her. Although the filly is slightly startled as Tani leaps into the saddle, Tani is a good rider and the filly is soon satisfied. They walk out of the corral and they speed up a little. Finally, Tani lets out a war whoop and they take off into the brush.

Tani, the filly, her coyotes and Mandy enjoy the ride and the subsequent meal. However, Tani drops off to sleep and wakes up too late to ride back; she doesn't want to chance riding the filly at night for fear of hidden holes and obstacles. They settle down for the night. The next day four Nitra warriors appear and Tani welcomes them to her camp.

No one has told Tani about the Nitras. Since she has been told that the natives are friendly, she treats them as such. They are impressed with her lack of fear and her respect for tradition; the leader tells the others to treat her with full courtesy. One young warrior, however, tries to ride the filly without permission and the filly kills him for his arrogance. The Nitra leader accepts the death as justified for the defiance of his orders and he invites Tani to accompany them back to his camp.

This novel is an action adventure, but is also a romance. Despite the poor start, Tani and Hosteen gradually develop a deep affection for each other. Of course, both doubt that the other reciprocates such feelings, but the intimate mental linkages soon resolve such doubts.

Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure, alien cultures and romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Beast Master's Ark.......2004-08-18

When I first saw the advertisement for this book, I was skeptical as to it's quality.When I picked it up and actually started reading it, I didn't want to stop reading.It was that good.I also enjoyed Beast Master's Circus also written by Andre Norton.You can't read one with out reading the other.

Teamwork, both with Animals and Co-Authors, Sometimes Works.......2004-07-13

The first two volumes in this set, The Beast Master and Lord of Thunder, are some of the best of Norton's science fictional work. So it was with some trepidation that I picked up this sequel, written with a co-author and many years after the original two, as my experience with this type of thing has not been good. I was pleasantly surprised.

The story picks up almost immediately after the events of Lord of Thunder, with Hosteen, Brad, Logan, and Dumaroy still much in evidence. A new major character, Tani, is introduced, child of another Beast Master, but mainly raised by her gene-scientist aunt and uncle. Her father was killed during the Xik war, and her mother, believing his death was a product of high command malfeasance and most beast master's attitude of treating their teams merely as tools, inculcated in Tani a belief that beast masters were not good people and that animals should never be used for war purposes.

The Ark, a gene bank of just about every Terran species, was put together during the war as a fail safe to ensure that life forms were not permanently lost. Tani and her aunt and uncle bring the Ark to Azor, both to collect new gene specimens and to possibly create mates for Hosteen's animal team. But on Azor, a strange set of killings, both of animal life and Norbie/humans, has started to occur, seemingly originating out of the Deep Blue, causing some Nitra tribes to move into the area around Hosteen's ranch. This sets the stage for Tani to become deeply involved in the Norbie tribal culture, and for her to find and use her own beast master talents to combat the threat.

Tani is a well realized character, with enough background to allow understanding of her feelings and positions, who changes during the course of the action in a believable manner. Hosteen also shows some development, to a mature man who knows at least some of what he wants out of life. The plot is comparatively simple, but there are certainly enough thrill points and dramatic moments to hold your attention, and it is not just another re-hash of plot lines Norton has used many times in the past.

Thematically this work does not tread much new or deep ground. Those familiar with Norton's work will certainly recognize her themes of the sacredness of life balanced by practical necessity, of the need for honesty and the room to be distinct individuals, of the value of cultural heritage, of respecting the beliefs of others, and the sometime power of belief in the unseen. This is not necessarily bad, as profoundness of philosophical thought in this work would have worked against its basic nature of being an adventure tale, and the level provided still gives enough food for thought to be useful.

The ending was perhaps a little too pat, with certain relationships easily predictable, and the primary mystery's resolution too easy given the earlier books in this series background. Also, I found myself missing any real involvement of the ancient vanished alien race that created the Sealed Caves that was so prominent in the first two books.

Not as strong as the first two books in the set, but a very nice addition, and has helped restore my faith in sequels written with co-authors.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Disappointing.......2003-11-29

Some of the continuations of Andre Norton's worlds have been gems, and some of them have been disappointments. Beast Master's Ark is the worst to date. The original Beast Master was one of my favorite books, with Norton's classic complexity of phrase, her textured and troubled main character, and her believable yet alien world. This sequel has simplistic language, startling to someone expecting Norton's turn of phrase, and no plot to speak of. The story never generates tension, and there is no climax. McConchie does a great job with characterization, but good characters are not enough. There must be some story. To add insult to injury, there are multiple typos, and some editing mistakes like tense switching that add to the general sense of a book that is not well written. I am sorry that Andre Norton put her name to this one.

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