50 in 2013 # 6: The Zero Stone

[roseembolism]

The Zero Stone by Andre Norton

I continue my classic Sci- fi kick by reading the Zero Stone. The gem of the title is a  dull gray stone set in a ring sized to fit over a space suit glove. It is an ancient and mysterious artifact made by a long vanished race, and a family heirloom owned by apprentice gem trader Murdoc Jern. On the run from religious fanatics he manages to bargain his limited resources into escape with a Free Trader ship. This is when things turn weird. On a planetary stopover the ship's cat eats a strange rock and shortly gives birth to Eet, a feline maint that can communicate with Murdoc telepathically. Betrayed by the Free Traders, Murdoc and Eet begin a desperate race to find what the secret of the stone is, and why some will kill to find out its secrets.

This novel is classic space opera; we visit a desolate desert planet, a jungle planet, we meet space pirates and the Space Patrol, explore a derelict spacecraft, and zip through space without examining the physics too closely.  The novel concentrates more on the mystery to be solved, though the mixture of irritation and confusion  with which Murdoc approaches his relationship with the arrogant Eet is amusing. The characters are done in broad strokes, though they are consistent- the author avoids contradictions or plot holes. And really, when it comes to describing interesting scenery and action, Andre Norton delivers. The resolution is satisfying, though obviously a set-up for a sequel. Which I shall tackle next.

Comments

[heron61.livejournal.com]

I loved that book, it's one of Norton's SF novels (along with Uncharted Stars, Galactic Derelict, Key Out Of Time, Ordeal in Otherwhere, Moon of Three Rings and Exile of the Stars that I've read at least four or five times. Of course, as long as you avoid everything she wrote after 1980 (with the exception of Ware Hawk, which I quite liked), and anything she ever wrote with a co-author (which are all IMHO impressively dire), there aren't many bad choices to be made from Norton's work.

[roseembolism.livejournal.com]

Andre Norton has always been a favorite of mine, ever since I first started reading SF. She really defines for me plain competent writing. It's fun to revisit her works.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

*nods* One of the best things about rereading her work is that I never found a single one that had been visited by the suck fairy. Instead, I noticed that some of her works were not just fun and well written, but surprisingly progressive - Star Guard, with a protagonist who is a Pacific Islander, in a book written in 1955.