Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Ace Books (1961), Edition: 3rd Ace, Mass Market Paperback, 182 pages
Description
Two centuries after an atomic war on earth, a silver-haired mutant sets out on a dangerous search for a lost city of the ruined civilization.
User reviews
LibraryThing member dragonasbreath
In the far future, man has finally done it - nuclear war.
Humankind and mutant kind survive in pockets around the world. In the mountains is a place called The Eiry - an enclave of scientists in place before the big blow with a hidden mission - a mission that only the elite Star Men know.
In this
He has completed every test and knows if his father had returned from his last foray he, Fors, would be among the initiates below.
Refusing to submit to the life of a second class laborer, condemned to never leave the Eyrie he does the forbidden - he breaks into the Star House to steal - his father's travel pouch and contents.
Then, in the dead of the night he and Lara leave to prove his right to wear the star...or to die trying.
Will Fors return? And what tales will he have if he can survive?
Humankind and mutant kind survive in pockets around the world. In the mountains is a place called The Eiry - an enclave of scientists in place before the big blow with a hidden mission - a mission that only the elite Star Men know.
In this
Show More
barbaric time, the Star Men are explorers, going out upon the poisoned world, seeking what kind of mutations have occurred to the hu,man, plant and animal world. Bringing back knowledge and being very careful not to bring the radiation sickness back to the pure-blooded, uncontaminated people of the Eyrie, The Star Man's son Fors of the Puma Clan, with his mindmate Lura the puma , brooded on the injustice of being passed over to become one of the elite Starmen, passed over for his mutant blood - legacy of his Plainsman mother.He has completed every test and knows if his father had returned from his last foray he, Fors, would be among the initiates below.
Refusing to submit to the life of a second class laborer, condemned to never leave the Eyrie he does the forbidden - he breaks into the Star House to steal - his father's travel pouch and contents.
Then, in the dead of the night he and Lara leave to prove his right to wear the star...or to die trying.
Will Fors return? And what tales will he have if he can survive?
Show Less
LibraryThing member MerryMary
This is a terrific story. A young man goes in search of his destiny. He finds friends from other unknown tribes, mutated no-longer-human enemies, and forgotten marvels in the "dead cities." Well-written and spellbinding. Gotta read it again - it's been awhile.
LibraryThing member guinevereanne
A really good book! I enjoyed it a lot. Very full of of adventure, and different things. I ended up reading in a night.
LibraryThing member dragonasbreath
Actually, Fors knew EXACTLY what was driving him to explore those ruings - they were his father's dream, where he thought the big strike would be found. That thing that would allow his people to understand what had happened, and to return to the glory of the past.
It would also be his chance to
He had found his companion Sura, the Dune Cat, he had made his pack - all he needed was permission - and this was the last year. Else he would become a farmer, all his father's teaching and training lost fovever.
It would also be his chance to
Show More
prove that, even though he was NOT pure Mountain Clan, that his mother was Plains and tainted with radioactive blood, that he was just as good as any other Eyrie child, just as capable of contributing to the society, of becoming a Star Man, and making a viable contribution.He had found his companion Sura, the Dune Cat, he had made his pack - all he needed was permission - and this was the last year. Else he would become a farmer, all his father's teaching and training lost fovever.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CateK
A fun book - post-apocalyptic coming-of-age, including a mind-bonded mutant Siamese cat.
LibraryThing member fuzzi
Filled with mutant animals and humans, atomic war horrors, and pre-Space Age references, this book reminded me of an old Twilight Zone episode: it is definitely dated, but I did enjoy reading it.
LibraryThing member Spurts
One of few dystopia/post-apocalypse stories I liked. For some reason, the lizards really stuck with me. The things that cause a flashback. This for some reason kept being published under other titles as well (I really hate when publishers do that) so if seems familiar--could be same book under
Off Topic venting -- I had already re-read about 5 times (not on purpose, title changes confused me and I had an automatic order for Andre Norton books thru the PX in pre-internet days) when I had to read in a class in junior high and then again in high school. So both Ace, Daw and now Scholastic were releasing editions.
Show More
different name. Off Topic venting -- I had already re-read about 5 times (not on purpose, title changes confused me and I had an automatic order for Andre Norton books thru the PX in pre-internet days) when I had to read in a class in junior high and then again in high school. So both Ace, Daw and now Scholastic were releasing editions.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Tatoosh
Science fiction is often dismissed as pulp fiction concerned exclusively with superficial action and adventure. While that is true in some instances, many authors value science fiction because it frees them from the constraints imposed by modern "reality" and allows them to explore universal
The setting is some 200 years since nuclear war destroyed modern civilization. Human society has recovered to a level approximating the early middle ages. Three groups of humans and a non-human group have developed along different lines.
The mountain men of the Eyrie are descendents of a small colony of technical workers; we learn in the last few pages that that is not the entire story. They are largely pacifistic and welcomed in the camps of the other two human groups. Their primary goal is the recovery of lost knowledge, and the goal of all young mountain men is to be selected as a Star Man and allowed to explore the world in search of lost cities.
The desert-dwelling tribe is descendent from African-American pilots. They are an agrarian society focused on farming and crafts. They prefer a peaceful way of life but can be fierce warriors when the situation demands.
The Plainsmen have formed a nomadic civilization similar to the 18th century plains Indians of North America. They are territorial, honor the warrior way of life, and regard outsiders as enemies to be attacked.
The other primary group is the Beast Things, quasi-human mutants that have evolved from rats. Their primary motivation seems to be to kill everything they encounter that is not a Beast Thing.
“Daybreak” focuses on Fors, the mutant son of a Star Man and a plains woman. He has enhanced night vision, keen hearing, and silver white hair. Mutants are feared as their differences are thought to be the result of exposure to radiation and their status as “human” is questioned. Consequently, Fors is a social outcast who is passed over for admission to Star Man status. Faced with a life of servitude, he steals his dead father's pouch from the Star Hall and sets off on a quest to discover the lost city his father had been attempting to locate. He is accompanied by Lura, a mutant cat that has a quasi telepathic bond with him.
The focus on a young man in his late teens whose precocity is unrecognized and his “partner” a mutant cat with enhanced intelligence and a quasi-telepathic bond is a recurring meme in Norton fiction. Another common theme is the placement of the individual in a thoroughly unfamiliar environment. In this book Norton encounters an additional problem. The first 60 pages focus on a solitary individual traveling alone. Like Tom Hanks had in Cast Away, there if no one for Fors to talk to or interact with. As a consequence the book gets off to a slow and somewhat boring start.
Another consequence of the scarcity of focal characters is that the plot repeats itself. Fors explores, gets captured, and escapes. Then he explores some more, gets captured again, and escapes again. It gets tedious.
The situation created by Norton allows her to explore the issue of whether it is possible for human “tribes” to get along peacefully or if they are doomed to always war upon each other in a battle for resources and supremacy. Norton’s dreams of a utopian civilization characterized by universal acceptance comes across as a bit preachy but she eventually comes to the conclusion that humans can live peacefully so long as they have something else to fight.
Show More
themes. Andre Norton attempts just such an exploration in "Daybreak—2250 A. D." The setting is some 200 years since nuclear war destroyed modern civilization. Human society has recovered to a level approximating the early middle ages. Three groups of humans and a non-human group have developed along different lines.
The mountain men of the Eyrie are descendents of a small colony of technical workers; we learn in the last few pages that that is not the entire story. They are largely pacifistic and welcomed in the camps of the other two human groups. Their primary goal is the recovery of lost knowledge, and the goal of all young mountain men is to be selected as a Star Man and allowed to explore the world in search of lost cities.
The desert-dwelling tribe is descendent from African-American pilots. They are an agrarian society focused on farming and crafts. They prefer a peaceful way of life but can be fierce warriors when the situation demands.
The Plainsmen have formed a nomadic civilization similar to the 18th century plains Indians of North America. They are territorial, honor the warrior way of life, and regard outsiders as enemies to be attacked.
The other primary group is the Beast Things, quasi-human mutants that have evolved from rats. Their primary motivation seems to be to kill everything they encounter that is not a Beast Thing.
“Daybreak” focuses on Fors, the mutant son of a Star Man and a plains woman. He has enhanced night vision, keen hearing, and silver white hair. Mutants are feared as their differences are thought to be the result of exposure to radiation and their status as “human” is questioned. Consequently, Fors is a social outcast who is passed over for admission to Star Man status. Faced with a life of servitude, he steals his dead father's pouch from the Star Hall and sets off on a quest to discover the lost city his father had been attempting to locate. He is accompanied by Lura, a mutant cat that has a quasi telepathic bond with him.
The focus on a young man in his late teens whose precocity is unrecognized and his “partner” a mutant cat with enhanced intelligence and a quasi-telepathic bond is a recurring meme in Norton fiction. Another common theme is the placement of the individual in a thoroughly unfamiliar environment. In this book Norton encounters an additional problem. The first 60 pages focus on a solitary individual traveling alone. Like Tom Hanks had in Cast Away, there if no one for Fors to talk to or interact with. As a consequence the book gets off to a slow and somewhat boring start.
Another consequence of the scarcity of focal characters is that the plot repeats itself. Fors explores, gets captured, and escapes. Then he explores some more, gets captured again, and escapes again. It gets tedious.
The situation created by Norton allows her to explore the issue of whether it is possible for human “tribes” to get along peacefully or if they are doomed to always war upon each other in a battle for resources and supremacy. Norton’s dreams of a utopian civilization characterized by universal acceptance comes across as a bit preachy but she eventually comes to the conclusion that humans can live peacefully so long as they have something else to fight.
Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
Written in 1952, this post nuclear holocaust book is a genre that has been imitated but Norton was one of the initiators. I would call this a classic.
LibraryThing member DaleAllenRaby
This one was written before I was born, so you will have to forgive me, as I did not learn to read until some years after it was published. It was one of the first Andre Norton books I remember reading, though by no means the last. It would be several years later when I learned for certain that
The plot of Star Man's Son very much follows (in spirit) the lyrics of Sonny Curtis' The Strait Life. The protagonist is a young man with a choice of having a simple, unadventurous "straight" life, or defying convention and authority to go out on his own into a post-apocalyptic world loaded with dangers at every turn. Much of my life was spent like this. Freedom has a cost, though, and lone wolves sometimes have to pay it.
Martin and Andre/Alice have both passed on now and I am not far behind. I would hope that the next time I meet Professor Greenberg, he will offer me a beverage and introduce me to his friends Andre Norton, Robert Silverberg and Isaac Asimov.
As to the story itself, it is a classic "coming of age" story, but, as mentioned previously, in a blasted post-apocalyptic world filled with mutants, toxins, blasted abandoned cities and societies trying to rebuild. I would highly recommend it to children of all ages. If you have become an adult and "grown up", you have apparently gone with the straight life and no longer have an imagination, but read it anyway. Maybe it will rekindle something.
Show More
"Andre" was actually a woman. Martin Harry Greenberg told me that actually, when he was a professor in one of my college courses. I guess I had always assumed she was female... something about her writing style... and in 1960's era Green Bay, WI, the name "Andre" was unfamiliar enough to me that I didn't automatically assign a sex to it. Also, it just never occurred to me to wonder about such things as Andre Norton was not someone I was ever likely to meet socially so her sex simply did not matter. She wrote some of the best science-fiction of the era and all of her accolades are well-deserved.The plot of Star Man's Son very much follows (in spirit) the lyrics of Sonny Curtis' The Strait Life. The protagonist is a young man with a choice of having a simple, unadventurous "straight" life, or defying convention and authority to go out on his own into a post-apocalyptic world loaded with dangers at every turn. Much of my life was spent like this. Freedom has a cost, though, and lone wolves sometimes have to pay it.
Martin and Andre/Alice have both passed on now and I am not far behind. I would hope that the next time I meet Professor Greenberg, he will offer me a beverage and introduce me to his friends Andre Norton, Robert Silverberg and Isaac Asimov.
As to the story itself, it is a classic "coming of age" story, but, as mentioned previously, in a blasted post-apocalyptic world filled with mutants, toxins, blasted abandoned cities and societies trying to rebuild. I would highly recommend it to children of all ages. If you have become an adult and "grown up", you have apparently gone with the straight life and no longer have an imagination, but read it anyway. Maybe it will rekindle something.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kslade
My first experience with post-apocalyptic fiction, I think. Great story.
LibraryThing member JBreedlove
Read this book in junior high or high school. It was dense packing in a lot of action and travel for Fors in a post-apocalyptic world a couple of centuries past the atomic wars. It would have been the core of a good larger novel with more developed characters. But AN's characters are are well
Show More
sketched out but lack depth. Why wouldn't they in a 191 page novel. I wonder if this was serialized before it was a book. Reading my old sci-fi on occasion is my mind stepping into a time machine. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1952-08
Physical description
182 p.; 6.2 inches
ISBN
0441045340 / 9780441045341
Local notes
original title: Star Man's Son