Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Review: The Sioux Spaceman by Andre Norton

Synopsis: Kade Whitehawk had two strikes against him in the Space Service. First, he had bungled his assignment on the planet Lodi. Second, he believe all creatures had a right to freedom and dignity – and having that such an opinion was strictly against the rules. But when he was assigned to Klor, he found the Ikkinni there  - tortured yet defiant slaves of a vicious tyrant race. Right then Kade swung at the last pitch. For rules or no rules, The Sioux Spaceman knew that he had to help these strange creatures gain their freedom….and that he alone, because of his Indian blood, had the key to win it for them.  (from the back of the book)

Review: This novel has all the adventure, action, mystery and moral-dilemma feel of a pulp science fiction. Kade discovers a people like his own, subjected to horrid oppression by Styor, the ruling species of the galaxy. With the memory of his own people’s history in his mind, he sets out to subvert the Styor rule. In the process, he learns more about the world of Klor, and the human-Styor relationship. Intriguing world-building and a fast-paced plot create an interesting story, despite the somewhat stock characters. Although, considering this was written in 1960, these weren’t exactly stock characters back then.
The author, Andre Norton, is considered one of the great classic science fiction writers. This is my first book of hers. She writes in descriptive language and has a vivid and diverse imagination. However, her stories have a uniqueness that makes me want to read more of her work. Worth the time to read, particularly if you are partial to moral-tinged action-adventure stories.

Bookmarks: 3.5 of 5

Awards: None

ISBN: N/A
Year Published: 1960
Date Finished: 1-21-2018
Pages: 133

No comments:

Post a Comment