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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
I didn’t dislike it, but I did have a hard time following what was going on in the latter third of the book. It took me a long time to listen to it, even though it’s quite brief, which speaks to the fact that it didn’t grab me.
It’s a good early SF mystery-type romp with animals one man can communicate with on a planet in a Star Trek-like universe (but not following the government (I. E. The Federation), but rather the people of the random planet it takes place on).
The narrator was good and read the somewhat dated style so that it was easily understandable.
Maybe more like 3.5* and I may one day listen to it again, and do less other stuff at the same time.
It’s a good early SF mystery-type romp with animals one man can communicate with on a planet in a Star Trek-like universe (but not following the government (I. E. The Federation), but rather the people of the random planet it takes place on).
The narrator was good and read the somewhat dated style so that it was easily understandable.
Maybe more like 3.5* and I may one day listen to it again, and do less other stuff at the same time.
A 6 hour conversation about whether Catseye should be written Cats eye would probably be more interesting than this book was. An unremarkable story that doesn't merit a review, but is getting one anyway. Definitely won't be reading the next in the series.
Catseye by Andre Norton
This is the first book by Andre Norton I have read, and it was certainly intriguing.
Catseye is classed as Juvenile or Young Adult fiction, and it is a coming-of-age story about a young man named Troy Horan who is an orphan living in ghetto for subcitizens on an alien planet.
Young people may relate to Troy's thoughts on how to carve out a place for himself in the world. He manages to secure employment in a business selling offworld animals as pets, and he hopes to pursue a career there. But the chance discovery that he shares a telepathic link with certain animals imported from Earth derail his plans and turn him into a fugitive on the run from both the law and certain dangerous underworld figures.
Fleeing into the wild with five animals, Troy eventually enters a maze of subterranean tunnels under the remains of an ancient alien city where a scientific expedition was previously lost under mysterious and frightening circumstances. This part of the story reminded me a little of At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft.
Through all the danger and uncertainty, Troy is able to find a measure of true companionship with his animal friends, even though these look, think and feel differently than he does.
This novel was written in 1961, around sixty years ago, but clearly advocates the protection of the natural world and its resources. It also shows the need to be honorable in dealings with others, while maintaining a healthy wariness of their possibly sinister motives. Another theme which is emphasized is how wars and political machinations often selfishly set the wants of the few over the needs and rights of the many. Although Catseye is written in the style of an action adventure and thriller, all of the above elements are woven into a memorable narrative set in a convincingly realistic fictional society.
I think that a couple of complaints could be that the characters except for the protagonist are not very three-dimensional, and the expectations created by suggestive occurrences in the passages beneath the abandoned alien city are not brought to an entirely satisfying conclusion, but apart from these weaknesses the story is told in a competent and engaging manner.
I will certainly go on to read more books by Andre Norton.
This is the first book by Andre Norton I have read, and it was certainly intriguing.
Catseye is classed as Juvenile or Young Adult fiction, and it is a coming-of-age story about a young man named Troy Horan who is an orphan living in ghetto for subcitizens on an alien planet.
Young people may relate to Troy's thoughts on how to carve out a place for himself in the world. He manages to secure employment in a business selling offworld animals as pets, and he hopes to pursue a career there. But the chance discovery that he shares a telepathic link with certain animals imported from Earth derail his plans and turn him into a fugitive on the run from both the law and certain dangerous underworld figures.
Fleeing into the wild with five animals, Troy eventually enters a maze of subterranean tunnels under the remains of an ancient alien city where a scientific expedition was previously lost under mysterious and frightening circumstances. This part of the story reminded me a little of At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft.
Through all the danger and uncertainty, Troy is able to find a measure of true companionship with his animal friends, even though these look, think and feel differently than he does.
This novel was written in 1961, around sixty years ago, but clearly advocates the protection of the natural world and its resources. It also shows the need to be honorable in dealings with others, while maintaining a healthy wariness of their possibly sinister motives. Another theme which is emphasized is how wars and political machinations often selfishly set the wants of the few over the needs and rights of the many. Although Catseye is written in the style of an action adventure and thriller, all of the above elements are woven into a memorable narrative set in a convincingly realistic fictional society.
I think that a couple of complaints could be that the characters except for the protagonist are not very three-dimensional, and the expectations created by suggestive occurrences in the passages beneath the abandoned alien city are not brought to an entirely satisfying conclusion, but apart from these weaknesses the story is told in a competent and engaging manner.
I will certainly go on to read more books by Andre Norton.
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Norton's writing style is a challenge to modern readers of sci-fi, used to immersive PoVs. But if you can get past that to enjoy the story as it's presented, you'll find a fun and exciting story on a well developed world with a main character you root for the whole way.
A classic sci-fi novel that stands up well to the test of time. It has a satisfying ending despite being the first in a series so it can be read stand-alone.
This is not a very long book - but nevertheless, it felt like a full story, without question.
Troy Horan is a man without a home - having been exiled from his home planet in the face of war, he is trapped in a ghetto for sub-citizens called The Dipple. When a job comes through for work in a very exotic pet shop in the retail section of the town - he jumps at the opportunity. Thus begins a strange journey which includes special animals, conspiracy, treachery, contact with mysterious (and creepy) ancient inhabitants of the planet, and strange companions.
I don't feel like I ever got a total grasp on this story - it's as if I read it through a cloudy glass and just have about 80% of it - but it was still very interesting and entertaining. Some slight quibbles - the author goes back and forth - sometimes in the same paragraph! - referring to the main character as both Troy *and* Horan - it often took reminding myself that they were, indeed, the same person. There are virtually no women in this story; since this book was written (by a woman under a pen name!) in 1961, I can make certain allowances for the time but still find it frustrating nevertheless.
This was my first introduction to Andre Norton - and I'm impressed. I would certainly read more by her in the future. An original story on a subject that I find fascinating - human-animal communication.
Troy Horan is a man without a home - having been exiled from his home planet in the face of war, he is trapped in a ghetto for sub-citizens called The Dipple. When a job comes through for work in a very exotic pet shop in the retail section of the town - he jumps at the opportunity. Thus begins a strange journey which includes special animals, conspiracy, treachery, contact with mysterious (and creepy) ancient inhabitants of the planet, and strange companions.
I don't feel like I ever got a total grasp on this story - it's as if I read it through a cloudy glass and just have about 80% of it - but it was still very interesting and entertaining. Some slight quibbles - the author goes back and forth - sometimes in the same paragraph! - referring to the main character as both Troy *and* Horan - it often took reminding myself that they were, indeed, the same person. There are virtually no women in this story; since this book was written (by a woman under a pen name!) in 1961, I can make certain allowances for the time but still find it frustrating nevertheless.
This was my first introduction to Andre Norton - and I'm impressed. I would certainly read more by her in the future. An original story on a subject that I find fascinating - human-animal communication.
This was my first time reading anything by the legendary Andre Norton, and while I found aspects of it intriguing — particularly its approach to animal intelligence and sovereignty — I also found it strangely uninvolving. She writes in an interestingly offhand style, and her world building is thorough and convincing, but I wanted to care about the inner lives of her human characters more than I did.
Good world building, but it moved a bit slow in some places. It was very good for a short plane ride though, kept my attention even through some turbulence.
Troy Horan is a Dippleman, a refugee living in a restricted area on a planet after his own world was "appropriated" as a military base during an interstellar war. He gets a short contract working with a luxury pet shop and finds himself slowly dragged into a murky web of plots and subterfuge in which imported Terran animals seem to play a central role.
I felt that this was quite sophisticated for a children's book. The world building was quite good, with a lot of depth and the characters were all quite interesting. A large portion of the pleasure planet that the book happens on is a preserved wilderness, and the protagonist is from a similar area and the impression is that these are things that the author cares about and recur in Norton's work a lot.
I felt that this was quite sophisticated for a children's book. The world building was quite good, with a lot of depth and the characters were all quite interesting. A large portion of the pleasure planet that the book happens on is a preserved wilderness, and the protagonist is from a similar area and the impression is that these are things that the author cares about and recur in Norton's work a lot.
Day labourer Troy Horan lucks into a job at an exotic pet shop that caters to the rich and powerful. Jumping at the chance to escape the ghetto of non-citizens and off-world immigrants called the Dipple, he is quickly caught up in a tangled scheme that centers around the mental powers of imported Terran pets.
When Troy finds the paths of communication open between him and the animals, he must navigate between safety, lost hopes of his war-torn home world and the creeping ancient horrors that lay at the center of the Wild.
Like most of Norton's books, Catseye takes the traditional "intrepid young space cadet" trope so popular in the mid-century and adds a keen sense of human-animal companionship and cooperation. I'm not familiar enough with Norton's work to know if and where Catseye fits into her greater universe but, like nearly all of her books that I've read, it's an enjoyable romp with wonderfully written animals and a spine of disdain for what Man can do.
When Troy finds the paths of communication open between him and the animals, he must navigate between safety, lost hopes of his war-torn home world and the creeping ancient horrors that lay at the center of the Wild.
Like most of Norton's books, Catseye takes the traditional "intrepid young space cadet" trope so popular in the mid-century and adds a keen sense of human-animal companionship and cooperation. I'm not familiar enough with Norton's work to know if and where Catseye fits into her greater universe but, like nearly all of her books that I've read, it's an enjoyable romp with wonderfully written animals and a spine of disdain for what Man can do.