Storm over Warlock [Forerunner book 1 of 5] - Andre Norton - cover artist Ed Emshwiller

Storm Over Warlock [review 181 - written 2011-01-30]

comments by CR

Andre Norton (1912-2005) was a prolific writer primarily in the field science fiction and fantasy. She has written well over 100 novels, an amazing fact in itself, but more impressive is the high regard readers have for her stories.

Norton wrote many novels in related series. The book under review "Storm Over Warlock (1960)" is the first in her Forerunner Series, which consist of the following additional novels: "Ordeal in Otherwhere (1964)", "Forerunner Foray (1973)", "Forerunner (1981)" and "Forerunner, Second Venture (1985)".

The story protagonist is a hard scrapping young man, Shann Lantee, who signs on as the roustabout and animal handler on an initial survey expedition to an Earth-like world. Surveys teams of Earth-type planets include highly trained mutated animals, in this case two wolverines, which are used as scouts and guards.

Other that a full measure of innate common sense and street-wise survival skills Shann has no professional expertise and is generally looked down upon by the expeditions highly trained crew members - Terran Survey Corps personnel. As the story opens the insect-like Throgs attack the Survey Corps encampment and kill all in the camp. The space faring Throgs are in a deadly competition with mankind for habitual planets which are scarce and far between.

By sheer luck Shann and his two Wolverines were away from camp and avoided the massacre. Shann only goal is to stay alive and evade the Throgs who suspect a survivor of their butchery. Shann eventually teams up with another Survey Corps officer that coincidentally crash lands near where he was hiding out. The officer, Thorvald, seems to have his owe agenda and assumes a condescending attitude towards Shann.

You may suppose upon reading the plot outline of this 50 plus year old story that it's just another dated "space-opera" of no interest other that to dedicated fans or academics.

Saying anything more about the plot would spoil the pleasure of discovery but I would make the case that this is a novel that admirers of intelligent and entertaining science fiction should consider reading. There are a number of reasons that lead me to make that statement: a sympathetic, believable character that propels the plot, a carefully crafted lurking, sense of unknown dangers beyond normal human experiences, detailed and credible encounters, some beneficial some deadly, with alien flora and fauna, enigmatic confrontations with mystic-like aliens and enough weirdness that begs additional explanations in future stories. The book ends with a evenhanded finale that does not short change the readers.

Reading this book will not change you life but it will provide a few hours of wonderful entertainment.

 

Done