I read this this morning:
I read entirely too much Andre Norton when I was younger, and her books gave me a lot of enjoyment. At, what, ninety-four she’s hardly tragically struck down in her prime, but still it’s sad to see the last of her.
I love her books. There aren’t any news headlines about this yet, so I guess it hasn’t been formally announced? What was she ill with?
Back in February she was hospitalized with flu, and pneumonia. Around Feb. 22, her caretaker said that the doctors really couldn’t do anything more for her, and she’d decided to go home to be with her books and her cat, that she was tired of fighting. I see she was ninety-three, not ninety-four, but close enough.
http://www.sf-fandom.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=17606
It makes me very sad, too. When I saw the earlier announcement, I considered sending a card, but in the end I decided not to. Her books were really important to me when I was a teenager, and I still have a huge stack of them, and re-read my favorites occasionally.
the only announcement I know of so far was on the same board where Sue Stewart, her caretaker, announced that she was coming home from the hospital and would certainly see any cards or letters or flowers fans sent her.
Ahhhh . . . I hadn’t thought of Andre Norton in a long time, but she was a *big * part of my discovery of Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Thinking warm thoughts about her for the rest of the day . . .
What Genghis Bob said. She was the first SF author I really got into, back when I was a kid. I just picked up a used copy of Star Guard. I’ll check it out tonight.
A friend of mine stayed at her home, High Hallack, which was the world’s largest genre library (sci fi/fantasy) and was open to visitors (even the bedrooms, though people were encouraged to make a small contribution for upkeep and reminded that “the cats are at home, you are not- if they want to sleep in your room that is where they will sleep”. Sadly I believe that High Hallack was closed when Ms. Norton was sent to a care facility.
Really? Bigger than Forest J. Ackerman’s?
Trivia: Ms. Norton has books beginning with every letter of the alphabet. I suspect she enticed more kids into science fiction and fantasy than any other author.
She certainly enticed me into fantasy and science fiction!
Here’s an official announcement and obit:
Her collection was autioned off, in part, & sold in part to benefit the Rutherford county Public Library.
I own several volumes from her High Halleck collection. No bookplates, though, so I can’t prove provenance.
Chalk me up as another who was introduced by her writings to science fiction. I didn’t stay with her long - three or four books - but without her, I’d never have discovered the genre. I’m grateful.
NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…
aw dammit. and i was so happy this morning, since i’d finally finished reading one of my entries on the “duty read” classics list, and now joyfully began on one of her last collaborated releases. <looks mournfully at the cover of Atlantis Endgame>
i don’t know that i’ll be able to read it through the tears tonight.
One by one, the authors who influenced all of science fiction are leaving us. The Golden Age is truely almost nothing more than a memory of aging fans and the work that was left.
RIP.
Sir Rhosis
The very first proper science fiction book I ever read, when I was ten years old, was called “Postmarked The Stars” by Andre Norton. I can’t even remember what it was about. At the time I thought Andre Norton was a guy, which I imagine she got a lot of.
She was one of the first Science Fiction authors I ever read also. Not altogether unexpected, but kind of sad just the same.
I also thought she was a guy, for a while. Actually first I thought her name was Andrea, and then I realized it was Andre and thought, “Oh, must be a guy.” I kept coming back to her because she was right next to Mary Norton.
At least Jack Williamson is still around.
Bummer. I spent waaaay too much time as an adolescent reading “Galactic Derelict”, “Dark Piper”, “Star Rangers” and “The Stars are Ours”.
I actually re-read “Sargasso of Space” a few months back after being reminded of it’s existence via a thread here.
Postmarked the Stars! A “Solar Queen” novel, just like “Sargasso of Space”!
From my copy of the book, an Ace paperback which set me back 75 cents when I bought it!
The dialogue could be a little opaque:
I just started re-reading The Zero Stone, which was one of my childhood favorites. When I was still in grade school, I noticed that many of the books I liked had been written by the same author. Until then, I’d been picking out books by the little icons on the spines. So she taught me a valuable lesson, to find authors that I like and to search for their other books.
I’m sorry to hear that she’s gone, though truthfully, I’m only surprised that she lasted this long.
I loved the Solar Queen series, and in fact all of her SF. I HATED HATED HATED the WitchWorld series and the rest of her fantasy…