With great sadness I note the passing of science fiction and fantasy's grand dame, Andre Norton. Long before TSR had a fiction department, Norton wrote Quag Keep, in which D&D roleplayers actually become their characters and embark on a quest for Quag Keep.
I invite you to share your favorite Norton novels and stories here. Surely there are Witch World fans in the audience.
With great sadness I note the passing of science fiction and fantasy's grand dame, Andre Norton. Long before TSR had a fiction department, Norton wrote Quag Keep, in which D&D roleplayers actually become their characters and embark on a quest for Quag Keep.
I invite you to share your favorite Norton novels and stories here. Surely there are Witch World fans in the audience.
Thank You, Troy, for mentioning this. I had read of Ms. Norton's
passing, and I too am deeply saddened. I often consider herwork as that which got me reading SF in the first place.
I have read and enjoyed far too many of her novels to be able
to pick any one as a favorite.
However, I would like to see discussions of her work, here.
On this day/
All of Estcarp/
And all of Escore/
Shall weep/
Then be silent/
Forevermore/
Well, one thing that I think speaks for her as a person was her willingness in her later years to embark on so many collaborations with younger writers. She wanted others to carry on a tradition of writing quality science fiction and fantasy novels.
I, too was saddened by her passing. In my youth and later years I read and collected every book I could find in print, including Quag Keep which set me on my DM path. The Witch World series to this day has me repeating things three times to ensure they "happen".
My first read was Key Out of Time. Of course it was totally out of sequence, but I had no idea there were earlier stories in the Time Trader series. When Quag Keep came out, I had just discovered D&D. Needless to say, I was hooked.
Although I have had little time for reading since the grandkids came along, I will sorely miss one of the greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy writers of all time.
My favorite reads:
The Time Trader Series
The Witch World Series
Quag Keep
Janus +
Dragon Magic
Warlock +
X Factor
Say hello to RLH for me.
Doug
It's always sad when someone passes away, specially if they had a public impact. However, I'm not so sure about miss Norton's talent because I've read Quag Keep and it was pretty bad.
Then again, that was the only book I read from her, so maybe her other works show her true value.
Forgive my ignorance, I have heard of the "Witch World" series, but never have I laid mine eyes upon them, perhaps someone here paying tribute and respects, could name a few of her works so I might have better chance to search for them? And as far as "disrespecting" one's work in a thread that is based upon the homage to one's lifetime of achievements, and thier sorrow in thier passing, surely such a rude statement as the earlier would not be said outloud at a funeral around the family and friends, please show respect, perhaps even "preview" your post before submitting, thank you.
My apologies to anyone who might have been insulted by my last post, but where I come from such comments are natural.
It's much more insulting to lie and pretend you like someone's work just because they died, afterall, dying is natural stage of human life, and does not warrant special treatment of any kind.
But again, if you feel your local/cultural values have been insulted, my apologies.
No apology necessary Stitch. What made Quag Keep special for many of us who read it when it came out was not the quality of writing, but the fact it delved into the very heart of what it meant to be a roleplayer. It was the very first novel to take you into the world Greyhawk. It allowed others to peak into our world of metal miniatures, oddly-shaped dice and imagination roleplaying. That had never been done before.
Plus, that's where my first love of lizard folk developed.
Thanks for understanding. I got the impression I got here on a wrong foot or something. As I said, that's the only book I read from her, and it was mostly because it had historical value as the first official novel in the Greyhawk setting (one of my favorite D&D settings, btw). I even bought it second-hand from Amazon just so I could see what all the fuss was about.
Unfortunately, I was used to JRR Tolkien, HP Lovecraft and other fantasy writers of the 20th century, so I felt kind of disappointed. I guess hype has a tendency to raise people's expectations beyond reasonble levels.
Like Stitch, I do not mean to offend by this post. However...
I do not mourn her passing. In it, I rejoice. This is easier for me to say, for in my scriptures we are promised... "I have made death a messenger of joy unto thee." Ms. Norton is in a much better place, and the legacy she left the world in her novels and collaborations will endure int his world as surely as her talent will benefit her in the next.