Moonsinger [Mass Market Paperback]

"Moonsinger" is a reprinting of the first two books in a series of four:

1. Moon of Three Rings
2. Exiles of the Stars
3. Flight in Yiktor
4. Dare to Go A-Hunting

The Moonsinger series is an integral part of Andre Norton's Forerunner universe, explaining a great deal about who the Forerunners were and why they disappeared. (Click on my name to see the list of nearly 40 books in this universe, which can be read in almost any order.) The Moonsinger series takes place midway through the greater story arc of the Forerunner books.

The first two Moonsinger books are told from the point of view of a spaceman named Krip Vorlund and a body-swapping alien named Maelen. The third and fourth books focus more on a third character, but Krip and Maelen are part of the story until the end.

(MINOR SPOILERS - plot summary)
In "Moon of Three Rings," Krip's starship sets down on Maelen's planet, where he encounters enemies who plot to kill him. To save his life, Maelen transfers Krip's mind and soul into the body of a predatory animal. The rest of the book follows their adventures as they try to evade the villains and restore Krip to his own body.

"Exiles of the Stars" picks up immediately after the first book, exploring the relationship that develops between Krip and Maelen as they journey together aboard a Free Trader starship. When the ship makes an emergency landing on a desolate planet, the crew discovers ruins of an ancient Forerunner civilization ... along with an actual Forerunner, a malicious and powerful alien who wants to destroy them all.
(END SPOILERS)

These are two of Andre Norton's best books, by far. They are creepy, exciting, and unpredictable. The writing is much more smooth and focused than many of Norton's more recent works.

In some ways Maelen is like the Wise Ones of Norton's "Witch World" series (she draws on energy from the moon to perform feats that seem like magic), but this is not really a tale of witchcraft so much as ESP, telepathy, and similar mental powers. Maelen tends to behave in a rather cool and arrogant way, but that is the point of the story here. The relationship between Maelen and Krip develops slowly, and it rings true. This is a story about ethics, respect, and conflicting loyalties.

Moonsinger (2006) is an omnibus edition of the Moonsinger duology. It contains both Moon of Three Rings and Exiles of the Stars. In these novels, Krip Vorlund is a Free Trader, a minor esper, and the junior crew member on the Lydis and Maelen is a Moonsinger of the Thassa. Drawn together on the planet Yiktor, they fight against native ambition and offworlder intrigue.

In Moon of Three Rings (1966), Krip first meets Maelen at the great trade fair at Yrjar. Krip attends a beast show conducted by Maelen and, after a remarkable performance, he is invited backstage to meet her "little people". They are interrupted by a runner with word for Maelen about a dealer in beasts. Krip accompanies Maelen to her confrontation with the dealer and her acquisition of a much abused barsk, a predator of the highlands that is seldom seen in captivity.

While at the beast tent, the dealer threatens Maelen with a snik-claw knife and Krip protects her by temporarily paralyzing the dealer's weapon hand with his stunner. Maelen expects no further trouble from the beast dealer, but he lodges a formal complaint . . . against Krip. Taken for using a weapon on the fair grounds, Krip relinquishes the stunner to his ship captain and accompanies the authorities. Then armed men attack his guards and take Krip away to a far off prison.

This begins an adventure that leads to closer mind contact between Maelen and Krip. Moreover, Maelen exchanges his body with that of the injured barsk to preclude recapture by searchers. In this, Maelen violates Thassa Standing Words and is later confronted by the Thassa assembly.

In Exiles of the Stars (1971), Krip and Maelen are aboard the Lydis as crew. However, Krip is wearing the body of a Thassa and Maelen is encased in the body of one of her "little people". The ship has brought cargo to the priests of Thoth, only to find that the church and state are under siege by a religious insurrection.

Dumping the worthless cargo of pulmn, the Lydis takes on a load of precious Forerunner artifacts bound for sanctuary on Ptah, another planet in the system. The rebels are driven away prior to loading, but a fanatic priest opposes shipment of the relics offplanet and curses the ship before takeoff. At the last minute, another priest comes aboard to accompany the load to Ptah.

A device hidden in one of the relics interferes with the engine and the Lydis is forced down on Sekhmet, an uninhabited planet in the system. There they found jacks looting a repository of functional relics and a few living Forerunners who have preempted the jack operation. The Forerunners have powerful esper powers that allow them to control other people or to force an exchange of bodies.

Both novels involve body exchange -- i.e., the transfer of minds -- between various participants. In the first novel, such transfer is voluntary. However, the second novel includes involuntary exchanges.

In both works, body exchange involves more than mind transfer. Although memories and behavioral quirks are transferred, the physical aspects of the body itself are not exchanged. The receiving body might have different cerebral and nervous functions and its glands could produce a different mix of hormones. Moreover, the body usually retains some residual memory. Thus, the physiological processes of the receiving body affect the transferred mind.

These novels show the author's intermingling of science fiction and fantasy elements. Except for their esper skills, the Free Traders are pure SF, whereas Maelen and the Forerunners exhibit talents that would normally be called fantastic. Within this setting, however, such talents can be accepted as merely unexplained mysteries of the universe. Therefore these works maintain their SF status.

Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of psionics and intrigue.

-Arthur W. Jordin

A very good read for Norton fans, good plot, fast moving, well developed characters. one of Norton's better stories.