As a fan of fantasy roleplaying games (FRPGs) dating back to 1976, I bought this book back in 1978 when it first came out, on the recommendation of a friend at the time. As Mr. Folatelli (another reviewer) has already explained it, the story follows the journey of a group of FRPG players through the very game they were playing - that is to say, TSR's Greyhawk game setting. Interesting concept, but Mr. Norton made Greyhawk seem far drearier than it was when I played it with my friends (which I did for many many years, only stopping a couple of years ago).

The World Of Greyhawk setting itself is for the most part excellent - I **still** have the original materials dating back to c. 1980, as well as the newer "From The Ashes" edition put out in the mid 1990s - but this particular book was a disappointment to me. There were a few interesting little quirks to it (like how "Geoff", a country in the world of Greyhawk, is spelled "Geopf" in the book for some reason, and the term "war game" being used more than "roleplaying game", and of course visiting places in the book that I also visited in the game itself), but all in all it was not terribly interesting to me.

Maybe for me actually playing the game is more interesting than reading a story like this based in it. Your mileage may vary of course.... and if you know of a really good book based on the world of Greyhawk, feel free to tell me about it. But I would recommend the Dragonlance series by M. Weiss and T. Hickman to the reader if they were looking for a good FRPG oriented novel to read.

As they say, "'til the stars break...."

This book was first published in '78, that's before the 1st edition AD&D books were published. The book has both Greyhawk heroes and a group of players and the DM who play a 'war game' (it seems the term role-playing game was not used yet) with tabletop miniatures. The Greyhawk adventurers are a mixed group of heroes united by bracelets containing shifting dice of an alien origin. They go off in a quest to understand what it is that joins them, starting out in the fabled Greyhjawk City and visiting various places in Oerth all the way to the Sea of Dust. Also interesting to note is the way the alignments Law, Neutrality and Chaos are developed in a simple way, just like in the original D&D.

A book with a promising premise and a very cool cover (which was why I bought it, I must admit). Unfortunately, the picture on the cover has very little to do with the actual story. The storyline is plodding and uninspired. Character development leaves much to be desired. The conclusion is weak and muddled. The first person perspective does not mesh well with the story. The illustrations are somewhat cheesy, and don't really add anything to the story. I really wanted to like this book, but ultimately I came away very disappointed.

This is another of the first sci-fi books I read when I was a kid, and at the time I was too young to realize how mediocre the book was. In any case, it details the odd adventure of a father and son who operate a caravan on an untamed planet (complete with a nearly sentient, planet-wide jungle). Not surprisingly, those who run such freight services are referred to as "voorlopers," hence the title.

I can't say I liked this book. I found it was incredibly boring with no writing style whatso ever. And the plot could have been taken from a 'typical science fiction' receipe book. Honestly. I barely managed to finish it. Thora had potential. Nothing else did. She didn't even change in the course of the book. Leave this one in the bookshelf. Its not worth the time.

I think "Moon Called" is for Norton fans only. It seems to have started out as fantasy, then switched to science fiction midway through the manuscript. The hero and heroine, who both practice white magic, ride to the rescue of one of their comrades in a hi-tech tank. Although Norton successfully combined magic and technology in some of the early Witch World novels, it doesn't work as well in "Moon Called". Thora, the heroine is also a bit too prickly and too inclined to argue about religion to be likeable. Dialogue (never a Norton strong point) is exceptionally stilted and long-winded. Thora is given lines like, "Him also do all who serve the Lady call enemy," and "I am one with those who draw the Moon---though I was not yet brought to Her as one of the Three."

The action scenes and the confrontation of white versus dark magic are vintage Norton, both suspenseful and eerie, so there is meat in "Moon Called" for the die-hard fan (I've read it at least three times). However, I would recommend "The Crystal Gryphon" or "Year of the Unicorn" as a 'starter fantasy' for those who are not yet familiar with this fine author.

are we talking about the same book i loved it and after 9 yrs still want it in my library my kids tore my copy in half and have been forlorn to replace it for years and yes if there is a sequill i want that too.

I was warned about this book by a friend, but I was so desperate for a new Solar Queen story that I ignored her. That was a big mistake. I wasn't even halfway through the book before I was wishing someone would toss Rael the Wonderful out the nearest airlock. Later I started fantasizing about even worse fates for her. I was masochistic enough to finish the story, but I've been soured on any of the new Solar Queen books as a result.

The introduction of a female character made sense for a book written in the nineties, but why create one so offensive? Why not one better thought out? Why did Rael have to dominate the story, being the miracle cure for all problems, while whining way too much about how tough life has always been on her in spite of all the magical advantages she had?

Nonetheless, awful as Rael is, the book might have been tolerable if the other characters hadn't been pushed into the background and marginalized. The old main character (Dane) spent most of his time as a resentful nitwit. The shipboard niche Rael supposedly filled (medic) was already capably occupied by another character, who got shunted aside in her favor. The others were similarly treated. The only old character that got halfway decent treatment was the captain, and he was reduced to the role of Rael the Wonderful's love interest and sidekick. Gad.

I have to agree with the reviewer who described this book as "someone else's adolescent fantasy." That's exactly what it was. It's rare to see such a blatant case of "self-insertion of the author's fantasy self" in a pro novel. I can only attribute this nonsense to P.M. Griffin (whose other work I am unfamiliar with), since other Andre Norton books that I've read don't display this reprehensible trait.

For all you budding writers out there, this book is a perfect example of what *not* to do, unless you want to alienate your audience.

I grew up reading the original Solar Queen adventures - they were my introduction to science fiction (if you don't count the Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars books). I loved Norton's books for their thumping good plots, exotic, yet believable aliens, and most especially for her finely drawn portraits of the crew. Many of the fantasies that got me through a boring English Lit or Government class involved flying off into the wild, black yonder aboard the 'Solar Queen'.

Unfortunately, our library only carried the first two books in the series, but I finally located the two 'Solar Queen' novelettes and read them, too. They weren't quite as good - Norton was concentrating on fantasy by then, and somehow it didn't quite mix with the crew of the 'Solar Queen'. However, I never lost my original affection for the series.

Then, decades after the publication of the original novels, I found 'Redline: the Stars'. I couldn't wait. I bought it in hardback rather than holding out for a cheaper edition. The fact that it had a second author's name on it was worrisome, but I assumed I'd be reading mainly Norton.

Not true.

I read the book from cover to cover, hoping to find at least a trace of Norton and a trace of the original 'Solar Queen', then hurled "Redline: the Stars" into the wastebasket.

I felt totally cheated. I usually give up my non-keepers to the library and loan my keepers to my friends, but I couldn't pass this one on to some other poor, unsuspecting Solar Queen fan.

I am pretty sure that all Norton wrote was the introduction to "Redline: the Stars". The original characters were passive, uninteresting shadows - even the Captain and the Cargo Master!. I felt like I was reading someone else's adolescent fantasy of the 'Solar Queen' and her crew that never should have been published under Norton's name. Nothing seemed 'true to life' (if I can use that phrase about something that was a novel to begin with). It was a horrible reading experience - the literary equivalent of visiting an old friend who has advanced Alzheimer's Disease. I don't recommend this book.

If you just want something to read and you do not want to work too hard this is the book for you. I found it a fast read, exciting, but not too challenging. The main characters are never really developed. The minor characters all clump together with no distinct personality so you don't need to worry about knowing their names. The plot was always on the verge of great - but never really got there. The ending was tidy, but not powerful.

I enjoyed this book and went on to read the next in the series. It reminded me of the Star Trek original book series in that it takes reading several books for you to get to know the crew, and several books for you learn about why the Solar Queen is special. That is not immediately obvious in this book. But there is lots of action.

I recommend this book for teen readers who may be new to scifi and need to be "gentled" into it. No radical offworld ideas are set forth here. Good and bad are clearly identified, and sex is nowhere to be found.

This book appears to be a collaberation between Andre Norton and Grace Hogarth, but it reads very unlike Ms. Norton's style. I was very disappointed in this book and had to stop reading it after only three chapters. The plot was very predictable, the characters are not very believable. I have to think Ms. Norton only glanced at what Ms. Hogarth was writing, and did not contribute to this book either in plotlines or in characterizations. Don't waste your money!

Fredericka, a librarian on vacation, is definitely not a modern woman, being given to attacks of fright and a reluctance to do anything without the approval of the men in her life. A dead body in the backyard is a good reason to be nervous, but not to avoid going out, especially since murder isn't mentioned for quite a ways into the book. It's a good period piece, but has to be read with an eye to the times, as the characters all smoke and actions taken for granted in the 50's ie smoking in bed are no-nos in todays world. The solution was good, and the plot worked, but it seemed a little contrived, especially to a child of the computer age.

i have read many of Nortons books, and myself own about 20. I have loved almost all of them, and never before have i encountered one that i disliked this much. I found that i could barely finish it, which is odd for me with ANY book. I would just like to warn prospective buyers to stick to Nortons other books, most of which rate four stars or higher, but just borrow this book from the library.