Garan the Eternal is a collection of four fantasy tales spanning almost 30 years of the author's career.

Garin of Tuv is the story of Garin Featherstone, a wartime pilot now searching for a job. He is hired as a pilot on an antartic expedition to investigate an anomaly near the South Pole. When the three planes of the expedition reach the area, Garin's mind is possessed by a strange power which guides his airplane deep within a crater. There he discovers an old and alien race that has brought him down to fight an ancient evil.

Garan of Yu-Lac is the story of a previous incarnation of Garin who falls in love with the Emperor's daughter, Lady Thrala, and finds an enemy in Kepta of Koom. This tale is the backstory of Garin of Tuv.

Legacy From Sorn Fen is a tale of misused power and the peculiar justice found within the fens of High Hallek.

One Spell Wizard is a yarn about a Wizard's apprentice in High Hallek who learns only one spell but uses it cunningly if not quite wisely.

This collection is not the best works produced by the author, but does show some of her characteristic style and wordage. Recommended for Norton completists.

Strictly speaking, what we have here are 2 novellas about Garan and 2 unrelated short stories, rather than a novel, although the novellas are titled merely 'part 1' and 'part 2' rather than being given their original names in the table of contents. (I'll rectify that here.) The Garan novellas are set in an alternate history of our own world, but the short stories are from the Witch World series; the settings are unrelated.

The "Garin" vs. "Garan" spelling issue is not a typographical error, incidentally. The modern-day character's birth name has the 'i' spelling and pronunciation, while the people of Tav and Krand render it the other way.

"Garin of Tav", a.k.a. "People of the Crater" (1947) - Garin Featherstone's 15 minutes of fame passed years ago, after leading a daring airstrike during a long war. But down-and-out pilots still have their uses during an Antarctic exploration, seeking a crater with unusual characteristics, only seen once before from the air. While this may sound like a clone of _The Lost World_, it quickly diverges from that path. The story has an intriguing start, but the "tell" to "show" ratio is a little too high once we're introduced to the world of Tav. Several "death before dishonor" scenarios pop up that seem inadequately justified. Worth reading, but the follow-up story below is more to my liking.

"Garan of Yu-Lac" (1969, 1973) - The very beginning and ending of this story involve the Garin and Thrala of the present day, as she reveals to him the tale of an age long past in which they met once before. The tale in between is the first-person narrative of that other Garan, on the long-vanished world of Krand. As the offspring of a forbidden cross-caste marriage, Garan's life has been shaped by Krand's rigid caste system; the only life open to him was that of the military, and that only by a merciful decree of the Emperor. Now, secretly, he has raised his eyes to the throne at the Emperor's right hand - Thrala, the emperor's daughter, in hopelessness. But other, darker secrets infest Krand. Two other characters seen briefly in "Garin of Tav" also appear in this past-life scenario, and their behaviour in the first story takes on added depth.

Krand reminds me of the original Buck Rogers comics in terms of technology (not that the details are allowed to become obtrusive); that's actually a point in its favour, for me. Garan's personal problem is handled with great artistry, as are the more world-threatening issues.

"One Spell Wizard" - See Norton's _Moon Mirror_. A humorous Witch World story, even though the manner of storytelling is typical of the series, of an unsuccessful wizard who deliberately takes an apprentice with a speech impediment - since he wants an assistant for small-time con jobs, rather than spellcasting.

"Legacy from Sorn Fen" - Like _The Toads of Grimmerdale_ (with which it appears in _Lore of the Witch World_), this tale features a man who rose from obscure beginnings to lordship in a Dale left leaderless in the wake of the Invaders' War, but Higbold and Treyvan have little in common otherwise.

Apparently partly written in the late 40's, Garan the Eternal is standard S&S fantasy of the time. A fighter pilot is tagged for a secret mission which ends up transferring him to a fantasy world where he overcomes dark evil and wins the hand of the princess. Not as good as Burroughs but better than Lin Carter.

'Horn Crown' is an immensely entertaining epic fantasy. The plot culminates in a classic good vs. evil matchup.

At times thought it seemed that Norton gave more attention to detail than plot. She goes to great lengths in describing an ancient castle at the expense of action. I found my mind wandering as I read the three pages of describing stones, hallways and tables. I didn't realize the story had resumed until I was two paragraphs into to, necessitating a re-read. There were several such instances.

A good book for a cold night.

'Horn Crown' is a prequel to the series of Witch World books that are set in the dales of High Halleck, e.g. "Year of the Unicorn" and "The Crystal Gryphon". We learn about the original settlers who came through a Gate to the Dales, and their introduction to the Light and Dark forces that still lingered among the ruins. This book is vintage Norton and a must for Witch World fans. I withheld one star because 'Horn Crown' is talkier and carries a bit less of a plot line than most of her WW novels. However, she has a lot to explain and 'Horn Crown' is, after all, a prequel. As always, her hero and heroine are outcasts from the normal run of medieval settlers who came through the Gate in order to claim land and build Holds. The story is told from the masculine viewpoint, and there is a bit more sex (although very tastefully done) than is usual for Norton. We actually get to meet the Goddess Gunnora, who is an intriguing mixture of Ceres, Diana, and Aphrodite (the latter two 'aspects' were a bit of a surprise to me as I had always associated Gunnora with harvests and childbirth, and not much more). There's lots of interesting magic and really evil creatures of the Dark (as I said, vintage Norton if you are a WW fan). You really need to read this if you liked 'Year of the Unicorn' or 'The Crystal Gryphon'.

My best friend, Kal, recommended that I read this book and I've read it ten times since I purchased it. Definitely a wonderful read! :)

"Ice Crown's" heroine, Roane belongs to a small team of archeologists chosen to land on Clio in search of Forerunner ruins. Clio is a closed planet, which means that space-farers like Roane must leave the human inhabitants strictly alone to evolve their own destiny.

Roane soon breaks the non-interference rule when she is caught in a savage storm and seeks shelter in an abandoned stone tower in the forest. Unfortunately, some of the local inhabitants also stumble into the tower. There are several armed men plus a bound, ill-treated woman, and Roane's pity overrules her archeological training. She frees the woman, who turns out to be the local princess (Clio is a medieval world of warring kingdoms) and they escape from the tower together, Roane pretending to be a Clioite.

The off-worlder is soon unmasked by the astute Princess Ludorica, and Roane reluctantly agrees to help the Clioite search for her lost Ice Crown--a gift from the ancient "Guardians" to the royal line, and the source of their power to rule.

"Ice Crown" is not a typical Norton 'Forerunner' story, in that the mysterious installation on Clio turns out to have been set up by the long-discredited human Psychocrats, motivated to perform a nasty, planet-wide, multi-generation experiment in mind-control and fixed destiny. The plot gets a bit jumbled up in Clio's dynastic feuds, but the characters are pure Norton: the cold technocrats from an advanced civilization versus primitives with a touch of magic in their makeup. Roane is a typical Norton heroine in that she is made to feel inferior by her more educated/experienced companions, and she acts according to her conscience rather than a set of rigidly defined rules. In short, she is a very likeable person who is caught up in a conflict not of her own making, but one where she is determined to do the right thing.

Vintage Norton with just a slightly confusing plot.

The planet of Clio is split into warring factions but a series of consolidations are under way so that there are only a small number of buffer states between two huge powers. When the offworlders arrive to examine the unusual development of Clio, they find that an alien race has been there before them and conditioned the rulers into following alien plans. This left the terrans in a quandry - do they obey their noninterventionist policies, or try to do something for the trapped inhabitants?

Wonderful mixture of Medievil and Futurist Space adventures! Well worth the reading. You won't want to put it down!

I first came across Andre Norton as a teenager. This was one of the first novels that I read that used cats as the main characters. Made me think and realize that everything is interconnected. This novel, Iron Cage, made a major impsct on my life and has continued to do so

Iron Cage is the story of a young boy, Jony, who escapes from an alien race which used humans as experimental tools. He finds friends with the People - a race of bear-like, intelligent animals. When humans arrive upon the planet, and try to subject the People to their will, Jony finds himself in a difficult posistion - should he protect the People? Or should he join his own kind?

I really enjoyed this book! The only reason, in fact, I'm denying it that last star was because the story was sometimes hard to follow. Despite this, read it anyway!

This is one of those books that really make you think and re-evaluate your values and beliefs. Andre Norton is great, and this is one of her best efforts! If you like this one, try 'Breed to come'.

I just finished this book (paperback). Is it just me or was that terrible. I gave it two stars because, as much as I hated it, the plot was pretty good:
Kethan , heir to the throne of Car do Prawn, one day gets this belt brought by the traveller Ibycus. As it intices him, it becomes an obsession. It holds transformation powers that Kethan must figure out to control, for he is driven out of the keep by his jealous cousin Maugus. Anyway, It's a cool plot.

But, I was terribly sick of the writing. Every other sentence began with an "I". If you're going to write in that 1st person, you cant write it like that. She seemed to throw in details just as they became effective. It was written like a journal. And there was hardly any dialogue. I was not impressed. The details themselves were not even that clear.
Anyways, I felt this was a terrible book.
Good plot, Bad English.
Oh yeah, the word "stuff" made me really angry.

this is a good book I strongly recommend it.

I am biased about Qndre Norton, so thus will be this review.I believe she is te most creative, and yes, spiritual author of fantasy today; modeling oour goals and principals through action, never a lecture. Her sentences are packed , eachword of consequenmce, he plots are a unique combination ofevery scientific and alternative fact or fictionwoven expertly together and every page, inclding the last,casrries on the plot without excuse or apology.For the Jargoopn Pard she has combined anti-discrimination valuies, witchcraft, alternative worlds,ideal human qualities and fully developed characters into a constantly suspensefuland exciting tale. The plot, copied by many movies is ingenious and the twists are unexpected, keeping the suispense and the anticipation high./There is a way which Ms. Norton uses words , how se weaves them into a sentence that not only moves the plot and explains the action bt er syntax is at times poetic. This is a great book-as are most of hers.

This is the first volume of the Norton Anthology of Western Music Third Edition). It covers Music of the Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, while the second volume deals with Music from the Classical, Romantic Contemporary and Modern Periods. The book offers a selection of scores (86 in total) from several composers and it spans over a period of more than two millennia (earliest score from 408 B.C., latest from 1752 A.D.). The scores that are included are representative of most composers that made an impact through these two millennia (at least according to the editors): Leonin, Perotin, Machaut, Landini, Dunstable, Duffay, Ockeghem, Des Prez, Willaert, Gesualdo, Monteverdi, Dowland, Byrd, Palestrina, Luis de Victoria, Orlando di Lasso, Caccini, Peri, Gabrielli, Schutz, Froberger, Frescobaldi, Scarlati, Purcell, Buxtehude, Lully, Couperin, Corelli, Vivaldi, Rameau, J.S. Bach and G. F. Handel. In this volume, 60 eponymous composers (and several anonymous) are included. The only noticeable absence on a first reading of the index is perhaps that of Boccherini. However, given the restrictions of space that are inherent to any written medium, the Anthology still manages to remain quite comprehensive. On the other hand, very few, if any, comments or analyses of the scores are offered for each of the pieces (always following the music). Pieces that involve vocals (i.e. excerpts from operas, cantatas, masses) are supplemented with an English translation, besides the original text. The scores themselves are 'full' scores and not piano reductions. Naturally, this causes some scores that involve richer orchestration (i.e. the excerpt from Bach's B Minor Mass "Et expecto resurrectionem") to be printed in small fonts, which in turn may take its toll in the readability of the music. However, since most pieces of the period involve smaller orchestras, the problem is not as much of a deal as it is with volume two. Additionally, if one always remembers the restrictions of space that accompany any written medium, it is clear that it is a decision to be made- it's either small fonts or fewer scores.

Two notes of warning: first, the book, much like volume two, is not accompanied by any music. It contains simply the printed scores. A good choice for supplementing the two volume set, is Hannig's Concise History of Western Music with its 4 CD set. Although the CD set does not contain all music of the two volumes, it does contain a good portion of it and has a user friendly, easy to understand cross-reference system with the two volumes. Second note of warning: as any anthology, this one, too, is merely a representative sample. It is not a 'Greatest Hits' collection-for example you won't find Pachelbel's "Canon in D", Vivaldi's "Four Seasons", Bach's Brandemberg Concertos or his Passions or Handel's "Messiah" in it. Only one complete score of a larger scale piece is included, that of Bach's cantata "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme" (BWV 140). Otherwise, the anthology consists of excerpts of larger pieces (whole movements or introductions for example), and shorter complete pieces (i.e. Bach's Praeludium et Fuga in A minor, BWV 543), that from the editors perspective present a more or less complete landscape of Music up to where Vol. 2 picks up from (Late Baroque/Early Classical). Naturally, omissions are inevitable, especially when one looks for balance. The four stars (and not five) are mainly because of the choice of scores at some points, at the choice (or omission) of composers at others, and, mainly, for the lack of more comprehensive commentaries and analyses of the pieces.

Editors Palisca and Grout present a thorough survey of western music from written sources, with a welcome emphasis on lesser-known works. They include neumes and other ancient methods of notation. Entirely scholarly and accompanied by beautifully executed recordings of each piece, this book is a must for every student of musicology, and a boon to anyone interested in ancient music.

Both volumes of the (paperback) Anthology (N.B.: 3d ed. goes with 5th ed. of the "History" text) are primarily fully reproduced (though reduced in size) scores to the music reproduced audiophonically on the CD's in Volumes 1 and 2 of "Recorded Anthology." The Anthology, according to its 3d ed. preface, now contains almost no text of its own. The "History" text (clothbound and yes, definitive) contains minimal examples in musical notation and refers to these two volumes frequently. Despite the above review being included with this volume, be advised that the study guide by J. Peter Burkholder is to the "History" text, not primarily to the Anthologies, which also supplement the History (along with the CD's).

I can envision three types of history when someone says "History of Chemistry" - 1. tales of the chemists themselves, including ancestory, childhood, education, etc. 2. tales of the experiments they perform and 3. a history of the theories to explain the experiments. This particular book is heavily weighted on the third of these options, and thus, I would have titled this book "History [or Development] of Chemical Theory".

Having narrowed down the scope of what is covered leaves more space to focus on the theory aspects, and it is done very well, especially in the post-Lavoisier era. As mentioned in another review, the Alchemical and Phlogiston theories are much less well developed, which is disappointing. I would also have liked to see more archeological information - a brief discussion of metallurgy in Rome or gunpowder in China would have been interesting, if not particularly scientific.

Finally, although the preface states that anyone with a high school knowledge of science should be able to follow the book, in practice I think that non-chemists (i.e. someone without 2 or 3 university courses) would find it to be heavy slogging.

I've only giving this 4 stars because the early part of the book is a little disappointing. The coverage of alchemy is sketchy and the pneumatic chemists are given short shrift. You feel that Brock didn't really have his heart in the pre-Lavoisier history.

By contrast, the treatment of nineteenth century chemistry is suberb, giving broad and balanced coverage of laboratory practice, industry and theoretical developments. The text conveys a real sense of excitement as the discoveries unfold; Brock does an excellent job of organising a wealth of technical detail clearly.

There is also a good coverage of early twentieth century chemistry, about up to the point where quantum mechanics took hold.

Overall, highly recommended. But you definitely need a background in chemistry to get the most out of it.

I was captivated by this book. The book was thoroughly researched and documented, and provided useful insight to the motives behind historical developments.

To enjoy the book, you really need to have a background in chemistry as well as a general knowledge of major historical developments. At times, the book had a disjointed approach, referencing historical individuals long before introducing them. Additionally, I would have preferred a greater focus on the impact of the historical developments on current practice.

Overall, an fascinating and worthwhile endeavor.

I'm not a literary scholar so I'm not going to comment on the selection of poetry or the quality of the introductions to poets. What I can say is that there are a ton of poets, introductions to each poet, and helpful footnotes for the poetry. The anthology appropriately reaches as far back as Walt Whitman.

Norton's Anthology of Modern Poetry is quite impressive. It contains a goodly-sized selection of poems from just about all the greats of modern literature. The book is arranged chronologically by the poets' birth years and has an introductory biography/career overview for each, followed by selections of their most distinguished works. As one reviewer noted, both the introductions and the notes are helpful & informative, and I really appreciated them when getting through some of the more difficult poems.

My only complaints about this anthology would have to be that the print is so small that it can be a strain on the eyes when reading from it at length, and also that the paper is so thin. I'm sure both are due to considerations of being able to fit the largest amount into the smallest package, but just because I understand it doesn't mean I have to like it.

If you access the reviews of this work at this site,
then you had better be prepared to try to figure out
why the other reviewers have written what they have written.
The collections of poems for each poet, and the
essay introductions are both excellent. People who
don't know poetry or poets might not find them
helpful, but for knowledgable readers of poetry,
this Norton Anthology is of high quality, indeed.
I especially like the Norton editions' excellent
footnotes. Here is a footnote to Yeats's poem
"To the Rose upon the Rood of Time." "The rose, as
an image of transfiguration and fulfillment, is a
frequent symbol in Yeats's poetry of this period
[1892]. In a note dated 1925, he remarks of it
'that the quality symbolised as The Rose differs
from the Intellectual Beauty of Shelley and of
Spenser in that I have imagined it as suffering
with man and not as something pursued and seen
from afar.' The title indicates, and line 12
confirms, that the rose is here eternal beauty,
which flowers from the cross of time and sacrifice."
(p. 113) I think that note is extremely insightful
and helpful. Of course, it also helps greatly if
you know who Shelley and Spenser are (and were),
what types of works they wrote, and what their
most famous works and themes are. If you have
not had that intellectual and educational background,
then, of course, the note will seem meaningless.
This is an anthology which can be read by scholars
and enthusiasts. Read the poems for their wealth
of value and tones and visions -- read the notes
and the introductory essays for insightful,
meaningful information about the poets, their lives,
their struggles, and their accomplishments.
My own favorites in the anthology are: Emily
Dickinson, Thomas Hardy, A.E. Housman, some of
W.B. Yeats, Edgar Lee Masters, Edwin Arlington
Robinson, Ezra Pound, H.D., Siegfried Sassoon,
Robinson Jeffers, T.S. Eliot, and Wilfred Owen.
Of course, there are many more poets and poems
than these that appeal to me personally.
Here is a brief excerpt from the beginning of
the essay on "Emily Dickinson": "Modern American
poetry [in this anthlogy there are both American
and British poets arranged chronologically according
to their birth dates] -- an expression meaning almost
the same thing as 'American poetry' -- has for one
of its founders and ancestral presences a woman.
Emily Dickinson wrote poems which are not only
excellent but lend a standard of excellence. She is
bracketed with Walt Whitman because, unknown to each
other and almost simultaneously, they all but invented
American poetry."
I cannot understand why anyone could not find that
helpful as the beginning of an insightful analysis
of the poet, her poetry, and her influence.

This book was undoubtedly not intended to be the last in the series, but unfortunately it was. The book left several very important characters at odds in the end it a disheartening way. If I had to do it over again, I would have stopped the series with The Borrower's Aloft. Other than this story, the rest of the series by Mary Norton was a delightful addition to our family's storytime.

This book was written in 1982 as an afterthought to the earlier books (The Borrowers (1952), The Borrowers Afield (1955), The Borrowers Afloat (1959), and Poor Stainless (1966)). This follows the Clocks (Pod, Homily and Arrietty) after their escape from the Platters. Having found their way to an old rectory, the Clocks realize that they will never really be safe.

This book is quite different from the earlier books. This story contains social commentary, as seen when the family meets Peregrine Overmantle, and the introduction of more fantastic elements, such as a household ghost. It's quite interesting to imagine where Mary Norton might have gone, had she had the time to write more Borrowers stories. Anyway, this is a great book, and well worth your time and money.

Just to set everyone straight, this book is NOT based on the campy, sellout movie "The Borrowers." The movie should be renounced by all true fans, as it is a badly done attempt at commercializing on Mary Norton's brilliant ideas. Anyway, "The Borrowers Avenged" was written more than ten years before the Borrowers movie. It continues the story of Pod, Homily, and Arrietty, as they finally settle into an old rectory. It raises important questions about the future--(who will Arrietty marry, Spiller or Peagreen? I tend to think Peagreen.), but as all good Norton stories, gives you room to decide for yourself.

I grew up reading Andre Norton. And the adventures of the Solar Queen were always a favorite. Once again the intrepid crew must overcome the obstacles in their pursuit of profitable trade, from pirates and aliens to a strange telepathic link developing between the main characters. Olds fans will enjoy it -- still some of the best young adult sf. This is not "great" sf, but it is a fine rainy afternoon read, and what more can anyone want.

This is a sequel to the novel, "Derelict for Trade." It makes substantial references back to the previous book, and the reader should probably read the books in the order they were written. The story is interesting as the crews of the North Star and Solar Queen attempt to exploit the mineral resources on the planet Hesprid IV. It turns out not to be a milk run as they encounter wretched weather, unexpected XTs, stranded miners, and pirates. The question is whether they can come out of the venture with a profit. The story is well developed and generally well written. The authors have an annoying habit of sometimes switching back and forth between using characters' first names and using their last names - potentially confusing if a reader has not developed a rapport with the characters.

Yes, another Solar Queen adventure. Again Andre Norton has surpassed the average writer's abilities to write a great book. Sherwood Smith was the reason why I bought this book, he needs to get more books out in print, NOW!