Darkness and Dawn

~ An Omnibus of Novels by Andre Norton

Contains ~

• Star Man's Son 2250 A.D. (1952) Published by Harcourt Brace, HC, LCCN 52006906, 248pg, ~ cover and illustration by Nicolas Mordvinoff ~ (aka) Daybreak 2250 AD & Star Man's Son

• No Night Without Stars (1975) Published by Atheneum, HC, 0-689-50033-5, LCCN 75006948, 246pg ~ cover by Jack Gaughan

Synopsis ~

Write-up from the back of paperback edition ~

No Nights Last Forever...
Centuries after the civilized world destroyed itself in a dimly remembered final war, a few rebels courageously searched through the shattered cities, trying to regain old knowledge.
One was Fors - driven from his clan for the crime of being mutant. Though his people had long searched the remnants of the old world to regain the knowledge and skills of their ancestors, the land to the north was forbidden. Having nothing to lose, Fors and his feline companion set out to the north, little realizing what a discovery awaited them.
Elsewhere, Sander also searched - for the Before People who were said to have survived the great devastation. Then he encountered Fanyl, engaged in her own quest for the knowledge of the Before People. And soon they would find themselves threatened by an ancient evil which destroyed not just lives, but minds as well...

Write-up from a fan ~

Daybreak 2250 AD ~ This is an action-filled page turner. It is one of the first and best and most believable post-apocalypse novels I have ever read. In a world nuked back to pockets of primitive civilization, the Star Men of the mountain folk brave the peril of a radioactive landscape to raid abandoned cities for any items that may help them survive. Fors, son of a deceased Star Man, wants to follow in his father's footsteps. Like many of Andre's protagonists, he is young and underappreciated, a social outcast because he is a mutant. With an equally mutated large cat, he leaves upon a journey of discovery to help the tribe and gain the respect and acceptance of his tribe. This fast-paced adventure includes unspeakable dangers, life and death struggles with deadly foes and finding unexpected allies in the desperate struggle for survival. ~ PG

No Night Without Stars ~ Post- Holocaust World. Remaining population scattered into tribes, some settled into villages, most seem to be "mobs" of nomadic herders and travelling clans of traders. Mixed in with raiders and marauders and mutated animals. Sander, a smith by training leaves his "Mob" after his father dies and his uncle takes his position. He is searching the wastelands looking for knowledge that will help him pursue his craft. He travels with a mutant Coyote large enough to ride on. He finds a destroyed village and meets its only remaining survivor Fanyi, a shaman who was on a spiritual retreat when the sea rovers came. She travels with a pair of cats almost as large as the coyote. She is looking for weapons of the "before people" so that she can get revenge upon her peoples' killers. They agree to travel together and, in the end, get a dangerous dose of more than they ever bargained for. Together they will face an ancient foe that wants to finish the destruction began in the "Dark Times" A thriller to the end. ~ PG

Bibliography of English Editions ~

• (2003) Published by BAEN, TP, 0-743-43595-8, LCCN 2002038393, $15.00, 310pg ~ cover by Bob Eggleton

• (2003) Published by BAEN, DM, 0-743-43595-8, $6.99, 320pg ~ cover by Bob Eggleton

• (2004) Published by BAEN, PB, 0-743-48831-8, LCCN 2002038393, $7.99, 496pg ~ cover by Bob Eggleton

• (2022) Created by Tantor Audio, Audible, length = 14hrs & 33mins, $21.43 ~ narrated by Eva Wilhelm

• Darkness and Dawn ~ 2004 Darkness and Dawn ~ 2004
• Darkness and Dawn ~ 2022 ~ Audible Darkness and Dawn ~ 2022 ~ Audible
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