Lord of Thunder

~ 2nd Novel in the Beast Master Series by Andre Norton

(Series aka) Hosteen Storm

lord of thunder

 

Synopsis ~

Write-up from the front flap of the 1962 dustjacket ~

Why --- at the height of the great dry season when neither man nor beast can long survive away from shelter and water -- should all the native tribes on the planet Arzor be gathering in the sinister and almost unknown country of the Peaks? To find the answer, Hosteen Storm, a Beast Master relocated here after Terra's destruction in a galactic war, is sent into the Peaks on a mission of utmost danger. With his great cat Surra and his African Eagle Baku, a perfect scouting team, Storm and two companions discover a fantastic world underground and an uprising planned against the off-worlders. How can total disaster be averted?
The solution forms the dramatic climax of this superior science fiction by one of its foremost exponents, the author of such previous successes as The Beast Master and Sea Siege.

 

Write-up from the back of ACE paperback editions ~

 Why --- at the height of the great dry season when neither man nor beast can long survive away from shelter and water -- should all the native tribes on the planet Arzor be gathering in the sinister and almost unknown country of the Peaks? To find the answer, Hosteen Storm, a Beast Master relocated here after Terra's destruction in a galactic war, is sent into the Peaks on a mission of utmost danger. With his animal scouting team, Storm discovers a fantastic world underground and a plot against the off-worlders. Could he avert total disaster?
The solution forms the dramatic climax of this superior science fiction by one of its foremost exponents, the author of such best-sellers as The Beast Master and Witch World.

 

Write-up from the UK paperback edition ~

No one had ever gone into the “Blue” section of the planet Arzor and returned. It was the hunting ground of the terrible Norbie cannibals. Now there were rumours of an ominous gathering of the native tribes which might mean the destruction of the planet, and Hosteen Storm’s brother was trapped in the “Blue”…

This is Andre Norton’s second hair-raising science-fiction adventure about the young hero of The Beast Master. 

 

Write-up from the back of the Fawcett paperback edition ~

Lord of Thunder
The off-worlder wanted Storm, the Beast Master, to guide him into the forbidden Blue section of Arzor, the treacherous, wild Peak country that was the hunting ground of the feared Norbie cannibals.
Lord of Thunder
No one—government man, settler, or hunter – had ever gone into the Blue and returned. But suddenly Storm had no choice. The off-worlder had already set evil in motion, and now the fate of Azor – and possibly the stars beyond – rested with the incredible courage, daring, and wild creatures of the amazing Beast Master from Terra…

 

Write-up from the back of the Ballantine Del Rey paperback edition ~

Journey into the unknown…
The tribes of Arzor were marching. Following the call of a new leader, the horned Norbies had set aside their feuds to journey together into the Blue, the treacherous wild country beyond the mountains.
No human had ever gone into the Blue and even Storm, the Beast Master, balked a guiding an off-worlder into the forbidden land. But suddenly Storm had no choice – evil been set in motion, and now the fate of Arzor rested in his hand…

“A sequel to The Beast Master in which Hosteen Storm… once again pits his strength, courage and wits against the forces of evil that threaten his adopted land… the plot unfolds dramatically, logically, and swiftly to a completely satisfying climax.” – The Chicago Tribune
“Imaginative and skillfully written science fiction by an experienced and well-known writer.” – ALA Booklist

 

Write-ups from fans ~

Hosteen Storm has adapted well to his new life on Arzor, and found a new family--his stepfather and -brother.  Now an offworld "Cit" comes to request help from them in finding his son who was a "tech" in the same military as Storm and has been mustered out from a medical center.  Unfortunately, the ship he was on had some kind of trouble (unspecified) and a number of men escaped from it on a lifeboat, which is believed to have crashed in the Peaks--the Norbie sacred area.  They are, therefore, withdrawing from their positions as riders for the ranchers--in the middle of the Big Dry, which is unprecedented, and may lead to trouble with the natives.  The head of the Native Affairs comes in person to the Quade ranch to reinforce the "Cit's" request, as a means of investigating the disturbance among the Norbies.  Storm reluctantly agrees, and organizes an expedition, but advises the "Cit" to stay behind.  This advice is disregarded, and causes more trouble, as the settlers have an agreement with the Norbies not to overfly their sacred area.  Storm, along with his half-brother Logan manage to get into the Peaks and discover a renegade "Tech" has managed to find his way into one of the Sealed Caves and is using the Old One's machines to convince the Norbies he is the Second Coming. ~ SL

 

Hosteen Storm is back. The Beast Master and the rest of the settlers are puzzled by total withdrawal of the native tribes back into forbidden territory. Why are the friendly tribes and the hostile tribes having a secret meeting with Hosteen's half-brother the only human invited? And why at this time? Something is amiss, but with only his feelings of impending trouble, Storm cannot deal with the situation until he can scout around for more information. Complicating the situation, a wealthy off-worlder has landed and demands help in locating his son whose lifeboat crashed in the most forbidden area of the planet, where no off-worlder has ever set foot in.
Reluctantly, Storm agrees to help the man if he will abide by his rules. Of course, he lies, and that leads to all kinds of trouble for the Beast Master. He discovers the culprit behind the major plot, but can he stop him in time to keep the natives from being set upon the human settlers? This book uses the Amerindian concept of "Medicine" to explain a lot of the action, a basic rule being, don't mess with another man's medicine! ~ PG

 

Reviews ~

Kirkus Reviews ~ Issue: Sept. 1st, 1962
The planet Arzor is torn between the indigenous Norbies, red-yellow, horned creatures, and the "off-worlder" human exiles from Terra, the planet that was reduced to a blue, radioactive cinder in a galaxy-wide holocaust. The plot is simply that the superstitious Norbies are being duped by an insane off-worlder to attack the peace-loving off-world inhabitants of Arzor. The story of Hosteen Storm's discovery of the situation and his eventual solution of the problem is secondary to the fascinating description, the imaginative ideas, and the general quality of prose and dialogue. For the experienced science-fiction reader. 

 

Booklist Review ~ December 15, 1962
Hosteen Storm, young Terran hero of The Beast Master, is now a settler on the frontier planet Arzor. Sent with his team of animal scouts to investigate a mysterious gathering of the native tribes at their sacred mountain on the unknown land of the Peaks, Storm discovers that an insane off-worlder in inciting the Arzrians to war against the Terran settlers. Imaginative and skillfully written teen-age science fiction by an experienced and well-known writer.

 

Various reviews ~ For more info and other listings see Articles Over the Years

1962 by Don Thompson in Cleveland News, November 02
1963 by S. E. Cotts in Amazing Stories, February
1963 by P. Schuyler Miller in Analog Science Fact -> Science Fiction, February, reprinted in: (UK) Analog Science Fact -> Science Fiction, July
1964 by P. Schuyler Miller in Analog Science Fact -> Science Fiction, May
2015 by James Nicoll
2018 by Judith Tarr

 

Bibliography of English Editions ~

  • (1962) Published by Harcourt Brace, HC, LCCN 62014247, $3.25, 192pg ~ cover by Richard Powers {Orange Cloth Boards}
  • (1962) Published by Longmans, HC, $4.25, 192pg ~ Canadian printing ~ cover by Richard Powers
  • (1963) Published by ACE, PB, # F-243, $0.40, 174pg - #G-691 1967 $0.50 174pg - #49236 1969 $0.75 191pg also 1971 - covers by Alex Schomburg ~ #49237 1975 $1.25 191pg - cover by Davis Meltzer

#49236 was printed twice. Not dated nor is there a number line. The first printing was likely 1970 and has no advertisements in the back. The second printed in December 1971 and has one advertisement.

  • (1966) Published by Gollancz, HC, 0-575-00277-8, £ 15s (180p), 192pg ~ UK printing ~ cover by Alan Breese {Orange Paper Boards}
  • (1968) Published by Peacock, PB, 0-140-47062-X, PK62, £ 20p, 188pg ~ UK printing ~ cover by Douglas Lee Travis
  • (1978) Published by Fawcett, PB, 0-449-23636-6, $ 1.75, 224pg ~ 1980 $1.95, 1981 $2.25 ~ cover by Ken Barr
  • (1984) Published by Ballantine Del Rey, PB, 0-345-31396-8, $2.50, 224pg ~ cover by Laurence Schwinger
  • (2010) Created by Brilliance Audio, Audible, length 6hrs & 13mins, $17.99 ~ narrated by Richard J. Brewer

 

Non-English Editions ~

  • (1987) Published in Japan; by Hayakawa, 41-501-0732-7, SF S62, 303pg ~ translation by Yamada Tadashi ~ cover by Ishihara Takashi ~ Japanese title ビースト・マスター2 [Beast Master 2]
  • (1987) Published in Warsaw, Poland; by a book club, no ISBN, 138pg ~ translation by Wiesław Rychlicki ~ Polish title Władca Gromu [Lord of the Thunder] ~ Limited to 100 copies
  • (1992) Published in Warsaw, Poland; by Agencja Wydawnicza TOR, 83-900-0265-5, 154pg ~ translation by Małgorzata Kowalik ~ Polish title Władca Gromu [Lord of the Thunder]
  • (2001) Published in Poznań, Poland; by Rebis, 83-730-1094-7, 212pg ~ translation by Jarosław Kotarski ~ cover by Jim Burns via Thomas Schlück ~ Polish title Władca Gromu [Lord of the Thunder]

 

Russian Omnibus Editions ~

  • (1994)-1 Published in Zelenograd, by Zelenogradskaya Books, 5-863-14030-5, HC, 384pg ~ translation by V. Shcherbakov ~ cover by D. Avvakumov ~ Russian title Повелитель зверей [Master of Beast]

Contains:

    • "The Beast Master" as "Lord of the Beasts" ~ translation by V. Shcherbakova, pp. 5-204
    • "The Lord of Thunder" ~ translation by V. Shcherbakova , K. Prilipko, pp. 205-380

 

  • (1994)-2 Published in Nizhny Novgorod, by Parallel and in Tula, by Eagle Owl, 5-860-67005-2 and 5-729-30020-4, HC, 543pg ~ cover by C. Achilleos ~ Russian title Мастер зверей [The Beast Master]

Contains:

    • "The Beast Master" as "Master of animals" ~ translation by T. Zavyalova, p. 5-176
    • "Lord of Thunder" as "God of Thunder" ~ translation by T. Zavyalova, p. 177-324
    • "Velvet shadows" ~ translation by N. Rezanova, p. 325-542

 

  • (2004) Published in Moscow, by Eksmo, 5-699-08497-5, HC, 448pg ~ translation by Dmitry Arseniev ~ cover by D. Burns ~ Russian title Повелитель зверей [Master of Beast] ~ Limited to 6000 copies

Contains:

    • "The Beast Master" as "Lord of the Beasts" ~ translation by D. Arseniev
    • "Lord of Thunder" ~ translation by D. Arseniev
    • "The X Factor" ~ translation by D. Arseniev

 

  • (2021) Published in Moscow, by Azbuca-Atticus, 5-389-18122-9, HC, 640pg ~ cover by Julie Bell ~ Russian title Планета повелителя зверей [Planet of the Lord of Beast] ~ Limited to 3000 copies

Contains:

    • "The Beast Master" as "Lord of the Beasts" ~ translation by A. Sheikina
    • "Lord of Thunder" ~ translation by A. Sheikina
    • "Beast Master's Ark" as "Ark of the Lord of the Beasts" ~ translation by Anna Sergeevna Khromova

View the 1978 ACE contract

View the 2004 Russian contract

See Also: Timeline 1 - Andre's Universe entry for this title.

View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://www.andre-norton.com/works-of-a-master/series-of-a-master/the-beast-master-series/230-lord-of-thunder#sigProId9039f85d8f

According to Steve Fahnestalk - Amazing Stories.com ~ October 21, 2016

this is a rough draft by Alex Schomburg that ACE Publishing passed on for the 1963 PB cover.

lord of thunder rough by schomburg

 

 

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