Forerunner Foray

~ 3rd Novel in the Warlock Series by Andre Norton

forerunner.foray

 

Synopsis ~

Write-up from the front flap of the 1973 dustjacket ~

Ziantha was a highly skilled sensitive who had been trained in many areas of mindtouch, but she was totally unprepared for her contact with the strange, throbbing green stone that took her out-of-body into the ancient Forerunner worlds of hidden treasure and wisdom. Repelled, horrified by what she sensed was possible, still Ziantha was drawn inexorably to the stone and unwillingly found herself trapped in the past, in another's identity, with only the help of an unknown sensitive for guidance.

Together they learn that the only way they can return in their true selves is by finding the lost mate to the focus stone. Pursued by vengeful enemies, trapped by the increasing physical weakness that threatens to overtake them, they discover the clue to the missing stone.

Then Zizntha must face a harrowing transport even farther back into another identity and, in a desperate race against time, struggle to save herself and her valiant male companion.

Once again Andre Norton succeeds in spinning a fabulous and absorbing story in which the past and future mingle, and time and the vastness of the universe are one.

 

Write-up from the back of ACE paperback edition ~

Only Andre Norton could have created Ziantha, and the story of how her powerful mental talents led her to the eerie stone of power that drew her on a deadly quest, back through ancient empires and alien reincarnations, seeking the lost talisman of a forgotten race. Forerunner Foray is a vivid window on the future that no science fiction fan can afford to miss! 

 

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

The Mystery Beckoned Her... It was on Ziantha's foray into the ancient Forerunner worlds of hidden treasure and wisdom that she was inexorably drawn to the throbbing green stone. It was irresistibly attractive, and as soon as she possesses it she felt compelled to unlock its most hidden secrets. But such brazen curiosity would carry a deadly price for Ziantha. For although she was a highly skilled sensitive trained in mind-touch, her dangerous quest thrust her into a stranger's identity, leaving her trapped in the Forerunner's turbulent, alien past. Suddenly pushed into a desperate race, not only against time, but against unknown enemies with harrowing powers, Ziantha must fight to keep from being transplanted even farther back to another mysterious identity. She must find a way to return to her own true self... Forerunner Foray

 

Write-ups from fans ~

This book has Andre Norton written all over it. Ziantha, a former resident of the Dipple on Kolwar (yes, the same Dipple from Catseye, Night of Masks and Judgement on Janus), is now using her esper talents (telepathy Telekinesis, and Psychometry) to help her masters in the powerful Thieves Guild. On one mission to copy secret files from a rival Veep, her attention is drawn to an ugly lump of stone on a table.
She becomes obsessed with it and sneaks out later and steals it. Her bosses and their bosses realize that this lump is a forerunner artifact and she and the artifact are sent to Waystar, the legendary home of thieves and fences where they are supposed to find out what the artifact is where it came from and if it can be used to find more Forerunner treasure. Ziantha tells them where to go and a Veep sends her and her boss on a Jack ship and she locates a possible source on a nearly burned-off planet. The Jack captain forces her to use her power on the artifact without any preparation or safeguards.
She is hurled into the past into a body of Vintra, a captive left to die in a warlord's tomb. The dead warlord awakes, and they escape the tomb together. She knows that she is supposed to find a focus-jewel like the one she had secretly discovered inside the artifact. After many dangers, she slips even further back in the planet's Past and becomes one with D'Eyree and ancient protector of her city through the use of twin jewels.
When she finally gets back to her own time, she is rescued from the Jacks by the son of a couple we met in Storm over Warlock and Ordeal in Otherwhere. As usual, Andre has included a soft fuzzy creature who happens to be a super-powerful telepath/telekinetic. "Action-packed!" is really faint praise. There is a lot going on between the covers of this one. ~ PG


 

Reviews ~

Kirkus Reviews ~ Issue: April 1st, 1973
Norton is a believer in psychometry -- the study of history through extrasensory perception. But if psychometry is real, it's the most tangible element in this four-dimensional, pan-galactic quest which leads the "gentle fem" and "cubling" sensitive Ziantha to inhabit the recently buried body of Vintra of Singakok and stretch even farther backward into the watery kingdom of Nornoch to become D'Eyree of The Eyes. The object of all this astral projection is the Eyes themselves, a pair of focus stones whose value lies, presumably, in their promise of still further identities for the intrepid Ziantha-Vintra-D'Eyree. For the easily transported. 

 

Booklist Review ~ June 15, 1973
Taking off from her belief in psychometry, or the reading of an objects past history by a sensitive, Norton in her usual style skillfullly spins an intricate tale of mind-touch and time travel. On a mision from the Guild, Ziantha, a young sensitive, comes across a strange stone charged with powerful phychic energy. Through the stone she is drawn out of her body and into that of anoher female in an ancient Forerunner civilization from which she cannot escape until she unites the stone with its mate, a feat she finally accomplishes after an arduous series of adventures.

 

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

1973 by H. Means in English Journal, October
1974 by Edward Blishen in Times Educational Supplement, March 29
1975 by Baird Searles in The Science Fiction Review Monthly #1, March
1975 by Richard Lupoff in Algol #24 (fnz), Summer
2015 by James Nicoll
2017 by Judith Tarr


 

Dedications and Acknowledgements ~

With gratitude to Mrs. Phyllis Schlemmer, who so helpfully consented to use her talent to "rend" for me, and to Mrs. Iris Comfort. Who made our meeting possible.


 

Bibliography of English Editions ~

  • (1973) Published by Viking, HC, 0-670-32357-8, 978-0-670-32357-9, LCCN 72091403, $5.95, 286pg ~ cover by Charles Mikolaycak - First printing has line 12345 77 76 75 74 73 {Library Edition has Pictorial Boards}
  • (1973) Published by SFBC, HC, # 5716, 216pg ~ cover by Charles Mikolaycak {Ocra Paper Boards, # 5716 on Rear Flap, # D18 on Page 215}
  • (1974) Published by Longman Young Books, HC, 0-582-16258-0, 978-0-582-16258-7, £1.60, 288pg ~ UK printing ~ cover by Charles Mikolaycak {Brown Paper Boards}
  • (1975) Published by ACE, PB, 0-441-24620-6, $1.50, 286pg - #24621 1975 $1.50 - covers by Charles Mikolaycak ~ #24622-2 1980 $2.25 - #24623-0 1982 $2.50 - #24624-9 1984 $2.50 - covers by Wojtek Siudmak
  • (1992) Published by ROC, PB, 0-451-45176-7, 978-0-451-45176-7, $4.50 US $5.99 Canadian, 255pg ~ cover by Tom Canty
  • Warlock (2003) Published by BAEN, HC, 0-671-31849-7, 978-0-671-31849-9, LCCN 2001049949, $25.00, 534pg ~ cover by Larry Elmore ~ Omnibus containing Storm Over Warlock (1960), Ordeal In Otherwhere (1964) & Forerunner Foray (1973

 

Russian Omnibus Editions ~

  • (1992)-1 Published in Novosibirsk, by EYA, 5-872-16019-4, HC, 464pg ~ cover by O. Poleschuk ~ Russian title Гаран вечный [Eternal Garan]

Contains:

    • "Forerunner Foray" as "The invasion of distant ancestors" ~ pp. 3-143
    • "Garan the Eternal" as "The Eternal Garan" ~ pp. 144-236
    • "Judgment on Janus" as "Court on Janus" ~ translation by N. Nesmelova, pp. 237-342
    • "Victory on Janus" ~ pp. 343-461

 

  • (1992)-2 Published in St. Petersburg, by Egos, 5-864-76001-0, HC, 336pg ~ cover by N. Zubkov ~ Russian title Клуб любителей фантастики [Dzant of the Union of Thieves]

Contains:

    • "Forerunner Foray" as "Dzant from the union of thieves" ~ translation by D. Pavlovsky & I. Burova & E. Voronko, pp. 5-164
    • "Here Abide Monsters" as "Monsters live here" ~ translation by D. Pavlovsky & I. Burova & E. Voronko, pp. 165-335

 

  • (1992)-3 Published in Moscow, by Reteks, 5-874-86003-7, HC, 464pg ~ cover by B. Romankova ~ Russian title Поиск во времени [Time Search]

Contains:

    • "Operation Time Search" as "Operation Search in Time” ~ translation by V. Martov, pp. 5-156
    • "Forerunner Foray" as "The invasion of distant ancestors" ~ translation by V. Martov, pp. 157-304
    • "Moon of Three Rings" as "The Moon of the Three Rings" ~ translation by V. Martov, pp. 305-463

 

  • (1993) Published in Minsk, by Prameb, 5-854-42035-X and 5-854-42034-1, HC, 448pg ~ cover by A. Arinushkin ~ Russian title Мир ведьм [Witch World]

Contains:

    • "Witch World" as "The World of Witches" ~ translation by C. Staselovich, pp. 3-166
    • "Web of the Witch World" as "Web of the World of Witches" ~ translation by N. Chadovich, pp. 167-298
    • "Forerunner Foray" as "The invasion of distant ancestors" ~ translation by O. Fedotova, pp. 299-445

 

  • (1995) Published in Moscow, by Sigma Press and Zelenograd, by Zelenogradskaya Books, 5-863-14043-7, HC, 544pg ~ cover by D. Avvakumov ~ Russian title Испытание в Иноземье [Test in the Alien Territory]

Contains:

    • "Storm Over Warlock" as "The Storm over the Sorcerer" ~ translation by M. Shamray, pp. 3-164
    • "Ordeal in Otherwhere" as "Testing in a foreign land" ~ translation by D. Saveliev & J. Saveliev, pp. 165-342
    • "Forerunner Foray" as "The Mining of the Forerunner" ~ translation by D. Saveliev & J. Saveliev, pp. 343-542

 

  • (2003) Published in Moscow, by Eksmo, 5-699-01839-5, HC, 448pg ~ cover by David Mattingly ~ Russian title Буря над планетой Колдун [Storm over the planet Sorcerer]

Contains:

    • "Storm Over Warlock" as "Storm over the planet Sorcerer" ~ translation S. Sergeyev, p. 5-162
    • "Ordeal in Othewhere" as "Tests in the Other-Where" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, p. 163-284
    • "Forerunner Foray" as "The invasion of distant ancestors" ~ translation by O. Kolesnikov, p. 285-443

 

  • (2015) Published in Moscow by Eksmo, 9785699775194, HC, 1088pgs ~ cover by A. Dubovik ~ Russian title Брат теней [Brother of Shadows] ~ Limited to 3000 copies

Contains:

    • "Brother to Shadows" as "Brother of Shadows" ~ translation by O. Kutumina, pp. 5-300
    • "Night of Masks" as "The Night of the Masks" ~ translation by A. Schupov & I. Golovshchikov, pp. 301-462
    • "Forerunner Foray" as "Visit to the Forerunners" ~ translation by D. Saveliev & J. Saveliev, pp. 463-672
    • "Uncharted Stars" as "Stars not mapped" ~ translation by D. Arsenyev & O. Kolesnikov, pp. 673-874
    • "The Zero Stone" as "The Eternal Stone" ~ translation by D. Arsenyev & O. Kolesnikov, pp. 875-1085

View the Original contract

View the 2004 Russian contract

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


 

 

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