Andre Norton
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Science fiction and fantasy author Andre Alice Norton (February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was born Alice Mary Norton in Cleveland, Ohio. She published her first novel in 1934. She was the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master Award from the World Science Fiction Society in 1977, and she won the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the SFWA in 1983.
Biography
The parents of Alice Mary Norton were Adalbert Freely Norton, owner of a rug company, and Bertha Stemm. She began writing at the Collinwood High School in Cleveland, under the tutelage of Miss Sylvia Cochrane. She was the editor of a literary page in the school's paper for which she wrote short stories. During this time she wrote her first book—Ralestone Luck, which would eventually find its way to publication as her second novel in 1938, the first being The Prince Commands in 1934.
After graduating from the High School in 1930, Norton continued her education at the Flora Stone Mather College of Western Reserve University. In 1932 she began working for the Cleveland Library System and remained there for 18 years, latterly in the children's section of the Nottingham Branch Library in Cleveland. In 1934, she legally changed her name to Andre Alice Norton; a change made in order to appeal to a predominantly male audience and to increase her marketability. From 1940 to 1941, she worked as a special librarian in the cataloguing department of the Library of Congress, involved in a project related to alien citizenship. The project was abruptly terminated at the start of World War II. In 1941 she took ownership of a bookstore called the Mystery House, in Mount Ranier, Maryland, USA. The business proved to be a failure and she returned to the Cleveland Public Library until 1950, when she began working as a reader for Martin Greenberg at Gnome Press, where she remained until 1958, after which she became a full-time professional author.
In later years her health became uncertain; Norton was forced to move to Florida in November 1966 and thence to Murfreesboro, Tennessee. From February 21, 2005, she was under hospice care, with her health in precipitous decline. She died on March 17, 2005, peacefully in her own home, with her friend and her cats at her side.
Her final complete novel, Three Hands for Scorpio, is scheduled for publication April, 2005.
On February 20, 2005, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, which had earlier honored her with its Grand Master Award in 1983, announced the creation of the Andre Norton Award, which will be given each year for an outstanding work of fantasy or science fiction for the young adult market, starting in 2006. The eligibility requirements and award procedures will be the same as those for the other Nebula Awards.
Often called the Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy by biographers such as J.M Cornwell and organizations such as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Publishers Weekly and Time, Andre Norton wrote novels for over 70 years. She had a profound influence on the entire genre, having over 100 published books read by at least 4 generations of science fiction and fantasy authors. Notable authors who cite her influence include Greg Bear, Lois McMaster Bujold, C.J. Cherryh, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Tanya Huff, Mercedes Lackey, Charles de Lint, Joan D. Vinge, David Weber and K. D. Wentworth.
Andre Norton also wrote under the noms de plume of Andrew North and Allen Weston.
Books
- Ralestone Luck (1938)
- Star Man's Son 2250 A.D. (1952); also published as Daybreak: 2250 AD
- Star Rangers (1953)
- Quag Keep (1978)
- Three Hands for Scorpio (2005)
Witch World series
- Ully the Piper (1970)
- Amber out of Quayth (1972)
- Dragon Scale Silver (1972)
- Dream Smith (1972)
- Legacy from Sorn Fen (1972)
- The Toads of Grimmerdale (1973)
- Spider Silk (1976)
- Falcon Blood (1979)
- Sand Sisters (1979)
- Changeling (1980)
- Tales of the Witch World (1987)
- Of the Shaping of Ulm's Heir (1987)
- Tales of the Witch World 2 (1988)
- Tales of the Witch World 3 (1990)
- The Way Wind (1995)
High Hallack Cycle
- Year of the Unicorn (1965)
- Spell of the Witch World (1972)
- The Jargoon Pard (1974)
- Zarsthor's Bane (1978)
- Horn Crown (1981)
- Were Wrath (1989)
- The Songsmith (1992) with A.C. Crispin
Gryphon Trilogy
Estcarp Cycle
- The Witch World (1963)
- Web of the Witch World (1964)
- Three Against the Witch World (1965)
- Warlock of the Witch World (1967)
- Sorceress of the Witch World (1968)
- Trey of Swords (1977)
- Ware Hawk (1983)
- Gate of the Cat (1987)
- Ciara's Song (1998) with Lyn McConchie
- The Duke's Ballad (2005) with Lyn McConchie
Secrets of the Witch World
- The Key of the Keplian (1995) with Lyn McConchie
- The Mage Stone (1996) with Mary Schaub
- The Warding of the Witch World (1997)
The Turning
- Port of Dead Ships (1991) with Pauline M.Griffin
- Seakeep (1991) with Pauline M.Griffin
- Storms of Victory (1991) with Pauline M. Griffin
- Exile (1992) with Mary Schaub
- Falcon Hope (1992) with Pauline M.Griffin
- Flight of Vengeance (1992 with Pauline M. Griffin and Mary Schaub
- On Wings of Magic (1993) with Patricia Matthews and Sasha Miller
- Falcon Magic (1994) with Sasha Miller
- We, the Women (1994) with Patricia Mathews
Book of the Oak
- To the King a Daughter (2000) with Sasha Miller
- Knight or Knave (2001) with Sasha Miller
- A Crown Disowned (2002) with Sasha Miller
Free Traders
- Moon of Three Rings (1966)
- Exiles of the Stars (1971)
- Flight in Yiktor (1986)
- Dare to Go A-Hunting (1990)
Murdoc Jern
Crosstime
Time Traders
- Time Traders (1958)
- Galactic Derelict (1959)
- The Defiant Agents (1962)
- Key Out of Time (1963)
- Firehand (1994)
- Echoes in Time (with Sherwood Smith) (1999)
- Time Traders (Time Traders and Galactic Derelict) (2000)
- Time Traders II (2001)
- Atlantis Endgame (with Sherwood Smith) (2002)
Janus
Lorens Van Norreys
- The Sword is Drawn (1944)
- Sword in Sheath (1949) also titled Island of the Lost
- At Sword's Point (1954)
The Magic Sequence
- Steel Magic (1965) also titled Gray Magic
- Octagon Magic (1967)
- Fur Magic (1968)
- Dragon Magic (1972)
- Lavender-Green Magic (1974)
- Red Hart Magic (1976)
Star Ka'at
- Star Ka'at (1976) with Dorothy Madler
- Star Ka'at World (1978) with Dorothy Madler
- Star Ka'at and the Plant People (1979) with Dorothy Madler
- Star Ka'at and the Winged Warriors (1981) with Dorothy Madler
Forerunner
- Storm Over Warlock (1960)
- Ordeal in Otherwhere (1964)
- Forerunner Foray (1973) (also in Dipple series)
- Forerunner (1981)
- Forerunner: The Second Venture (1985)
Solar Queen
- Sargasso of Space (1955) (written as Andrew North)
- Plague Ship (1956) (written as Andrew North)
- Voodoo Planet (1959) (written as Andrew North)
- Postmarked the Stars (1969)
- Redline the Stars (1993) with Pauline M. Griffin
- Derelict for Trade (1997) with Sherwood Smith
- A Mind for Trade (1997) with Sherwood Smith
The Halfblood Chronicles
- The Elvenbane (1991) with Mercedes Lackey
- Elvenblood (1995) with Mercedes Lackey
- Elvenborn (2002) with Mercedes Lackey
- Elvenbred (?) with Mercedes Lackey
Hosteen Storm
- The Beast Master (1959)
- Lord of Thunder (1962)
- Beast Master's Ark (2002) with Lyn McConchie
- Beast Master's Circus (2004) with Lyn McConchie
Astra
External links
- Official Website (http://www.andre-norton.org/)
- Detailed biography (http://www.andre-norton.org/anorton/anbio.shtml)
- Bibliography (http://scifan.com/writers/nn/NortonAndre.asp) at SciFan
- CNN obituary (http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/03/17/obit.norton.ap/index.html)
- Wikinews obituary (http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Sci-fi_and_fantasy_author_Andre_Norton_dies)
- SFWA obituary (http://www.sfwa.org/news/anorton.htm)
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