[6GY]⇒ PDF All Cats Are Gray edition by Andre Norton Reference eBooks

All Cats Are Gray edition by Andre Norton Reference eBooks

Download As PDF : All Cats Are Gray edition by Andre Norton Reference eBooks

All Cats Are Gray edition by Andre Norton Reference eBooks

Andre Norton was one of the more popular science fiction authors when I was growing up and one of the few of that era who remained alive and active into this century. Naturally, she has a wide selection of books available, both on Amazon and elsewhere, many of which are of the outer space adventure variety that appealed to youngsters like me. "All Cats Are Gray" differs from the works I remember; instead, of grand adventure, it's what I would call a "quirky science" tale, one whose explanation depends on a lesser-known actual scientific phenomenon. The story has also fallen into the public domain, so it's available from a variety of sellers on Amazon as well. I wished I had discovered a hidden gem, but, alas, there's a reason this very short story has fallen through the cracks of Norton's works.

"All Cats Are Gray" would be described today as flash fiction or short short fiction. Based on the pagination from the original source, it appears to be only six pages long. It's the story of a salvage attempt on a legendary derelict spaceship, the "Empress of Mars," that has been drifting in space for years after the passengers and crew apparently died in a mysterious accident. Since then, others had boarded the ship and similarly vanished. Now, a woman named Steena of the Spaceways, who would be what we now call a computer geek, decides to try to salvage the ship's valuable cargo and recruits a pilot to help get her there. Steena takes her prize pet, a gray cat named Bat, with her.

Naturally, there's a logical explanation for the various disappearances over the years, at least an explanation that is logical in the science fiction universe, albeit not so much one that would be very plausible if the story took place here on Planet Earth. And that logical explanation leads to a battle onboard the derelict ship that will give readers a taste of the type of action that made Norton so popular. And, as usually happens in flash fiction of today, there’s a bit of a twist at the end, although not nearly as entertaining a twist as the author may have thought.

Norton crammed enough plot into “All Cats Are Gray” to serve as the source of a feature film, and, unfortunately, that’s what the story reads like, a screen treatment rather than a coherent, fully satisfying story. Norton’s heroine, Steena, is potentially a great character, but Norton just gives her the most cursory of descriptions. Later, the description of the battle is actually somewhat confusing to follow because it’s so short. Finally, when Norton provides the scientific explanation for what happened, it’s more likely to elicit a shrug from readers rather than any feeling of illumination. The flaws in “All Cats Are Gray” are so evident and clash with the overall quality of the writing to such an extent that I got the distinct feeling that the story may only have been the first draft of a longer work that Norton never got around to expanding.

“All Cats Are Gray,” flawed as it is, nonetheless provides readers a good look at Norton’s writing talent. She does a great job of establishing the setting for the early part of the story, an outer space watering hole for pilots and crew, one that reminded me of George Lucas’ cantina in “Star Wars.” In fact, the trick Norton uses with her description may have influenced Lucas’ screenplay. Norton drops a lot of names but no explanations, with lines like “it was Steena who told Bub Nelson about the Jovian moon-rites, and her warning saved Bub’s life six months later.” That’s similar to Han Solo talking about how the “Millennium Falcon” made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs. Norton skillfully uses that technique to establish tone and setting in a few evocative paragraphs.

I’m giving “All Cats Are Gray” a three-star rating, which by my evaluation is a mild recommendation. Readers will appreciate Norton’s writing style and enjoy the descriptions, while wishing the story were longer and the combat sequence more coherent. However, since the story is quite easy to find for free or at a minimal cost, it’s a decent way for readers to spend the balance of their lunch hour. And, for cat lovers everywhere (as Norton herself was), here’s a non-spoiler, it’s always fun to read a story in which a cat plays a key role.


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All Cats Are Gray edition by Andre Norton Reference eBooks Reviews

One of her early short stories. Very good; love Andre Norton's works. Somehow I missed reading this as I have almost all of her books.
I have followed Andre Norton for quite a few years. Even All Cats Are Gray is interesting. It's what I call short and sweet.
I really liked this short story. It was a light, quick read coming on the heels of a book that I didn't enjoy much. Norton writes in a very elegant, word-economic way here. I found Steena and Bat sufficiently interesting, enough to have liked to read more about them. It was a satisfying read. The formatting could have been a bit better, but it was a free short story, so... LOL
Writing a good short story is an art. Andre Norton was a master of that art. This is a classic short with great characters and a nice mystery told well. It concerns a lost space ship, a cat and two people each desperate in their own way.
This is a great mysterious science fiction version of the Flying Dutchman with a surprising and satisfying ending. Andre Norton was a sci fi writer back during the Golden years of Science Fiction in the middle of the last century. This story is short but one of my favorites.
This Large Print edition is very nice! Love the cover photo, and enjoy this book very much. The info on author and cover images, in back, was much welcome and interesting. Andre Norton was a pioneer woman in the worlds of fantasy and science fiction literature... and a great lover of cats?!
This is the story of the Flying Dutchman redone as a Sci FI short Story. I first fell in love with stories by Andre Norton as a child, but this being a short story was not something I would have read. I did not really like short stories and only went for novels, especially Ace Double Novels. However, if you only have a short time to devote to a story, this is ideal now.

When she wrote this story, all Science Fiction writers were men, hence Andre Norton, not Mary Alice North. Like many of the classic SCI FI novels, this was free and it was easy to make the decision to order and re-read this great book. If you have never read this story, get it now, sit back, read and enjoy. (I do not do spoilers, but there were enough other reviews here that gave away the plot so go there. Of course the Flying Dutchman should have given away a lot.)
Andre Norton was one of the more popular science fiction authors when I was growing up and one of the few of that era who remained alive and active into this century. Naturally, she has a wide selection of books available, both on and elsewhere, many of which are of the outer space adventure variety that appealed to youngsters like me. "All Cats Are Gray" differs from the works I remember; instead, of grand adventure, it's what I would call a "quirky science" tale, one whose explanation depends on a lesser-known actual scientific phenomenon. The story has also fallen into the public domain, so it's available from a variety of sellers on as well. I wished I had discovered a hidden gem, but, alas, there's a reason this very short story has fallen through the cracks of Norton's works.

"All Cats Are Gray" would be described today as flash fiction or short short fiction. Based on the pagination from the original source, it appears to be only six pages long. It's the story of a salvage attempt on a legendary derelict spaceship, the "Empress of Mars," that has been drifting in space for years after the passengers and crew apparently died in a mysterious accident. Since then, others had boarded the ship and similarly vanished. Now, a woman named Steena of the Spaceways, who would be what we now call a computer geek, decides to try to salvage the ship's valuable cargo and recruits a pilot to help get her there. Steena takes her prize pet, a gray cat named Bat, with her.

Naturally, there's a logical explanation for the various disappearances over the years, at least an explanation that is logical in the science fiction universe, albeit not so much one that would be very plausible if the story took place here on Planet Earth. And that logical explanation leads to a battle onboard the derelict ship that will give readers a taste of the type of action that made Norton so popular. And, as usually happens in flash fiction of today, there’s a bit of a twist at the end, although not nearly as entertaining a twist as the author may have thought.

Norton crammed enough plot into “All Cats Are Gray” to serve as the source of a feature film, and, unfortunately, that’s what the story reads like, a screen treatment rather than a coherent, fully satisfying story. Norton’s heroine, Steena, is potentially a great character, but Norton just gives her the most cursory of descriptions. Later, the description of the battle is actually somewhat confusing to follow because it’s so short. Finally, when Norton provides the scientific explanation for what happened, it’s more likely to elicit a shrug from readers rather than any feeling of illumination. The flaws in “All Cats Are Gray” are so evident and clash with the overall quality of the writing to such an extent that I got the distinct feeling that the story may only have been the first draft of a longer work that Norton never got around to expanding.

“All Cats Are Gray,” flawed as it is, nonetheless provides readers a good look at Norton’s writing talent. She does a great job of establishing the setting for the early part of the story, an outer space watering hole for pilots and crew, one that reminded me of George Lucas’ cantina in “Star Wars.” In fact, the trick Norton uses with her description may have influenced Lucas’ screenplay. Norton drops a lot of names but no explanations, with lines like “it was Steena who told Bub Nelson about the Jovian moon-rites, and her warning saved Bub’s life six months later.” That’s similar to Han Solo talking about how the “Millennium Falcon” made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs. Norton skillfully uses that technique to establish tone and setting in a few evocative paragraphs.

I’m giving “All Cats Are Gray” a three-star rating, which by my evaluation is a mild recommendation. Readers will appreciate Norton’s writing style and enjoy the descriptions, while wishing the story were longer and the combat sequence more coherent. However, since the story is quite easy to find for free or at a minimal cost, it’s a decent way for readers to spend the balance of their lunch hour. And, for cat lovers everywhere (as Norton herself was), here’s a non-spoiler, it’s always fun to read a story in which a cat plays a key role.