Star Soldiers

Rating:
Summary: oldies but goodies
Review: If you haven't got the original books, get this copy. Or if you have more than one child, get one for each.

I grew up on Andre Norton books. Her young adult books have
lost none of their relevance to children today, and I raised
my sons on the very same books I read. Yes, the early books have
male characters, probably because it was hard enough for a woman
to get science fiction published then. Heinlein, if you notice,
managed to get away with writing strong female characters.
I was an oddity for a female in those days - refused to read/
couldn't stand the "Sweet Valley High" type stuff that was
published for girls, and Andre Norton's books, even if they
had male characters, at least dealt with problems of growing up
and with struggles to remain honest, honorable. Star Rangers
gave aliens a fair deal and they seemed alien enough to me then,
but also characters I could understand and admire. Took me years
to realize the message I'd absorbed - judge the person by what
they are and how they act, not by what they look like. That
message still needs to be delivered, and this is a great, enjoyable way to deliver it to young people.

Rating:
Summary: Stellar Stories
Review: My first encounter with Andre Norton came around age 11 or 12 when I bought "Star Guard," a story loosely based on Xenophon's "Anabasis." It proved a rollicking good yarn. Earthlings had gone to the stars and met with a powerful empire under Central Control. Earthlings being too backward for anything else, they were allowed into the empire as mercenaries. "Star Guard" follows the adventures of a unit of mercenaries sent to serve a usurper on a backwater world. Their boss loses and they have to fight their way to freedom across a hostile world. I read and re-read the story several times, and I still have the old thirty five cent Ace paperback lovingly tucked away on a shelf in my library. "Star Guard" forms half of the book "Star Soldiers."

The other half comes from another novel I read multiple times as a preteenager--"Star Rangers." This book also found its inspiration in a historical incident (or at least a historical legend). During the decline of Rome an Emperor decided to rid himself of a pesky legion. He ordered them to march east; they obeyed; and they marched right off the pages of history. Some 6,000 years after that Emperor's edict, it is repeated by another crumbling civilization. Central Control is losing its grip on its far flung galactic empire. The Star Rangers are somewhat of a nuisance to Central Control, so it sends them off on a fool's errand of exploration. "Star Rangers" chronicles the history of this last mission.

The Central Control of "Star Guard" was very similar to the Central Control of "Star Rangers," but try as I might, I could never reconcile the dissimilarities enough to say that "Star Guard" and "Star Rangers" both occurred in the same fantasy universe.

The two stories are aimed at juveniles, their "science" is bankrupt, and they are little more than space opera. But they entertain, and that is all that they were intended to do.

Rating:
Summary: Somewhat disappointing...
Review: Over 20 years ago, I read Star Rangers by Andre Norton when I was about 9 or 10. The book blew me away as a child and helped start a life-long love for science fiction.

The book has been out-of-print for some time, so when I found Star Soldiers in the library, I was eager to re-read it to see if it "holds up". Unfortunately, it doesn't. The writing is solid; I also agree that it's message of tolerance is as timely as ever. However, the basic storyline just wasn't that engaging. It's a good juvenile novel, but nothing special for adults.