Voodoo Planet

Andre Alice NortonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 136K words
Chapters: 14

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Voodoo Planet by Andre Norton. Author: Norton, Andre, 1912-2005. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Jul 16, 2006

Editor's review

Andre Norton was a major twentieth-century American author of popular fiction, and this book belongs to her series of science fiction adventures. Through the mysteriously evocative name "Voodoo Planet," it blends alien exploration with elements of ritual, belief, and fear of the unknown. The book continues the author's trademark fast-paced storytelling: the environment is unfamiliar, crises come one after another, and characters must judge friend from foe and make choices on limited information. Its appeal lies not in hard-science extrapolation but in exotic atmosphere, adventure tension, and its portrayal of attitudes toward unfamiliar civilizations, making it a good entry point for understanding early science fiction adventure. As a public-domain eBook, it is easy to obtain; you can sample several chapters on screen before deciding whether to read it closely. Readers interested in issues such as colonial perspectives and cultural misreading may also treat it as a discussion text rather than as modern science fiction with rigorous scientific grounding.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who enjoy early British and American science fiction adventure
Readers who want a low-cost eBook introduction to Andre Norton's work
Student readers interested in alien exploration and unfamiliar civilizations
English learners looking for light English reading to practice extensive reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting rigorous scientific grounding and hard-SF extrapolation
Readers who prefer contemporary long-form worldbuilding and complex character arcs
Readers sensitive to colonial-era perspectives and depictions of other cultures

Reading tips

Read the first two chapters to see whether the pace suits you, then decide whether to read it through or selectively.
As you read, note the judgments characters make about unfamiliar environments and observe how the adventure narrative advances.
If reading the English original, keep a separate list of unfamiliar words and place names, and look them up together afterward.
After reading, compare with the author's other science fiction adventures to identify recurring motifs.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a short story, and can it be read on its own?

This is a science fiction adventure novel that can be read independently, with no need to read the author's other works first. For the exact length, refer to the public-domain eBook edition you obtain; check the table of contents and total page count before planning your reading time.

Can I read this book if my English isn't strong?

This is a public-domain English eBook, written in the style of mid-twentieth-century popular fiction. The sentences are not especially difficult, but there are science-fictional place names and colloquial expressions. Basic English reading ability is enough to try it; extensive reading with a dictionary tool is recommended, without looking up every word.

Is it suitable to read as hard science fiction?

Not really. The book focuses on alien adventure, mysterious atmosphere, and characters coping with crises rather than rigorous scientific extrapolation. If you expect technical detail and self-consistent physical worldbuilding, you may be disappointed; read as an adventure story, the experience will be smoother.

What should I watch out for when reading a public-domain eBook edition?

Public-domain eBooks are prepared by volunteers, and typesetting and proofreading quality can vary between editions. Choose an edition from a clearly identified source, check whether chapter titles and paragraph breaks are complete, and if you encounter obvious garbled text, compare with another edition.

Comments

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About the author

Andre Alice Norton Author · American · 1912–2005

Andre Norton (1912–2005), born Alice Mary Norton, was an American science fiction and fantasy writer. She worked as a children's librarian at the Cleveland Public Library for eighteen years and published her first work under a pen name in 1934. Over her career she wrote more than 130 novels, and is best known for the Witch World series; in 1983 she received the Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. The library holds fourteen of her works, including The Time Traders, Star Born, Key Out of Time, Plague Ship, The Gifts of Asti, Star Hunter, Ride Proud, Rebel! and The Defiant Agents. Her writing often explores interstellar exploration, alien civilizations and adventurous coming-of-age, with brisk storytelling and vivid imagination, and has had a lasting influence on the development of American science fiction and fantasy.