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The Zero Stone
The Zero Stone | Andre Norton
8 posts | 4 read | 3 to read
A gem trader and a feline mutant unite to find the truth behind a mysterious stone rumored to be the key to all the power in the universe. Apprentice gem trader Murdoc Jern lives on Angkor, a thriving hub of interstellar trade. One day, a furtive visitor brings him a ring discovered on an alien corpse. Its made of age-pitted metal surrounding a dull and lifeless stone. Yet it exerts a powerful hold on Murdoc. And when his father is killed, Murdoc begins a quest, taking with him his only legacy, the mysterious ring, which he knows is the key to his dads death. Accompanied by Eet, a feline mutant with paranormal powers, Murdoc hurtles through space, where hes pursued by a religious order called the Green Robes. His journey takes him to distant planets and once-great armies marooned on vanished worlds. In a desperate battle to learn the ultimate meaning of the Zero Stone, Murdoc must bargain for his freedomand his lifeand confront the fate that befalls seekers of knowledge.
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review
RamsFan1963
The Zero Stone | Andre Norton
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Bailedbailed

Sadly, my first DNF for 2025 is also #ClassicLSFBC selection for February. I tried to get into it, but it just wasn't for me. I've read and enjoyed several of Andre Norton's novels & short stories, but this one I'll have to bail on.

Aims42 You did amazing for making it to the end of February before bailing on a book 👏👏👏 #HailtheBail 🚀 3w
51 likes1 comment
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Ruthiella
The Zero Stone | Andre Norton
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A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick.

If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

🐈‍⬛ Eet had more personality than the humans (“just so”) in the book. What did you think of Eet as a character and his relationship with Murdoc?

CatLass007 I have gone as far as buying a paperback copy of the book. This is the cover. But since I find it very difficult to focus on print books and reading print causes eye strain, I haven‘t even started it yet. I must say the cat on the cover is a winner. 4w
Ruthiella @CatLass007 Yes, the cat on the cover is adorable. 😻 Does your library have access to Hoopla? That‘s how I listened to it. Also, Eet as described isn‘t as cute physically as a cat, but it definitely has a cat like personality…arrogance! 😹 (edited) 4w
CatLass007 My library offers both LIBBY and HOOPLA. But just as every library has different content inside the building, every library offers different content through the apps. I‘ve never considered my cat to be arrogant. They‘re just my little love bugs. They do have some issues with one another, but arrogance isn‘t one of them, it‘s all about who‘s the top cat. A hierarchy is very cat like. 4w
swynn I like Eet. Norton loves her cats and her cat-creatures, and I think that affection shines through. 3w
Ruthiella @swynn I didn‘t know but I suspected the author was a cat lover based on Eet‘s portrayal. 😸 I liked also how Murdoc begrudgingly trusted Eet and recognized Eet‘s superior instincts. (edited) 3w
53 likes5 comments
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Ruthiella
The Zero Stone | Andre Norton
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A couple of questions for any who have finished this month‘s #ClassicLSFBC pick.

If anyone would like to be added or removed from the tag list, let me know.

🐈‍⬛ This was full-on adventure SciFi with little to no underlying meaning or hidden agenda. I could totally see it published in a pulp serial of the past. Did you enjoy the plot?

The_Literary_Jedi This story lost me and I was really thinking I‘d love it. For me, it wasn‘t engaging enough and that is from my own need to be fully immersed. Norton had some good description but the pacing felt off for me. I ended up DNFing the book after 25% 4w
Ruthiella @The_Literary_Jedi I listened to part of it on audio which I think helped me tackle it. I agree about the pacing. It‘s actually only half the story. We don‘t get any resolution about where the stone comes from and how it can be used. Presumably this is all in the second book, which I might read just to find out. 4w
kwmg40 Sorry, couldn't fit this one into my month's reading! 4w
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Ruthiella @kwmg40 No worries! Life happens! 😉 4w
swynn I did like it, and I'll read the next book, “Uncharted Stars“, in March. One thing that struck me this time is how much deception there is among the characters. Almost everyone is something other than what they seem, or has motivations other than their overt ones. It felt more paranoid than on previous readings, which I found interesting. 3w
Ruthiella @swynn Interesting about the paranoia. I see what you mean. It‘s hard to know who to trust, if anyone. I‘ll probably also read the second book since it‘s readily available at my library. 3w
45 likes6 comments
review
swynn
The Zero Stone | Andre Norton
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Pickpick

(1968) This is one of my favorite Nortons, so I was happy to read it again for #classiclsfbc . For me, this hits a sweet spot of straightforward adventure with some of Norton's favorite tropes but without her sometimes-excessively mannered prose style. Others in the group were underwhelmed, which is (sigh) but also fine: I've bounced off more than a few Nortons too, and what's a sweet spot for me won't be for others. Looking forward to next month!

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RamsFan1963
The Zero Stone | Andre Norton
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Hey there!! Just checking in, I hope everyone found a copy of The Zero Stone and has enjoyed it. I'll be honest, I'm probably going to DNF it, I've been reading it all month, and it's just not working for me. I hope everyone else is having a better experience. Anyway, it's time to plan for March. We are open for nominations until the end of the month. As usual, most votes will be our March read, and the runner-up will be our choice for April.

RamsFan1963 I'm going very old school with my nomination, A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs. I'll keep tally and give the results on March 1st. @Bookwomble @Ruthiella @TheSpineView @BookmarkTavern @wanderinglynn @Readergrrl @Johanna414 @Lizpixie @BookBelle84 @Larkken @julesG 1mo
See All 12 Comments
Ruthiella I finished it but it didn‘t knock my socks off. Still, I‘m glad to have experienced something from Norton-such a prolific author. For upcoming reads, I‘d like to nominate 1mo
The_Literary_Jedi Omg! This is a struggle read for me too! It‘s just slow and uninteresting. My gosh! I‘m barely 30% through and I think I‘ll DNF too. I agree for March, 1mo
swynn The Zero Stone is one of my favorite Nortons, so I'm disappointed to see that it failed to click with others. I recently read an article about Van Vogt's “Weapon Shop“ series that made me want to revisit it. So I'll nominate 1mo
RamsFan1963 @swynn I've enjoyed many of Norton's book before, but this one just didn't click, it happens. One person's classic is another's DNF. It would be boring if we all enjoyed the same things all the time. I've only read The Voyage of the Space Beagle by Van Vogt, so if his book is picked I'd be cool with that too. 1mo
swynn @RamsFan1963 Oh it definitely happens and it's totally valid. I said I was disappointed, but should have added that I'm also not surprised -- I tried her books maybe a dozen times through grade school but never finished one till I was in my twenties. So I recognize the response, even if I'd hoped for more ZS love. 1mo
AnishaInkspill I'll try but not sure if I can fit this in. 1mo
rwmg I loved the Witch World series in my teens and twenties but haven't really come across anything by her since. This was a disappointment, but maybe I will revisit the Witch World soon to see how they hold up. 1mo
Bookwomble I'll add a non-Dune Frank Herbert to the mix 😊 1mo
CatLass007 It took me forever to figure out how to edit this darn thing. I think Princess of Mars would be perfect for March. I remember reading a lot of Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ Tarzan novels as a child, but I never got to read any of his Barsoom books. Now seems like as good a chance as any. Also, it is available from my library and it‘s free on Audible. For April, I would gladly read either Childhood‘s End or The Eyes of Heisenberg. I‘m voting not nominating (edited) 4w
56 likes12 comments
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Ruthiella
The Zero Stone | Andre Norton
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#weekendreads

I‘m enjoying juggling only two books this Valentine‘s weekend.

“The Bell Jar” for #HashtagBrigade

“The Zero Stone” for #LitsySFBC

rachelsbrittain Love the Valentines take on #WeekendReads ! 1mo
60 likes2 comments
review
rwmg
The Zero Stone | Andre Norton
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Panpan

Apprentice gemmologist Murdoc Jern's master is killed as a sacrifice. Can Murdoc escape from Koonga and find out why?

A strange mixture of fantasy faux-mediaeval tropes (apprentices, arcane rituals, quests, rings of power) set in a science fiction world of spaceships, rockets, spacesuits, interstellar travel, and aliens. There were too many threads left hanging and unexplained. They may be explained later, but I'm not sure I will bother.

30 likes2 comments
review
swynn
The Zero Stone | Andre Norton
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Pickpick

(1968) I first read The Zero Stone thirty-something years ago, and though I remember liking it unusually well, I remembered barely any of the plot. I'll probably forget the plot again in a couple of months but I loved the revisit: when I enjoy Andre Norton, it's stories like this I enjoy: packed with incident, mystery, peril, and exotic locations; and of course the telepathic cat-creature is a signature bonus.

TheSpineView I have not read in Andre Norton is forever. Love Norton's books. I need to revisit them. 3y
swynn @TheSpineView I only read a few when I was younger. What are your favorites? 3y
30 likes1 stack add2 comments