Science Fiction Book Review: Catseye by Andre Norton

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I've just finished reading this science fiction novel by an author who I've been getting in to lately. I don't see vintage science fiction books in charity shops very often, but I was lucky enough to find this one in an Oxfam shop in St Alban's last year. First published in 1961, this novel follows the adventures of Troy Horan, an impoverished teenaged refugee, probably aged around 15 or 16. Troy had been born on the planet Norden, a world colonised by humans, where the population seems to have enjoyed a very rural, outdoors life. A few years prior to the start of the book, a war broke out between two large coalitions of worlds – the Council (of which Norden was a member) and the Confederation. Norden was on the front line of the conflict, and the population was forcefully evacuated, with the promise that they would be allowed to return home when the war ended. Like a lot of government promises, this was not kept. The war ended with a stalemate and the border between the two powers was re-drawn. Norden, along with some other planets, ended up being transferred from the Council to the Confederation, so the evacuees can't return. Having been evacuated when he was a small boy, Troy had been resettled on another human-colonised planet called Korwar, along with many other displaced persons. Korwar only has one major city, Tikil, a pleasure city where the economy is based on catering to the decadent super-rich of the galaxy. So it's apparently a wealthy society, but the refugees see little of that wealth. Instead, they're confined to “The Dipple”, a run-down ghetto which the residents aren't allowed to leave unless they're working. The refugees don't even qualify for the lowest level of citizenship, they seem to be tolerated only as a pool of cheap labour. Now an orphan, Troy survives by taking whatever casual work he can find. He's lucky enough to be given a day's work for Kyger, a local merchant who specialises in importing exotic pets, which are prized as status symbols by the local upper class. When one of the regular workers is injured during a failed robbery attempt and has to take time off, Troy has his contract extended to a week. During that time, he becomes aware that there's something strange about some of the animals – specifically five animals from Earth, two cats, two foxes and a kinkajou. He finds that he's able to pick up thoughts and feelings from these animals, even though he has no prior experience or knowledge of telepathy. Over time, Troy finds that he and the animals are able to exchange simple ideas with each other – these animals are not only telepathic, but they seem more intelligent than the norm. They've been enhanced in some way, but for what purpose? The first half of the book is a slow-burn mystery. But then the situation deteriorates rapidly, when a prominent member of the political/military establishment is murdered, there's an attempted burglary at the pet shop, and then Kyger turns up dead. Troy ends up on the run with his five new animal companions, suspected of murder and pursued by an espionage ring, along with one of the political factions native to Korwar. Heading out into the wilderness, he lacks the skills to survive in the wild and realises that he's dependent on the animals, with their superior instincts. He's adopted by the animal band as an equal member, which he willingly accepts. Although in a dire situation himself, Troy does feel a moral obligation to protect the animals, who are marked for death by their former owners. This is a pretty decent futuristic thriller. It's told from Troy's point of view, and he's at the absolute bottom of society, so he's never fully sure of what's going on. He's too busy with day-to-day survival to be much aware of the functioning of the local political system, and plots and conspiracies are going on around him, the full details of which are never revealed. This seems to me very realistic. Troy himself is a misfit, coming from cattle-farming folk and forced to live in a slum. He's a loner, with no apparent friends until he meets his animal companions, intelligent but forced to do menial jobs to survive. His thinking is necessarily lacking in long-term planning, since he lives a life where even the next meal isn't guaranteed, but he's not stupid. He shows himself to be quite resourceful when he's in a desperate situation. Although there's not a lot of action in this story, it never gets boring and I found the hero and his situation very engaging. I've noticed some recurring themes in Andre Norton stories of this era – young heroes who don't fit into society very well, sympathy for the underdog, scepticism of both the competence and benevolence of people in power, telepathic links with animals and unsolved mysteries. But Norton was a very skilful writer, and although I recognised elements that she'd used in other stories, it never felt like she was repeating herself. All in all, this was a very entertaining and intelligent story, which I may read again sometime. 7/10.