Andre Norton 1 hr 36 min read

Aboard the Solar Queen, spaceman Dane Thorson faces a hideous killer beast conjured by the mental wizard Lumbrilo, and knows only his rational mind can defeat the alien witchcraft closing in.

Andre Norton's 1959 novel is a rousing entry in her beloved Solar Queen space-opera series. Fast, vivid, atmospheric. Read it for a colorful Free Trader adventure where the crew of the Solar Queen matches wits and nerve against sinister psychic sorcery on a jungle world, blending fast-moving action with eerie mystery, in classic Norton style.

In its time

Published in 1959, during the 1950s, post-war optimism meets cold war anxiety.

Reading it

1 hr 36 min read (a novella, a full arc in one sitting or two).