The Beast Master is a science fiction novel by Grand Master

Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award

The Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award is an award given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. It is awarded to a living author for lifetime achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy. Officially, it is not a Nebula Award though it is awarded at the Nebula ceremony...

 Andre Norton

Andre Norton

Andre Alice Norton, née Alice Mary Norton was an American science fiction and fantasy author under the noms de plume Andre Norton, Andrew North and Allen Weston...

, first published in 1959.

Plot

It tells the story of Hosteen Storm, an ex-soldier who travels to a distant planet with his comrades, a group of genetically altered animals with whom he has empathic and telepathic connections. The team are hired to herd livestock, but Storm still harbors anger at his former enemies the Xik, and has sworn revenge on a man named Quade for actions against Storm's family in the past.

In this novel and the following series, Norton explores aspects of Native American culture (specifically that of the Navajo

Navajo people

The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...

) through metaphors in Storm's life and in the culture he adopts on his new home world.

Reception

Galaxy

Galaxy Science Fiction

Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980. It was founded by an Italian company, World Editions, which was looking to break in to the American market. World Editions hired as editor H. L...

 reviewer Floyd C. Gale received the novel favorably, saying that "young readers are sure to enjoy complete enthrallment."

Adaptations

• Ideas from the novel were featured in a 1982 film, The Beastmaster
  The Beastmaster (film)
  The Beastmaster is 1982 fantasy film directed by Don Coscarelli that starred Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, John Amos and Rip Torn. The film was marketed with the tagline "Born with the courage of an eagle, the strength of a black tiger, and the power of a god."-Summary:The Beastmaster tells the story...
  
  , which did not significantly follow the novel's plot.
• From 1999 to 2002, a Canadian television series, BeastMaster
  BeastMaster (TV series)
  BeastMaster is a Canadian television series that aired from 1999 to 2002. It was loosely based on a 1982 MGM movie The Beastmaster. The series aired for three complete seasons...
  
  , was produced which again used concepts and characters from the novel but did not follow its plot or setting.

Editions

• Harcourt, 1959 (first edition), ISBN 0-15-206049-9
• Ace Double Novel (abridged edition), 1961; dos-a-dos with Star Hunter, also by Norton
• Fawcett, 1981 (mass market paperback), ISBN 0-449-23637-4
• Del Rey, 1983 (paperback reprint), ISBN 0-345-31376-3

Books in the Beast Master series

• The Beast Master (1959)
• Lord of Thunder (1962)
• Beast Master's Ark (2002) with Lyn McConchie
  Lyn McConchie
  Lyn McConchie is a New Zealand writer of science fiction/fantasy, picture books for children, a non-fiction humour series, a number of stand alone books and many short stories, articles, poetry and opinion pieces and reviews. She lives in a small village in Southern Hawke's Bay...
  
  
• Beast Master's Circus (2004) with Lyn McConchie
• Beast Master's Quest (2006) with Lyn McConchie

Omnibuses

• Beast Master Team (2004) contains Beast Master's Ark & Beast Master's Circus
• Beast Master's Planet (2005) contains Beast Master & Lord of Thunder