Beast Master's Circus

by Andre Norton and Lyn McConchie

Tor, 2004, ISBN 0-765-30042-7

A book review by Elisabeth Carey

The latest adventure of Hosteen Storm, now happily married and a prosperous landowner on Arzor. A circus has arrived on Arzor, featuring a very talented young woman, a bondservant named Laris, as a performer. One of the animals in the circus is Laris' quite remarkable cat. Laris makes quite an impression on them all, but especially on Hosteen's half-brother, Logan Quade. The Quade-Storm clan invites Laris for a visit to the ranch , and the circus owner somewhat unexpectedly allows it. When, after the circus departs, there are armed attacks on the ranch and on the Nitra clan that has adopted Tani, stealing some of Tani and Hosteen's animals, they start entertaining unwelcome suspicions. The suspicions grow worse with the news that someone has been killing beast masters as well as stealing animals on several planets, and there's some correlation between the crimes and the travels of the circus.

This is a standard Norton space adventure, enjoyable if you've enjoyed the others.

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