Star Ka`ats and the Plant People

~ 3rd Novel in the Star Ka`at Series by Andre Norton

Written with Dorothy Madlee

star.kaats.and.the.plant.people

 

Synopsis ~

Write-up from the front flap of the 1979 dustjacket ~

Jim Evans and Elly Mae Brown, orphans from Earth, cast their lot with Tiro and Mer, two super-intelligent feline beings called ka‘ats, on the ka‘at planet, Zimmorrah. The two earthlings have already proven their worth to the race of ka’ats by destroying the power source in the dreaded city of the Hsi, making life safer for everyone. Now they determine to help locate the source of raw metal in order to repair and replace life-sustaining machinery. The search takes them to a mysterious island sealed with a gigantic glass dome, whose waters are inhabited by fierce creatures with lethal claws. Elly Mae is drawn irresistibly to the island by the painful cries of something—or someone; cries heard not with the ears but with the senses. How she and Jim endanger themselves as well as their ka'at friends before solving the mystery of the suffering plant people and the mining of the elusive metal makes an engrossing story for the growing body of young science fiction readers. This is the third title in the popular Star Ka'at series by the noted team of Andre Norton and Dorothy Madlee.

 

Write-up from the back of the paperback edition ~

Jim and Elly Mae are exploring the planet Zimmorrah, home of their super cat friends, the Star Ka`ats. Suddenly, Elly Mae senses that someone is hurt and crying for help. She cannot send her thoughts to this strange being, as she can to a Ka`at, but she can feel its desperate need.
Searching for the source of the cry, Jim and Elly Mae are drawn to a remote island enclosed in an enormous glass dome. Inside live semi human plant people who are threatened by evil creatures who look like both a spider and a crab.
The children and their Ka`at friends must fight off the crab/spider monsters and prevent them from destroying the plant people.

 

Write-up from the back of the UK paperback edition ~

There was something alive down there and it was afraid and terrible pain.
“We gotta help…’ Elly Mae held her hands pressed over her ears. “We gotta go down there and help”
Jim and Elly Mae have set off to find the source of the metal urgently required by the Ka’ats, the race of telepathic supercats with whom they’ve made their home.
But as they fly over a glass-domed island in the sea, some strange, unknown creatures call desperately for help…

 

Write-ups from fans ~

Two little kids on a world of intelligent cats are helping them find a metal source. They receive a telepathic call for help, respond and find intelligent plants being devoured by crab monsters. The kids rescue the plants, which turn out to be the metal producers. ~ SL

 

Several of the Ka'ats' machines are wearing out and Tiro and Mer take Jim and Elly Mae on a scouting expedition to discover the source of metal that the former rulers of the planet used in their machines. They discover a cargo train with some of the metal that they were looking for, but they went further looking for the source of the metal and they find a seaport with a warehouse containing ingots and various-sized balls of the same substance along with a smelter. Then, Elly Mae receives a distress call from something on an offshore island. Jim and Elly Mae take a flier and discover a force field dome over the island and no place to land. They go back and take a boat to the island. There they find sentient plants that are under attack by spider-legged crabs. They chase the crabs away. Along the bottoms of some of the leaves, they see the same metal nodules as they found on shore. But---how could that be? The kids find a way to lower the force field and the Ka'ats come to help solve the mysteries of this strange island. A very innovative and nifty yarn. ~ PG

 

Reviews ~

Various reviews ~ For more info and other listings see Articles Over the Years

1979 in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September
1979 by D. Hand in School Library Journal, September
2020 by Judith Tarr

 

Bibliography of English Editions ~

  • (1979) Published by Walker, HC, 0-802-76342-1, LCCN 7807177, $6.95, 122pg ~ cover & illustrations by Jean Jenkins Loewer {Green Paper Boards}
  • (1980) Published by Pocket (Archway), PB, 0-671-56045-X, LCCN 78-67177, $1.75 ~ cover by Milo ~ illustrated by Jean Jenkins Loewer
  • (1981) Published by Black Knight, PB, 0-340-26111-0, £0.85, 128pg ~ UK printing ~ cover by Phillip Hood
  • (2017) Published by Worldbuilders Press, DM, no ISBN, $2.99, ~ cover by Matt Forsyth

 

Non-English Editions ~

  • (1984) Published in Copenhagen, Denmark; by Tellerup, PB, 87-588-0087-5, 79pg ~ translation by Bjarne Skovlund ~ Danish title Telekattene og plantefolket [The tele-cats and the plant people]

 

Russian Omnibus Editions ~

  • (1994) Published in Moscow, by Sigma Press and Zelenograd, by Zelenogradskaya Books, 5-863-14031-3, HC, 416pg ~ cover by D. D. Avvakumov ~ Russian title Семь чудес к воскресенью [Seven wonders by Sunday]

Contains:

    • "Star Ka'at Series" as "The World of Star Co'ot" ~ pp. 3-166
      • "Star Ka'at" as "Star Co'ot" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 4-56
      • "Star Ka'at World" as "The World of Star Co'ot" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 56-117
      • "Star Ka'ats and the Plant People" as "Star co'otes and intelligent plants" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 117-166
    • "Seven Spells to Sunday" as "Seven Wonders by Sunday" ~ translation by T. Korobkova, pp. 167-270
    • "Octagon Magic" as "The Magic House" ~ translation by M. Shamray, pp. 271-413

 

  • (1995) Combined with "Star Ka'at World" "Star Ka'ats and the Plant People" and "Star Ka'ats and the Winged Warriors" ~ Published in Moscow, by Sigma Press and Zelenograd, by Zelenogradskaya Books, 5-859-49054-2, HC, 320pg ~ translation by Dmitry Arseniev ~ Russian title Мир звёздных ко'отов [Star Ka'at World]

Contains:

    • "Star Ka'at" as "Star Co'ot" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 3-76
    • "Star Ka'at World" as "The World of Star Co'ot" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 76-160
    • "Star Ka'ats and the Plant People" as "Star co'otes and intelligent plants" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 160-229
    • "Star Ka'ats and the Winged Warriors" as "Star co'ots and winged warriors" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 229-318

 

Ukrainian Omnibus Editions ~

  • (2017) Published in Kyiv, Ukraine by Globe (Fanzine) ~ cover by Sandara Tang ~ Russian title Прославляя Короля. Звёздные ко’оты [Praising the King. Star Co'ot] ~ Limited to 10 copies

Contains:

    • "The Shadow of Albion" as "Shadow of Albion" ~ translation by O. Stepashkina, pp. 5-295
    • "Leopard in Exile" as "Leopard in exile" ~ translation by N. Nekrasova, pp. 297-566
    • "Star Ka'at" as "Star Co'ot" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 567-608
    • "Star Ka'at World" as "The World of Star Co'ot" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 609-657
    • "Star Ka'ats and the Plant People" as "Star co'otes and intelligent plants" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 659-699
    • "Star Ka'ats and the Winged Warriors" as "Star co'ots and winged warriors" ~ translation by D. Arseniev, pp. 701-752

View the Original contract

View the original Copyright app.

View the 2004 Russian contract ~ no publication data at this time

For information on editions currently available visit the Book Store

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Interior Illustrations;

View the embedded image gallery online at:
https://andre-norton.com/works-of-a-master/series-of-a-master/the-star-ka-at-series/315-star-ka-ats-and-the-plant-people#sigProIdb895796bfc

 

 

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