''Catseye'' is a 1961 science fiction novel by American writer

Andre Norton Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen na ...

. It tells the story of a boy living as a member of the underclass in the "Dipple", a deprived part of a colony on a distant planet, who discovers an ancient secret that changes his life.John Bankston ''Who Wrote That? Andre Norton'' - 2010 p80 1604136820 "For 11 years, from Star Man's Son to 1963's Judgment on Janus, Norton's novels depicted young people having to survive in difficult circumstances, often protected by animals. For example, in her 1961 novel Catseye, Troy Horan works at a .. ''Catseye'' is the first of Norton's Dipple series of novels. The other novels in the Dipple series are ''

Judgment on Janus Judgement (or judgment) is the evaluation of given circumstances to make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. In an informal context, a judgement is opinion expressed as fact. In the context of a legal trial, ...

'' (1963), ''

Night of Masks Night, or nighttime, is the period of darkness when the Sun is below the horizon. Sunlight illuminates one side of the Earth, leaving the other in darkness. The opposite of nighttime is daytime. Earth's rotation causes the appearance of su ...

'' (1964), and '' Forerunner Foray'' (1973).

Plot summary

Troy Horan manages to find work in a luxury pet shop on his repressive planet when he learns he can communicate telepathically with the animals – notably a

kinkajou The kinkajou ( /ˈkɪŋkədʒuː/ ''KING-kə-joo''; ''Potos flavus'') is a tropical rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus ''Pot ...

and some exotic Terran cats. He uncovers a conspiracy resulting in the death of the owner and flees to the dangerous Wilds with the animals. After crashing in ancient, forbidden ruins, he finds the remains of the explorers that had previously attempted to enter the ruins along with a mysterious machine that can summon the past into the present. The aforementioned machine is heavily implied to have been the cause of the explorer's deaths.

References

1961 American novels Novels by Andre Norton American science fiction novels 1961 science fiction novels Novels set on fictional planets Novels about cats Books with cover art by Richard M. Powers {{1960s-sf-novel-stub