Lord of thunder (1962)

Less good than Beast Master overall, though there are several scenes I like better. Logan gets a lot more fleshed out - not just a rebellious kid, but a young man looking for the right place for himself. The whole plot rests on some serious coincidences - the lifeboat landing where it did, the (nutso) Inner Planet guy (and why _did_ he think his son was there?), the way people kept finding each other in the magical spaghetti under the mountain (not only little twisty passages, but little twisty passages non-linearly connected to one another...heh, lots of Colossal Caves in there!). Admittedly Storm had help from Surra, but still. The basic plot was...no worse than most Nortons, but the solutions were coincidental just a bit too often. While I'm reading it I'm carried along, but as soon as I pause for a moment my suspension of disbelief falters - unlike Beast Master, which also has lots of coincidences but somehow manages to make them likely ones. When I'm done with Beast Master I'm remembering it with pleasure; when I'm done with Lord of Thunder I'm...more or less pleased to have read it, but I try not to think about it in detail. ( )

We waited for YEARS for this one to come out, never really believing, but hoping nonetheless!

Lord of Thunder is not quite as good as Beast Master was (and DO NOT compare that hokey movie with AN's book!) BUt it is still a fun romp.
Hosteen has settled into life on the Quade ranch. He has come to terms with father, brother, grandfather and his past.
He and his team have built themselves a new life, in a new world... but the great battle is still running.
The Xik are not dead and gone. It is suspected there is a holdout pocket here on Arzor itself...
When a rich Outworlder's son goes missing nobody can dissuade him from going into the Blue.
The Quade brothers must follow him into wild NOrbie territory, hoping to stay alive to rescue him, locate the rumored Xik hideout and bring everyone back home.
What they discover is....NOT Xik. ( )

Hosteen Storm is still investigating the mysterious alien presence on Arzor, but he also has other problems. He is basically law enforcement for the local area, and has to do with a local uprising, a crazy killer and the other assorted crimes and political problems that go along with his position, as such. Luckily, he still has his animal friends to help.

http://superprose.blogspot.com/2006/12/beast-master-lord-of-thunder.html ( )