Title
attributed to Andre Norton
Bibliography ~
¯ (1978) * Published by DAW, PB, # 304, UE1400, 0-879-97400-1, LCCN 2001569707, $1.75, 158pg ~ cover and illustrated by Jack Gaughan
Non English
Editions
~
¯ (1981) Published in Paris, France; by Nouvelles éditions OPTA ~ translated by Daniel Lemoine ~ cover by Maurice Tostain ~ French Title Le fardeau des Yurths
¯ (????) Published in Rastatt, Germany; by Pabel, Terra TB 342 ~ German title Sternenteufel
¯ (1981) Published in Milan, Italy; by SIAD Edizioni, Omicron Fantascienza, n. 6, 128pg ~ translated by Giampaolo Cossato and Sandro Sandrelli ~ illustrated by Franco Storchi ~ Italian title I figli di Yurth
¯ (1993) Published in Poznań, Poland; by Rebis, 83-856-9689-X, 136pg ~ translated by Alicja Borończyk ~ Polish title Brzemię Yurthów
¯ (1982) Published in Portugal; by Publicacoes Europa-America, 97-210-0365-1, 148pg ~ translated by Margarida Gomes and Eduardo Gomes ~ Portuguese title O castigo dos yurth
Synopsis ~
Two races of people share the world of Zacar: a
telepathic mountain-dwelling folk called the Yurth; and a farming folk called
the Raski who do not possess the Upper Sense that is a Yurth child�s gift
from birth. The farmers hate the telepathic mountain-dwellers and blame them
for the destruction of a Raski civilization that once flourished on Zacar.
Every thousand years or so a Raski warrior king attempts to annihilate the Yurth,
but his armies flee back out of the mountains under the spell of Yurth
illusions. The normal state of affairs is a stalemate between a powerless
underclass and a race of peaceful supermen who are clueless as to why anyone
should hate them. At least until the Yurth makes his or her journey to the
sacred mountain. Each Yurth child is expected to go on a pilgrimage as a ritual
of passage into adulthood. Some do not return from their journey, and the ones
who do come back are burdened with a terrible secret. When Elossa, the heroine
of �Yurth Burden� is called to the sacred mountain, her pilgrimage is
complicated by a Raski warrior who trails her into near-death, deadly illusion,
and beyond. Together they learn the secret within a secret that fuels the enmity
between their people, but not before the Raski warrior, Stans has made several
attempts to kill Elossa.
Non-English Covers
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