Customer Reviews (3)

1 genuine Norton, 16 imitators
A genuine Andre Norton story leads off "Tales of the Witch World" (1987)."Of the Shaping of Ulm's Heir" concerns the conception and birth of Kerovan, hero of the "The Crystal Gryphon" (1972), "Gryphon in Glory" (1981), and "Gryphon's Eyrie" (1984).

As 'Gryphon' fans might know, there was a tussle over the conception of Kerovan.His mother called upon a Dark Power to father him, but through the intervention of some timely white magic, one of the Great Ones of the Light beats the bad guy to the bed chamber.Kerovan's mother refuses to have anything to do with the baby once he is born, which is just as well, considering her original plans for him.

The remainder of the seventeen stories in "Tales of the Witch World" are by authors who claimed to have spent a good part of their youth in Norton's imaginary land, where magic hung in "trembling balance between the forces of Light and those of the Dark."Some fantasy writers like Robert Bloch, Charles de Lint, and Elizabeth Scarborough you will surely recognize.Others you might not.

Alas, none of their stories quite meet the standards set by Norton, although Robert Bloch, who rewrites "Of the Shaping of Ulm's Heir" from the Dark viewpoint, comes closest.I kept getting caught up in minor discrepancies in characters (Norton's characters NEVER fall in bed with each other after a couple of nights on the trail) or background (the Grey Ones inhabit Escore, not the Waste Lands outside of High Hallack).Just a minor false note in an otherwise good story was enough to spoil it for me.

A better set of single-location short stories are the four 'Magic in Ithkar' volumes, edited by Norton and Adams.Ithkar Fair is a place where any author might ply his or her magic without messing up the intricate background that Norton has already created for Witch World.

long-awaited answers for the Were Riders and for Ulm
The short stories herein are set in many different locales in the Witch World, on both sides of the ocean, and in many different times (before, during, and after the Kolder War). I'd suggest reading the first few novels before reading them, to get the background. If you're already familiar with the Witch World, enjoy; some long-unanswered questions and unexplored bits of history are addressed here.

My comments are organized alphabetically by author, rather than order of appearance in the book.

Belden, Wilanne Schneider: "Fenneca" - Set during the worst devastation of the Invader's War. The title character is a fey child - not entirely a mortal human - whose destiny is bound up with the rebuilding of the Dales.

Bloch, Robert: "Heir Apparent" - The narrator - Lady Tephana's chief servant, her former nursemaid - tells her side of "Of the Shaping of Ulm's Heir" (see below). If you like, you could read both stories before tackling _The Crystal Gryphon_.

Crispin, A.C.: "Bloodspell" - This tale of Herrel and the Were-Riders is set during Herrel's youth in Arvon, and answers a question left unanswered in _Year of the Unicorn_.

de Lint, Charles: "The White Road" - Set in the time between the end of the Invader's War and "Changeling", by which time Nordendale had a new lord. Saren, the innkeeper's daughter, is hitting the road in man's guise to seek her fortune.

Dunn, Marylois: "Cat and the Other" - Cat, the toughest of the toms in the castle, is annoyed at the Other's presence in his mind; the castle's Witch, attempting to cast the suitor of her protege out of his body and into a pigeon, missed her aim. Cat, fearless and acquainted with the Witch's familiar, takes charge of getting the Other back where he belongs. (More of Cat's adventures can be found in other volumes of the series).

Griffin, Pauline: "Oath-Bound" - A Sulcar captain, who broke his leg saving the life of Tronel, a Falconer serving on his ship, asks a favor in return: to escort the Lady Qu'el back to her native gate, now that her term of service to the Sulcar is done. Tronel is honor-bound - despite his people's double distrust of women bearing magic.

Heidbrink, James R. "Of Ancient Swords and Evil Mist" - Jobec, captain of the Sulcar warship _Red Dawn_, is the sole survivor of a shipwreck after a great storm, following a raid on Alizon. A bad place to be, even if he hadn't stumbled across mysterious ruins...

Inks, Caralyn: "Nine Words in Winter" - Many characters in the Witch World swear by the Nine Words of Min; here we learn more about them.

Lackey, Mercedes: "Were-Hunter" - A young woman from our universe discovers, upon stumbling through a Gate into the Dales, that she has Were abilities - but she doesn't know how to control them.

Mayhar, Ardath: "Neither Rest Nor Refuge" - The narrator, a boy of the Old Race, is speaking as a fugitive just after the three-times-horning (see _Witch World_ for the decree that put his people to the sword).

Miller, Sasha: "To Rebuild the Eyrie" - Set some years after the Turning, in which the Falconer's Eyrie was destroyed. Eirrian, a tavernkeeper's niece, has been kidnapped - and the kidnapper is a romantic young idiot of a Falconer who wants to reestablish the Eyrie, complete with the separate women's village.

Norton, Andre: "The Shaping of Ulm's Heir" - As recounted at the beginning of _The Crystal Gryphon_, the house of Ulm was cursed after its lord violated a treasure-house of the Old Ones - that lord died, leaving his son Ulric to inherit, and the other members of the expedition also died swiftly. More: Ulric could get no living children, so that he set his second wife, Elva, aside for barrenness, despite his love for her, and wed Lady Tephana instead (a widow with a living son as proof of fertility). This tale is told by Ylas - daughter of the Marshal on that ill-fated expedition, cursed with a harelip, and personal servant of Elva - the tale of how Lady Tephana came to call on evil magic to bear an heir to Ulm, and what came of it.
Scarborough, Elizabeth: "Milk from a Maiden's Breast" - Freyti, a Mosswife, comes to the rescue of Tregemma, a famed warrior of Escore caught in an ambush.

Schaub, Mary H. "Night Hound's Moon" - Kennard, an asthmatic boy left alone after the wise woman who raised him died, had only one companion - the mysterious hound he freed from a trap (its elaborate collar was entangled with some brush). Now humanity has found him again - in the form of bandits who have sold him to a mysterious crew of evil magicians. A well-told story, but I was distracted for quite some time by asking, "Who ARE these guys??"

Severance, Carol: "Isle of Illusion" - Metae of Komlin Keep is fast approaching her coming-of-age, when she will take the rulership from her uncle, who has acted as regent since the death of her father (who defeated him in a quarrel over the lordship after the disappearance of their elder sister). Now she's about to find out what happened to her aunt. You may never look the same way at seashells again after reading this; it's cool.

Stuart, Kiel: "Green in High Hallack" - Tymmons' people are facing famine - but he can't help having mercy on the Ranthan whose life he saved, and he won't see it sacrificed.

Vardeman, Robert E. "The Road of Dreams and Death" - Luanna, daughter of the lord of Rozdale, has fallen in love with a farmer she first met at the market in Quayth; but after having one daughter wed to a mere merchant, he's not about to concede *this* match.

Tales from Andre Norton's Witch World
I read this book when it first came out. If you like Ms. Norton's Witch World, read these short stories. From these stories from other writers some of her later collaborative efforts were developed, including the Falconerwho takes a wife.Many aspects of her world are explored from minorcharacters to expansion of history and legend. ... Read more

Book Description
Moon of Three Rings: It is the time of the Moon of the Three Rings when the Free Trader ship Lydis lands on the primitive world of Yiktor, a world the Combine was seeking to control for the power the Three Rings would bring them. The life of a Free Trader was all junior crew member Krip Vorlund knew. That life ended at a beast show on Yiktor when Vorlund was strangely attracted to the owner of the show animals, a delicate and mysterious woman named Maelen. Too soon Vorlund learned the nature of Maelen's sorcery, too soon he is caught up in the struggle over the fate of a world…. But his soul would remain his own.

Exiles of the Stars: The galactic trade ship Lydis is making a run to the planet Thoth when a civil war lands her in a battle of ancient powers and nameless evil, with a Forerunner treasure at its heart. The crew seems normal—until you look closely at two of its members: Krip Vorlund, a man who walks in a body not his own, and his pet, a four-legged beast hiding the mind of Maelen the Moon Singer, a woman whose esper powers can save them all—or bring them to eternal destruction.

Publisher's Note: Moonsinger has appeared separately as Moon of Three Rings, and its sequel, Exiles of the Stars. This is the first time the complete saga has appeared in one mass market volume.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Moonsinger
A very good read for Norton fans, good plot, fast moving, well developed characters.one of Norton's better stories.

Sci-fi doesn't get any better than this
"Moonsinger" is a reprinting of the first two books in a series of four:

1. Moon of Three Rings
2. Exiles of the Stars
3. Flight in Yiktor
4. Dare to Go A-Hunting

The Moonsinger series is an integral part of Andre Norton's Forerunner universe, explaining a great deal about who the Forerunners were and why they disappeared. (Click on my name to see the list of nearly 40 books in this universe, which can be read in almost any order.) The Moonsinger series takes place midway through the greater story arc of the Forerunner books.

The first two Moonsinger books are told from the point of view of a spaceman named Krip Vorlund and a body-swapping alien named Maelen. The third and fourth books focus more on a third character, but Krip and Maelen are part of the story until the end.

(MINOR SPOILERS - plot summary)
In "Moon of Three Rings," Krip's starship sets down on Maelen's planet, where he encounters enemies who plot to kill him. To save his life, Maelen transfers Krip's mind and soul into the body of a predatory animal. The rest of the book follows their adventures as they try to evade the villains and restore Krip to his own body.

"Exiles of the Stars" picks up immediately after the first book, exploring the relationship that develops between Krip and Maelen as they journey together aboard a Free Trader starship. When the ship makes an emergency landing on a desolate planet, the crew discovers ruins of an ancient Forerunner civilization ... along with an actual Forerunner, a malicious and powerful alien who wants to destroy them all.
(END SPOILERS)

These are two of Andre Norton's best books, by far. They are creepy, exciting, and unpredictable. The writing is much more smooth and focused than many of Norton's more recent works.

In some ways Maelen is like the Wise Ones of Norton's "Witch World" series (she draws on energy from the moon to perform feats that seem like magic), but this is not really a tale of witchcraft so much as ESP, telepathy, and similar mental powers. Maelen tends to behave in a rather cool and arrogant way, but that is the point of the story here. The relationship between Maelen and Krip develops slowly, and it rings true. This is a story about ethics, respect, and conflicting loyalties.

science fiction meets fantasy
"Moon of Three Rings".When Free Trader ship Lydis lands on Yiktor crew member Krip Vorlund attends a beast show where he meets and is attracted to Maelen, the owner of the "little people" animal players.When he intercedes in an incident involving her, the local law arrests him only to have others abduct him.Maelen mentally stays in contact with Krip and will do anything to rescue him even violate the code of the Thassa that she is a member of in good standing.

"Exiles of the Stars".Krip and Maelen are crewmembers on the Lydis though his body is now that of a Thassa thanks to her sorcery while she hides as one of her "little people" animals.The ship debarks at Thoth, but a religious civil war forces a quick reloading of cargo, the valuable Forerunner artifacts to be delivered to Ptah.However, a gadget hidden inside one of the cargo items forces an emergency landing on an allegedly uninhabited Sekhmet.Instead Forerunners reside on the orb using ESP to control others to do their bidding that is when they do not snatch their body for their own use.

The reprint in one book of two classic Andre Norton tales will showcase how great this author has been over the past five or so decades.Each novel is terrific as science fiction meets fantasy especially with the traits of the various races (some being more science fi while others are fantasy); that ability to move back and forth effortlessly between the two genres is a trademark of the incomparable Ms. Norton.Fans will enjoy the two Krip-Maelen thrillers that entertain yet leaves readers considering ethical principles like a forced body exchange is a rape.This reviewer thinks it is great to see the duo back in print.

Harriet Klausner

Change of Minds
Moonsinger (2006) is an omnibus edition of the Moonsinger duology.It contains both Moon of Three Rings and Exiles of the Stars.In these novels, Krip Vorlund is a Free Trader, a minor esper, and the junior crew member on the Lydis and Maelen is a Moonsinger of the Thassa.Drawn together on the planet Yiktor, they fight against native ambition and offworlder intrigue.

In Moon of Three Rings (1966), Krip first meets Maelen at the great trade fair at Yrjar.Krip attends a beast show conducted by Maelen and, after a remarkable performance, he is invited backstage to meet her "little people".They are interrupted by a runner with word for Maelen about a dealer in beasts.Krip accompanies Maelen to her confrontation with the dealer and her acquisition of a much abused barsk, a predator of the highlands that is seldom seen in captivity.

While at the beast tent, the dealer threatens Maelen with a snik-claw knife and Krip protects her by temporarily paralyzing the dealer's weapon hand with his stunner.Maelen expects no further trouble from the beast dealer, but he lodges a formal complaint. . . against Krip.Taken for using a weapon on the fair grounds, Krip relinquishes the stunner to his ship captain and accompanies the authorities.Then armed men attack his guards and take Krip away to a far off prison.

This begins an adventure that leads to closer mind contact between Maelen and Krip.Moreover, Maelen exchanges his body with that of the injured barsk to preclude recapture by searchers.In this, Maelen violates Thassa Standing Words and is later confronted by the Thassa assembly.

In Exiles of the Stars (1971), Krip and Maelen are aboard the Lydis as crew.However, Krip is wearing the body of a Thassa and Maelen is encased in the body of one of her "little people".The ship has brought cargo to the priests of Thoth, only to find that the church and state are under siege by a religious insurrection.

Dumping the worthless cargo of pulmn, the Lydis takes on a load of precious Forerunner artifacts bound for sanctuary on Ptah, another planet in the system.The rebels are driven away prior to loading, but a fanatic priest opposes shipment of the relics offplanet and curses the ship before takeoff.At the last minute, another priest comes aboard to accompany the load to Ptah.

A device hidden in one of the relics interferes with the engine and the Lydis is forced down on Sekhmet, an uninhabited planet in the system.There they found jacks looting a repository of functional relics and a few living Forerunners who have preempted the jack operation.The Forerunners have powerful esper powers that allow them to control other people or to force an exchange of bodies.

Both novels involve body exchange -- i.e., the transfer of minds -- between various participants.In the first novel, such transfer is voluntary.However, the second novel includes involuntary exchanges.

In both works, body exchange involves more than mind transfer.Although memories and behavioral quirks are transferred, the physical aspects of the body itself are not exchanged.Thereceiving body might have different cerebral and nervous functions and its glands could produce a different mix of hormones.Moreover, the body usually retains some residual memory.Thus, the physiological processes of the receiving body affect the transferred mind.

These novels show the author's intermingling of science fiction and fantasy elements.Except for their esper skills, the Free Traders are pure SF, whereas Maelen and the Forerunners exhibit talents that would normally be called fantastic.Within this setting, however, such talents can be accepted as merely unexplained mysteries of the universe.Therefore these works maintain their SF status.

Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of psionics and intrigue.

-Arthur W. Jordin ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

not your typical Andre Norton
An early work in espionage by the woman who would become a Grandmaster of Science Fiction & Fantasy, this was the first in a sword trilogy based on events of World War II and shortly after.

A fast paced story with insight into the oppression of the Netherlands by the occuppying German forces. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

second in the trilogy
Second in the Sword espionage trilogy, this is set in the aftermath of World War II.

Three allied men from different countries search for enemy soldiers hiding out on Pacific islands.More of a pirate adventurer story, although intrigue is still there especially in the first half. ... Read more

Book Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Sequel to "Forerunner" relating Simsa's further adventures
Andre Norton has written many SF novels using the theme of the Forerunners, an ancient race of space farers that disappeared (except for their artifacts) well before humanity took to the stars.Other books employing this theme are "Sargasso of Space" (1955), "Exiles of the Stars" (1971), "Forerunner Foray" (1973), "Forerunner (1981), and "Moon Called" (1982).

In most of these novels, Norton describes the ancient Forerunner ruins as vast, underground high technology installations where ordinary human beings can be driven crazy just by the odd angles of the walls, the mazes and tunnels where they're always getting lost, or by the harmful emanations from the ancient and only partly understood machines.

However in "Forerunner" (1981) and "Forerunner: the Second Venture" (1985), Norton's Forerunners have gone beyond technology and into the realm of what we would call supernatural powers.

"Forerunner: the Second Venture" is a sequel to "Forerunner," and continues the story of Simsa, once a runner and fetcher for an old Burrow-dweller in the ancient port of Kuxortal, and now a reincarnated Forerunner with superhuman talents, including telepathy, the ability to channel killing forces through her sun-and-moon scepter, and the ability to tamper with other peoples' minds.

In "Forerunner," Simsa teamed up with the off-worlder Thom who came to Kuxortal in search of his missing brother.She and Thom survived many harrowing adventures together, and they seemed like good friends at the end of the book, but in this sequel Simsa suspects Thom of abandoning her to his fellow scientists.No one has ever met a living Forerunner, and Simsa finds herself an 'honored guest,' i.e. prisoner, on a starship where at least one of the scientists would like to have a go at dissecting her.She escapes from the starship, via its life boat which will automatically search out a planet where humans can, at the very least, breathe the atmosphere.

And that's exactly what the lifeboat finds:a planet where Simsa can breathe the air, but which otherwise seems inimical to life.She and her zorsal (think 'bat' with four feet and cute fern-like antennae) almost perish in a searing, rocky wasteland where the only thing that moves is an eerie river of sand.

Norton has invented some interesting aliens in 'The Second Venture.'There are the bad-smelling, octopus-like blobs that live in the rivers of sand, but there are also intelligent creatures in one secluded valley where Simsa finally stumbles upon food and water.Simsa must persuade the furry lobster-things that she too is intelligent and worthy of their respect.She must also do battle with the Forerunner who is co-inhabiting her body, and last but not least, find Thom who has crash-landed into one of the rivers of sand while searching for Simsa.

Norton's heroine is by turn sour, prickly, brave, and fiercely independent.She's hard to like, but it is easy to admire her, especially in her fight almost-to-the-death to gain control of her body and mind from the ancient and powerful Forerunner.

This book is primarily an adventure story that wanders from one alien wonder to another, without really tying everything together into a neat, tidy plot.There is quite a bit of character development as Simsa struggles to somehow share her mind and body with the Forerunner.There is also a nice sub-theme of friendship as Simsa drags Thom out of one dilemma after another, even though she thinks she despises him.

But it's really hard to love a surly heroine with superhuman powers.These two Forerunner books will never be my favorite Nortons.

Andre Norton's Forerunner series...
is an excellent read. With this book she continues the story begun in her other book titled: Forerunner. Engaging, and a very good read, Andre Norton keeps the pace up and the reader riveted until the last page. If you like Andre Norton's other works, I suggest purchasing this one too. ... Read more

Book Description

The Industrial Monster has descended upon Varslaad, devouring all the arable land in its path. By royal decree, the displaced must venture into the treacherous woodland domain of a strange and secret race.

The King's lottery has determined that Twilla, young, orphaned apprentice of a renowned wisewoman, must marry -- for only the wedded can survive the terrible fate awaiting those who penetrate the primeval forest. Altered by a talisman of great power, she escapes her unwanted lot -- joining a commander's tragically blinded son on a remarkable journey from peril to peril. For they are the chosen who must rescue the vanquished of an ancient war of magicks. . . and shape the destiny of a bloody, disputed land.

Customer Reviews (8)

I loved it
I think that anyone who says that this book isn't good is a true lover of fantasy. The plot was great and well-developed, the characters strong and the scenery fantastic. It was the first book I've read by Norton and I am now a great fan of hers! I know a good book when I read it and this was definitely one of them!

Give it a chance
Most reviews of this book were to say the least bad. I however enjoyed it. it was what I like to call brain candy. YOu don't have to think hard to read it. You just enjoy it. If you like Andre Norton's works, this is not her best effort, but it is a fun and quick read to pique further interest into scifi/fantasy reading for someone just starting to develop a taste for it. BTW, I wouldn't reccommend this for a guy. This was definitely a chick book.

This is a last warning
This book is boring. It has a wonderful IDEA for the plot but Norton over-embellished and as a result, you find yourself reading about dark dank halls and the numerous sub-plots. It's as if the main plot finally figuredout it wasn't being paid attention to and it ran away from it's abusingmaster.

A Painful Experience
It was only through a great act of will that I was able to make it through this book.The characters are flat, the story is predictable, and the rhymes scattered throughout are the worst in recent memory.I would notrecommend this book to anyone, except possibly to convince them that ifthis book can get published then so can theirs!

A painful experience
I barely made it through this book.In anticipation of eventual improvement, I finally finished it -- and I was wrong in such hopes.The writing is poor, and the characters are simply not strong enough to make upfor this lack.As this was my first Andre Norton book, I must say I amsorely disappointed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

a look at the Gregg Press edition
The Gregg Press hardcover edition (0-8398-2354-1) is approximately 6"x8", dark blue with gold lettering with Andre Norton's signature on the cover. Published in 1977. The dustjacket is by Jack Gaughan and (except for title changes) is used on all of the Witch World titles that Gregg Press published. The text is the same as that used by DAW when the book first appeared in 1972. The endleaves have 2 maps of the Witch World by Barbi Johnston. Interior B&W art by Jack Gaughan & Alice Phalen.

Three of Norton's best High Hallack tales
"Spell of the Witch World" is the seventh book in the Witch World saga and is made up of two novellas and a short story, all of which take place in the dales and sorcerous wastelands of High Hallack.Here is a brief description of the contents:

"Dragon Scale Silver" -- Norton uses the multiple birth theme again here, as she did so successfully in her Witch World trilogy about the Tregarth triplets, Kaththea, Kemoc, and Kyllan.In this novella, a woman of witch-blood gives birth to the twins Elys and her brother Elyn, and does not long survive their entry into the world.The twins are raised by the Wise Woman, Aufrica and their father, who trains both Elys and Elyn in arms-play.The Dales are attacked by foreign invaders (as in Norton's 'Gryphon' trilogy, "Year of the Unicorn," and "Zarsthor's Bane"), and the twins' father rides off to war.Soon, Elyn follows him, but not before he has shared a drink with his twin sister in a special cup, fashioned by their deceased mother from dragon scale silver.If the cup loses its luster while he is off to war, Elys will know that her twin brother is in danger.

Sure enough, after several seasons have passed the cup begins to tarnish. Elys must use both her skills as a warrior and as a witch to save her twin from an ancient curse.Her only companion in her quest is Jervon, once Marshal of Horse at a keep that fell to the foreign invaders.

"Dragon Scale Silver" scintillates with Norton's eerie brand of magic, especially in her handling of the old, uncanny legend of the sealed window.

If you enjoy this novella, you can seek out the further adventures of Elys and Jervon in "Gryphon in Glory," "Gryphon's Eyrie," and "Sword of Unbelief" (in "Lore of the Witch World").

"Dream Smith" -- In my opinion, Norton doesn't display her story-telling talents as well in an abbreviated format as she does in her novellas and novels.However, "Dream Smith" and another short story, "The Toads of Grimmerdale" are rare and wonderful exceptions to this rule. In "Dream Smith," her hero is handicapped so severely by an explosion at his father's forge that he must wear a mask and live away from the other villagers, including his family.Many of Norton's most finely realized characters are misfits, handicapped, or otherwise rejected by society. In this story, both the hero and heroine have been cast off because of physical abnormalities.The magic is delicate, almost wistful.The happy ending is a bit contrived, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

"Amber out of Quayth"--Ysmay, who was once chatelaine of the keep at Uppsdale, is now made to feel unwanted by her brother's new bride.She yearns for her former responsibilities, even if it means she must marry a stranger who comes to town for a trade fair.He in turn is attracted by her dowry: an old, caved-in amber mine.Ysmay follows her new husband to the far north, to Quayth Keep and learns to her dismay that "it is one of the ancient places which the Old Ones had the building of."Witch World fans know what this might mean:does Ysmay's new lord have dealings with certain Dark Powers?

hello
The novel Spell of the Withch World was an adventure book that held my intrest most of the way through it. The main Characters in this story were the twins Elys and Elyn. Elys is a witch and Elyn is a warrior. They travel around the countryside to gain back their home land of Wark and come across wierd events. I'm not to interested in these kind of books but I wouldrecommend this book for people who like stories of fantisy lands.

2 excellent novellas and 1 excellent short story...
"Dragon Scale Silver" - This is the tale of Elys, and of how a woman obviously of Estcarp's witch blood should happen not only to live in the Dales, but to ride with Jervon, just as clearly of High Hallack ancestry. It isn't long enough to make a full-length novel, but it's longer than the usual short story.

The tale begins with two shipwrecked refugees, obviously of Estcarp blood, being washed ashore at Wark, near Vastdale in High Hallack, in the Year of the Salamander. Although this is before the Invaders' War erupted in High Hallack, remember that Estcarp had been fighting what is called 'the Kolder War' on their side of the ocean for some years at that point.

Almondia, who was a Witch in her former life, opts to lay down her oath and take Truan for her husband, after casting one last spell, ensuring that although she dies after giving birth to twins, she leaves behind a son, Elyn, for Truan and a daughter, Elys, leaving them only the legacy of the dragon scale silver cup created by her last act of magic.

The story follows Elys through the opening years of the Invaders' War, when the people of Wark must flee from their seacoast village and take refuge far inland. (Elyn left Wark to join the Dales' forces as a warrior.) Jervon stumbled across the refugees' new village with his dying lord, the last survivors of one of the early, desperate battles against the Hounds. Elys and Jervon join forces to find and rescue Elyn when the dragon scale silver cup gives warning that Elyn is in mortal danger.

Elys and Jervon encounter Joisan in _Gryphon in Glory_, and also appear in _Gryphon's Eyrie_.

"Dream Smith" - The Dales are full of stories warning of the danger of handling artifacts from those who lived in the Dales before the coming of mortals. Collard, a young smith, was crippled and disfigured in an explosion caused by trying to work a mysterious metal brought out of the Waste. Upon his return to such health as he can now enjoy, he discovers a talent for working the strange metal into lifelike figurines, based on images he now sees in dreams. The Wise Woman Sharvana, who nursed Collard back to life after the accident, brings him into contact with the invalid Lady Jacinda, exiled to her father's country estate to get her out of her stepmother's household. Can either of them hope for a life with more than dreams?

"Amber Out of Quayth" - In the years after the Invaders' War, life in the Dales entered a time of flux. Many lords, together with their heirs and most of their fighting men, were lost in the early stages of the war, when the Hounds still had the Kolders' support to draw on (the Hounds had access to Kolder tanks, the Dales had swords and crossbows). After the war, women outnumbered men, especially nobleborn women, and few Dales were prosperous enough to provide adequate dowries.

Ysmay, the sister of the lord of Uppsdale, acted as chatelaine during the Invaders' War; in her brother's absence, she ruled the dale in his place. After the war ended and her brother brought home a bride, Ysmay's duties were transferred to the new lady, except for those involving her talents with herbs. Ysmay's only dowry is an amber mine which can no longer be worked after being blocked by a cave-in years before, so she has no prospects of escaping through marriage (and she refuses to be pushed off into a convent).

Enter Hylle, Lord of Quayth (an obscure hold bordering on the Waste west of High Hallack). Hylle has brought with him to the fair near Uppsdale a great wealth of amber, including a great deal of finished, fine jewelry; in fact, his products are so fine that the local nobility expect that he will have trouble finding buyers in the post-war Dales who can pay him a fair price. Oddly enough, though, Hylle's prices can be afforded even by Uppsdale's lord (if only for one bracelet). Is Hylle trying to build up a market slowly, sacrificing immediate profit in favor of long-range plans for trade?

And why is a man so wealthy in amber bargaining for Ysmay's hand in marriage, a woman he has never met? Even though his skills in alchemy (e.g., in brewing explosives) allow the mine to be reopened, why should he be interested in the ordinary amber produced by Uppsdale's mine when he obviously has so much of his own?

"Amber Out of Quayth" has a few overtones of the old story of Bluebeard; a young woman married to a stranger, and finding that he seems to be hiding a sinister secret. "Dragon Scale Silver" is roughly in the same vein as some other major love stories in the Witch World - Kerovan and Joisan (_The Crystal Gryphon_), Gillian and Herrel (_Year of the Unicorn_). Although each differs considerably from the others in terms of the actual events that befall the protagonists, if you like one you'll probably like the others.

"Dragon Scale Silver" also occupies an interesting point in the history of the Invaders' War - during the first devastating defeats of the Dale forces, long before the lords made pact with the Were Riders.

IRRELEVANT NOTE: The cover paintings for the 2 editions of _Spell of the Witch World_ with which I am most familiar are both drawn from the first story, "Dragon Scale Silver." The edition that may be the most well-known has a Michael Whelan cover painting whose centerpiece is a woman (either Almondia or Elys) holding the dragon scale silver cup.

This is one of her best shorts collections!
I have always enjoyed shorts that follow a constant theme...and she always seems to have them flesh out WW while at the same time well able to stand on their own...not only her own works, but those of others she chooses as well. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Crossing the Timelines
Star Gate (1958) is a standalone SF novel.Almost five centuries past, Terrans had landed their ships on Gorth.The Terrans were a long-lived breed, some having lived from before the first coming.But the Terrans produced few offsprings.Even when they bred with the Gorthians, few children were born.

Now the Terrans have determined that their presence was not good for the natives and decided to depart Gorth.The summons had gone out to all Terrans and their offspring to gather at the ships.But some did not want to venture into space, so they devised a way to cross timelines.

In this novel, Kincar s'Rud is Daughter's Son and heir by blood to Styr's Holding.Yet his uncle Jord s'Wurd opposed Kincar's inheritance of the lands.With the departure of the Terran Star Lords, Wurd conceived of another destiny for his daughter's son that would not result in kin war within the Holding.

Wurd bestows upon Kincar a scale shirt, sword and surcoat of finest make, but he also directs the boy to leave the Holding before he takes his last breath.He has Regen -- his guardsman -- dress Kincar in the finery and take him down to the courtyard where his mount is ready for travel.Kincar seats himself on Cim -- the pick of the Holding's larngs -- and whistles for his mord Vorken, then leaves for the pass to the northeast with Vorken flying overhead.

At his first stop, Kincar takes inventory of his possessions.Regen has provided all the equipment and supplies necessary for his journey.Yet he has also packed a surprise:a Tie.This gem is dedicated to the Three and holds great powers.Jord might gain the Holding, but Kincar has Wurd's full trust.

In his journey, Kincar comes upon a camp with six travelers.Three are women, which is very unusual in this wasteland.As he is observing the camp, Vorken gives a startling scream and the sound of a hand drum blares forth.A seventh traveler dashes up and the others mount their larngs.The women ride onward, with one man as guardian, and the other men wait for the returning rider.

When ragged outlaws attack the travelers, Kincar dashes down the slope with his sword ready.Vorken gets the first strike, sending one outlaw down clutching his head.Kincar takes down another outlaw and then loses himself in the battle.

After the outlaws flee, Kincar learns that the large man dressed in silver is Dillan and the other two are Jonathal s'Kinston and Vulth s'Marc.Kincar suspects that Dillan is a Star Lord, but the man is hidden behind his travel mask and encompassing clothes.Dillan asks Kincar's name and repeats "s'Rud" with a strange intonation.

In this story, Kincar follows the other seven through the wasteland to a deep valley.There they find more travelers and mounts, as well as a couple of blue pillars with a shimmering web suspended between them. He observes a Star Lord and a Gorthian lead strings of larng between the pillars and disappear in a surround of rainbow lines.Then comes his turn.

Kincar finds himself is a dead vale, with another set of blue pillars standing about a half mile ahead.After all the party pass through the first gate, the Star Lords destroy the shimmering web.Then all ride to the next set of pillars and go through to a living, but cold world.

Kincar experiences pain from the Tie when he enters the first valley and then each time he passes through a gate.He rides in a daze to a deserted fortress in the mountains.After unloading, grooming and feeding Cim, Kincar feeds Vorken, lies down by his mount and falls asleep.

This story tells of the experiences of the refugees in a new version of Gorth.Obviously this world has been inhabited by a native species, so they decide to try again for an unoccupied world.But the Terrans discover that copies of themselves have taken this Gorth by force and Have enslaved most of the population.Now none of the Terrans will leave until they free the natives from their oppressors.

This tale is an early work by the author, but includes the typical mix of action and mystery that invests her stories.This work is science fiction, but has many similarities to her later Witch World stories.Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of far planets, alien cultures, and high adventure.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Ian Myles Slater on:"Quantum Anthropology"
"Star Gate" is a fairly early example of Andre Norton's science fiction (1958), and its brevity shows the demands of the "juvenile" label under which it was originally published. The use of what was originally a pseudonym of Alice Mary Norton was another example of such demands; a publisher wanted a "masculine" name for adventure stories. The author obliged, but later changed legally changed her name; and always omitted the diacritical mark that indicated that "Andre" was French, and masculine.

This limit on length did nothing to limit the author's imagination, however, and the book is crammed with themes which another writer might have scattered among a dozen books. Whatever the original Harcourt Brace hardcover jacket said, the Ace, and, later, Ballantine (Del Rey), paperback editions were both targeted as much at adults as children and teenagers. A reader of any age can probably find things to enjoy over the course of several readings. I must have read it for the first time in the early 1960s, and have returned to it with pleasure at intervals of ten or fifteen years.

In the midst of a crackling good adventure story, the narrative touches on issues ranging from "benign" colonialism ("The White Man's Burden") to racist imperialism to inter-species (read: inter-racial) sex, to religion, all distanced from 1950s censorship by the strange planet Gorth and alternate timelines. As a bonus, the naive hero sometimes compares his own adventures to those in old songs -- for which we often can fill in the cliches of pulp fiction, and juvenile novels likely to have been found on the same shelf as the original hardcover.

The choice of a young and ignorant point of view character allows Norton to explain some things to the reader through answers to the hero, such as the brief presentation of a basic quantum mechanics theory of the equal reality of alternate states. Meanwhile, the reader is more subtly informed about a new and alien society through the same character's expectations about the world. This may seem a common enough technical device, but Norton was using it with precision when many adult as well as juvenile titles tended to belabor things. Not only are two versions of Gorth explored through these two devices, but we learn about the "Star Lords" from Earth mainly through indirection and arguments. (One remembers, in contrast, Heinlein tossing in a Margaret Mead imitation togive an anthropology lecture in "Citizen of the Galaxy".)

Although Norton has not returned to the Gorth setting (in any of its time lines), she did introduce alternate-world versions of other planets, most notably in "Android at Arms" (with a similarly rich mix of themes) and "Perilous Dreams." What appear to be mutually exclusive alternate time-lines are launched in some of the later volumes of the (original) "Time Traders" series. Some readers also enjoy the alternate Earths of the two "Crosstime" books, although I personally consider these "minor Norton".

For some reason, Norton titles seem to be picked up for movies and television, but only titles: Neither "Beastmaster" nor "Stargate" had anything much to do with the Norton novels of the same name, although the former made a few glances in the direction of her story, and, if one squints one can see the idea of "Gods from the Stars" in the latter. "Stargate SG-1" has made a few uses of alternate worlds, but any Norton influence on that seems unlikely.

(Reposted from my "anonymous" review of September5, 2003)

Crosstime travel on an alien world
If you're expecting something in Devlin & Emmerich's universe, this may not be what you had in mind. Yes, there are long-lived aliens with many wonders from a dying world, who sought out a new home when their own world lay dying - but their lost homeworld was *Earth*. Yes, they found a primitive people struggling to survive - but they offered learning, not tyranny. Unfortunately, both the Star Lords and their now-resentful protegees feel it was a mistake - the Terrans don't want to lead the people of Gorth into their own old mistakes, and some of the Gorth leaders feel that the Star Lords have deliberately withheld their last secrets: their seemingly eternal lives and strange weapons. Now the ships at Terranna are preparing to space once more, this time seeking an empty world.

Kincar s'Rud, like so many of Norton's star characters, has lost everything - in his case, on the night of his grandfather's death. As the son of his grandfather's eldest daughter, he is the rightful heir - but the "s'Rud" branding him as the son of Rud, one of the aliens of the mysterious city of Terranna, turned his mother's people against him. Both his parents died years ago, and his mother's kin have cast him out, so he seeks Terranna, hoping to reach it before the last ships leave.

But as it happens, some of the Star Lords can't bear to leave their adopted home, so they came up with an alternate solution - a Star Gate, which travels not through space or back in time, but crosstime - to an alternate version of Gorth's history. (Combining the notions of crosstime travel and space travel is relatively rare in SF, oddly enough.) Those seeking the Gate include some of Rud's kin - his brother, for one - so Kincar s'Rud is welcome to join their search for a Gorth where intelligent life never arose, which they can settle with a clear conscience.

Their first attempt, while unsuccessful, brings them to a history they can't pass by - a world where the Star Lords came indeed, but to a Gorth with a far more advanced civilization - and to which they deliberately brought enslavement and misery. The feel of the story reminds me of Norton's later collaborations with Mercedes Lackey in creating THE ELVENBANE and its sequels.

Can one group of Star Lords undo the evil done by another - especially when Gorth's people have good reason to distrust all of them? And if they can intervene, do they have the right to try?

GOOD BEGINNING SCIENCE FICTION
This book, the first Science Fiction I remember reading after Jules Verne, introduced me to the idea of parallel universes.The hero is a teenager, so this was a book I could identify with as a young person.It takes for granted space travel and living on the moon, two important ideas in other science fiction.It is a simple story, but well written ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Escore trilogy of Witch World stories
The stories that make up "Trey of Swords" (Witch World #7) take place in Escore, the weird sister-state of witch-ruled Estcarp that lies to the forbidden East in "trembling balance between the forces of Light and those of the Dark."

Each story is roughly sixty pages in length and the first two, "Sword of Ice" and "Sword of Lost Battles" are narrated by Yonan, a border guard of Estcarp who is called to the defense of Escore by Kyllan Tregarth.

(Many of the characters in "Trey of Swords" will already be familiar to Witch World readers, most notably the warrior Kyllan Tregarth, and Dahaun, mystical Lady of Green Silences).

Yonan, an indifferent warrior at best is injured in a fall in the mountainous heights surrounding Escore's Green Valley. While separated from his patrol by a storm, he discovers the hilt of an ancient sword---an artifact of the vanished Great Adepts of magic.

Oh, no! All WW fans know that ancient artifacts are better left untouched. But Yonan feels a compulsion to rescue the sword hilt from its imprisoning stone, and so the original wielder of the Sword of Ice is able to reincarnate himself within Yonan. Yonan-now-Tolar forges a magical blade for his sword, rescues his friend Uruk of the Ax from a pillar of ice, and together they hurtle back through time to refight the Lost Battle of Witch World.

Before they bid farewell to the present, Yonan-now-Tolar and Uruk rescue Yonan's childhood companion, the untrained witch, Crytha from the filthy, claustrophobic burrows of the Rasti.

Crytha then narrates the third story of the trilogy, "Sword of Shadows."

An untrained witch is a very dangerous thing to be in Escore: a vessel waiting to be filled with the wrong kind of magic---which is exactly what happens to Crytha. She is put under a strong compulsion to obey an evil female magician named Laidan, who is plotting to reincarnate her lover, an adept of the darkest shadow who originally perished in the Lost Battle. (Evil females in Norton stories are easily identified by their scarlet lips and wanton behavior.)

How Crytha manages to foil the adepts of the Dark, with unexpected assistance from one of the Great Ones who had withdrawn from Witch World after the Lost Battle is the essence of "Sword of Shadows."

My only reason for withholding a star from my review is the very loosely constructed plot of "Trey of Swords." I never did quite comprehend why the Lost Battle of Witch World had to be refought. A more favorable outcome to the ancient battle didn't seem to change anything in 'modern-day' Escore---at least not by book's end. The blurb on the cover states that "the fate of witch world hangs in the Balance!" but I've read "Trey of Swords" at least twice now and still haven't figured out what sort of awfulness fate had in store, if Yonan and Crytha hadn't done their thing.

Read "Trey of Swords" because Norton tells an engrossing story of Good versus Evil magic in fabled Escore.

Loosely-linked trilogy of Witch World stories
The stories that make up "Trey of Swords" take place in Escore, the weird sister-state of witch-ruled Estcarp that lies to the forbidden East in "trembling balance between the forces of Light and those of the Dark."

Each story is roughly sixty pages in length and the first two, "Sword of Ice" and "Sword of Lost Battles" are narrated by Yonan, a border guard of Estcarp who is called to the defense of Escore by Kyllan Tregarth.

(Many of the characters in "Trey of Swords" will already be familiar to Witch World readers, most notably the warrior Kyllan Tregarth, and Dahaun, mystical Lady of Green Silences).

Yonan, an indifferent warrior at best is injured in a fall in the mountainous heights surrounding Escore's Green Valley.While separated from his patrol by a storm, he discovers the hilt of an ancient sword---an artifact of the vanished Great Adepts of magic.

Oh, no!All WW fans know that ancient artifacts are better left untouched.But Yonan feels a compulsion to rescue the sword hilt from its imprisoning stone, and so the original wielder of the Sword of Ice is able to reincarnate himself within Yonan.Yonan-now-Tolar forges a magical blade for his sword, rescues his friend Uruk of the Ax from a pillar of ice, and together they hurtle back through time to refight the Lost Battle of Witch World.

Before they bid farewell to the present, Yonan-now-Tolar and Uruk rescue Yonan's childhood companion, the untrained witch, Crytha from the filthy, claustrophobic burrows of the Rasti.

Crytha then narrates the third story of the trilogy, "Sword of Shadows."

An untrained witch is a very dangerous thing to be in Escore: a vessel waiting to be filled with the wrong kind of magic---which is exactly what happens to Crytha.She is put under a strong compulsion to obey an evil female magician named Laidan, who is plotting to reincarnate her lover, an adept of the darkest shadow who originally perished in the Lost Battle.(Evil females in Norton stories are easily identified by their scarlet lips and wanton behavior.)

How Crytha manages to foil the adepts of the Dark, with unexpected assistance from one of the Great Ones who had withdrawn from Witch World after the Lost Battle is the essence of "Sword of Shadows."

My only reason for withholding a star from my review is the very loosely constructed plot of "Trey of Swords."I never did quite comprehend why the Lost Battle of Witch World had to be refought.A more favorable outcome to the ancient battle didn't seem to change anything in `modern-day' Escore---at least not by book's end.The blurb on the cover states that "the fate of witch world hangs in the Balance!" but I've read "Trey of Swords" at least twice now and still haven't figured out what sort of awfulness fate had in store, if Yonan and Crytha hadn't done their thing.

Read "Trey of Swords" because Norton tells an engrossing story of Good versus Evil magic in fabled Escore. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Sci-fi starter - wonderful memories
I read a friend's copy of this book when I was in early grade school and I have been searching for a copy ever since.It's been more that twenty years but I still remember the images from the book: the destroyed city,the frightened children, the hope for the future.At least now I know theauthor's name and my search will be a little easier!Thanks Amazon!

Mystical revelations disguised askids' sci-fi
This ain't "Witch World!""Outside", by Andre Norton, tells how a return to nature and the mysticism of Nature Religion could turn around the dead-end journey of our increasing reliance on technologytoo complex for all but a few to understand. Many of the images are derivedfrom traditional Wicca -- the Black Man who is also the Fool and also theWise One and who leads his followers to freedom is only the foremost amongthem. In many ways this book is like a zen koan -- the puzzle or joke thathas no straight answer, meditation on which leads to illumination.Thatthere are so few copies available is a great pity -- it should be widelyread by mystics, ecologists, and urban planners.

Leaves a lasting impression...
I first read this young adult book when I was 7. It was my first tasteof Science Fiction and 23 years later I still remember it! It is set on aworld where everyone lives in a huge domed city which is full of brokenmachines that no one remembers how to fix.People live in gangs whereanyone in their twenties is considered an "old". They suvive byscavenging out of ancient stores.Whole areas of the city are abandoned. Food is running out, and the oxygen makers are breaking down.And childrenare following a mysterious rhyming man and vanishing.The heroine of thestory is a young girl, a "little",who longs to see what isoutside the dome, even though "olds" say everything is dead. Soshe follows the rhyming man...

This story of a future Earth is a bitscary for young readers,but is very haunting and thought provoking formore mature kids. This story is one that many adults would do well to read as well.It may very well be our own future!! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

My first Witch World.
This is a pretty good book to start with for new Witch World people ,except that some parts will be confusing ,as they were for me,but that wouldn't have been so if I'd read all of the previous books.This book is very intrugueing ,and very mysterious .I can see why Witch World is considered her best .Norton continuesher depth in magic ,which is one of the reasons I adore her work.This book gives a little prologue on what has happened previously ,so readers may understand .I highly reccomend this book!Anyway ,here is the plot:Tirtha has been constantly having dreams that pursue her to go to Hawkholme,the home of her kin .She hires a blank shield to guide her to Hawkholme .As they travel ,bit by bit ,they begin to discover that the Dark is pursuing them.Read it!

My first Witch World.
This is a pretty good book to start with for new Witch World people ,except that some parts will be confusing ,as they were for me,but that wouldn't have been so if I'd read all of the previous books.This book is very intrugueing ,and very mysterious .I can see why Witch World is considered her best .Norton continuesher depth in magic ,which is one of the reasons I adore her work.This book gives a little prologue on what has happened previously ,so readers may understand .I highly reccomend this book!

Perilous journey through Witch World
"'Ware Hawk" weaves a very dark tapestry of Witch World, where Evil comes closer to victory than in any of Norton's other WW novels. It begins several years after the Turning, when the Witches of Estcarp reshaped the mountains between themselves and their enemies. Those who did not flee from the heights when the mountains surged and foamed and changed shape like waves in the ocean, were destroyed.This book is the story of Tirtha, a woman of part-witch blood who hires a Falconer, a soldier whose home was destroyed by the Turning, to guide her over the mountains. She is under a geas to return to her deserted ancestral hold and recover a treasure that was hidden when her family was slain by the enemies of Estcarp.Her journey over-mountain is made even more perilous by a Dark One who is determined to foil Tirtha's quest.

"'Ware Hawk" is a classical Norton confrontation between a determined and seemingly powerless heroine and a sophisticated, all-powerful Dark magician.If you are already a Witch World fan, this book is a 'must read'.

Ware Hawk
Great story. The character are compelling. A must read.Who said: (Get acopy if you can). I can't say it better.

The best of the WW novels as far as I am concerned.
This book is the reason why I continue to read Andre Norton's novels, though her books are disappointing nowadays.It has a depth and intensity that the newer ones lack.Get a copy if you can! ... Read more

Book Description
For time beyond memory, the fire-eyed Keplian horses have lured riders to their death, sating the blood lust of the Dark Tower. All Witch World knows that the hunted, hated beasts serve Evil--all except one young woman.Fleeing her home after her beloved grandfather dies, the orphaned Navajo-Comanche girl Eleeri follows an ancient and magical trail to Witch World. When she discovers the Kepliana mare Tharna and her newborn colt in the hands of men eager to destroy them, Eleeri fights for their freedom. Running for their lives, psychic Eleeri and telepathic Tharna bond.And in a hidden canyon, they discover the awesome truth: The Keplians were created to serve Light, and to ride with humans.Download Description
For time beyond memory, the fire-eyed Keplian horses have lured riders to their death, sating the blood lust of the Dark Tower. All Witch World knows that the hunted, hated beasts serve Evil--all except one young woman.Fleeing her home after her beloved grandfather dies, the orphaned Navajo-Comanche girl Eleeri follows an ancient and magical trail to Witch World. When she discovers the Kepliana mare Tharna and her newborn colt in the hands of men eager to destroy them, Eleeri fights for their freedom. Running for their lives, psychic Eleeri and telepathic Tharna bond.And in a hidden canyon, they discover the awesome truth: The Keplians were created to serve Light, and to ride with humans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Friend to Keplians
Key of the Keplian (1995) is the first fantasy novel in the Secrets of the Witch World series.Eleeri is the only surviving member of Far Traveler's family.This great-granddaughter has a talent with horses and has learned everything he has tried to teach her about weapons, warfare and the history of her people.She would make a fine Nemunuh -- Comanche -- warrior.

Now Far-Traveler is dying.On his last day, the social worker comes once again to try to steal Eleeri away from her home.Her uncle is eagerly waiting to get his hands on her.While everything is ready for her escape, Eleeri is not willing to leave as long as Far Traveler is still alive.The old man steps outside, sings his death song, asks the gods to help her, and collapses in death.

Eleeri carries Far Traveler back to his pallet and arranges his body.Then she takes up her pack and leaves.She lays false trails and evades the helicopter, but the dogs are always on her trail.Finally, she breaks from cover and runs through the gate.

In this novel, Eleeri finds herself elsewhere on a grassy plain.She travels toward the mountains in the distance and then walks along the foothills to the south and then east.She finds scattered ruins and bodily remains that suggest some sort of warfare or banditry over a period of time.Then she hears the sound of battle and finds one man beset by three.

Cynan had already downed one bandit before Eleeri enters the battle, but has taken wounds of his own.Cynan is no stranger to battle, but the bandits are mounted.Then Eleeri enters the battle with her bow and slays both bandits.

Eleeri stays at Cynan's Hold for several seasons, learning the language and history of this new world.It has been some time since the shaking of the mountains by the Witches of Estcarp.Cynan has returned from his family refuge in Estcarp to die at home in Karsten, only to find himself faced with one last task.

Cynan teaches Eleeri swordcraft, but she already knows how to use bow and knife.He also teaches her reading, the local sign language and many other things about her new home.He takes her to his family shrine to Gunnora and the goddess welcomes Eleeri and grants her protection from the Dark.When all is prepared, Cynan sends her north and west into Escore.

In this story, Eleeri gains greater powers than her initial affinity for horses.She is now able to bond with her horses.As she travels toward Escore, she encounters a band of men about to kill a newborn foal and its mother.

Eleeri strongly objects to such killing, despite their tale of the horses being Keplians.She demonstrates the innocence of the foal with a talisman of Gunnora, but the men still object.Then Eleeri trades two of her horses for the two Keplians and convinces the mare to let her carry the wounded foal.

Eleeri is surprised to find the mare answering her in mind speech.Only then does she begin to understand that the mare is not a horse, but something greater.The mare is surprised to find Eleeri willing to touch her mind without terror.

Eleeri and the foal ride out of the village on her saddle pony, with the mare close behind.As they travel, Eleeri and the mare discuss the men left behind and decide that at least one will pursue them.The leader lost face when the mare followed her and he will want revenge.He also will covet the other horse and its equipment and supplies.

This story shows Eleeri gradually gaining the trust of the Keplian mare.It's hard to distrust someone who loves your colt as much as Eleeri does.The young colt returns the love and grows into a fine young stallion.Unlike other Keplian males, Hylan is kind and gentle unless provoked into a fight.Then his size and intelligence overwhelm his opponents.

Eleeri and the mare Tharna consider the differences between Hylan and other stallions and began to wonder about the effects of nurture on young Keplians.They begin to acquire pregnant mares and orphan foals.One violent colt teaches them caution, but their herd begins to grow.

This is a classic tale of the Witch World, even adding a touch of the Amerindian theme.Nonetheless, it lacks some of the fire and fury of the older works.Some of this probably comes from over familiarity with the series, but some also comes from the collaboration itself.The co-author is just not as great a storyteller.Yet this is still a good addition to the series.

Recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of Amerindian ways, women warriors, and a bit of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Excellent addition to the Witch World series
I've loved Andre Norton's premise of finding a new life in another world via a gate ever since I read Witch World, the first and one of my favorite Witch World books.Eleeri is a great heroine; and her escape from a misguided social worker begins a great adventure, even as it recalls the time when helpless children were removed from their homes to be educated...And because she doesn't know how dangerous Keplians are, she rescues a mare and her foal, and then...

Andre Norton and fantasy lovers:
This was the first book I read of Andre Norton a few years ago. Since then I have been an great fan of Andre Norton and her Witch World series. In fact, I have even written a Witch World movie screenplay which I hope will someday get produced. All because of this book, the Key of the Keplian. It strangely makes you want to travel to some foreign land and hunt, and when the book ends, you wish there where more, which is exactly how novels should be. I highly recommend to both young and old readers of all tastes and flavours.

OUTSTANDING
I just got done reading this book. I was captured by the adventures waiting just on the next page. It was so good I couldn't bare to put it down. If you love fantasy, magical, and adventure books, this is a must foryou! Eleeri, (the main character) travels into a witch world to escape herfate from the world she originated in. There she finds a friend who teachesher the ways of life in this magical new world. Then venture forth, shemust, to a calling in the "east" area. What lies ahead is anadventure only author Andre Norton can describe. Untamable and Dark are theKeplians; or are they? To any creature in this world a Keplian means death.But Eleeri has a mind of her own. Determined to befriend these magnificentbeasts, turn this world into the Light, destroy all Darkness, and beaccepted as a daughter to the Light are just a few of the...oops, I can'ttell you wether she does accomplishes them or not. To find out you'll haveto read the book!

GREAT!
I loved it. Although I was disappointed in the following book. I love the pairing of Lyn McConchie and Andre Norton, while Andre Norton alone I find a tad bit dry,.....of course I've only started two, and maybe if I delve alittle further I'll get excited,.....maybe. ... Read more

Book Description
Andre Norton and Sherwood Smith have collaborated on Solar Queen and Time Traders novels, but never before have they created as rousing an adventure as awaits Ross Murdock, Gordon Ashe, and the rest of the Time Patrol in Ancient Atlantis.In Earth's future, when time travel has become possible, the Time Patrol is the top secret government agency that protects Earth's past, so that our history will not become corrupted by invaders from either our future or from other worlds. For many years, Murdock, Ashe, and other members of the Time Patrol have contended with threats to our time continuum, none more deadly than the alien Baldies, who hate other high-tech civilizations and want to destroy Earth.Evidence of time travel has been found in ruins dating to the ancient world . . . in the legendary realm of Atlantis. So Murdock, Ashe, Eveleen Riordan, and other Time Patrollers deck themselves out as foreign traders to discover whether something is amiss in Atlantis. They find that the Baldies are there, as evidenced by sophisticated, high-tech equipment, whose purpose it is impossible to fathom. As they try to derail the Baldies' plot, the Time Patrollers realize that time is running out on their mission, when Atlantis is shaken by tremors that presage a cataclysm that may be the disaster that sank the fabulous island state. But they must be sure they act to preserve, not destroy, history--and if they're wrong, it'll be too late . . . for them and for Earth's future. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Hit and Run Time Travel
Atlantis Endgame is the seventh novel in the Time Traders series, following Echoes in Time.It tells the further adventures of Ross Murdock, his wife, Eveleen Riordan, and his partner, Gordon Ashe.It also adds a new character, Linnea Edel, an old acquaintance of Gordon.

In this story, Linnea has found an anachronistic earring with a modern jeweler's mark in a site on Thera, the probable location of legendary ancient Atlantis.While interesting in and of itself, it becomes extremely intriguing when found to be identical to an earring belonging to Eveleen.This existence of this object in ancient layers of soil suggests that it was lost circa 1628 BC, shortly before the island was destroyed by an huge volcanic eruption.The Project suspects Baldie intervention in the eruption and intends to send a team back in time to investigate.

The Russian time travel group cooperates with the Project to send a small ship with six agents aboard back to Kalliste, the ancient name of Thera before the eruption.There they travel to Akrotiri, the major town on the island, where they discover signs of Baldie tech in the volcano vents both on land and in the sea.Later a group of Baldies are seen on the beach, apparently looking for indications of THEM.They also find a Baldie ship in the sea, but can't locate the Baldie onshore base.They do find a couple of Fur Faces, a alien sentient species encountered only once before;however, they do not seem to be allies of the Baldies.

The natives are anxiously awaiting word from their oracle, but nothing new has been spoken in the past few months.Some Kallistans have left the island anyway, terrified by the frequent earthquakes and the steam, smoke, ash and rock ejectedby the volcano.Linnea claims to be an Egyptian Earth-Goddess priestess to infiltrate the Oracle's household and is there when the seer orders the evacuation of the island.

This novel is driven by the imminent threat of eruption, so is more like a hit and run than the almost leisurely exploration in the other tales in this series.The team are all disappointed by the lack of opportunity to study this almost unknown culture, but Linnea, the newcomer, is particularly frustrated by the time limit.

Recommended for all Norton fans and anyone who enjoys tales of ancient societies in a SF setting.

Nice Baldies?
This book is an exicting story which moves at a brisk pace.But it is part of a series, and in this book the principle heavies are revised to be ecologists.It does not fir the earlier portrayals of the baldies at all!
In the first two books of the series the baldies were the (ruthless) dominant race of an interstellar empire.The revision of their charactor and motives does not fit the earlier books in the series.That was a very jarring element to me.
Even so, the book was an excellent read.

Welcome addition to great old series
When archeologists discover a modern earing burried beneath tons of lava, they see an anomoly. Scientists at the time project see something different. A possible attempt by aliens to redirect human history, destroying the modern world. A small team of project agents are sent back to the ancient Greece of Minoan civilization--and Atlantis itself--to ensure that humanity's destiny is not subverted.

Before the ancient civilization of Kalliste was destroyed in a huge volcanic explosion, it had achieved technological levels not seen again until modern times. Clearly the world would have been transformed had it survived--but would the transformation have been for the better? Authors Andre Norton and Sherwood Smith add a degree of ethical complexity to a science fiction adventure. The project agents think that they are doing the right thing, but so do the two separate groups of aliens that they face.

The Time Traders series formed a part of many baby boomers introduction to science fiction and still holds power today. Norton and Smith's decision to add ethical complexity to the adventure gives strength to ATLANTIS ENDGAME. Young adult readers will find Norton and Smith's style to be approachable while more mature readers will find a deceptive intellectual subtlty. Emotional depths, however, are only hinted at.

delightful trek in time
At a dig on the Mediterranean island of Thera, archeologist Linnea Edel finds a modern day earring buried amidst the ruins of artifacts from 1600 BC.Not knowing how the jewelry could be among these ruins, Linnea shows her anachronistic finding to her old friend Dr. Gordon Ashe, who is stunned by what she shows him.

Gordon shows the earring to his Time Patrol associates.Each reacts similarly that someone, probably the alien "Baldies," went back in time and disrupted the continuum.The team knows they must travel to Ancient Greece to Plato's Atlantis to ascertain whether the aliens are changing history by destroying a key link in the advancement of technology.

ATLANTIS ENDGAME is an exciting action adventure tale that never slows down for even a nanosecond.Andre Norton and Sherwood Smith cleverly use Atlantis as the latest base of operations of the Baldies that forces the chronology patrol squad to try to correct a seemingly minor anachronism that could snowball into the end of technology before it can begin on Planet Earth.Fans of the Time Traders series adventure (see ECHOES IN TIME) will want to travel along with Andre Norton and Sherwood Smith on this delightful trek in time.

Harriet Klausner ... Read more

Book Description
'This is an exciting adventure story,and first-ratescience-fiction.' -ST.LOUIS GLOBE DEMOCRAT I n 1959 Andre Norton published The Beast Master, an exciting science fiction adventure that introduced Hosteen Storm, one of her most popular heroes. Storm is a Navajo scout for Earth's forces in the future. When Earth is destroyed by the alien Xik, Storm becomes a rancher on frontier planet Arzor. In telepathic rapport with a team of animals, he is the closest thing the planetary Confederacy has to law on Arzor. In this novel and its sequel, Lord of Thunder(1962), he finds that safeguarding the colonists, the native aboriginals, and the natural resources of the planet is a full-time job full of action and excitement. Arzor's ruins of a bygone race present their own puzzles and problems, but thwarting a genocidal plot of a crazed war vet turns his job into a deadly challenge. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

An Amerindian on Arzor
Beast Master's Planet (2005) is an omnibus edition of the first two SF novels in the Beast Master series.It includes The Beast Master and Lord of Thunder.The action takes place on Arzor, a human colonized planet, but with intelligent natives and alien ruins.The situation is much like that of the Spanish settlers among the southwestern tribes in the North American plains.

In The Beast Master (1959), Hosteen Storm is a native of Terra and an Amerindian.He is also a Galactic Commando and a Beast Master with an unusual affinity with animals, who is mustering out of the service to be repatriated on Arzor."The last desperate thrust of the Xik invaders had left Terra...a deadly blue, radioactive cinder", leaving the native Terrans homeless and in shock.Some had gone mad, killing themselves and others.Finally, all Terran troops had been forcibly disarmed.Since Hosten has not displayed any symptoms of such delayed shock, the service medics reluctantly agreed they could not deny Storm's release.

Storm travels with Baku, Ho, Hing and Surra -- his commando team -- to Arzor on a troop ferry and then looks for employment herding horses to the auction to be held during the Gathering at Irrawady Crossing.To prove his ability to ride, he tames a young stallion and introduces him to Surra, the dune cat.When the horse tolerates the cat breathing in his nose, Storm gets the job without further questioning.He claims the stallion as his working mount and names him Rain-On-Dust.

Since the horse herd is an attraction for covetous natives as well as wild animals, Surra patrols the camp at night and Baku, the African Black Eagle, scouts the route by day as they proceed cross-country to the Gathering.On the first night, they encounter a yoris and Storm, Surra and Baku kill the lizard in a coordinated attack before it can harm the horses.But its scent and hissing causes the horses to stampede.

With the herd scattered all over the area, the drivemaster hires some Norbies, the local native sentients, to track down the horses.It soon becomes evident that someone has separated the herd and stashed the small bands in out of the way places.However, even the Norbie trackers cannot determine who has done this.

While the horses are being returned to the herd, Storm spends some time gentling a few of the wild stock to replace riding animals lost in the stampede.The other men soon come to respect his skills and he gains an even closer relationship with Put Larkin -- the drivemaster -- and Dort Lancin -- an old Arzor hand -- who is teaching him finger talk and other lore.However, Coll Bister has developed a hostile attitude toward Storm for some unknown reason.

Storm has also become accepted by the Norbies as a fighting man with a fighting bird totem.Gorgol, the youngest of the trackers, is drawn to Storm by admiration and curiosity, providing him with lots of chances to practice finger talk as he answers Gorgol's questions.

At the gathering, Storm fends off a couple of attempts to kill or maim him, in which Bister seems to be involved, and meets Brad Quade, the man he has come to Arzor to see, but not quite yet.He accepts a job with the Survey Service to locate and explore the Sealed Caves within the High Peaks.

In Lord of Thunder (1962), Storm is returning to the Quade place after staking his claim within the Peaks country.It's the Big Dry season, so nobody rides during the heat of the day.He takes shelter in a cave and finds the Norbie warrior Gorgol there before him.

Gorgol is working for Storm this season.Storm expected him to be back at the Quade spread watching the horses.After explaining that he had left the horses in the Quade corral, Gorgol tells Storm that all the natives have been recalled to their clans for medicine talk.

Storm knows better than to probe too deeply into medicine talk, but he is quite puzzled by the recalls.Usually the Norbies urge warriors to hire on with the settlers during Big Dry season, if for no other reason than to reduce the number of thirsty mouths drinking scarce water.Of course, these warriors are commonly paid in horses and the clans are always short of the offworld creatures.

This recall puts a cramp in a lot of plans.Most settlers in the Peaks will be short of riders with the natives gone back to their clans.After the land cools down, Gorgol heads into the mountains and Storm rides toward the Quade ranch.

Upon returning home, Storm finds Brad Quade hosting an impromptu settler conclave on the native recall.Rig Dumaroy is busily running his mouth about native uprisings, although he is finding fewer settlers willing to listen to him after his mistaken accusations during the Xik attacks a few months ago.Brad Quade, the Lancin brothers and a few other level-headed settlers are more concerned about the shortage of riders.

During this conversation, Storm learns that the natives have moved out of their home ranges and are heading into the Blue range.No settler knows much about that section of mountains, although Logan -- Storm's half-brother -- probably knows more than anyone else.But Logan has not returned from his visit with the Shosonna clan and is probably traveling with them toward the meeting.

When the conclave ends, Brad Quade points out that Storm has a claim to file.The next day, he should take a 'copter into Galwadi to make