Hecate's Cauldron

by Susan Shwartz (Editor), Jayge Carr (Contributor), Diana L. Paxson (Contributor)

This anthology contains: Boris Chernevsky's Hands by Jane Yolen; Mirage and Magia by Tanith Lee; Willow by C. J. Cherryh; Moon Mirror by Andre Norton; The Sage of Theare by Diana Wynne Jones; The Harmonious Battle by Jessica Amanda Salmonson; Science is Magic Spelled Backwards by Jacqueline Lichtenberg; An Act of Faith by Galad Elflandsson; Witch Fulfillment by Jean Lorrah; Ishigbi by Charles Saunders; Bethane by Katherine Kurtz; The Riddle of Hekaite by Diana L. Paxson; and Reunion by Jayge Carr.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Anthologies, Witches

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1982

About the author

Writes with Shariann Lewitt as Gordon Kendall.

She received her B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College in 1972 and a PhD in English from Harvard University.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

• Introduction: Seasons of the Witch • essay by Susan Shwartz

1. Boris Chernevsky's Hands • by Jane Yolen ⭐⭐

2. Mirage and Magia • by Tanith Lee ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

3. Willow • novelette by C. J. Cherryh ⭐⭐⭐

4. Moon Mirror • by Andre Norton ⭐⭐⭐

5. The Sage of Theare • by Diana Wynne Jones ⭐⭐⭐

6. The Harmonious Battle • by Jessica Amanda Salmonson ⭐⭐

7. Science Is Magic Spelled Backwards • by Jacqueline Lichtenberg ⭐

8. An Act of Faith • by Galad Elflandsson ⭐⭐⭐⭐

9. Witch Fulfillment • by Jean Lorrah ⭐

10. Ishigbi • by Charles R. Saunders ⭐⭐⭐

11. Bethane • by Katherine Kurtz ⭐⭐

12. The Riddle of Hekaitë• by Diana L. Paxson ⭐⭐

13. Reunion • by Jayge Carr

[Pam Baddeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories about witches by well known women writers including Diana Wynne Jones and a couple of unfamiliar male writers. Entertaining but seven months later I've completely forgotten the stories.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of short stories, including a couple of excellent ones.

[art of storytelling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read about half of this. I picked it up at the library thinking it would get me into the mood for Halloween, but all these authors wrote stories that were about edgy witches, and tried to change your idea of what "witch" meant, which is fine but far from what is advertised. I liked a few of the stories even if they weren't actually about witches, particularly Diana Wynne Jones's story as she's one of my favorite authors. The rest felt pretty random and often poorly written or structured, and for me they failed their purpose.

[Niniane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it for Jessica Amanda Salmonson's story. And it didn't disappoint! It's set in the same world as her Tomoe Gozen novels. She has perfectly captured the atmosphere of Japanese epics and the conclusion was beautiful and poetic.

I also enjoyed the stories by C.J. Cherryh, Galad Elflandsson and Diana L. Paxson (for once). And there's a beautiful Tanith Lee story that I had already read.

The rest ranged from alright to unremarkable. (Especially Andre Norton's. Her work doesn't appeal to me at all).

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an anthology of short stories, focusing on witches. However, the stories don't focus on the stereotypical idea of a witch, as in the majority of stories the witches are benevolent with only a few "evil witches" showing up. This is very typical of these types of DAW anthologies from the time period in that some stories are good, others aren't as good. Not bad overall.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally picked this up for the Katherine Kurtz story ("Bethane"--good backstory for the Deryni series), but found some other gems in it. "Witch Fulfillment" has always tickled my funny bone and it captures the romance novel feel (a plus, considering the main character's interests). Anything by Tanith Lee is usually worth reading, and "Mirage & Magia" is no exception. "The Sage of Theare" made me want to read the Chrestomanci novels (although at present I enjoy this story better than the novels). The rest are decent stories, but not ones that grab me like the afore-listed ones.

[Fireblood · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were okay overall, though I'd say only a couple stories really stand out. It also comes off as a bit of false advertising as most stories only tangentially feature women using magic, despite this collection ostensibly being about witches (nor even male magic users, if you fit them into the term "witch"). I can't say it was more than average in terms of anthologies.