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The Witches of Karres #1
The Witches of Karres
NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED . . .
Captain Pausert thought his luck had finally turned—but he did not yet realize it was a turn for the worse. On second thought, make that a turn for the disastrous*.
Unlucky in love, unsuccessful in business, he thought he had finally made good with his battered starship Venture, cruising around the fringes of the Empire and successfully selling off odd-ball cargoes which no one else had been able to sell. He was all set to return home, where his true love was faithfully waiting for him ... he hoped.
But then he made the fatal mistake of freeing three slave children from their masters (who were suspiciously eager to part with them). They were just trying to be helpful, but those three adorable little girls quickly made Pausert the mortal enemy of his fiancee, his home planet, the Empire, warlike Sirians, psychopathic Uldanians, the dread pirate chieftain Laes Yango—and even the Worm World, the darkest threat to mankind in all of space.
And all because those harmless-looking little girls were in fact three of the notorious and universally feared Witches of Karres.
Captain Pausert thought his luck had finally turned—but he did not yet realize it was a turn for the worse. On second thought, make that a turn for the disastrous*.
Unlucky in love, unsuccessful in business, he thought he had finally made good with his battered starship Venture, cruising around the fringes of the Empire and successfully selling off odd-ball cargoes which no one else had been able to sell. He was all set to return home, where his true love was faithfully waiting for him ... he hoped.
But then he made the fatal mistake of freeing three slave children from their masters (who were suspiciously eager to part with them). They were just trying to be helpful, but those three adorable little girls quickly made Pausert the mortal enemy of his fiancee, his home planet, the Empire, warlike Sirians, psychopathic Uldanians, the dread pirate chieftain Laes Yango—and even the Worm World, the darkest threat to mankind in all of space.
And all because those harmless-looking little girls were in fact three of the notorious and universally feared Witches of Karres.
259 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1966
158 people are currently reading
2303 people want to read
About the author
James H. Schmitz
240 books92 followersJames Henry Schmitz (October 15, 1911–April 18, 1981) was an American writer born in Hamburg, Germany of American parents. Aside from two years at business school in Chicago, Schmitz lived in Germany until 1938, leaving before World War II broke out in Europe in 1939. During World War II, Schmitz served as an aerial photographer in the Pacific for the United States Army Air Corps. After the war, he and his brother-in-law ran a business which manufactured trailers until they broke up the business in 1949.
Schmitz is best known as a writer of space opera, and for strong female characters (including Telzey Amberdon and Trigger Argee) that didn't fit into the damsel in distress stereotype typical of science fiction during the time he was writing. His first published story was Greenface, published in August 1943 in Unknown. Most of his works are part of the "Hub" series, though his best known novel is the non-Hub The Witches of Karres, concerning juvenile "witches" with genuine psi-powers and their escape from slavery. Karres was nominated for a Hugo Award.
In recent years, his novels and short stories have been republished by Baen Books (which bought the rights to his estate for $6500), edited (sometimes heavily edited) and with notes by Eric Flint. Baen have also published new works based in the Karres universe.
Schmitz died of congestive lung failure in 1981 after a five week stay in the hospital in Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife, Betty Mae Chapman Schmitz.
Schmitz is best known as a writer of space opera, and for strong female characters (including Telzey Amberdon and Trigger Argee) that didn't fit into the damsel in distress stereotype typical of science fiction during the time he was writing. His first published story was Greenface, published in August 1943 in Unknown. Most of his works are part of the "Hub" series, though his best known novel is the non-Hub The Witches of Karres, concerning juvenile "witches" with genuine psi-powers and their escape from slavery. Karres was nominated for a Hugo Award.
In recent years, his novels and short stories have been republished by Baen Books (which bought the rights to his estate for $6500), edited (sometimes heavily edited) and with notes by Eric Flint. Baen have also published new works based in the Karres universe.
Schmitz died of congestive lung failure in 1981 after a five week stay in the hospital in Los Angeles. He was survived by his wife, Betty Mae Chapman Schmitz.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
August 24, 2015
The Book
The Witches of Karres started life in 1949 as a short story, and then in 1965-1966 Schmitz expanded it into a full novel by adding a couple of short novellas. In 2005 Eric Flint did a bit of editing work (Mainly removing a lot of references to smoking and some other points that badly dated the story) and it was released as part of Baen's reissue of Schmitz's most popular works.
Witches of Karres is classified as a space opera, but really it's more like a space operetta - Light, fun, and fast-paced, with lots of humour and adventure. There's no real plot here, since the first fifth of the story started life as a separate short story and has little relationship to the plots of the next two sections. But sometimes plot is over-rated, and in this case it serves as nothing more than a bare bones structure to hang a series of adventure on.
As a note about the plot -Witches of Karres starts with the captain of an aging but fast tramp freighter rescuing three children with psychic powers from the clutches of an Empire hunting for their homeworld, then escalates rapidly to a space battle against Worm World, a world-sized battleship commanded by a robotic being in black armour. Replace the three little kids with a single princess, drop the Worm Worlders and place the worldship under the command of the Empire, and you have exactly the plot of an early draft of Star Wars. Eventually George Lucas discovered Akira Kurosawa and Joseph Campbell and realised that if he ripped them off instead he'd be a lot less likely to be sued, but elements of Schmitz (and classic space opera in general) are all over early Star Wars.
The Good
James H. Schmitz was a master of transparent prose, the craft of writing sentences and paragraphs that don't draw attention to themselves and let you enjoy the story. He was also an expert at minimalistic character-building, letting characters define themselves through action and dialogue rather than internal monologues or description. Both of these skills were vital for someone who worked as a writer of short stories and novellas.
Captain Pausert comes across as a basically decent and highly pragmatic individual without the narrative ever really calling attention to these traits. Pausert simply takes the actions appropriate to a decent and pragmatic young man, and the narrative lets you draw your own conclusions about his character. The same can be said of everyone in this story. We don't need to be told that dread pirate-lord the Agandar is a bad man: We see him doing bad things all while explaining why taking children hostage, drugging and kidnapping people, leading a band of murderous thugs, etc, is all highly rational and the only clever thing for a man to do.
More complex narratives can draw more complex characters, but for a compact tale likeWitches a narrative style that sticks closely to 'show don't tell' and simply gets on with the story is exactly the right style.
The Bad
There's nothing at all wrong with this book, but it definitely a piece of fluff. If you're looking for a complex plot, deep themes, well-developed worldbuilding, or subtle characters, this is not the book for you. Schmitz intended Witches as a light-hearted adventure story and that's exactly what ended up on the pages. If you like fast-paced adventures and basic space opera, you'll like Witches of Karres. If those sort of stories aren't to your taste, then you'll want to give Witches a pass.
The Problematic
So, Goth. The three witches of Karres are Maleen, Goth, and the Leewit (the the being a vital part of her name, and don't you forget it) are fourteen, nine or ten, and six years old respectively. And they've decided that Goth is going to marry Captain Pausert, aged twenty-eight. Not yet, mind you, but still...
As pointed out above,Witches of Karres started life as a short story. Specifically, it started out as a humorous adventure story for ages ten to thirteen. A short story with the premise that these three kids have completely screwed over Captain Pausert is right up the alley for that age group, as is ending on the idea that they will continue to screw over Captain Pausert for the rest of his life. (He's actually a lot happier in his new life as an interplanetary rogue then he ever was as a law-abiding citizen of Nikkeldepain, but that's besides the point.)
As a premise for a kids-oriented short story, this is fine. Don't think too hard about it, enjoy the story, and move on. As part of a longer novel it becomes a bit... Problematic.
Schmitz deals with the problematic aspects in a way that feels appropriate for the light-hearted tone of the story. Captain Pausert is an instinctively decent person. As such he is clearly uncomfortable with the idea and deflects Goth and changes the subject every time it comes up, and his interactions with Goth are all age-appropriate. Goth's behaviour towards Pausert is likewise age-appropriate, and her attitude towards him is not at all 'potential mate material'. In fact, between the three witches it seems to be more a matter of finders keepers. You can imaging the witches saying to their parents "He followed us home We dragged him home, kicking and screaming. Can we keep him?" The narrative of the story gives the idea of marriage a very light treatment, very much a child's eye view of just spending a lot of time with one particular person. It's completely non-sexual.
Within the story, the witch-people of Karres organize much of their life around the work of probability calculators, psychic oracles who scan possible futures and provide guidance towards best outcomes. These probability calculators (including Maleen, Goth's older sister) calculate that continued association with Pausert will be good for Goth. They also say that it's not necessarily good for Pausert, but oh well... And thanks to their psychic powers, despite being away from home Goth and her sisters are in reasonably close contact with their parents.
Schmitz deals with the problematic material by keeping the treatment of it light and age-appropriate, and providing in-story justifications for why Goth is safe hanging around this older man she's decided to marry in a few years. Whether or not that's enough for the reader is a matter of individual judgement. I will say that I find age-difference fanfics to be highly squicky, and some of Lois McMaster Bujold's May-December pairings border on squick as well for me, but I had no problems with Goth and Captain Pausert.
The Verdict
Highly recommended. Witches of Karres is both a lot of fun and an opportunity to watch a master of old-school pulp science fiction at work.
The Witches of Karres started life in 1949 as a short story, and then in 1965-1966 Schmitz expanded it into a full novel by adding a couple of short novellas. In 2005 Eric Flint did a bit of editing work (Mainly removing a lot of references to smoking and some other points that badly dated the story) and it was released as part of Baen's reissue of Schmitz's most popular works.
Witches of Karres is classified as a space opera, but really it's more like a space operetta - Light, fun, and fast-paced, with lots of humour and adventure. There's no real plot here, since the first fifth of the story started life as a separate short story and has little relationship to the plots of the next two sections. But sometimes plot is over-rated, and in this case it serves as nothing more than a bare bones structure to hang a series of adventure on.
As a note about the plot -Witches of Karres starts with the captain of an aging but fast tramp freighter rescuing three children with psychic powers from the clutches of an Empire hunting for their homeworld, then escalates rapidly to a space battle against Worm World, a world-sized battleship commanded by a robotic being in black armour. Replace the three little kids with a single princess, drop the Worm Worlders and place the worldship under the command of the Empire, and you have exactly the plot of an early draft of Star Wars. Eventually George Lucas discovered Akira Kurosawa and Joseph Campbell and realised that if he ripped them off instead he'd be a lot less likely to be sued, but elements of Schmitz (and classic space opera in general) are all over early Star Wars.
The Good
James H. Schmitz was a master of transparent prose, the craft of writing sentences and paragraphs that don't draw attention to themselves and let you enjoy the story. He was also an expert at minimalistic character-building, letting characters define themselves through action and dialogue rather than internal monologues or description. Both of these skills were vital for someone who worked as a writer of short stories and novellas.
Captain Pausert comes across as a basically decent and highly pragmatic individual without the narrative ever really calling attention to these traits. Pausert simply takes the actions appropriate to a decent and pragmatic young man, and the narrative lets you draw your own conclusions about his character. The same can be said of everyone in this story. We don't need to be told that dread pirate-lord the Agandar is a bad man: We see him doing bad things all while explaining why taking children hostage, drugging and kidnapping people, leading a band of murderous thugs, etc, is all highly rational and the only clever thing for a man to do.
More complex narratives can draw more complex characters, but for a compact tale likeWitches a narrative style that sticks closely to 'show don't tell' and simply gets on with the story is exactly the right style.
The Bad
There's nothing at all wrong with this book, but it definitely a piece of fluff. If you're looking for a complex plot, deep themes, well-developed worldbuilding, or subtle characters, this is not the book for you. Schmitz intended Witches as a light-hearted adventure story and that's exactly what ended up on the pages. If you like fast-paced adventures and basic space opera, you'll like Witches of Karres. If those sort of stories aren't to your taste, then you'll want to give Witches a pass.
The Problematic
So, Goth. The three witches of Karres are Maleen, Goth, and the Leewit (the the being a vital part of her name, and don't you forget it) are fourteen, nine or ten, and six years old respectively. And they've decided that Goth is going to marry Captain Pausert, aged twenty-eight. Not yet, mind you, but still...
As pointed out above,Witches of Karres started life as a short story. Specifically, it started out as a humorous adventure story for ages ten to thirteen. A short story with the premise that these three kids have completely screwed over Captain Pausert is right up the alley for that age group, as is ending on the idea that they will continue to screw over Captain Pausert for the rest of his life. (He's actually a lot happier in his new life as an interplanetary rogue then he ever was as a law-abiding citizen of Nikkeldepain, but that's besides the point.)
As a premise for a kids-oriented short story, this is fine. Don't think too hard about it, enjoy the story, and move on. As part of a longer novel it becomes a bit... Problematic.
Schmitz deals with the problematic aspects in a way that feels appropriate for the light-hearted tone of the story. Captain Pausert is an instinctively decent person. As such he is clearly uncomfortable with the idea and deflects Goth and changes the subject every time it comes up, and his interactions with Goth are all age-appropriate. Goth's behaviour towards Pausert is likewise age-appropriate, and her attitude towards him is not at all 'potential mate material'. In fact, between the three witches it seems to be more a matter of finders keepers. You can imaging the witches saying to their parents "
Within the story, the witch-people of Karres organize much of their life around the work of probability calculators, psychic oracles who scan possible futures and provide guidance towards best outcomes. These probability calculators (including Maleen, Goth's older sister) calculate that continued association with Pausert will be good for Goth. They also say that it's not necessarily good for Pausert, but oh well... And thanks to their psychic powers, despite being away from home Goth and her sisters are in reasonably close contact with their parents.
Schmitz deals with the problematic material by keeping the treatment of it light and age-appropriate, and providing in-story justifications for why Goth is safe hanging around this older man she's decided to marry in a few years. Whether or not that's enough for the reader is a matter of individual judgement. I will say that I find age-difference fanfics to be highly squicky, and some of Lois McMaster Bujold's May-December pairings border on squick as well for me, but I had no problems with Goth and Captain Pausert.
The Verdict
Highly recommended. Witches of Karres is both a lot of fun and an opportunity to watch a master of old-school pulp science fiction at work.
November 12, 2025
The Witches of Karres is an old-fashioned science-fantasy space opera, written with a light, sure touch and with Schmitz's distinctive panache. This is fizzy, sparkly entertainment -- the plot goes tripping and skipping across the Galaxy, via some rather appalling transportation devices (such as the well-named Sheewash drive and the dread Egger Route). Capt. Pausert and the lively young witch-sisters -- Maleen, the Leewit & Goth -- face pirate attacks, sneering Sirians, sneaky spies, trumped-up legal charges, a corrupt, beautifully slinky shipyard owner with a taste for torture, a mighty Sheem Assassin robot, Worm Weather, and a super-powerful (but reality-impaired) game-playing vatch, among other challenges. Slow-paced action is not a problem here. The plot is preposterous, but unfolds like a wonderfully lucid dream... suddenly, you're there, with another new klatha PSI-superpower... And the characters are so nice -- even the villains get a second, or even a third chance to redeem themselves, and most do. And by nice I don't mean sticky-sweet, but the lovely warm, fuzzy feeling you'll get as you read Witches.
The Witches of Karres is a true light classic of the genre, and if you haven't read it yet (or in awhile), you should. It's remarkably fresh for a story that's over a half-century old -- "recommended for frivolous relaxation. Abandon moral uplift, all ye who enter here." -- Dave Langford. For the young, and young-of-heart.
My 2001 review: https://www.sfsite.com/02a/wk97.htm
The Witches of Karres is a true light classic of the genre, and if you haven't read it yet (or in awhile), you should. It's remarkably fresh for a story that's over a half-century old -- "recommended for frivolous relaxation. Abandon moral uplift, all ye who enter here." -- Dave Langford. For the young, and young-of-heart.
My 2001 review: https://www.sfsite.com/02a/wk97.htm
September 4, 2020
What a delight!
Captain Pausert, a trader from the Republic of Nikkeldepain, is just trying to make a profit in order to straighten out his affairs, avoid a potential jail term and return to his secret betrothed in a very old, somewhat decrepit, borrowed space craft. Then he meets three witches of Karres and his plans, in fact his life, are turned upside down, sideways, inside out, etc. But is that very bad or just maybe very good? Who knows. Just come along for an enjoyable sci-fi romp. Part sci-fi, part fantasy, part intrigue, part adventure and derring do, part humor and all fun.
Captain Pausert, a trader from the Republic of Nikkeldepain, is just trying to make a profit in order to straighten out his affairs, avoid a potential jail term and return to his secret betrothed in a very old, somewhat decrepit, borrowed space craft. Then he meets three witches of Karres and his plans, in fact his life, are turned upside down, sideways, inside out, etc. But is that very bad or just maybe very good? Who knows. Just come along for an enjoyable sci-fi romp. Part sci-fi, part fantasy, part intrigue, part adventure and derring do, part humor and all fun.
December 29, 2009
This was a swooping delight of an old-school sci-fi adventure. It was written back in 1966 and I'd never heard of it until last week. The writing was inventive- so inventive, in fact, that whenever Schmitz found himself at what could be a sticky plot point, he invented a new word/entity/force to get his heroes out of the jam. So just rell the vatch and go along for a dizzying, ridiculous and enjoyable ride. Goofy like Pratchett, only with less internal coherence. And I don't mean that in a bad way. Surreal sci-fi can be fun, and this is undeniably fun. I would have loved it with all my heart had I the good fortune to read it as a kid.
November 11, 2025
This is an early example of space fantasy, esp. in a narrow definition of fantasy as a genre where god(dess)s operate. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for November 2025 at Hugo & Nebula Awards: Best Novels group. The first part was initially published as a novella in 1949 and expanded as a novel in 1966. It was nominated for the Hugo Award in 1967 but lost to The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress.
The book starts like a classic SF – a captain Pausert of a space trade ship during his stay on a planet sees a girl aged like 14 in distress. She is a slave, and her master wants to punish her. The captain buys her to protect her, and to find out that her two sisters are also enslaved on this planet. He buys all of them because he is pure of heart, even if not a cunning trader.
As they leave the planet, he finds out that one of the girls stole some valuables, and despite Pausert returning the valuables to the owner, they are pursued. A strange thing happens – the ship jumps far ahead of the pursuers.
As the captain finds out, the girls are witches from the planet Karres. The witchery here formally means psionics, but it covers a broad range of usages from instant learning languages to tapping knowledge of older relatives to teleportation that it is magic in all but name, and the planet is full of such people. Pausert returns the girls to their planet, is rewarded by a lot of commodities (he is a trader after all!), which alas will be impossible to sell and leaves, just to find out that one of the girls, 10-year-old Goth, is a stowaway on his ship. When his ship gets into trouble, she transports it across the empire to the part where no one from his planet has been for at least the last century.
The rest of the book Pausert and Goth team up to travel and use their talents to move by dangerous and profitable routes, while governments and pirates send spies after them to capture their unique drive. Pausert becomes aware of other ‘magical’ beings, which remind me of djinnis and petty yet powerful gods. There are planet-sized ships, killer robots, sneaky agents and more – quite a delight for the youths reading it in the 1960s. I guess I would have ranked this book quite high if I read it in my teens, but now, knowing what was written in SFF after and myself much older, I see it as an interesting and back then a groundbreaking book, but which can hardly compete with contemporary SFF, either YA or adult.
The book starts like a classic SF – a captain Pausert of a space trade ship during his stay on a planet sees a girl aged like 14 in distress. She is a slave, and her master wants to punish her. The captain buys her to protect her, and to find out that her two sisters are also enslaved on this planet. He buys all of them because he is pure of heart, even if not a cunning trader.
As they leave the planet, he finds out that one of the girls stole some valuables, and despite Pausert returning the valuables to the owner, they are pursued. A strange thing happens – the ship jumps far ahead of the pursuers.
As the captain finds out, the girls are witches from the planet Karres. The witchery here formally means psionics, but it covers a broad range of usages from instant learning languages to tapping knowledge of older relatives to teleportation that it is magic in all but name, and the planet is full of such people. Pausert returns the girls to their planet, is rewarded by a lot of commodities (he is a trader after all!), which alas will be impossible to sell and leaves, just to find out that one of the girls, 10-year-old Goth, is a stowaway on his ship. When his ship gets into trouble, she transports it across the empire to the part where no one from his planet has been for at least the last century.
The rest of the book Pausert and Goth team up to travel and use their talents to move by dangerous and profitable routes, while governments and pirates send spies after them to capture their unique drive. Pausert becomes aware of other ‘magical’ beings, which remind me of djinnis and petty yet powerful gods. There are planet-sized ships, killer robots, sneaky agents and more – quite a delight for the youths reading it in the 1960s. I guess I would have ranked this book quite high if I read it in my teens, but now, knowing what was written in SFF after and myself much older, I see it as an interesting and back then a groundbreaking book, but which can hardly compete with contemporary SFF, either YA or adult.
June 24, 2010
2.5 stars. Decent but not great. It could be that since I had just finished Santiago by Mike Resnick (which I thought was fantastic) and another good Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett (Sourcery), this book suffered from the comparison between those other books. I may re-read this in the future as I seem to be in the minority of not loving this book. Still, it was fairly entertaining.
Nominee: Hugo Award Best Novel.
Nominee: Hugo Award Best Novel.
xx-dnf-skim-reference
April 26, 2017Pedophilia trigger. These are not witches disguised as children, but rather children who have developed certain talents. And there is much talk with the captain of approaching marriageable age, which is apparently 16, at least for girls.
March 6, 2019
Seventh and last volume of the complete works by James H. Schmitz published by Baen Books, edited by Eric Flint. It contains the novel of the same title, which starting from a simple idea (the protagonist's meeting with three witch sisters, children of the witch planet of Karres) goes through always more involved adventures and convoluted solutions until a wild crazy ending beyond all probabilities, where the protagonist solves all the problems of the galaxy, invaded by aliens from another universe, by hooking to another being from a third universe.
December 14, 2008
This is one of my favorites!!! A dazzling adventure with witches, spaceships and a dangerous species from another dimension.
And in the midst of it there is the Captain who only wanted to make enough money and gain a good reputation to marry his secret fiancee. But there is a little witch who has other plans ....
This book is just a lot of fun, very good written and with an original storyline.
And in the midst of it there is the Captain who only wanted to make enough money and gain a good reputation to marry his secret fiancee. But there is a little witch who has other plans ....
This book is just a lot of fun, very good written and with an original storyline.
September 2, 2015
Excellent! A wonderful - I guess the word would be rollicking - read. In many ways, it reminds me of those old sci-fi serials. It seemed like they'd gotten through one life-threatening crisis when another one hit!
It's hard to believe this was written in 1966! I felt like there was nothing that really dated this. It was fun, humorous, exciting... I loved it.
It's hard to believe this was written in 1966! I felt like there was nothing that really dated this. It was fun, humorous, exciting... I loved it.
January 26, 2015
This is one of those semi-forgotten underground classics that, like many people, I'd heard of but never read or indeed even seen available anywhere. So I was reasonably pleased to find a copy on my most recent foray to the used bookstore.
Calling this science fiction is really to distort the term beyond all meaning, this is a perfect example of what is sometimes referred to as science fantasy. Sure, there are spaceships and ray guns and various unexplained technological devices but there are also fantastic magical powers, creatures from beyond our universe and the fate of worlds resting on a bumbling starship captain and a few young girls. Throw in some angry planetary spirits, ancient robots and planet sized battleships and you've got a first rate space opera in the classic style.
This book is all about the fun. There's no deeper message, no working out the implications of a new technology or scientific discovery, just a man and three rescued slaves trying to get home and having whacky adventures along the way. Sometimes, that's all we want from a book, and Witches delivers just that.
Calling this science fiction is really to distort the term beyond all meaning, this is a perfect example of what is sometimes referred to as science fantasy. Sure, there are spaceships and ray guns and various unexplained technological devices but there are also fantastic magical powers, creatures from beyond our universe and the fate of worlds resting on a bumbling starship captain and a few young girls. Throw in some angry planetary spirits, ancient robots and planet sized battleships and you've got a first rate space opera in the classic style.
This book is all about the fun. There's no deeper message, no working out the implications of a new technology or scientific discovery, just a man and three rescued slaves trying to get home and having whacky adventures along the way. Sometimes, that's all we want from a book, and Witches delivers just that.
October 3, 2020
Space opera fun! Roughly the first third of this was originally a short story (1949), and the main character reminded me strongly of Han Solo. The plot expands beyond that point, and it eventually became the shared world of other writers resulting in a trilogy. Nominated for the 1967 Hugo award, it's just plain fun.
This is probably my first exposure to this author, known as "a craftsman writer" who wrote many strong female characters. The three juvenile witches are certainly savvy in the ways of the universe. Not one of the common sci fi names, I look forward to for hunting his books in the obscure shelves of Seattle.
This is probably my first exposure to this author, known as "a craftsman writer" who wrote many strong female characters. The three juvenile witches are certainly savvy in the ways of the universe. Not one of the common sci fi names, I look forward to for hunting his books in the obscure shelves of Seattle.
October 7, 2022
This is a personal favorite of mine. It embodies an adventurous, light hearted style of classic SF. Mysterious planets, strange aliens, interesting characters lots of humor. Not for everyone, perhaps, but it has a treasured place on my bookshelf.
February 5, 2019
.??? from childhood: ok, why did i read this... twice? exactly the opposite from my usual sf fare, exactly the sort stanislaw lem probably hated, characterized as juvenile adventure, not remotely science fiction, a ridiculous, playful, illogical, pulp exemplar of 'space opera'... read this first when i was about twelve, or at least the first two chapters in sf hall of fame as a novella. remember it even then as rather fantasy dressed in science fiction clothing...
so as an adult read it as a book- twice- perhaps interested in nostalgia, discovered it as a novel, thought well it was up for a Hugo in 67, so maybe it is good, maybe i had missed something, maybe i would learn what works in sci-fi. no. but then i heard comparison with pratchett, tried it again. so it is an easy read. but it did not get better. also, i am not a big p fan either. thought of ways it might appeal to genre readers: fun, simple, satirical. certain unscientific aspects that might be 'space opera', like taking a few weeks to go from star to star, like unified 'empire' spanning stars, like blasting asteroids for fun... and then: slaves?...
romance is satirical. characters in total are comic. situations are comic. so maybe this is how it works, if you shut down your reasonable critical sf and literary brains: comic. just happened to be watching a sci-fi tv show called 'firefly' which is likewise of no sf value, but is fun. it is all about characters of recognizable human qualities, neighbours even, and the way they form a familial sort of group. there is some plot, some quirks, some borrowed genre elements... maybe this is what the book offers? am i missing out on some fun? am i asking to read another book? just tried an sf work that somebody said was like ac clarke... but it bored me in another way: it is a resolutely sf extrapolation of possibilities (application of prefix 'nano' so useful) but is not great on characterizations comic or not... so tried this book again, got a few chapters in, decided no i do not need to read it again...
well i should up the rating for having read it 2 1/2 times... just discovered the original novella is from 1949! so maybe this is interesting in a historical way, is actually innovative in comic tone that requires readers of the day to make satirical connections to other, typical, 'space operas'...
so as an adult read it as a book- twice- perhaps interested in nostalgia, discovered it as a novel, thought well it was up for a Hugo in 67, so maybe it is good, maybe i had missed something, maybe i would learn what works in sci-fi. no. but then i heard comparison with pratchett, tried it again. so it is an easy read. but it did not get better. also, i am not a big p fan either. thought of ways it might appeal to genre readers: fun, simple, satirical. certain unscientific aspects that might be 'space opera', like taking a few weeks to go from star to star, like unified 'empire' spanning stars, like blasting asteroids for fun... and then: slaves?...
romance is satirical. characters in total are comic. situations are comic. so maybe this is how it works, if you shut down your reasonable critical sf and literary brains: comic. just happened to be watching a sci-fi tv show called 'firefly' which is likewise of no sf value, but is fun. it is all about characters of recognizable human qualities, neighbours even, and the way they form a familial sort of group. there is some plot, some quirks, some borrowed genre elements... maybe this is what the book offers? am i missing out on some fun? am i asking to read another book? just tried an sf work that somebody said was like ac clarke... but it bored me in another way: it is a resolutely sf extrapolation of possibilities (application of prefix 'nano' so useful) but is not great on characterizations comic or not... so tried this book again, got a few chapters in, decided no i do not need to read it again...
well i should up the rating for having read it 2 1/2 times... just discovered the original novella is from 1949! so maybe this is interesting in a historical way, is actually innovative in comic tone that requires readers of the day to make satirical connections to other, typical, 'space operas'...
March 29, 2010
Schmitz started this series of two books finsihed with "The Wizard of Karres." I first read the Witches when I was a young person and remember that I liked it very much. I decided to read it again, maybe 40 years later and I still liked it. That says something. It certainly isn't any great piece of literature, but it has lasting charm. It's about a scifi piece about a spaceship captain that rescues three little girls who have been enslaved on a miserable planet. He buys them and then takes them to their far off home planet of Karres. Turns out the "little Wisdoms" are witches who can manipulate a mysterious Klatha energy. Turns out there a problems in the universe that can only be solved by their particular powers and the captains particular prowess. Enough said about that. You'll live the little holly terrors and their antic...oh and you also find the Vatch interesting as well. Schmitz died before he could finish the second book, so it was finished by others in his style and it too was charming.
November 18, 2021
The setup is a bit weird, but once you get a third of the way in, a pretty good story develops. Have read this a few times, but it had been awhile. Still enjoyed it!
September 11, 2022
read the original 1949 novella/novelette
February 10, 2019
My book is an inter-library loan from the Bangor Public Library's Archive Room. Hardbound from 1966, though the first story, which I read in the new-ish collection "Agent of Vega" comes from back in 1949. Mr. Schmitz is a reliably entertaining purveyor of classic space opera with female protagonists/heroines. He's not up to the 4* level of Jack Vance, but he's worth reading. I've noticed some themes already that are suggestive of "The Demon Breed." More about that later. Gotta go to work now.
There, I found the correct cover image. So, many(all?) of Schmidt's works have been edited, rearranged and re-issued by Baen Books(Eric Flint). In this "old" edition the Captain takes a break and lights up a cigarette, and that's the kind of thing they expurged, assuming that future humans would have all put down the butts. So ... I say maybe so, but I can stand the "shock" of a cigarette scene in the cause of faithfulness to the original story. Meanwhile, what is it that the author does/employs in this book that he does in "The Demon Breed"? He has his characters use misunderstanding/misdirection mythology/propaganda in the cause of keeping a foe off-balance and incorrectly informed. Very clever ... is the Captain a witch or isn't he?
- An obvious down-the-road plot twist comes up, but when it does arrive, it's a bit different than I thought it would be. The author keeps us guessing.
The ending beckoned last night but so did bedtime and I chose sleep. This despite another crazy plot development in a tale that just whizzes here and there and piles up up the "wha???" events(people, places and things) at breakneck speed. To much to go into here. Suffice it to say that things do get a bit confusing and some major time traveling(300,000 years!) tops things off. I have to admit there were times when the author threatened to leave me behind scratching my head, but I'm hanging in there. All in the name of fun, of course. The only person to die(so far) is a bad-baddie, and I'm not totally convinced that he's dead.
- One bane of good writing crops up: "you see ..."
Finished up last night with this fun read. Other G'reads reviewers have noted that this book is closer to fantasy than sci-fi in some ways. Also quite suggestive of Star Wars.
- 3.5* rounds down to 3*
There, I found the correct cover image. So, many(all?) of Schmidt's works have been edited, rearranged and re-issued by Baen Books(Eric Flint). In this "old" edition the Captain takes a break and lights up a cigarette, and that's the kind of thing they expurged, assuming that future humans would have all put down the butts. So ... I say maybe so, but I can stand the "shock" of a cigarette scene in the cause of faithfulness to the original story. Meanwhile, what is it that the author does/employs in this book that he does in "The Demon Breed"? He has his characters use misunderstanding/misdirection mythology/propaganda in the cause of keeping a foe off-balance and incorrectly informed. Very clever ... is the Captain a witch or isn't he?
- An obvious down-the-road plot twist comes up, but when it does arrive, it's a bit different than I thought it would be. The author keeps us guessing.
The ending beckoned last night but so did bedtime and I chose sleep. This despite another crazy plot development in a tale that just whizzes here and there and piles up up the "wha???" events(people, places and things) at breakneck speed. To much to go into here. Suffice it to say that things do get a bit confusing and some major time traveling(300,000 years!) tops things off. I have to admit there were times when the author threatened to leave me behind scratching my head, but I'm hanging in there. All in the name of fun, of course. The only person to die(so far) is a bad-baddie, and I'm not totally convinced that he's dead.
- One bane of good writing crops up: "you see ..."
Finished up last night with this fun read. Other G'reads reviewers have noted that this book is closer to fantasy than sci-fi in some ways. Also quite suggestive of Star Wars.
- 3.5* rounds down to 3*
October 27, 2014
Oddly enough, this book first caught my attention because I've been tearing through Eric Flint's 1632 series and noticed Sorceress of Karres shelved alongside them at my local library. Out of curiosity I did some checking on goodreads and was surprised to find that the book was not only a sequel to another author's work but to a book that is now almost 50 years old. Doubly intrigued I reserved a copy and I'm certainly glad I did. This book is a rare gem among older science fiction, particularly the mid-20th century variety, it doesn't show its age with goofy antiquated "future" technology or silly dialects and literally feels as if it could've been written last year. Partly, I suppose that this is because it is as much a fantasy book as a science fiction book, but mostly it's because the author's writing is funny, imaginative, and clever, and his characters are delightfully quirky and likeable.
The story follows Captain Pausert, a young man from the very proper sort of planet (Nickeldepain) on his way back from a profitable trade voyage, hoping to repay a rather unfortunate debt and win the right to marry his secret betrothed. His life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters a girl slave being attacked (he thinks) by her master, whom he accosts. Surprisingly, he finds the owner and the planetary authorities practically giving him the strange girl (Maleen), and being a decent sort, the Captain agrees to buy her so he can return her to her home planet, Karres. However, she has other ideas and demands that he free her sisters as well (Goth and The Leewit). Two bizarre (and cheap) exchanges later, the three girls are in his charge and all seems well as he sets course for Karres. However, he's barely off the planet when it becomes clear that the girls not only exceedingly powerful witches (with amusingly bizarre powers) but that wherever he takes them, trouble is bound to follow as Pausert finds himself hunted by practically every malevolent power in the galaxy, from the horrific alien Worm World down to the pirate king Agandar.
The story follows Captain Pausert, a young man from the very proper sort of planet (Nickeldepain) on his way back from a profitable trade voyage, hoping to repay a rather unfortunate debt and win the right to marry his secret betrothed. His life takes an unexpected turn when he encounters a girl slave being attacked (he thinks) by her master, whom he accosts. Surprisingly, he finds the owner and the planetary authorities practically giving him the strange girl (Maleen), and being a decent sort, the Captain agrees to buy her so he can return her to her home planet, Karres. However, she has other ideas and demands that he free her sisters as well (Goth and The Leewit). Two bizarre (and cheap) exchanges later, the three girls are in his charge and all seems well as he sets course for Karres. However, he's barely off the planet when it becomes clear that the girls not only exceedingly powerful witches (with amusingly bizarre powers) but that wherever he takes them, trouble is bound to follow as Pausert finds himself hunted by practically every malevolent power in the galaxy, from the horrific alien Worm World down to the pirate king Agandar.
September 3, 2017
What a pleasure, finally, to reread a book I hadn't touched in several decades and find that not only did it hold up well over time but that I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I did lower my rating to four stars (really 4.5) since, while I REALLY enjoyed it, it no longer qualified as "amazing" compared to many of the books which I have read in the years passing between my readings. It is a little hard to characterize the book. I guess you have to call in science fiction since it does involves spaceships, other worlds and other civilizations. Yet it still has strong fantasy elements with the involvement of actual witches from the planet Karres and magical beings such as Vatches. It has a sense of whimsy but still maintains some dramatic suspense. In the end, I guess I will just call it FUN.
December 15, 2010
This is classic '60's space opera, which hold up well today. It takes place in a universe in the far future when humans have spread throughout the galaxy and have speciated to some extend, most obviously those humans known as the Witches of Karres. The Witches seem to have magic, or to be able to sense and manipulate a strange force in the universe enabling them to manipulate matter in various ways. Sounds a bit like Star Wars, no? Indeed, one wonders if George Lucas was familiar with the novel.
The book is exciting, the characters compelling and the story interesting. I was hoping for much more to read in this universe. Alas, only one sequel is available.
Recommended for all space opera fans!.
The book is exciting, the characters compelling and the story interesting. I was hoping for much more to read in this universe. Alas, only one sequel is available.
Recommended for all space opera fans!.
February 4, 2012
On the Ace Science Fiction edition of this book, which I bought at the age of 14, one of the plugs was "a slam-bang space happy fantasy!" Fans of the "Firefly" TV series will find much to love in this book -- Captain Mal of the Serenity and Captain Pausert of the Venture would understand each other, I think. I reread this book after some forty years and found it was still good fun, even if a little more simple than I recalled. Nonetheless, there's something about the lure of a risk run in the Chaladoor, and the fatal yellow stain of Worm Weather across the sky, that calls to something in my heart, and it's nice to know that 14-year-old is still alive inside me, and that Schmitz can still call him forth.
February 21, 2015
Truly horrible.
There aren't any structure or order in any of the story elements. It was like I was swimming in a torrent of meaningless words and sentences which do not connect with each other to form a shape to suck you into the story. The story itself was interesting but the execution fails miserably. Most of the time I had a hard time figuring out what was going on since the logic and flow of the story made huge jumps. Most of all, there are not any explanations behind the mechanics. Even the basic physics laws are ignored.
Though I don't like to drop a book halfway, this book didn't leave me any choice at all. I needed to drop it to get away from the horrendous torture.
There aren't any structure or order in any of the story elements. It was like I was swimming in a torrent of meaningless words and sentences which do not connect with each other to form a shape to suck you into the story. The story itself was interesting but the execution fails miserably. Most of the time I had a hard time figuring out what was going on since the logic and flow of the story made huge jumps. Most of all, there are not any explanations behind the mechanics. Even the basic physics laws are ignored.
Though I don't like to drop a book halfway, this book didn't leave me any choice at all. I needed to drop it to get away from the horrendous torture.
November 23, 2016
Storyline: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 3/5
Some authors have the uncanny ability put abruptness, slapdash, underdevelopment, and ludicrousness to good use. James H. Schmitz gave us a fun tale without pretension. The Witches of Karres warded off hard science fiction strictures and instead effortlessly embraced the weird. This playful jumble started to cohere at about two-thirds of the way through the book, to the detriment of the tale. As the plot coalesced into a more traditional format, I was inclined to appreciate it by more traditional standards. I would have liked it more had Schmitz been able to complete the story as erratically as it began. Still, it was fun.
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 3/5
World: 3/5
Some authors have the uncanny ability put abruptness, slapdash, underdevelopment, and ludicrousness to good use. James H. Schmitz gave us a fun tale without pretension. The Witches of Karres warded off hard science fiction strictures and instead effortlessly embraced the weird. This playful jumble started to cohere at about two-thirds of the way through the book, to the detriment of the tale. As the plot coalesced into a more traditional format, I was inclined to appreciate it by more traditional standards. I would have liked it more had Schmitz been able to complete the story as erratically as it began. Still, it was fun.
December 30, 2009
This one's an old SF classic with a little bit of witchcraft mixed in. It's been a while since I've read it, but there was space travel, and some kind of special warp drive, powered by magic. The magic comes from three sisters, who are the witches of the title. They meet a pilot, and he is helpless in their clutches. He falls for one of them, but they have other plans.
Lots of fun, I love the mix of SF and witchcraft, and the sly sense of humor the sisters have.
Lots of fun, I love the mix of SF and witchcraft, and the sly sense of humor the sisters have.
July 2, 2011
This reprint of the 1966 classic is a thoroughly enjoyable and hard to put down book. When Captain Pausert of Nikkeldepain rescues three children from slavery, he has no idea what he is getting himself into, nor does he realize they are witches from the proscribed and mysterious planet of Karres. All of the major characters in this novel are very engaging and the adventure Schmitz crafts for them is as fresh today as the best of any current books in this genre. Read this book!
November 1, 2025
In recent years James H. Schmitz has become a bit of a cult favorite with the space opera reading community, and I'm not sure why that is - maybe it's because he was more technically competent than the average writer of space adventures in the 60s and lots of older space opera readers don't really want to read the contemporary stuff? Regardless of why that status was born, it's the reason I decided to pick this book up when I was used bookshopping, and after reading it, I can see where his reputation and appeal come from. Now, I'm not a bon a fide Schmitz cultist just yet - this is a good work, but nothing that breaks the bounds of what space opera could be - but I have some nice things to say about it, which I'll get to right after my summary...
*The Witches of Karres* is about the misadventures of a Captain Pausert, a space trader who's been doing pretty good for himself ever since he was able to exponentially multiply the business loan he took from his suitor's father. When the book starts he's on Porlumma for one last shore leave before returning home to hopefully get married, but all of these good things seem to evaporate when he walks past a slave master treating his young slave unfairly; you see, Pausert is a good man, and he can't let this go. So he has a little conflict with the man which winds him in court, where they decide to make him purchase the slave as a resolution. Slave ownership is a big no-no where he comes from, so he's pretty nervous about it, but he resolves to take her back to her homeworld. But then she insists on him purchasing back her two younger sisters too. So he hunts them down and collect them, but he has a weird feeling about these girls, who first get him into trouble when they teleport a large stash of jewels into his cargo hold as repayment for rescuing them. The jewels' owners attack him and aren't content to let his ship go once the girls teleport the jewels back off the ship. Pausert doesn't have enough firepower to survive, but the girls are able to jack into his systems and use some kind of "Sheewash drive" to teleport away from the trouble. Pausert is freaked out and happy to drop the girls off on Karres. He stays there for a few weeks as a welcome guest, but upon leaving he discovers that the inhabitants swapped out all his cargo for unsellable native goods - they meant well, but they screwed him over, and he returns home with his tail between his legs, where he discovers his would-be-bride has pledged herself to a rival suitor who's trying to arrest Pausert for trading in slaves and stealing jewels. Pausert fights back and escapes thanks to Goth, the middle girl, who stowed aboard without his knowledge and used the Sheewash Drive to get them out of trouble...
They wind up by a planet called ...
If I had to think of one word to describe this book, it would be "competent." And that's not a back-handed compliment; there are enough SF books from this time with obviously inept prose or plots which go completely haywire in the final act that a book which knows what to do with itself deserves to be commended. And the prose does avoid the pitfalls of blockiness that these books sometimes stumble into; I didn't find myself having to re-read actions sequences over and over again to discover what actually happened because of ineptitude, and the way Schmitz described things was never confusing or contradictory. Now, there were some things he had to describe in the final passages that I didn't really love or get into, but... that was personal preference, as we'll get into. One of the more objective oversights about the book was its lack of memorable worldbuilding. Now, the world was perfectly competent - there was a web of interstellar trade centered around the Empire even most of the main planets in the book weren't a part of the Empire, and the way they were positioned throughout the characters' interactions made sense - but the world didn't feel too unique. There was privateering and there were weird interdimensional entities, but there wasn't a thick depiction of interstellar politics like in *Dune* or the unique and memorable environments crafted in every installment of Stableford's Hooded Swan series. The book is kind of devoid of flavor, which is one of the most important elements of space opera. When I look back upon this book a year from now, I won't think of the world of Karres or the politics around it, and as I'm concerned that is a bit of a bummer.
A bigger bummer for me is how the plot took some kind of... floaty turns towards its end. Without spoiling anything, I'm on record saying that telepathic or pseudo-magical events can be a bit lost on me because I find them very hard to grip on some primitive level, and the book's telepathic plot threads do kind of culminate in some noncorporeal shenanigans to end things off. But by and large, it isn't badly done. In fact, everything leading to was properly telegraphed earlier in the novel. While this book is definitely a bit episodic in nature (you've got side stories on a seemingly random planet and plenty of phases that everyone has to go through), its end is tightly telegraphed from the get-go without being obvious. It is, by that definition, a better plot than a fair number of its type. This book shouldn't really hit you out of nowhere (with the exception of , which did kind of seem like a cheap way to raise the stakes). But then again, it did give the main character the opportunity to have more agency than he would have otherwise, so it kind of work out well from a character-building perspective.
*The Witches of Karres* does have pretty competent characters; while they feel a bit like archetypes, they never feel wooden. And as I just mentioned, Schmitz is able to take this wandering do-gooder and build him up throughout the plot in a way that is a little obvious but not uncharmingly so. The characters are ultimately given agency, one of those things which sometimes gets lost in space operas with a strong telepathic bent. The telepathic characters are also not overused, and while their powers aren't implied to be mystical (remember, technology can be indistinguishable from magic), they're not explained in cheap ways. Most of the characters aged decently since Schmitz seems very capable of writing competent female characters with a bit more common sense than some contemporary feminine heroes, but there's one relationship - Pausert's and Goth's - which might make you feel icky. Basically, he's 28 and she's 10, and she's convinced that they'll marry when she's "of age." Pausert kind of ignores these comments, thinking them to be silly wiles, but Goth's family isn't so sure... and they don't mind. I mean, based on all the characterization displayed I'd say that a ten-year old witch is much more adult than a ten-year old non-witch, but that doesn't make this turn of events "okay" - it wasn't a detractor for me because of how Pausert handled it, but it might be something worth warning you about...
Some authors did jump on the Karres bandwagon after Schmitz's passing and keep the story going after that, but I don't think I'll read those; this book might've been ripe for a sequel, but I think I'd get more satisfaction through reading some of Schmitz's other work, like that from his Hub future history. I'll definitely consider it because this was a competent and enjoyable work that earns a solid 7/10, but Schmitz is also not exactly on the top of my list; *The Witches of Karres* doesn't display the experimentation and flavor of someone like Samuel R. Delaney, and it wasn't as charming as H. Beam Piper's 60s work sometimes was, so it feels a bit dry. But it's perfectly competent and worth your time if you're reading through the Ace Science Fiction Specials or 60s Hugo nominees or just like a good, old-fashioned space adventure. You could certainly do much worse, especially if you made the same mistake as purchasing a witch from Karres...
*The Witches of Karres* is about the misadventures of a Captain Pausert, a space trader who's been doing pretty good for himself ever since he was able to exponentially multiply the business loan he took from his suitor's father. When the book starts he's on Porlumma for one last shore leave before returning home to hopefully get married, but all of these good things seem to evaporate when he walks past a slave master treating his young slave unfairly; you see, Pausert is a good man, and he can't let this go. So he has a little conflict with the man which winds him in court, where they decide to make him purchase the slave as a resolution. Slave ownership is a big no-no where he comes from, so he's pretty nervous about it, but he resolves to take her back to her homeworld. But then she insists on him purchasing back her two younger sisters too. So he hunts them down and collect them, but he has a weird feeling about these girls, who first get him into trouble when they teleport a large stash of jewels into his cargo hold as repayment for rescuing them. The jewels' owners attack him and aren't content to let his ship go once the girls teleport the jewels back off the ship. Pausert doesn't have enough firepower to survive, but the girls are able to jack into his systems and use some kind of "Sheewash drive" to teleport away from the trouble. Pausert is freaked out and happy to drop the girls off on Karres. He stays there for a few weeks as a welcome guest, but upon leaving he discovers that the inhabitants swapped out all his cargo for unsellable native goods - they meant well, but they screwed him over, and he returns home with his tail between his legs, where he discovers his would-be-bride has pledged herself to a rival suitor who's trying to arrest Pausert for trading in slaves and stealing jewels. Pausert fights back and escapes thanks to Goth, the middle girl, who stowed aboard without his knowledge and used the Sheewash Drive to get them out of trouble...
They wind up by a planet called ...
If I had to think of one word to describe this book, it would be "competent." And that's not a back-handed compliment; there are enough SF books from this time with obviously inept prose or plots which go completely haywire in the final act that a book which knows what to do with itself deserves to be commended. And the prose does avoid the pitfalls of blockiness that these books sometimes stumble into; I didn't find myself having to re-read actions sequences over and over again to discover what actually happened because of ineptitude, and the way Schmitz described things was never confusing or contradictory. Now, there were some things he had to describe in the final passages that I didn't really love or get into, but... that was personal preference, as we'll get into. One of the more objective oversights about the book was its lack of memorable worldbuilding. Now, the world was perfectly competent - there was a web of interstellar trade centered around the Empire even most of the main planets in the book weren't a part of the Empire, and the way they were positioned throughout the characters' interactions made sense - but the world didn't feel too unique. There was privateering and there were weird interdimensional entities, but there wasn't a thick depiction of interstellar politics like in *Dune* or the unique and memorable environments crafted in every installment of Stableford's Hooded Swan series. The book is kind of devoid of flavor, which is one of the most important elements of space opera. When I look back upon this book a year from now, I won't think of the world of Karres or the politics around it, and as I'm concerned that is a bit of a bummer.
A bigger bummer for me is how the plot took some kind of... floaty turns towards its end. Without spoiling anything, I'm on record saying that telepathic or pseudo-magical events can be a bit lost on me because I find them very hard to grip on some primitive level, and the book's telepathic plot threads do kind of culminate in some noncorporeal shenanigans to end things off. But by and large, it isn't badly done. In fact, everything leading to was properly telegraphed earlier in the novel. While this book is definitely a bit episodic in nature (you've got side stories on a seemingly random planet and plenty of phases that everyone has to go through), its end is tightly telegraphed from the get-go without being obvious. It is, by that definition, a better plot than a fair number of its type. This book shouldn't really hit you out of nowhere (with the exception of , which did kind of seem like a cheap way to raise the stakes). But then again, it did give the main character the opportunity to have more agency than he would have otherwise, so it kind of work out well from a character-building perspective.
*The Witches of Karres* does have pretty competent characters; while they feel a bit like archetypes, they never feel wooden. And as I just mentioned, Schmitz is able to take this wandering do-gooder and build him up throughout the plot in a way that is a little obvious but not uncharmingly so. The characters are ultimately given agency, one of those things which sometimes gets lost in space operas with a strong telepathic bent. The telepathic characters are also not overused, and while their powers aren't implied to be mystical (remember, technology can be indistinguishable from magic), they're not explained in cheap ways. Most of the characters aged decently since Schmitz seems very capable of writing competent female characters with a bit more common sense than some contemporary feminine heroes, but there's one relationship - Pausert's and Goth's - which might make you feel icky. Basically, he's 28 and she's 10, and she's convinced that they'll marry when she's "of age." Pausert kind of ignores these comments, thinking them to be silly wiles, but Goth's family isn't so sure... and they don't mind. I mean, based on all the characterization displayed I'd say that a ten-year old witch is much more adult than a ten-year old non-witch, but that doesn't make this turn of events "okay" - it wasn't a detractor for me because of how Pausert handled it, but it might be something worth warning you about...
Some authors did jump on the Karres bandwagon after Schmitz's passing and keep the story going after that, but I don't think I'll read those; this book might've been ripe for a sequel, but I think I'd get more satisfaction through reading some of Schmitz's other work, like that from his Hub future history. I'll definitely consider it because this was a competent and enjoyable work that earns a solid 7/10, but Schmitz is also not exactly on the top of my list; *The Witches of Karres* doesn't display the experimentation and flavor of someone like Samuel R. Delaney, and it wasn't as charming as H. Beam Piper's 60s work sometimes was, so it feels a bit dry. But it's perfectly competent and worth your time if you're reading through the Ace Science Fiction Specials or 60s Hugo nominees or just like a good, old-fashioned space adventure. You could certainly do much worse, especially if you made the same mistake as purchasing a witch from Karres...
April 21, 2021
DNFed at 10%.
Perhaps the one thing that I will remember from this book is one of the children, a child witch, yelling to one of the other siblings to shut up.
Every few paragraphs.
Which of course is very annoying.
Ending the review with one of the expressions from the book:
Sheewash to another book
Perhaps the one thing that I will remember from this book is one of the children, a child witch, yelling to one of the other siblings to shut up.
Every few paragraphs.
Which of course is very annoying.
Ending the review with one of the expressions from the book:
Sheewash to another book
May 6, 2024
Het boek begon erg leuk. Maar nu ben ik op 93 % en overweeg het niet verder te lezen. Alle namen, figuren duizelden een beetje. Het Vash- en Klathagedoe irriteren. Het kleine betweterige heksje irriteert ook. De vertaling is ook uit grootmoeders tijd. Niet mijn boek.
March 29, 2022
Trög början, fantastisk mitt och slut.
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