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Witch World Series 1: The Estcarp Cycle #4
Warlock of the Witch World
Classic Fantasy Series. "Kyllan the warrior, Kaththea the untried witch, Kemoc, whose powers could surpass all others- these are the half-Earthling, half witch-brood family menaced by the sorceries of an unknown enemy. The burden of the struggle fell to Kemoc, who was forced to summon his untested powers in the battle to match the alien evil threatening the Witch World."
249 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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698 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
700 books1,390 followersAndre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.
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April 29, 2017
This is book 4 of the initial Witch World series and continues the story of the Three, the triplets born to Jaelithe, ex-Witch, and Simon Tregarth, man of our universe who entered the Witch World through an interdimensional gateway.
This time, the story is told from the viewpoint of the second-born, Kemoc, the one to whom their mother wished wisdom. After the events of the previous story, the Valley of Green Silences, haven for those who oppose the Shadow in the land of Escore, is ringed around by enemies. Its leaders try to make alliances with other races in Escore who traditionally have not followed the Shadow. On a mission to the Krogan, a people who depend on water and have gills, but can spend limited time on land, Kemoc meets Orsya, a Krogan woman, who tells him (correctly, as events transpire) that the Krogan will not ally with them; instead, her race will attempt to make a deal with the enemy in order to stay neutral and be left alone.
On his return to the valley, Kemoc finds that his sister Kaththea is friendly with Dinzil of the Heights, leader of an allied group. He has an uneasy feeling about Dinzil, who seems to sneer at his disability (Kemoc's hand was injured in the fighting in their homeland of Estcarp, over the mountains). But when he tries to share his worries with his brother Kyllan, he discovers Kyllan is inclined to put his misgivings down to overprotectiveness of their sister, or jealousy. Kyllan warns him not to broach the subject with her as it will only turn her against him. Soon after, a bird messenger alerts the Valley people that more fighters and their dependents are coming over the mountains between Escore and Estcarp to join the armed struggle, and Kemoc joins the party who go to escort them, as the countryside between the mountains and the Valley is riddled with minions of the Shadow.
On the return journey Kemoc is kidnapped by the Krogan who plan to hand him over to the Shadow in return for being left alone, and he only survives due to the bravery and resourcefulness of Orsya. Later, both join forces in a quest to save Kaththea. I won't say more about the plot to avoid spoilers.
I enjoyed this story partly because of the general weirdness which makes it so different to a lot of fantasy, and partly due to the character of Orsya. Kemoc's strength is wisdom, and he puts to good use the knowledge he gleaned in the earlier story when he spent time at Lormt, the old centre of learning in Estcarp, while recuperating from the injury to his hand. He learned words of power which sometimes have unpredictable results in Escore where so much old magic lingers from long-ago power struggles that left the land divided in an uneasy truce between those who follow the Light and those who do evil for the sake of having power.
In the previous story, the coming of the three siblings upset that balance and put current events in motion, but it is clear that Denzil's dabblings were well in hand, and they can't be blamed for his activities which would have caused havoc eventually. For it is possible that Denzil is the Warlock of the title - the term certainly fits his character better than Kemoc's well-meaning blundering and muddling through. I liked it that Kemoc is not the stereotypical man of action: he is a trained warrior and can fight when necessary, but he is also often out of his depth and dependent on Orsya who helps him for her own reasons, partly because she is far more adventurous than most of her people.
The final section features a lot of very weird morphing between different dimensional levels with distortion of perception and bodily reality (reminiscent of some of Michael Moorcock's later fiction, which again shows Norton's influence on the genre) and also shows Kaththea as more than a match for Denzil in her capacity for corruption and downright malice, which is a nice twist. It will be interesting to see how the story plays out, as I think from the title of the next book that the story will continue from Kaththea's viewpoint. This really deserves a 4.5 stars as I enjoyed it most of the series so far, but can't quite award the last 0.5 as the style of writing uses rather clunky dialogue at times which can jar.
This time, the story is told from the viewpoint of the second-born, Kemoc, the one to whom their mother wished wisdom. After the events of the previous story, the Valley of Green Silences, haven for those who oppose the Shadow in the land of Escore, is ringed around by enemies. Its leaders try to make alliances with other races in Escore who traditionally have not followed the Shadow. On a mission to the Krogan, a people who depend on water and have gills, but can spend limited time on land, Kemoc meets Orsya, a Krogan woman, who tells him (correctly, as events transpire) that the Krogan will not ally with them; instead, her race will attempt to make a deal with the enemy in order to stay neutral and be left alone.
On his return to the valley, Kemoc finds that his sister Kaththea is friendly with Dinzil of the Heights, leader of an allied group. He has an uneasy feeling about Dinzil, who seems to sneer at his disability (Kemoc's hand was injured in the fighting in their homeland of Estcarp, over the mountains). But when he tries to share his worries with his brother Kyllan, he discovers Kyllan is inclined to put his misgivings down to overprotectiveness of their sister, or jealousy. Kyllan warns him not to broach the subject with her as it will only turn her against him. Soon after, a bird messenger alerts the Valley people that more fighters and their dependents are coming over the mountains between Escore and Estcarp to join the armed struggle, and Kemoc joins the party who go to escort them, as the countryside between the mountains and the Valley is riddled with minions of the Shadow.
On the return journey Kemoc is kidnapped by the Krogan who plan to hand him over to the Shadow in return for being left alone, and he only survives due to the bravery and resourcefulness of Orsya. Later, both join forces in a quest to save Kaththea. I won't say more about the plot to avoid spoilers.
I enjoyed this story partly because of the general weirdness which makes it so different to a lot of fantasy, and partly due to the character of Orsya. Kemoc's strength is wisdom, and he puts to good use the knowledge he gleaned in the earlier story when he spent time at Lormt, the old centre of learning in Estcarp, while recuperating from the injury to his hand. He learned words of power which sometimes have unpredictable results in Escore where so much old magic lingers from long-ago power struggles that left the land divided in an uneasy truce between those who follow the Light and those who do evil for the sake of having power.
In the previous story, the coming of the three siblings upset that balance and put current events in motion, but it is clear that Denzil's dabblings were well in hand, and they can't be blamed for his activities which would have caused havoc eventually. For it is possible that Denzil is the Warlock of the title - the term certainly fits his character better than Kemoc's well-meaning blundering and muddling through. I liked it that Kemoc is not the stereotypical man of action: he is a trained warrior and can fight when necessary, but he is also often out of his depth and dependent on Orsya who helps him for her own reasons, partly because she is far more adventurous than most of her people.
The final section features a lot of very weird morphing between different dimensional levels with distortion of perception and bodily reality (reminiscent of some of Michael Moorcock's later fiction, which again shows Norton's influence on the genre) and also shows Kaththea as more than a match for Denzil in her capacity for corruption and downright malice, which is a nice twist. It will be interesting to see how the story plays out, as I think from the title of the next book that the story will continue from Kaththea's viewpoint. This really deserves a 4.5 stars as I enjoyed it most of the series so far, but can't quite award the last 0.5 as the style of writing uses rather clunky dialogue at times which can jar.
July 26, 2022
"Troje przeciw światu czarownic", "Czarodziej..." i "Czarodzejka ze świata czarownic" to mini-trylogia w cyklu Estcarpu, z której dawno temu czytałam pierwszy i trzeci tom. I myślałam, że "Czarodziejka" ma najbardziej odjechaną fabułę, z przechodzeniem do innych światów, wikingami, wojnami korporacyjnymi itd. Ale nie. Nie. "Czarodziej ze świata czarownic" to dzika jazda bez trzymanki. Samo gęste. Najgęściejsze.
Poprzedni tom opowiada o Kyllenie wojowniku, najstarszym z trojaczków, który przekracza wraz z rodzeństwem granicę gór do Escoru, tak jakby archetypu Estcarpu, skąd bierze się magiczna Moc i ludzie, którzy potrafią nią władać. Escore to Estcarp na sterydach. Wszystko jest magiczne i podlega jednoznacznego podziałowi na dobro i zło, światło i ciemność, czarne jest czarne, a białe jest białe, nie ma miejsca na niuanse i wątpliwości. Ten tom skupia się na Kemocu, dziecku Simona i Jaelithe, które włada magiczną mocą, chociaż jest mężczyzną, co wedle wierzeń Estcarpu powinno być niemożliwe. Oczywiście odmówiono mu edukacji w tym zakresie, wie tyle, ile wygrzebał w starych księgach, działa po omacku. I ma więcej szczęścia niż rozumu, chociaż nacierpi się w tym tomie.
Muszę przyznać, że nie jestem fanką rozwiązań fabularnych, bo Kemoc musi wyruszyć na pomóc swojej siostrze, Kathatei, porwanej przez mrocznego maga, który robi jej pranie mózgu, podstawą którego jest to... że jak mu nie zaufa i nie podda się jego mocy, zmieni się w brzydką, ropuchopodobną potworę. I shit you not. Bo te baby są próżne, c'nie? Also, Kathathea zmienia się w damsel in distress. Nielubię, -10/10. Kemoc zapyla ziemią, wodą (a nawet podwodnymi tunelami) i bagnami do Mrocznej Wieży, gdzie mag prowadzi swój program terapii konwersyjnej dla czarownic. Cierpi niesamowicie, zdobywa magiczne artefakty, love interest w postaci rusałki, sam się zmienia w ropuchopodobnego potwora (przynamniej częściowo) . Jeśli przesłaniem książki jest to, że miłość to za mało i czasem trzeba uciec się do przemocy, to rozumiem. Poza tym dzikie jazdy w magicznej podróży Kemoca są jak wizje po środkach psychodelicznych. Ach te czasy, kiedy przedzierania się przez bagna nawet nie symbolizowało, co zastępowało przemiany wewnętrzne. Czy postaci zmieniają się pod wpływem przygód, uczą, rozwijają? Nie. Czy wiele się zmienia w sytuacji geopolitycznej? Nie. Czy miałam nieustanne wtf czytając, co widzi Kemoc i co mu się przydarza? Tak. wysoka wartość rozrywkowa, fabularnie miałko.
Poprzedni tom opowiada o Kyllenie wojowniku, najstarszym z trojaczków, który przekracza wraz z rodzeństwem granicę gór do Escoru, tak jakby archetypu Estcarpu, skąd bierze się magiczna Moc i ludzie, którzy potrafią nią władać. Escore to Estcarp na sterydach. Wszystko jest magiczne i podlega jednoznacznego podziałowi na dobro i zło, światło i ciemność, czarne jest czarne, a białe jest białe, nie ma miejsca na niuanse i wątpliwości. Ten tom skupia się na Kemocu, dziecku Simona i Jaelithe, które włada magiczną mocą, chociaż jest mężczyzną, co wedle wierzeń Estcarpu powinno być niemożliwe. Oczywiście odmówiono mu edukacji w tym zakresie, wie tyle, ile wygrzebał w starych księgach, działa po omacku. I ma więcej szczęścia niż rozumu, chociaż nacierpi się w tym tomie.
Muszę przyznać, że nie jestem fanką rozwiązań fabularnych, bo Kemoc musi wyruszyć na pomóc swojej siostrze, Kathatei, porwanej przez mrocznego maga, który robi jej pranie mózgu, podstawą którego jest to... że jak mu nie zaufa i nie podda się jego mocy, zmieni się w brzydką, ropuchopodobną potworę. I shit you not. Bo te baby są próżne, c'nie? Also, Kathathea zmienia się w damsel in distress. Nielubię, -10/10. Kemoc zapyla ziemią, wodą (a nawet podwodnymi tunelami) i bagnami do Mrocznej Wieży, gdzie mag prowadzi swój program terapii konwersyjnej dla czarownic. Cierpi niesamowicie, zdobywa magiczne artefakty, love interest w postaci rusałki, sam się zmienia w ropuchopodobnego potwora (przynamniej częściowo) . Jeśli przesłaniem książki jest to, że miłość to za mało i czasem trzeba uciec się do przemocy, to rozumiem. Poza tym dzikie jazdy w magicznej podróży Kemoca są jak wizje po środkach psychodelicznych. Ach te czasy, kiedy przedzierania się przez bagna nawet nie symbolizowało, co zastępowało przemiany wewnętrzne. Czy postaci zmieniają się pod wpływem przygód, uczą, rozwijają? Nie. Czy wiele się zmienia w sytuacji geopolitycznej? Nie. Czy miałam nieustanne wtf czytając, co widzi Kemoc i co mu się przydarza? Tak. wysoka wartość rozrywkowa, fabularnie miałko.
November 21, 2012
I toyed with giving Warlock of the Witch World (henceforth, WotWW) two stars because, compared to its predecessors, I didn’t enjoy reading it as much but the last third of the book and a conceit that I realized while writing this review redeemed it somewhat.
Three Against the Witch World, the immediately previous novel, primarily followed Kyllan Tregarth, one of the triplets born to Simon and Jaelithe, as he broke the mental barrier that hid the East from the mind’s of Estcarp’s people and discovered the Old Race’s homeland of Escore. The triplets’ presence, however, awakened ancient Powers both Good and Evil and reignited the struggle that drove the original Witches from the land long ago. In WotWW, the story focuses on the second son of the trio – Kemoc, the titular “warlock.” The Valley of Green Silences, chief citadel of the Light, is besieged and its people are looking for allies. One of these potential friends is Dinzil of the Heights but Kemoc senses something foul underlying the man’s handsome and ostensibly friendly exterior. Unfortunately, no one else feels similarly and Kemoc has no supporting evidence. Dinzil seduces Kemoc’s sister, Kaththea, and lures her to his seat of power in the mountains. The book is the story of Kemoc’s efforts to rescue his sister and expose Dinzil’s malevolence.
I don’t believe I’m spoiling anything to say that he’s ultimately successful but the price is dear, and Norton again dwells upon a favorite theme in her writing – the personal cost of Power even when wielded for Good.
It’s not a bad tale. My chief problem is that I’m not very interested in Kemoc as a character. Two things annoyed me especially. One was that Kemoc spent a lot of time being rescued or relying upon the skill and power of others to get out of scrapes. Perhaps this is an inversion of the usual “girl needs rescuing by the hero” trope; a particularly insidious inversion as his guardian angel is Orsya, a Krogan girl who defies her people to aid him. If this is the case, it puts the book in a whole new perspective.
I’ve written elsewhere that Norton is a far subtler writer than usually given credit for, and this could be further proof of that.
The second annoyance is that Norton relies too heavily on chance-found magic items and not enough on the qualities and skills of her protagonists to advance the plot. For example, Kemoc uses a magic sword he stumbles upon without understanding how or even what he might unleash when he does. Similarly, he uses incantations learned when he was a student in Estcarp that awaken unknown Powers. (Though from a narrative perspective it was annoying, I did like how Norton depicted Kemoc’s use of the words of Power – “something answered” [original emphasis] and dire things happened.)
A final observation: While considering what to write here, I was struck by the parallels I saw between Norton’s “Witch World” series and Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time.” In both a near-utopian society is destroyed when some people – in their arrogance and lust for power – began experimenting with Powers little understood or ultimately controllable. After the ensuing apocalypse, the human survivors create a civilization ruled by female Witches who fear and distrust any male who exhibits a hint of Power. I don’t want or need to push the parallels much further but I wonder what, if any, influence Norton may have had on Jordan.
Even if not the best in the series, if you’ve fallen under the Witches’ spell then you should read Warlock of the Witch World.
Three Against the Witch World, the immediately previous novel, primarily followed Kyllan Tregarth, one of the triplets born to Simon and Jaelithe, as he broke the mental barrier that hid the East from the mind’s of Estcarp’s people and discovered the Old Race’s homeland of Escore. The triplets’ presence, however, awakened ancient Powers both Good and Evil and reignited the struggle that drove the original Witches from the land long ago. In WotWW, the story focuses on the second son of the trio – Kemoc, the titular “warlock.” The Valley of Green Silences, chief citadel of the Light, is besieged and its people are looking for allies. One of these potential friends is Dinzil of the Heights but Kemoc senses something foul underlying the man’s handsome and ostensibly friendly exterior. Unfortunately, no one else feels similarly and Kemoc has no supporting evidence. Dinzil seduces Kemoc’s sister, Kaththea, and lures her to his seat of power in the mountains. The book is the story of Kemoc’s efforts to rescue his sister and expose Dinzil’s malevolence.
I don’t believe I’m spoiling anything to say that he’s ultimately successful but the price is dear, and Norton again dwells upon a favorite theme in her writing – the personal cost of Power even when wielded for Good.
It’s not a bad tale. My chief problem is that I’m not very interested in Kemoc as a character. Two things annoyed me especially. One was that Kemoc spent a lot of time being rescued or relying upon the skill and power of others to get out of scrapes. Perhaps this is an inversion of the usual “girl needs rescuing by the hero” trope; a particularly insidious inversion as his guardian angel is Orsya, a Krogan girl who defies her people to aid him. If this is the case, it puts the book in a whole new perspective.
I’ve written elsewhere that Norton is a far subtler writer than usually given credit for, and this could be further proof of that.
The second annoyance is that Norton relies too heavily on chance-found magic items and not enough on the qualities and skills of her protagonists to advance the plot. For example, Kemoc uses a magic sword he stumbles upon without understanding how or even what he might unleash when he does. Similarly, he uses incantations learned when he was a student in Estcarp that awaken unknown Powers. (Though from a narrative perspective it was annoying, I did like how Norton depicted Kemoc’s use of the words of Power – “something answered” [original emphasis] and dire things happened.)
A final observation: While considering what to write here, I was struck by the parallels I saw between Norton’s “Witch World” series and Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time.” In both a near-utopian society is destroyed when some people – in their arrogance and lust for power – began experimenting with Powers little understood or ultimately controllable. After the ensuing apocalypse, the human survivors create a civilization ruled by female Witches who fear and distrust any male who exhibits a hint of Power. I don’t want or need to push the parallels much further but I wonder what, if any, influence Norton may have had on Jordan.
Even if not the best in the series, if you’ve fallen under the Witches’ spell then you should read Warlock of the Witch World.
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July 8, 2009I'm not sure how Norton chose the title for this book. It could have been sheer alliteration; or, by this point, it might have been just that Norton had written so many books that she was running out of alphabet.
Certainly Kemoc Tregarth never describes himself as a 'Warlock', a term which, unless he'd had a long talk or so with his father at some point, he'd probably never have heard.
Realistically (which seems an odd term for a fantasy work, but it applies--Kemoc has always been a severely realistic person, even given the expanded limits of reality in his life), Kemoc has no role models for his life. His father is an alien (alienation is a relative matter--Simon Tregarth is from our world--but in the Witch World, HE becomes the alien). Kemoc's mother is a rebel. His siblings, despite their unorthodox history, are pretty generally not very unusual among their peers (except for their bond, of course).
After being injured on the Borders, Kemoc has made an attempt to find guidance for how to pioneer a new life for an alien even among his fellow aliens. But he has had very limited luck. Because of the unique situation, Kemoc is forced to leave Lormt at, ironically, the very time when new archives have (literally) become unearthed there (a tower collapses in the Turning, revealing previously hidden troves of documents, artifacts, etc). But while the scholars at Lormt rub their hands and begin excavating new lore, Kemoc can't join them, at least until things settle down in Estcarp.
In Escore, Kemoc tries to make a place for himself among the People of The Green Silences. But although Kyllan finds a niche via his wife and in-laws, and Kaththea finds a place to at least make a new beginning (she hopes), Kemoc finds himself reduced to an envoy and escort, and charged with powers he has no guide on how to use. Several times he narrowly averts disaster in severely unsettling (even dangerous) ways.
To complicate matters, Kemoc is disturbed by the man who is courting Kaththea (Dinzil). He's sure that his reaction is not one of fraternal jealousy (after all, he has no problem with Kyllan's relationship with Dahaun). He has difficulty convincing others of this, however.
After an accident following an encounter with Thas, Kemoc discovers that Kaththea has gone away, and dedicates himself to following her. On the track, he encounters creatures from legend, and forms an alliance of convenience with Orsya, a Krogan (water-dweller) woman forced into rebellion by what she regards as a very foolish decision on the part of her tribe, and with a Merfay (an otterlike invisible creature).
Kemoc's journey is complicated by having to go through worldgates at the Dark Tower--and a lot of the story from this point on is fairly disorienting. Apparently the alien dimension is not easily interpreted by human senses. Worse, Kaththea has been deceived to the extent that she believes she must turn to violence to recover her former appearance. And Kemoc's precognitions seem to indicate that there is no way to save Kaththea and his and Kaththea's companions without killing her.
One thing I don't understand is why Kaththea is so easily convinced that her outer appearance is accurately reflective of inner corruption. Kaththea was trained by witches, who actively discourage judging situations and people by appearance. The implication is that, because she was not sworn, she is especially vulnerable to exploitation. Maybe. But why in this particular way?
Merged review:
There're crosslinked stories to this one in (among other places) Trey of Swords.
Certainly Kemoc Tregarth never describes himself as a 'Warlock', a term which, unless he'd had a long talk or so with his father at some point, he'd probably never have heard.
Realistically (which seems an odd term for a fantasy work, but it applies--Kemoc has always been a severely realistic person, even given the expanded limits of reality in his life), Kemoc has no role models for his life. His father is an alien (alienation is a relative matter--Simon Tregarth is from our world--but in the Witch World, HE becomes the alien). Kemoc's mother is a rebel. His siblings, despite their unorthodox history, are pretty generally not very unusual among their peers (except for their bond, of course).
After being injured on the Borders, Kemoc has made an attempt to find guidance for how to pioneer a new life for an alien even among his fellow aliens. But he has had very limited luck. Because of the unique situation, Kemoc is forced to leave Lormt at, ironically, the very time when new archives have (literally) become unearthed there (a tower collapses in the Turning, revealing previously hidden troves of documents, artifacts, etc). But while the scholars at Lormt rub their hands and begin excavating new lore, Kemoc can't join them, at least until things settle down in Estcarp.
In Escore, Kemoc tries to make a place for himself among the People of The Green Silences. But although Kyllan finds a niche via his wife and in-laws, and Kaththea finds a place to at least make a new beginning (she hopes), Kemoc finds himself reduced to an envoy and escort, and charged with powers he has no guide on how to use. Several times he narrowly averts disaster in severely unsettling (even dangerous) ways.
To complicate matters, Kemoc is disturbed by the man who is courting Kaththea (Dinzil). He's sure that his reaction is not one of fraternal jealousy (after all, he has no problem with Kyllan's relationship with Dahaun). He has difficulty convincing others of this, however.
After an accident following an encounter with Thas, Kemoc discovers that Kaththea has gone away, and dedicates himself to following her. On the track, he encounters creatures from legend, and forms an alliance of convenience with Orsya, a Krogan (water-dweller) woman forced into rebellion by what she regards as a very foolish decision on the part of her tribe, and with a Merfay (an otterlike invisible creature).
Kemoc's journey is complicated by having to go through worldgates at the Dark Tower--and a lot of the story from this point on is fairly disorienting. Apparently the alien dimension is not easily interpreted by human senses. Worse, Kaththea has been deceived to the extent that she believes she must turn to violence to recover her former appearance. And Kemoc's precognitions seem to indicate that there is no way to save Kaththea and his and Kaththea's companions without killing her.
One thing I don't understand is why Kaththea is so easily convinced that her outer appearance is accurately reflective of inner corruption. Kaththea was trained by witches, who actively discourage judging situations and people by appearance. The implication is that, because she was not sworn, she is especially vulnerable to exploitation. Maybe. But why in this particular way?
Merged review:
There're crosslinked stories to this one in (among other places) Trey of Swords.
February 3, 2008
Old school fantasy/sci-fi. Wrote my thesis about this book and other Andre Norton's. No feminist protagonist, but strong female characters and even stronger feminist implications.
August 8, 2008
Also features the three children of Simon Tregarth and is very good. Quite possibly my favorite of the series.
January 18, 2026
Solid sword and sorcery. lots of creative fantasy creatures and races which I enjoy.
December 12, 2023
Although I generally like the Witch World series of books this isn't one of my favorites. The writing style was slightly different the ones I read that were published in the 1980s versus this one that was written in the 1960s. Perhaps the author was still in developing the world and style she wanted for it. However, it's a good one to read because several characters reappear and/or are mentioned in later books so it gives the world and its history some context. Most of the books in these series are single story arcs so you don't have to read the others but you'll get more out of it if you read them in order. This is a fantasy fiction fitting in the hero's journey genre.
Kyllan and Kemoc had rescued their sister, Kaththea, from the Witch council before she was thoroughly indoctrinated in the previous book. The Witch council believes that only women can hold power and they must be subservient to the order. Men who hold power are rare and considered unnatural by them. However, they are triplets born of a witch mother who did NOT lose her power after marrying the outworlder, Simon Tregarth, who also has power despite being a man much to the Witches disgust. They were all born with different gifts and being triplets had very close ties to one another even being able to connect mind to mind. They escaped to Escore a land full of legends both dark and light. Now darkness has awakened and the people of goodness and light are threatened. They are trying to strike up an alliance between all the beings in the area. However, one of their allies, Dinzil, has Kemoc's senses tingling with danger but his siblings don't believe him especially his sister who has taken to Dinzil strongly. While Kemoc's away with an envoy trying to solidify ally commitments his sister goes missing as does Dinzil. He decides that it's his duty to rescue her before she is tainted by the dark. He experience new allies along with the betrayal of old ones. He has some learning but is not officially trained in the use of power so it's dangerous for him to use it. However, sometimes despearate times must mean he needs to as well as traveling down dark paths that could possibly taint his soul. The question is whether he can reach his sister in time or is it too late to stop her from becoming one with the dark power?
Kyllan and Kemoc had rescued their sister, Kaththea, from the Witch council before she was thoroughly indoctrinated in the previous book. The Witch council believes that only women can hold power and they must be subservient to the order. Men who hold power are rare and considered unnatural by them. However, they are triplets born of a witch mother who did NOT lose her power after marrying the outworlder, Simon Tregarth, who also has power despite being a man much to the Witches disgust. They were all born with different gifts and being triplets had very close ties to one another even being able to connect mind to mind. They escaped to Escore a land full of legends both dark and light. Now darkness has awakened and the people of goodness and light are threatened. They are trying to strike up an alliance between all the beings in the area. However, one of their allies, Dinzil, has Kemoc's senses tingling with danger but his siblings don't believe him especially his sister who has taken to Dinzil strongly. While Kemoc's away with an envoy trying to solidify ally commitments his sister goes missing as does Dinzil. He decides that it's his duty to rescue her before she is tainted by the dark. He experience new allies along with the betrayal of old ones. He has some learning but is not officially trained in the use of power so it's dangerous for him to use it. However, sometimes despearate times must mean he needs to as well as traveling down dark paths that could possibly taint his soul. The question is whether he can reach his sister in time or is it too late to stop her from becoming one with the dark power?
July 14, 2019
2.5, even though there's a lot I like. Everyone assumes Kemoc, our protagonist, is just jealous when his sister Kaththea falls for the great warrior Dinzil. By the time Kemoc figures out he's wrong, he's trapped in the wilderness, surrounded by forces of Shadow and completely alone. Even with the mer-woman Orsya to help, can he reach Kaththea before Dinzil turns her completely to darkness?
There are lots of good moments in this. For example, after Kemoc gets a vision of three futures in which he kills his sister, he becomes paralyzed: how does he know which choice, which action, will bring the doom about?
But even though he struggles like hell, Kemoc's victory feels too easy. He finds a magic sword that warns him of danger, flies under its own power, digs through magical barriers; at a crucial moment the sword does what has to be done (I'm trying to avoid spoilers) even though Kemoc doesn't. That really undercut the book's merits.
There are lots of good moments in this. For example, after Kemoc gets a vision of three futures in which he kills his sister, he becomes paralyzed: how does he know which choice, which action, will bring the doom about?
But even though he struggles like hell, Kemoc's victory feels too easy. He finds a magic sword that warns him of danger, flies under its own power, digs through magical barriers; at a crucial moment the sword does what has to be done (I'm trying to avoid spoilers) even though Kemoc doesn't. That really undercut the book's merits.
January 22, 2025
I'm both drawn to this and repulsed. Norton continues in an experimental vein that I'm not utterly convinced she has or ever will master, but it's good to see her take the standard fantasy ideas and try something different with them and that puts her alongside Moorcock who may have a more muscular, compelling writing style at this point in the 60s, but Norton perhaps writes more sympathetically. Still, this is a tough one to completely engage with - notions of plotting and worldbuilding take a back seat here and that's sortof a shame after Witch World came out guns blazing ... instead we have a lot more introspective wandering around a la Year of the Unicorn and we're left to put together the pieces of what's happening. It's short but took me a while to muster the enthusiasm to get through it and I hope Norton continues to find ways of allying plot and thoughtfulness as other big writers enter the scene.
January 22, 2019
This novel continues the escapades of the triplets with Power. Kemoc is the focus of this particular novel. He is the scholar of the trio, with the closest ties to Kaththea, the sister.
The siblings are battling against the established Witches of their world, who want to claim Kaththea and train her. The trip escapes across the mountains, into a land filled with creatures from ancient legends.
The numerous aliens are well portrayed. I’d actually give this a 3.75 rating; some connections ( or lack of) simply did not ring true for me.
The siblings are battling against the established Witches of their world, who want to claim Kaththea and train her. The trip escapes across the mountains, into a land filled with creatures from ancient legends.
The numerous aliens are well portrayed. I’d actually give this a 3.75 rating; some connections ( or lack of) simply did not ring true for me.
January 5, 2024
The plot wanders. It's mostly about Kylian's trials to get to and rescue his sister, Kaththea. Although the plot pretty much wraps up in the end, there's still a window to entice the reader to buy the next book in the series, something I dislike. Some of the characters are interesting and well-developed.
I had some trouble with the tiny type size (old eyes) in the Ace paperback version I have.
I had some trouble with the tiny type size (old eyes) in the Ace paperback version I have.
Read
October 23, 2025Classic Fantasy Series. "Kyllan the warrior, Kaththea the untried witch, Kemoc, whose powers could surpass all others- these are the half-Earthling, half witch-brood family menaced by the sorceries of an unknown enemy. The burden of the struggle fell to Kemoc, who was forced to summon his untested powers in the battle to match the alien evil threatening the Witch World."
March 2, 2017
Kemoc, one of the Witch World triplets, has to rescue his sister who has fallen under the spell of a man who plans to take over Estcarp. In the course of his travels, he meets Orsya one of the water people. Always does a good job of building descriptions, relationships, and cultures.
January 11, 2021
Another example of Norton's turgid storytelling technique, not without interesting developments but at some cost to the sensibilities of the reader. Well, this reader. This has the potential of a modern myth in the Greek style, but is maimed by the constriction of the narrative POV.
September 19, 2021
Another piece of the puzzle
Kemoc was not as engaging a character. as some others. But his passion for family and loyalty to a friend are superlative. As always Andre Norton's storytelling makes things come alive
Kemoc was not as engaging a character. as some others. But his passion for family and loyalty to a friend are superlative. As always Andre Norton's storytelling makes things come alive
January 26, 2022
Опять смена лица, ведущего повествование (как хорошо, что у Трегарта целых три ребёнка :) Уже лучше, чем предыдущая книга, даже просматривается интрига на дальнейшие книги серии. Но, если честно, пока не видно, насколько глубок замысел автора по отношению ко всему миру.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2017
obviously weak
January 5, 2019
An interesting tale of Witch World.
April 15, 2020
I read these when I was a kid; I'd still give these to a kid. Sci-fantasy, and a gateway in both directions (science fiction OR fantasy).
July 22, 2021
Sucks to be a dude on Witch World, powerful women are nearly always messing with you. But, I guess it’s not so bad if your mermaid girlfriend is around to save you.
February 8, 2023
The Witch World series continues. Perhaps not as strong as past books, but still good. The psychedelic magic towards the end was trippy, to be sure.
March 24, 2025
the best book in the series so far a true adventure.
May 4, 2021
Andre Norton d0esn't write bad novels. This is another well-paced action novel with more magic and a little less fighting than the previous Witch World novels.
December 11, 2016
I gave this 3 stars over the 2 for the previous book with Kyllan's story (Three Against the Witch World) as this had more of a plot and somewhat less exposition. I suppose if all three books about the triplets had been written today they would have been a single book, which would perhaps have balanced the weakness of TAtWW. But, if it were written today, the reader would likely have been bounced around between the de rigueur of alternating POVs. So avoiding THAT is a plus, as a book should be more than a narrative tennis match.
Some of the character motivations were perplexing, including how/why Kaththea was so easily fooled by Dinzil - love is one thing, but she seemingly had no ethical basis nor did she utilize the experience of her training . One wonders if Kaththea was so used to admiration from her brothers and being groomed by the sisters in Estcarp that she was rather overly susceptible to flattery, but that in no way excuses her easy mistrust of her own brother.
As others have mentioned, there were a number of chanced-upon objects of power and accidental uses of words of power. But fortunately, Orsya was there to guide Kemoc on his search and educate him as they went. She also provided significant aid in other ways on his quest. It isn't clear if all the Krogan have similar abilities or if she, like Dahaun, is special.
A couple of mentions of virginity in the book, one which allowed Orsya to use an object of power but not Kemoc; and also his take on Kaththea and Dinzil's relationship. I wasn't clear on why Kemoc thought she should be subject to the same rules as the witches, as their mother had not been, obviously.
The constraints of publishing in the 1960s probably makes this a hard sell to today's readers, but the spare stylized prose and the (mostly) strong females makes it worth the effort - and the books are so short! What is there to lose?
The cover is another another story, a perplexing mish-mash, that leads one to think that perhaps cover artists are forbidden to actually read the books, and must imagine a cover solely from the title and a random list of words provided by the publisher.
Some of the character motivations were perplexing, including how/why Kaththea was so easily fooled by Dinzil - love is one thing, but she seemingly had no ethical basis nor did she utilize the experience of her training . One wonders if Kaththea was so used to admiration from her brothers and being groomed by the sisters in Estcarp that she was rather overly susceptible to flattery, but that in no way excuses her easy mistrust of her own brother.
As others have mentioned, there were a number of chanced-upon objects of power and accidental uses of words of power. But fortunately, Orsya was there to guide Kemoc on his search and educate him as they went. She also provided significant aid in other ways on his quest. It isn't clear if all the Krogan have similar abilities or if she, like Dahaun, is special.
A couple of mentions of virginity in the book, one which allowed Orsya to use an object of power but not Kemoc; and also his take on Kaththea and Dinzil's relationship. I wasn't clear on why Kemoc thought she should be subject to the same rules as the witches, as their mother had not been, obviously.
The constraints of publishing in the 1960s probably makes this a hard sell to today's readers, but the spare stylized prose and the (mostly) strong females makes it worth the effort - and the books are so short! What is there to lose?
The cover is another another story, a perplexing mish-mash, that leads one to think that perhaps cover artists are forbidden to actually read the books, and must imagine a cover solely from the title and a random list of words provided by the publisher.
December 6, 2012
The previous book in this series, Three Against the Witch World, followed the warrior Kyllan Tregarth, the oldest of the triplets born to Simon Tregarth of Earth and the Witch Jaelithe. Kyllan was the driving force behind the actions that broke the mental barrier hiding the Eastern land known as Escore from the minds of the Western land, Estcarp. His discovery of Escore triggered actions that wakened ancient powers (both good and evil).
This book continues the tale, as Kemoc, the wizard (warlock) of the triplets, sets out to find allies to help reduce the evil in the land, as freed by his and his brother's actions. One of the allies that first presents is Dinzil of the Heights, and adept of great power. Even though Dinzil can cross the Valley wards, Kemoc feels something is "off" about the man. Unfortunately, not only do the people of Escore accept Dinzil, the third member of the triplets, Kaththea the witch, falls in love with Dinzil. She follows the adept home and this story follows Kemoc’s attempts at rescue.
In this story, the three siblings have to work together even when they disagree, and we see again the theme of danger when power is used, whether it be for good or ill. I liked that Kemoc, although a wizard, is untrained, so he has to have assistance, and a great deal of that comes from the non-human, Orsya, a sort of mermaid creature who defies the rules of her people to help him. Norton's theme of allowing non-humans, and especially females, to act heroically, is again seen here.
I did think there was a little too much of reliance on chance encounters and rash use of chance-found items, such as the blade Kemoc found.
I didn't really "like" Kemoc, as he seemed willing to dismiss his brother as not as important, since Kyllan has no witch powers, but also I didn't like Kaththea, who dismisses Kemoc as 'just a man', even though she follows the Adept – who is also a man.
This book continues the tale, as Kemoc, the wizard (warlock) of the triplets, sets out to find allies to help reduce the evil in the land, as freed by his and his brother's actions. One of the allies that first presents is Dinzil of the Heights, and adept of great power. Even though Dinzil can cross the Valley wards, Kemoc feels something is "off" about the man. Unfortunately, not only do the people of Escore accept Dinzil, the third member of the triplets, Kaththea the witch, falls in love with Dinzil. She follows the adept home and this story follows Kemoc’s attempts at rescue.
In this story, the three siblings have to work together even when they disagree, and we see again the theme of danger when power is used, whether it be for good or ill. I liked that Kemoc, although a wizard, is untrained, so he has to have assistance, and a great deal of that comes from the non-human, Orsya, a sort of mermaid creature who defies the rules of her people to help him. Norton's theme of allowing non-humans, and especially females, to act heroically, is again seen here.
I did think there was a little too much of reliance on chance encounters and rash use of chance-found items, such as the blade Kemoc found.
I didn't really "like" Kemoc, as he seemed willing to dismiss his brother as not as important, since Kyllan has no witch powers, but also I didn't like Kaththea, who dismisses Kemoc as 'just a man', even though she follows the Adept – who is also a man.
May 26, 2014
I am almost ready to upgrade this to 5 stars and upgrade the first book in this trilogy (Three against the Witch World) to a 4. Again, this book clearly ends in the middle of the story, but it has a surprise ending and some bit of denouement. This book kept me enthralled, and I'm eager to read the next one.
The different series in the Witch World books was rather confusing to me. To assist others, here are several sites with good information:
A suggested reading order:
http://www.andre-norton-books.com/arc...
Although I'm not sure I'd agree with this. Publication date order is often the best.
I like this site better. It gives a listing of the books by Cycle order and also lists publication date. This, I believe, was created by the author (or, at least putatively, endorsed by her):
http://www.andre-norton.org/wworld/ww...
And, on that same site, an overview of the available information about the entire series (at least 35 books):
http://www.andre-norton.org/wworld/
The different series in the Witch World books was rather confusing to me. To assist others, here are several sites with good information:
A suggested reading order:
http://www.andre-norton-books.com/arc...
Although I'm not sure I'd agree with this. Publication date order is often the best.
I like this site better. It gives a listing of the books by Cycle order and also lists publication date. This, I believe, was created by the author (or, at least putatively, endorsed by her):
http://www.andre-norton.org/wworld/ww...
And, on that same site, an overview of the available information about the entire series (at least 35 books):
http://www.andre-norton.org/wworld/
January 18, 2015
I liked the story, but Kemoc's tale involved too much of him being acted upon and no intrinsic acts or powers on his part. Without his lucky chance in finding the magic sword and unicorn horn and meeting the Orsya, there would be no story at all. How did his sister become ensnared so easily and quickly without anyone else the wiser? Actually that is understandable but the idea that good can be subsumed so easily by those having and offering power is not an encouraging one even if it does seem true. Really, this book is simply the tale of his sister being corrupted by incredible power and he chases after her with no real ability to save her except that which comes serendipitously through disregarded readings or long ago. Still, I enjoy the world and will at least read the next to see how the trio makes out.
February 17, 2016
Next to the first book in the series, I enjoyed this one second-most. It is mostly Kemoc's tale, who is the son given wisdom by his mother's blessing. It picks up where the last story left off, with the triplets in the Eastern lands trying to combat an evil that is awake and hunting them. They have a small group of trusted companions but Kemoc can't reconcile himself with Dinzil. Dinzil is liked by everyone but Kemoc and he is searching for reasons why when Dinzil disappears with Kemoc's sister. This was full of action and ended on a cliffhanger which I assume will be concluded in the next book. It was a quicker and enjoyable read.
July 26, 2007
The pub date on this is...a lie, kinda.
The thing dates from 1967. This edition is prolly from '82, sure, but...
It's the first SF novel I ever read.
The thing dates from 1967. This edition is prolly from '82, sure, but...
It's the first SF novel I ever read.
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