Annals of the Witch World

Witch World

by Andre Norton, David A. Cherry (Illustrator)

Contains three Witch World novels: Witch World, Web of the Witch World, and Year of the Unicorn.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Speculative Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

519 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Andre 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.

Reviews

[Morris Nelms · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Andre Norton. If you like her work, you'll like this. I did not finish this book, but that was only because I borrowed it from the library and ran out of time. This trio of books launched one of her most successful series of books, and it is easy to see why. She writes with no wasted effort, as is the case in all her work. Her characterizations are excellent, which is also consistent with her other work. She has a great ear for dialogue, and that shows up as well. The story involves a 20th Century man who ends up in Witch World. He has to adjust, and rapidly. Great fantasy writing.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent stories. Andre Norton is one of the best. The first two books, Witch World and Web of Witch World go into a lot of military strategy. The first one explains the place. Year of the Unicorn made such an impression on my teenage self that is stayed with me. One scene includes a woman who has "double sight", in that she can see both the projected illusion and the truth. Absolutely innovative writing, a must read for SF/fantasy lovers.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of three sci-fi/fantasy novels from Andre (Alice) Norton from the local library.

The first two novels included are your typical sword & sandal & sorcery adventures--super-similar to Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars or Venus series. Perfect dude travels to a new world and/or time and has rousing adventures rescuing damsels & princesses, battling with evil invaders (from a more advanced world, though!) and using his brain to open prison doors, lol.

The third book, Year of the Unicorn, is the real standout, though, and the reason this rates four stars (the other two would just be threes). In it, Norton develops the Witch World into something much more than that of the first two novels (which isn't bad on it's own) but this one has lonely abbeys, journeys to another world, an underworld/shadow realm/after life (or something) and a lot more unique settings, characters, and adventures.

Year of the Unicorn actually stands on its own quite well, is much better (or at least more innovative) than the first two. They are all set in the Witch World (and those other worlds) but Year does a lot more interesting things with the world Norton created (and with the characters).

It's actually a lot more like C.J. Cherryh's "gate" novels, especially "Well of Shiuan" which has a similar setup of a lone young woman thrust into an unlikely adventure on a compelling, well-crafted world. I'd also compare it to Ursula K. LeGuin's "Tombs of Atuan," the second book in her Earthsea series.

I highly recommend "Year of the Unicorn," as well as Cherryh's "Well of Shiuan," and LeGuin's "Tombs of Atuan." Great stuff.

I just noticed Cherryh dedicated "Well of Shiuan" to Norton, so she no doubt appreciated what Norton did with her Witch World, and in particular "Year of the Unicorn.'

[Denise Mullins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent fantasy in which Simon Tregarth is transported from a harrowing situation during WW II to a kingdom warring with neighbors capable of witchcraft and other dark arts. The first in a series, it promises continuing adventures involving aliens and some rather clever steam-punk type mechanics.
Norton's use of a rather stylisticly archaic prose did lend an air of authenticity although it sometimes proved cumbersome to wade through.

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

My in-depth feelings on the individual books can be found on the pages for them. Overall, this was an okay collection. I found the first Witch World novel to be an exciting adventure romp, similar to the Barsoom novels, and the second was still fun even if it felt rather samey. The third is actually part of a different series of Witch World novels than the first two, and had I realized this, I might have skipped it. It wasn't very good, and I think for now if I do read more Witch World stories I'll stick to the Estcarp cycle. I'll admit I'm not totally sure I will read further, however. There are some neat bits, but there are other stories I can read if I want fiction that's high on adventure and low on character and complexity. I do kinda want to seek out the Witch World story I read a few years ago that made me want to read this, and determine if maybe there are other Norton books closer to that that I'd like more. I don't feel like I've really wasted my time reading this, but it ended up being not quite as good as I'd hoped for, and since the further tales are largely out of print, I'm not going to be furiously seeking out the sequels to these stories.

[Mary Prophet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume contains the 1st. three of the Witch World novels WITCH WORLD, WEB OF THE WITCH WORLD and YEAR OF THE UNICORN. I remember reading WITCH WORLD and YEAR OF THE UNICORN shortly after they were published in the mid 1960s. I had never read WEB OF THE WITCH WORLD. I still find them an enjoyable read.

[Loretta Weyant-Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blast from the past. Andre Norton never fails to delight

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gates to Witch World combines the initial three books of the “Witch World” series: Witch World (1963), Web of the Witch World (1964), and Year of the Unicorn (1965).

Witch World is the story of Simon Tregarth, a WWII veteran on the lamb, accused of crimes he didn’t commit. A mysterious man offers him freedom...but in another world. Simon makes his way through a ‘gate’ and finds himself in Estcarp, a country embroiled in war, its neighbors bent on their destruction. Escarp is governed by witches, and in this world women are the only ones able to use the Power; however, Simon suspects he may have some connection to the Power himself, as he’s able to see and do things no ordinary man can do.

Simon joins the witch’s army as they fight against the Kolder, an enemy with mysterious origins. Could they have come through a gate like Simon, but from another world? But how are Simon and the people from Estcarp supposed to defeat an army with superior weapons?

Web of the Witch World continues the story of Simon and Jaelithe, the witch he falls in love with. There’s more fighting against the Kolder and a desperate attempt to save a friend from the enemy.

Norton’s world is fully realized and well written, including the political and cultural details. The pace never lags and we are carried along from battle to battle as our heroes fight to save their world. The characters are all different and complex, but as the books continue they don’t seem to grow or change extensively. And there really isn’t much hope that the characterization will deepen in the next books, since they don’t make much of an appearance (according to the synopses on Amazon). The characters would speak of their feelings, but I still had a hard time feeling the things they did, particularly their regard for other characters, which was a rather integral part of the story.

Year of the Unicorn takes a break from the Simon/Jaelithe storyline and instead we are treated with the fairytale story of Gillian, a war refugee living with the nun-like Dames. Years ago Norsdale promised to give thirteen brides to the Were Riders--outlanders who fight Norsdale’s enemies in their name--and on their way to fulfilling the Bargain the brides stop at the abbey for the night. Gillian sneaks into the group as a replacement for an unwilling bride, and goes to meet her destiny. Along the way she learns about her heritage and her connection to the Power and that even the ‘all-powerful’ Were Riders have their own divisions in their ranks--both of which will affect her tremendously.

Gillian’s story was ethereal, with the right tone and interesting characters. It could easily be read as a standalone. During some of Gillian’s trials Norton adds a little too much filler when I just wanted to get on with the story, especially since some of it left me confused. The interaction between Gillian and Herrel, her Were Rider husband, is well-handled and interesting and left me wanting to see where their story continued, fully convinced that they would be a force to be reckoned with.

My favorite part of all the stories is her theme of how one person can be powerful, but working together can make even those with uncertain powers very strong indeed. I also found Simon's character to be the most the most fascinating of the characters in this collection, less so that he’s a foreigner in the witch world, but more for his cleverness and loyalty.

Stylistically I don’t much care for Norton’s writing. It’s not as formal writing as, say, LeGuin--but without LeGuin’s finesse--and the formality is awkward in places. Sometimes the writing was confusing: I either didn’t know what was going on, or I had a hard time visualizing the descriptions. Fortunately Norton's stories make up for any failings her writing may have, as her ideas are still interesting some 40 years after they were first written.

The second volume, Lost Lands of Witch World contains the last three novels of the series and is about Simon and Jaelithe’s children.

[Lissa Notreallywolf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been dragging through this omnibus, which in fact I have finished only the first volume. It's disjointed, action packed, complicated and hard to keep my mind on what I am reading. I felt this fleetingly when I was reading the Solar Queen novels, and perhaps it is a hallmark of adventure fiction that there are fewer transitions and a high event ratio to page count. To be fair to Andre Norton, bless her sainted head, I had similar challenges in reading The Count of Monte Christo. Makes me wonder if fantastic adventures are really to my taste, unless they have the emotional events in an Alice Hoffman novel.
I remember reading some of Andre Norton when I was a child, but I don't think I stuck with her books. She has a magical way of using very few words to elicit great imagination in her readers. As an adult I am always surprised by how she achieves this. It's a little like titration, details seep in and the picture develops over time.
This world is probably the roots of many many novels that I have enjoyed, a world where outlanders have penetrated through gates, soley like Simon Tregard, or in mass as invaders, refugees. It's good to see some of the concepts I find in Tepper and Cherryh. But I am stopping with Witch World and leaving the other novels for some future read, because it has gotten to be work, rather than pleasure to continue.

[Mortalform]

Having trouble getting into the stiffer, more formal language use. Sept 12

I've tried three times, I think I might have to give up on this one, it is just not appealing to me at all, and I can't seem to force myself far enough into it to get interested. Nov 1



"Arthur and the Round Table -that's a fairy tale for kids. You're talking as if-"
"As if it were true history? Ah, but who is to say what is history and what is not? Every word of the past which comes to us is colored and influenced by the learning, the prejudices and even the physical condition of the historian who has recorded it for later generations. Tradition father's history, and what is tradition but word of mouth? How distorted may such accounts become in a single generation? ... History is made, it is recored by human beings and it it larded with all the errors our species is subject to." 20

"...There is no return- and only a desparate man chooses an irrevocable future." 21

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Omnibus of Witch World, Web of Witch World, Year of the Unicorn. I've enjoyed Norton's straight-up sci-fi for decades. Of Witch World, though, I had only read the Gryphon series, as they seem to spend a lot of time out of print and little available. The first two Tregarth books (Witch World, Web) are a nice cross of sci-fi and fantasy. The characters feel a bit flat, defined by their actions rather than actions flowing from their personality. Yet the writing has a subtlety, implying much unsaid (occasionally, alas, veering into inscrutability.) Unicorn, in the same world but a different series, shows a lot more maturity to the writing. All three successfully imply an enormous world outside of the immediate characters and plot, with minimal reliance on either expository dumps or invented vocabulary. A lot like the published Tolkien in that regard, maybe most like Hobbit.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the three, the final book was the one that most grabbed my interest. The first two were an interesting introduction to the Witch World and the process of gating used in the novels, but the third one really pulled out the stops. The best part of the first book was the very beginning: following Simon Tregarth out of Earth and into Witch World and hearing the legacy of the gate that took him to the 'world that would best fit him.' The 'older' vs. 'technology' civilizations was also an interesting theme to explore in the first two books.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first time reading anything by Andre Norton and I really enjoyed all 3 books in this omnibus. The style of writing is a bit difficult to follow at times but I found that if I just kept on, instead of constantly trying to reread", I followed the story line perfectly well. This actually started 2 of her series: The Estcarp Cycle with the first 2 books (Witch World and Web of the Witch World) and The High Hilleck Cycle with The Year of the Unicorn. My favorite of the 3 was The Year of the Unicorn.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simon Tregarth is on the run from the law in when accused of a crime he did not commit. A magical store gets him transported to a world where magic is rampant and he lands in Kolder. This work contains Witch World which opens the series, Web of the Witch World, andYear of the Unicorn. It is just as delightful as Norton's other stories.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you can get past the constant misuse of the word "which" when she means "that" the story can be entertaining, although it never really gets terribly deep.

Actually the third story in the collection was really great. I wish it went on.

[penny shima glanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where was Norton when I was younger? Why did it take until I was almost 30 to actually get my hands on her writing?

I stayed up late to finish. I didn't want it to end. What other compliment can I offer?

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good fantasy novel. There are a whole mess of characters introduced, which can be distracting.

[Nancy Raines]

Witch World, Books 1-2 / High Hallack 1

[Mark Hensley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third section was mind-blowing.

[Mark Alger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as enthralling as I remember from teen years. Still, solid work and worth reading.

[Edward Rosenfeld]

Classic SF/Fantasy