Swords & Spells

Witch World

by Andre Norton

The best of science fiction and fantasy...Through a Gate on distant Earth, Simon Tregarth had come, to a world where witches rule supreme. In the land of Estcarp - home of the Old Race, peace-loving heirs to archaic knowledge - he drove out invading aliens and became a great and respected leader. But his children, a warrior, a warlock and a witch, fled the witches' rule, answering an ineffable call to the forgotten land of Escore. There, they warred with the evil stirred to life by their coming....a peril that continues unabated.....

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Cats, Science Fiction Fantasy

482 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

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

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tale told by a master

For most of the last 60 years I've spent much of my time in other worlds.
World's created from the imaginations of the greatest writers of my time: Heinlein, Asimov, Bujold, Hubbard, Mccaffrey, and more whose nes escape me at the moment.
One of the greatest of these was Andre Norton, whose timeless tales live on to stretch the minds of more generations.

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andre Norton will always be one of my favorite authors. Her ability to spin a tale that is detailed and well fleshed out in an economy of words is truly beyond compare. Most writes would require at least 5x more content to do the same.

The Witch World series is world building at its finest. A complex history with interesting and compelling characters intertwined across the world and time. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys high fantasy.

[Ruth Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

As usual, The Lady Andre has written something wonderful. The only gripe I had was that this particular edition is rife with transcription errors that the Lady's original work did not contain, so that this re-read experience made my little grammar-nerd heart crumble when I hit an error. The story held up to the ravages of time, though, and I felt as strongly attached to the characters and the world as I did when I first read these stories more than 30 years ago. I am proud to share a middle name with her!

[Marion E. Brophy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One woven from three

Having read many of the authors novels both fantasy and science fiction I prefer those that are not fantasy. Thus I've given this novel set a four star rating. The three novels interweave a story of the same characters from a world not ours yet introduce one into it from ours.

[Diane Levine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andre Norton!!!

Did hardly gets better than this. Three stories a interlocking of live and time and dimension that reach back and forth and connect everyone.

This is one of the best rated in my experience. As always vivid and clear.

[Ellen Sheffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm torn

The stories are marvelous, the editing not so much. Especially the first book - there were constant mistakes, homonyms, as it the book had been dictated and never proofed. Too bad, Andre Norton deserves so much better than this.

[David Macnair · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slightly unusual magical trail

And all the better for it 😀
I enjoyed the tale as it is a little out of the usual - but not too far...
Full of exciting twists and turns I can thoroughly recommend it, a great suite.

[Scott Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norton's standard

Her standard is excellence. Always engaging and hard to put down, even the 30th time. Norton never fails to please.

[Lee Wilbur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book!!

Well written sword and sorcery genre. Some good twists thrown in, interesting characters. Like the exploration of various roles in society and different characters.

[Sabin Harshberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great books in this collection.

This is a collection of 3 books. With the lead in the first being a supporting character in the other 2. Loved all of it

[Virginia Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tapestry of stories woven skillfully together

A master storyteller spins a tale spanning time and space. Each story adding to the total understanding of this complex world.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first one way difficult to get interested in, but the next two were quite entertaining.

[Ann Carlisle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this. No such luck. Poor editing and all completely non-memorable stories. I couldn't even finish the last one; skipped ahead to the last page or two just to see how it ended.

[Gerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

II.R

[Stacia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading Andre Norton when one of the modern day sci-fi/fantasy authors I currently read cited her as an influence. Her novels are still extremely readable & enjoyable, and I like being able to see where the field of sci-fi/fantasy has come from.

[Nancy Raines]

Witch World, Books 7-9