Tales of the Witch World 2

Tales of the Witch World #2

by Andre Norton

An array of fantasy tales, includes works by Norton, Robert Bloch, Elizabeth Scarborough, A. C. Crispin, Ardath Mayhar, and Robert E. Vardeman

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Anthologies

352 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1988

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

[R.A. Goli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories, for the most part, were well written & pretty good. I imagine I would have liked it more if I was familiar with Witchworld, but most still made sense and were enjoyable. My favourites were, ‘The Hunting of Lord Etsalian’s Daughter’, by Clare Bell & ‘S’Olcarias’s Sons’, by Lisa Swallow. 3.5 stars.

[Valerie]

The entry for this book contains a complete table of contents, so I needn't elaborate it I'll just say that, like most anthologies, the stories are quite uneven. The best, In my opinion, is the one titled "Old Toad". Many of these stories are apparently part of longer stories, and there are many loose ends.

One thing--since all these stories are from before the publication date of the collection (1988), there's not much understanding of the long-term implications of 'scientific' technologies (as opposed, in this context, to 'magical' technologies). At least, there's not among the people who tend to read and contribute to this sort of anthology, most of whom don't seem to be working scientists, or to have much educational background in the sciences.

Note: if this is volume 2, in theory there's a volume one. I'll have to keep an eye out for it--but there doesn't seem to be much Norton still in print, much less anthologies of fan fiction. So it'll depend mostly on the library angel, which I hereby (attempt) to evoke.

[A.N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

More ninny stories by multitude.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little slower then her usual.