Lore of the Witch World

 

By Andre Norton

A collection of seven Witch World short stories.

• "Spider Silk" Dairine was a refugee from hard times who survived a shipwreck as a young child and found a home among the folk of Rannock in Estcarp. The war is now over but the terrors of that time left their mark upon Dairine. What horrors she may have seen she does not recall. But her mind has closed her vision to the world around her and she is blind. Despite her handicap, over the years she became a talented weaver of cloth. Her skill came to the notice of a captain of Sulcar, an ocean-traveling nation of traders. The captain showed her a scrap of very finely made silk fabric and wondered if Dairine had the skill to attempt to weave something similar. But even though she was skilled, she was not that skilled, nor was any human weaver. Because this beautiful piece of silk was not woven by human hands but by the spider women of Usturt. But the spider women are hostile to humankind and will not willingly share their knowledge of weaving their beautiful silk fabric. Yet to Usturt Dairine must go, will she or nil she.
• "Sand Sister" Born to the Tor people of the Tormarsh, Tursla was not like the other children. But to a people declining in population, even one unlike the others is vital to the community's continuance. When a girl reaches a certain age, she is expected to take part in a fertility rite where she is impregnated by one of the village men. Tursla did not take part in the ritual but still claimed to have been impregnated even though she knew she had lain with no man. But she was filled, filled with knowledge after a visit to a holy site deep in the marsh. And this knowledge will enable her to step in to save the life of an outsider that the desperate villagers have marked for human sacrifice in the belief that it will restore fertility to their people and prevent their slow slide into extinction.
• "Falcon Blood" Tanree is a sailor, born and bred. But her home, the ship, the Kast-Boar, was caught in a storm and broken on a reef on an unknown shore. The only survivors are Tanree and the Falconer, a mercenary from a tribe where the men view women as untrustworthy creatures fit only for the bearing of children. But the Falconer has a broken arm and if he and Tanree are going to survive, they are going to have to work together despite his distaste for her gender.
• "Legacy From Sorn Fen" After the war was over, opportunities were abundant for an ambitious man to improve his lot in life, given the sad state of affairs in the land. One such was Higbold. And when a certain magical item came to his notice, Higbold saw no reason not to claim the item for himself. What he didn't know was the item was given as a reward for a kind and gallant service performed to ease the passing of a damsel in distress. Higbold is going to pay a price for his thievery.
• "Sword of Unbelief" Jervon and Elys from earlier stories not in this collection are featured in this story of a battle between Elys and an ancient and evil god who has captured Jervon and is slowing draining him of his life force. 
• "The Toads of Grimmerdale" After the war was over, a time of chaos overtook the lands and crimes and lawlessness where everywhere. Hertha, a well-born young woman, became a victim of this chaos when her camp was overrun and she was assaulted. But when her family discovered she was pregnant, she was told she must submit to an abortion or be cast out. She chose to be cast out. She just wants two things, a healthy baby and revenge on the man who raped her. She doesn't know who he was and never saw his face. But she did see a distinctive piece of equipment he wore, a find gold and jewel-encrusted bowguard. So when Hertha sees a man wearing that same bowguard at the inn where she is working, she is certain he is the one who assaulted her. The inn lies near a place of the Old Ones, the magical denizens who used to dominate the land but who have mostly gone away. The Toads of Grimmerdale are of such magical stock and Hertha goes to them, asking for their help against her enemy. Of course, there will be a deadly price to pay for such questionable help.
• "Changeling" The follow-up to "The Toads of Grimmerdale" finds Hertha on the road once again, traveling to confront the Toads, who as punishment for her forfeit, have cursed her newborn baby with bulgy toad eyes and blotchy, discolored skin. 

I really enjoyed the stories in this collection. I think my favorites are the last two, but I liked them all. The only one I liked the least was "Sword of Unbelief" which was rather slow compared to the other stories. 

Gryphon in Glory

 

By Andre Norton

A Witch World story

A continuation of the story told in The Crystal Gryphon  in which Joisan and Kerovan once again go their separate ways only to come back together later on in the story.

Kerovan is still feeling inferior and decides to set Joisan free so she can find love with a "normal" person. But Joisan is stubbornly refusing to accept his rejection of her and set off after him when he leaves on a military mission, determined to join him despite his refusal. Kerovan is traveling to the Waste, in search of allies in the war against the invaders from overseas. He is successful in his quest, finding a race of shapeshiftering warriors who are alarmed to discover that the enemy is seeking forbidden knowledge in the Waste.

Meanwhile Joisan has set out to follow Kerovan and she has fallen in with two strangers, Elys and Jervon. Elys and Jervon first appeared in the novella, Dragon Scale Silver. While traveling in the Waste, Joisan gets kidnapped by the Thas, monstrous underground rat-men She frees herself by using the power of the crystal gryphon, which was given to her by Kerovan at the start of the first book. 

But when she manages to find her way to the surface, she comes out nowhere near where she last saw Elys and Jervon. She finds an abandoned castle in which she can shelter and there are even some fruits to eat in the old orchard. She climbs the castle tower and sees a road off in the distance and shortly discovers Kerovan and Elys and Jervon traveling on the road. Kerovan is still struggling to find self-acceptance and continues to turn away from Joisan. He has been having strange dreams and they are both experiencing strange visions. He has given up on his original quest and is now concentrating on sorting himself out and Joisan is just hoping that eventually he will realize he is the only man for her.

This was an OK story. Pretty much follows the same pattern of one or two young people on a quest of discovery and self-discovery, always involving evil magic and good magic and often featuring magical animals and people who have magical abilities but are not trained to use them. 

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Spell of the Witch World

 

By Andre Norton

A Witch World collection

A small collection including a novella and two short stories, the novella is Dragon Scale Silver and the short stories are Dream Smith and Amber Out of Quayth. 

Dragon Scale Silver  is the story of young woman who has to make her own way in the world after the small town where she lives is overrun during war. 

Elys has been raised by her father to be more self-sufficient that most girls of her time. Along with her twin brother, Elyn, she has learned to hunt and ride and handle weapons.  From the village wise woman, she has learned healing skills, magic spells and herb craft. So when the people of the village are forced to flee from the invaders, Elys becomes their de facto leader, because most of the men have left to fight, including her brother Elyn.

Once she gets the villagers settled and secure in a new location in the wilderness, Elys sets out of rescue her brother Elyn, who has become ensorcelled by an ancient curse. She helped in her quest by a soldier, Jervon, whose comrades were defeated by the enemy.

Dream Smith is the story of a young man who is cruelly disfigured in an explosion that occurred when his father tried to smelt a strange new metal. Collard becomes a recluse, hiding his disfigured face and body from the gaze of the folks of his village. But, despite their first terrible experience with the strange metal, Collard continues to work with it, creating miniature statues of mythological and imaginary creatures. 

Collard then hears about Lady Jacinda, the daughter of a lord. Jacinda is said to be deformed and is being sent away from her home because her father's new wife finds her repulsive to look at. Collard begins to have dreams about his little works of art and Jacinda and he arranges to have some of his creations sent to her. He is gratified and pleased when he gets word that she really loved the gifts. He then dreams of a new work of art and creates a scene that will prove to be not just a work of art but a whole new world for the two of them.

Amber Out of Quayth  is another story of a girl who is a bit of an outsider. Her life was good until her brother got married and his new wife didn't like her new sister-in-law, Ysmay. She treats Ysmay like an unpaid servant, so when Ysmay mets a wealthy stranger at a local fair and he pursues her, she agrees to marry him, even though there is something about him that is troubling. 

Their first night together, her new husband, Hylle, explains he must remain celibate because of his mystical studies. Hylle spends most of his time in his tower with his studies and Ysmay begins to understand that he married her because she has something that is necessary to his studies and that she is simply a tool in his plot.

I enjoyed all three stories. It is always fun reading Andre Norton's Witch World stories, like visiting an old and entertaining friend.

The Crystal Gryphon

By Andre Norton

A Witch World story.

The Dales are in danger as invaders from outside move against the lords of the Dales. The invaders have advanced technology, while the Dalesmen are still riding horses and using bows and arrows and swords and armor.
But before the time of the invasion, two children of Dales lords are promised to each other for political reasons. Kerovan's father is worried his people will reject his son as leader because Kerovan is deformed. His eyes have slit pupils instead of round and his feet are hoofed. So allying his son with the daughter of the lord of Ithdale, Joisan, will consolidate his son's position, he hopes.
Joisan and Kerovan are officially wedded, even though they never actually meet and even though they are little kids. Kerovan lives in isolation, away from prying eyes. Joisan lives at Ithkrypt and finds herself pursued by Toross, a cousin, who urges her to repudiate Kerovan and ally with him. At one point Kerovan sends Joisan a crystal gryphon as a gift and she wears it on a chain around her neck.
Joisan and Kerovan never meet before the invaders arrive. Ithkrypt is destroyed and Joisan and company are forced to flee.
Kerovan is ambushed but escapes only to discover that his mother, his sister and his half-brother are the ones who arranged for the ambush. He also finds out that they have turned the locals against him too. He decides he has no future there and travels to Ithdale, only to discover that Ithkrypt is a ruin and Ithdale is overrun by the enemy. He then sets out to find the wife he has never met, Joisan.

This book is told from the two perspectives of Joisan and Kerovan. Much of the story centers on the two as youngsters. It doesn't really start moving until the invasion, when Joisan and Kerovan are just entering adulthood. And when the best made plans go up in smoke as war swallows both their keeps.

Witch World

By Andre Norton

The first Witch World story

Simon Tregarth is a man on the run and is facing certain death. So when a fellow offers him a one-way route to a new life, but with no return, Tregarth accepts.
The man leads him to a strange stone gateway that leads to a different world, a world, the man promises, "in which his spirit, his mind—his soul if you wish to call it that—is at home. " But the catch is, "there is no return—and only a desperate man chooses an irrevocable future."
Once through the doorway, Tregarth does find himself in a strange new world. Escaping from being hunted himself, he is catapulted into another hunt. The hunted is not Tregarth, but is a woman dressed in rags and being trailed by men on horseback.
Tregarth, who has a handgun, helps the woman escape her hunters. The woman was on a spy mission and she takes Tregarth back to her home country and introduces him to the leaders of her country, Estcarp.
The woman, who will not give her name, is a witch as are the leaders of her country. They are all women and they are all witches. They govern by consensus and by magic. They all keep their names secret, it is part of their belief that knowing someone's name gives them power over the named person.
The witches are worried. Something is rotten in the world of Estcarp and it has all started in the land of Kolder. Kolder, which has technology strange to the other lands of Witch World. Kolder, which has the ability to turn enemies into weapons to use against their homelands. Kolder, who will find in Simon Tregarth an outworlder who is able to stand against their technological "magic."

This is the first book of Norton's Witch World series. In Witch World, the women of Estcarp are the bearers of magic. To keep their magic abilities, they must remain virgins, because they believe once a woman is deflowered, she loses her powers. Their technology is mainly medieval, with strange exceptions (excluding the technology of their enemy, Kolder).

This was an OK read. The story centers around Tregarth, who was a soldier and a mercenary back home, and who continues that roll on Witch World. The story mainly follows him on his campaigns as he fights for Estcarp.
It's a fun introduction to Norton's style of storytelling and contains many of her trademark themes: ancient alien tech; mysterious ruins that reek of evil; strange, magical abilities; seemingly ordinary people who are not ordinary; creepy, dangerous, evil creatures; foggy marshes and moor; underground installations of unknown origin containing peculiar machines; and loners fighting against the status quo.