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209th out of 934 books
—
885 voters
Witch World (Witch World Series 1: The Estcarp Cycle #1)
by
Andre Norton
An Earth criminal named Simon Tregarth stumbles upon the man who controls the ancient artifact known as the Siege Perilous. It's a magical stone which can send any man to a world in which his spirit feels at home.
The world on which Tregarth finds himself has no name; no one in any of the books refers to it as Witch World, or, indeed, as anything. On this planet, this plan...more
The world on which Tregarth finds himself has no name; no one in any of the books refers to it as Witch World, or, indeed, as anything. On this planet, this plan...more
Paperback, #F-197, 222 pages
Published
1963
by Ace Books
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ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
Simon Tregarth knows he’s about to die — he’s being hunted down by a professional assassin and he has a “feeling” that it’s going to happen tonight. But then the infamous Doctor Petronius interrupts Simon as he’s savoring his last meal and offers him an escape. Dr. Petronius’s services don’t come cheap, but this expense is a no-brainer (after all, you can’t take it with you). The only downside is that neither Simon nor Dr. Petronius knows where Simon is ac...more
Simon Tregarth knows he’s about to die — he’s being hunted down by a professional assassin and he has a “feeling” that it’s going to happen tonight. But then the infamous Doctor Petronius interrupts Simon as he’s savoring his last meal and offers him an escape. Dr. Petronius’s services don’t come cheap, but this expense is a no-brainer (after all, you can’t take it with you). The only downside is that neither Simon nor Dr. Petronius knows where Simon is ac...more
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Oct 02, 2012
Terence
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
YA SF fans
Shelves:
sf-fantasy,
for-the-younger-generation
Reread: Sept 2012
There's nothing better than a dose of Norton when in need of a comfort read.
When I was a lad growing up in St. Charles, MO, the library we frequented (a converted shop near the freeway exit, long since sacrificed to the country's love affair with shopping malls [sigh]) had two floors. The top floor catered to "adult" literature and I didn't often go there. The basement contained the YA and SF stuff, and it was there that I received my first exposure to the genre that I love to...more
There's nothing better than a dose of Norton when in need of a comfort read.
When I was a lad growing up in St. Charles, MO, the library we frequented (a converted shop near the freeway exit, long since sacrificed to the country's love affair with shopping malls [sigh]) had two floors. The top floor catered to "adult" literature and I didn't often go there. The basement contained the YA and SF stuff, and it was there that I received my first exposure to the genre that I love to...more
4 likes · like · see review
I don't know why the sight insists on a "1" after the title of this book as it was originally just "Witch World".... oh well.
I read this long ago and enjoyed it. It seems that for a while Andre Norton sort carried the banner for everyone who enjoyed popular (and it also might be called "teen") fantasy. She wrote many solo novels and then turned her hand to collaborations.
This is a "fun" read what I call brain candy and it's a start to one of fantasy's longest running series. Read it for fun.
Anot...more
I read this long ago and enjoyed it. It seems that for a while Andre Norton sort carried the banner for everyone who enjoyed popular (and it also might be called "teen") fantasy. She wrote many solo novels and then turned her hand to collaborations.
This is a "fun" read what I call brain candy and it's a start to one of fantasy's longest running series. Read it for fun.
Anot...more
Aug 24, 2010
Mary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
andre-norton-witch-world
I am currently re reading the Witch World series again.
I finished it and can truely say it was like reading it for the 1st time. The story seemed a little familar but I must have forgotten alot of the detail.
Anyway I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the rest of the Witchworld books.
The ending left it open for lots of possibilities without being a cliffhanger. That is probably what Andre Norton was going for.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mixed world type Sci f...more
I finished it and can truely say it was like reading it for the 1st time. The story seemed a little familar but I must have forgotten alot of the detail.
Anyway I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the rest of the Witchworld books.
The ending left it open for lots of possibilities without being a cliffhanger. That is probably what Andre Norton was going for.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves mixed world type Sci f...more
May 06, 2009
Erik Graff
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
children--maybe
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
sf
I hadn't much money when little and so had to rely on the Park Ridge Public Library for much of my reading matter. The Library had two sections. Upstairs was for adults. We could enter, but we were not allowed to check out their books. Downstairs, where the washrooms were, was for kids. For a short while, just after we moved to the suburb, I used the downstairs section.
My favorite genre being science fiction, I went through that section of the children's library thoroughly. The four authors most...more
My favorite genre being science fiction, I went through that section of the children's library thoroughly. The four authors most...more
Its been ages since I read this book but it formed part of my early love of the Fantasy genre even though, when it was written, the Fantasy genre didn't exist separate from Science Fiction.
Having said that its still a book I can go back and re-read. I like Simon Tregarth and his quiet adaptation to a new world he's been driven into by being framed for a theft he didn't commit. He found/made a home for himself. At the time I read this book finding a place to 'fit' struck a deep chord with my 6th...more
Having said that its still a book I can go back and re-read. I like Simon Tregarth and his quiet adaptation to a new world he's been driven into by being framed for a theft he didn't commit. He found/made a home for himself. At the time I read this book finding a place to 'fit' struck a deep chord with my 6th...more
I read this first around 45 years ago. As a teen I read it for the adventure. But I find it worth reading again. Andre Norton demonstrated her maturity as a writer with this book! Although a fantasy (with ancient science thrown in) it seems better researched and composed than many of her earlier books. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
I sincerely believe that Andre Norton helped me find my moral center. As an outsider, I related to her characters and developed a similar need to...more
I sincerely believe that Andre Norton helped me find my moral center. As an outsider, I related to her characters and developed a similar need to...more
Somewhere near the end of her life, there's some evidence that Norton became uneasy about the idea that there existed implacably hostile people who could (and should) be treated with complete ruthlessness. There's no certainty that she ever completely rejected the idea, but there's some evidence she questioned it. The fact that, in one of her earlier books, the malevolent aliens are Japanese, is an indication that she probably should have questioned it earlier.
In this book, it's left unquestione...more
In this book, it's left unquestione...more
I had to keep reminding myself of when this book was written in order to encourage me to stick it out. I have read smatterings of Andre Norton in the past and always enjoyed her, but somehow this book, despite its intriguing beginning, left me not really fully connecting with any of the characters. It reminded me of a game of Rook, somehow ( a game I never much cared for; too much strategy, too little connection).
That being said, the narration is good and there are definitely parts of this book...more
That being said, the narration is good and there are definitely parts of this book...more
Pure escapism of course. I wanted to read this as a 12 year old, especially #3 (3 against the witch world, where there's no East...)
I find it remarkable how much story and world development Norton packs into 222 pages! Of course the characters lack much depth and development compared to any dramatic fiction. At the same time, the tight writing has as much fantasy plot arc as you'll find in contemporary books 4 times the size. You find multiple nations in conflict with ambiguities everywhere, par...more
I find it remarkable how much story and world development Norton packs into 222 pages! Of course the characters lack much depth and development compared to any dramatic fiction. At the same time, the tight writing has as much fantasy plot arc as you'll find in contemporary books 4 times the size. You find multiple nations in conflict with ambiguities everywhere, par...more
Mixed feelings... Once more. It seems I am pretty bad at making up my mind. On the one hand the change of worlds motif is pretty common but it's presented nicely. The world of the witches presents an interesting mix of original powers, races and a clash of magic and technology. On the other hand the book seems a bit too... short? Its pace is 'old-school' in a sense - there are many lapses and time gaps. It feels like more time and space could have been spent in some parts - especially for the pr...more
My full review: http://coffeecookiesandchilipeppers.b...
This is one of those series that I have always meant to read but has somehow never reached the top of my TBR pile. With the incentive of various challenges to encourage me, I finally decided to see if it lived up to its Hugo Award nomination. I am pleased to say that, unlike A Wizard of Earthsea, it seems to deserve its place on all those ‘Top Fantasy Series’ lists out there. It does feel a little dated now, but it is fifty years old, so th...more
This is one of those series that I have always meant to read but has somehow never reached the top of my TBR pile. With the incentive of various challenges to encourage me, I finally decided to see if it lived up to its Hugo Award nomination. I am pleased to say that, unlike A Wizard of Earthsea, it seems to deserve its place on all those ‘Top Fantasy Series’ lists out there. It does feel a little dated now, but it is fifty years old, so th...more
I confess, I did not finish it. I am finding that navigating Norton's efforts at exotic to be tedious. I'm sure that if I had read it earlier in my life I would have enjoyed it more, but I don't have a tolerance for fantasy that does not explain itself a little. I'm a quarter way through the book, a short book, and I'm still being introduced to new characters that could be likable, but I just don't know where it will stop. I'm comparing her to Moorecock or Howard who use just such unreal exotic...more
This is a world in which magic and science meet and clash. The witches rule their domain and they have no experience with machinery. Then enters Simon, someone from outside their world and their rules don't necessarily apply to him. I truly like Simon. He faces events with fortitude...something people seem to have forgotten just lately in this fast food generation. For instance, he thinks the end is near, so sits down to have a steak dinner as a last meal. No whining; no crying; just dinner.
I a...more
I a...more
Nov 28, 2012
Agnieszka
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
speculative-fiction,
fiction
I will be perfectly honest with you: this isn't a great work of literature or even a very good book. I read it first in middle school and it changed my life. I've re-read it since multiple times and it still holds a strange spell over me.
The characters are rather broadly sketched and the world is too. This is fantasy in the simple escapist style of Edgar Rice Burroughs. It's genre fiction in a pure form. Yet there is something, something about the Witch World that takes root inside me, and based...more
The characters are rather broadly sketched and the world is too. This is fantasy in the simple escapist style of Edgar Rice Burroughs. It's genre fiction in a pure form. Yet there is something, something about the Witch World that takes root inside me, and based...more
Very interesting to read this first book in the series. It gets straight to the point & the story is told quickly. I thought Simon a bit slow on the uptake regarding Briant's sex but other than that he's a great action hero.
back cover:
Ex-colonel Simon Tregarth was a hunted man - and the hunt was beginning to come to its inevitable deadly end. Tregarth was desperate, and his situation required a desperate solution. His only alternative, however, was wild beyond any imagining - sorcery. Simon...more
back cover:
Ex-colonel Simon Tregarth was a hunted man - and the hunt was beginning to come to its inevitable deadly end. Tregarth was desperate, and his situation required a desperate solution. His only alternative, however, was wild beyond any imagining - sorcery. Simon...more
I read this years and years ago, when I was merely an egg, but decided to reread it today to distract myself from the 4th of July wretchedness. Andre Alice Norton is primarily known for creating the genre of Romantic SFF; Lois McMaster Bujold and Diana Gabaldon, among others, owe their allegiance to Norton.
The novel itself holds up better than I thought it would. Recommended for fans of Anne McCaffrey, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Vonda McIntyre, etc.
The novel itself holds up better than I thought it would. Recommended for fans of Anne McCaffrey, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Vonda McIntyre, etc.
A fish out of water story where a man from our world is thrust into another and has to fend for himself.
Sadly, the main character is rather plain and somewhat annoying. And the story itself is a bit too straightforward fantasy for my taste. Not enough dark and gritty and humorous for me.
Had I come at this at an earlier age, or before having read all the fantasy that I have, this might have been a really good entry into the genre.
As it is, it was simply "ok".
Two and half stars, rounded up to thre...more
Sadly, the main character is rather plain and somewhat annoying. And the story itself is a bit too straightforward fantasy for my taste. Not enough dark and gritty and humorous for me.
Had I come at this at an earlier age, or before having read all the fantasy that I have, this might have been a really good entry into the genre.
As it is, it was simply "ok".
Two and half stars, rounded up to thre...more
I had read this as a kid but didn't remember more than the basic idea of a 20th century Earthman being mystically transported to a sword and sorcery world. The magic is low-key and not really understood even by the witches who use it. There's what could have been an interesting mix of science with the magic except since neither is explained, much of the contrast is lost.
I haven't quite finished this book yet, but for those of you interested in older sci-fi, Andre Norton is/was a pro. In the book Witch World, we travel to a strange new world with a character right out of the World War era. I don't know about you, but this kind of scenario totally suits me. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series.
I remember reading this back in the late 80s.
Unfortunately, I'd already bought the first three books in this series before reading the first. And that's as far as I ever got. I did try a couple of times though.
I don't know why, but the interesting idea behind this adventure never grabbed me. I was never able to relate to the main character to start off with.
This is definitely a book I should reread now. Until then ...
Unfortunately, I'd already bought the first three books in this series before reading the first. And that's as far as I ever got. I did try a couple of times though.
I don't know why, but the interesting idea behind this adventure never grabbed me. I was never able to relate to the main character to start off with.
This is definitely a book I should reread now. Until then ...
My first Andre Norton read. Very enjoyable with some very gripping protagonists. Simon Tregarth is one of the more memorable heroes I've read about. The book opens with him being hunted and him realizing he's running out of options. So best to have a good meal before the hunters reach you. Simon Tregarth could take on Chuck Norris.
This is one of those books I have read over and over again. One of my favorite imaginings as a young teen. Troubled Ex-colonel travels through magic gate into a different world which needs his specific talents to pull through.
As a young man I also approved of Jaelinthe's strength in the face of adversity.
As a young man I also approved of Jaelinthe's strength in the face of adversity.
I like this book, but found it rather difficult to read. The language is a bit antiquated which means a lot less speed reading for me. =)
Also there are leaps of time that aren't indicated, sometimes from paragraph to paragraph.
I think the book would have benefited from a bit of editing just for a bit more clarification and also to shore up the formatting a bit. I feel like just a few minor nips and tucks would really have made this book shine.
Never the less the story was quite entertaining. Re...more
Also there are leaps of time that aren't indicated, sometimes from paragraph to paragraph.
I think the book would have benefited from a bit of editing just for a bit more clarification and also to shore up the formatting a bit. I feel like just a few minor nips and tucks would really have made this book shine.
Never the less the story was quite entertaining. Re...more
Not bad for 0.79 at St Vinny's! Classic sci-fi saga, penned by Andre AKA Alice Norton, who was born in 1912 and wrote this at the age of 51, with many still to follow after it. (I wonder what it was like to be her??) A nice book if you're looking for a two night page-turner.
This was one of the first fantasy books I ever read. Recently I tried to re-read it and was pretty disappointed. Yeah, so Andre Norton may not be the best writer, but she introduced me to a whole new genre of fiction and it really stuck. I think her books have heart.
I have to be honest... I didn't even finish this book. I don't do that very often, especially with books this short, but it had to be done. It hadn't caught me at all by the halfway point. It was taking me forever to read each page because I'd zone out and read the same paragraph over and over again without realizing it. The characters, the story... None of it was interesting to me. I know a lot of people love this series, and I really wanted to love it too, but it just wasn't doing it for me.
I'...more
I'...more
3 likes · like · see review
I started reading Andre Norton in the mid 60's. Loved them then and now. Great adventure, gripping story lines, strong women and men doing the right thing. What's not to like?
Meh. Very definitely fantasy from the early 60's. Sort of a stepping stone between the pulp of the 40's and 50's, and the better stuff (in my opinion) to come like LeGuin onwards.
if you like fantasy and sci-fi, you need to read Andre Norton. I remember the magic of discovering this series. and time allowed, I will read it again.
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Born February 17, 1912 in Cleveland, Ohio, Alice Mary Norton has always had an affinity to the humanities. She started writing in her teens, inspired by a charismatic high school teacher. First contacts with the publishing world led her, as many other contemporary female writers targeting a male-dominated market, to choose a literary pseudonym. In 1934 she legally changed her name to Andre Alice....more
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