Captain Pausert thought his luck had finally turned-but he did not yet realize it was a turn for the worse. On second thought, make that a turn for...
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reviews
Dec 14, 2008
A.C
rated it: 
This is one of my favorites!!! A dazzling adventure with witches, spaceships and a dangerous species from another dimension.
And in the midst of it there is the Captain who only wanted to make enough money and gain a good reputation to marry his secret fiancee. But there is a little witch who has other plans ....
This book is just a lot of fun, very good written and with an original storyline.
And in the midst of it there is the Captain who only wanted to make enough money and gain a good reputation to marry his secret fiancee. But there is a little witch who has other plans ....
This book is just a lot of fun, very good written and with an original storyline.
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Jan 21, 2008
Leslita
rated it: 
I have lost count of how many times I've read this book. It is fairly old school sci fi, a "cult classik" , with a goofy Captain of a starship junk freighter who rescues 3 sisters. They sisters are young and have magic powers and are from the Witch Planet Karres. They have adventures. That's about it. There is a sequel made from notes much later that is ok, but not as much fun. If you want depth and literature, look elsewhere, but this is a fun and charming book. It goes in and out o
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Dec 09, 2010
Rosewin
rated it:
"...might have begun to develop some other perception. At any rate, he was receiving impressions of another kind here; and the impressions had kept getting more definite. The best description would have been to say he was aware of a speck of blackness which seemed to be in a constant blur of internal motion...
...And there it was, he thought. Something he was neither seeing—it couldn't be seen—nor imagining, because it was there and quite real. It came closest to being a visual imp More...
...And there it was, he thought. Something he was neither seeing—it couldn't be seen—nor imagining, because it was there and quite real. It came closest to being a visual imp More...
Mar 29, 2010
Peter
rated it:
Schmitz started this series of two books finsihed with "The Wizard of Karres." I first read the Witches when I was a young person and remember that I liked it very much. I decided to read it again, maybe 40 years later and I still liked it. That says something. It certainly isn't any great piece of literature, but it has lasting charm. It's about a scifi piece about a spaceship captain that rescues three little girls who have been enslaved on a miserable planet. He buys them and t
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Oct 20, 2010
Jay
rated it:
This is my all time favorite book, because in addition to being both charming and exciting, it's virtually a demonstration piece on how to suck in a reader and educate them in the terms of the story without lecturing them.
It begins simply, with a spacecraft captain—the honest, smug, and a bit naive Captain Pausert—taking a quiet walk through a quiet backwater town on a quiet backwater planet.
The captain is a nice man, trying to do the right thing and live an uneventful life More...
It begins simply, with a spacecraft captain—the honest, smug, and a bit naive Captain Pausert—taking a quiet walk through a quiet backwater town on a quiet backwater planet.
The captain is a nice man, trying to do the right thing and live an uneventful life More...
Feb 04, 2012
Tom
rated it:
On the Ace Science Fiction edition of this book, which I bought at the age of 14, one of the plugs was "a slam-bang space happy fantasy!" Fans of the "Firefly" TV series will find much to love in this book -- Captain Mal of the Serenity and Captain Pausert of the Venture would understand each other, I think. I reread this book after some forty years and found it was still good fun, even if a little more simple than I recalled. Nonetheless, there's something about the lure
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Oct 13, 2007
Thannasset
rated it:
Read this for fun, it's a romp--no pretensions to being great literature, just out to sell/tell a fine story. recommended for lovers of classic sf.
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Aug 05, 2011
PF
rated it:
One of my favorite stories, largely because of the humor (both situational and as intrinsic to the characters) and the unconventional characterizations. A clever plot packs a lot of action and character development in a short space. Like Terry Pratchett, Schmitz has written what appears superficially to be a lighthearted romp but which includes a great deal of subtle (and often overlooked) complexity and depth. The focus is less on science and more on issues related to culture, convention, tradi
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Dec 29, 2009
Melody
rated it: 
This was a swooping delight of an old-school sci-fi adventure. It was written back in 1966 and I'd never heard of it until last week. The writing was inventive- so inventive, in fact, that whenever Schmitz found himself at what could be a sticky plot point, he invented a new word/entity/force to get his heroes out of the jam. So just rell the vatch and go along for a dizzying, ridiculous and enjoyable ride. Goofy like Pratchett, only with less internal coherence. And I don't mean that in a bad w
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Jan 01, 2012
Max
rated it:
This was a really fun, lightly humorous sci-fi adventure novel. And, if it wasn't for some slightly dated material (paper-bound law manuals, cigarette smoking), it would have been hard to guess that this was written in 1966 instead of 2011 or so. The female characters, children and adult alike, are written particularly well, even by modern standards, let alone those of the mid-60's. The writing is a little disjointed here and there, but the charm, pacing, and sheer novelty of ideas more than
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Jul 02, 2011
D.L.
rated it:
This reprint of the 1966 classic is a thoroughly enjoyable and hard to put down book. When Captain Pausert of Nikkeldepain rescues three children from slavery, he has no idea what he is getting himself into, nor does he realize they are witches from the proscribed and mysterious planet of Karres. All of the major characters in this novel are very engaging and the adventure Schmitz crafts for them is as fresh today as the best of any current books in this genre. Read this book!
Nov 19, 2010
Asher
rated it: 
I bought this on the generally very good reviews, but was quite dissapointed, really.
There are no glaring flaws with this novel, solid structure and competent writing.
However it simply didnt do anything for me, i felt no connection whatsoever to any of the characters or really cared what was going on.
Also the science aspect of the science-fiction is pretty much non existent, only serving as a cardboard cutout backdrop to the story, the same with the fantasy/magic aspects
There are no glaring flaws with this novel, solid structure and competent writing.
However it simply didnt do anything for me, i felt no connection whatsoever to any of the characters or really cared what was going on.
Also the science aspect of the science-fiction is pretty much non existent, only serving as a cardboard cutout backdrop to the story, the same with the fantasy/magic aspects
Dec 15, 2010
Kernos
rated it:
This is classic '60's space opera, which hold up well today. It takes place in a universe in the far future when humans have spread throughout the galaxy and have speciated to some extend, most obviously those humans known as the Witches of Karres. The Witches seem to have magic, or to be able to sense and manipulate a strange force in the universe enabling them to manipulate matter in various ways. Sounds a bit like Star Wars, no? Indeed, one wonders if George Lucas was familiar with the novel.
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Dec 29, 2009
Jackie "the Librarian"
rated it:
This one's an old SF classic with a little bit of witchcraft mixed in. It's been a while since I've read it, but there was space travel, and some kind of special warp drive, powered by magic. The magic comes from three sisters, who are the witches of the title. They meet a pilot, and he is helpless in their clutches. He falls for one of them, but they have other plans.
Lots of fun, I love the mix of SF and witchcraft, and the sly sense of humor the sisters have.
Lots of fun, I love the mix of SF and witchcraft, and the sly sense of humor the sisters have.
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Dec 14, 2010
Joseph
rated it:
Another childhood favorite, and another book that showed me there was a wider world outside Brooklyn. (Even if this world was imaginary.) Schmitz is best known for his short stories, which are frequently dark, sometimes violent. This novel, on the other hand, is a lark, featuring vivid monsters, a swashbuckling hero in the Han Solo mode (but the book came first!) and three little witches with very different powers and the desire to use them. Pure fun.
Dec 11, 2010
Genevieve's Human
rated it:
I almost didn't read this because of the back cover description. I'm glad I did. The plot is light scifi, but the characters are charming. The main voice is similar to Hamelin's protagonist in Time Enough for Love. The universe is well-constructed and interesting. It's space opera without being as heavy or long as many of the classics.
May 20, 2009
Nicole
rated it:
Young Capt Pausert is like the proverbial the duck out of water in dealing with three young women he rescues. In trying to return them to their parents after freeing them from slavery he discovers they really are members of a group he had considered urban legends. Maleen, Goth, and the Leewit direct him to their home world where he finds they are witches from the not so mythical planet Karres.
Now he finds having actually met the witches he is subject to laws concerning contact with this gr More...
Now he finds having actually met the witches he is subject to laws concerning contact with this gr More...
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May 11, 2010
Celeste
rated it:
This is a little-known sci-fi/fantasy parody and is a hilarious book if you can find it. It's been out of print for years, but it's a fantastic read. If you see it on a store shelf, snatch it up quick!
Nov 18, 2011
Connie
rated it:
My dad gave this to me to read when I was ten and it started my journey into the realm of Fantasy/Sci-Fi. It is a fantastic space opera! If you are a fan of Star Wars you will love this book.
Feb 02, 2010
Donita
rated it:
have found this book again and again in used bookstores, purchased it and given it away. An all-time fave- have nightmares about that spider to this day and I first read it in college in the 70's
Nov 25, 2009
Dennis
rated it:
This is one of my favorite books. I first read this in the 60's in the old Ace science specials. Great world building that contains Vatches , sheem robots , worm weather and other strange things.
Apr 14, 2009
Georgina
rated it:
Another fantastic adventure with more of a sci fi twist than paranormal. I've had this book since 1966 and still pick up to read it from time to time, it's just that good!
Mar 13, 2011
Booknerd
rated it: 
I had a hard time with this because of the chaotic, jerky nature of the narrative, as well as the age of the material, though that was secondary. Things kept jumping back and forth with very sudden, somewhat unclear resolutions.
Dec 22, 2010
Anna
rated it:
This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I remember my father reading it to me and my brother. It was full of adventure, humor, and excitement. A great read.
Sep 26, 2009
Sharon
rated it:
My copy is a hardcover published by Chilton Books of Philadelphia, copyright 1966 by James H. Schmitz, second printing, February 1967. Cover price $4.95 It does bears no discernible ISBN number.
Aug 30, 2009
Jeremy
rated it:
This is one I just happened to pick up and I was hugely surprised by how good it was. I think it made it into my favorites list :)
Feb 03, 2011
Jan
rated it:
Rather cutesy. It did not develop as much as it should have. Let it sit for months with only about 20 pages to finish.
Dec 19, 2010
Lauren
rated it:
A fun, light romp involving witches whose abilities can solve every plot twist. The world is created decently, the writing is adequate and there are some neat characters. If you're in the mood for a throwaway sci fi read, this would be a great pick.
Dec 21, 2011
Larry
rated it:
4.5 stars. Good story, funny. I am sorry to see there where no more books written with these characters.
