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150th out of 764 books
—
203 voters
Water Witch
At the instigation of her con-artist father, Deza masquerades as a witch who can control the water supply of the desert planet of Mahali, in order to deceive its rulers and become rich, but the deception backfires.
Paperback, 224 pages
Published
August 1st 1996
by Ace Books
(first published 1982)
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Disappointing, but at least I only paid $.50 for it. I love Connie Willis's other work, but this one didn't do it for me. The setting was interesting enough: the world of Mahali is comprised largely of desert, with the water controlled for generations by "water witches", whose sensitivity to and mastery of the element allowed them to direct available water to specific areas, including changing the course of rivers to drain the underground chambers that now house their capital city. Over time, ho...more
Mar 10, 2011
Lindsey Duncan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
On the planet of Mahali, where the ancient talent for water-witching has been replaced by a computerized system, two characters collide: Deza, daughter of a con artist whose plan has gone horribly awry; and Radi, on a royally appointed mission to deal with the threat of the Tycoon. The story incorporates romance, adventure and intrigue on a river-ride to what seems like a no-win conclusion.
The feel of this story is intriguing: it's either a science fiction story with fantasy trappings, or a fant...more
The feel of this story is intriguing: it's either a science fiction story with fantasy trappings, or a fant...more
As far as I know Water Witch is Connie Willis' earliest work and it's a nice introduction to her world. The book was written thirty years ago but it hasn't aged at all, it feels like it could have been written two years ago. The characters and plot do lack depth compared to other novels by Willis and the story is predictable but the book is an entertaining nonetheless. There is a bit more romance than in other Connie Willis books I've read in the past but I've noticed that this usually happens w...more
This book is really by Cynthia Felice AND Connie Willis, despite what Goodreads lists above. Deza is a con artist trying to pass herself off as a water witch, someone with a supernatural ability to detect, control, and communicate through water, which is a big deal on this dry, poisonous planet. But her con isn't going well as her father has just died and his spirit has been transmuted into this goat-like creature that is sending her telepathic messages.
BTW, I liked this book about 100 times mo...more
BTW, I liked this book about 100 times mo...more
This book, co-written by Cynthia Felice, was Connie Willis' first published novel. (1982).
Unfortunately, although this book is a perfectly acceptable sci-fantasy adventure, it does not show any of the witty, original aspects that have subsequently catapulted Willis to the forefront of her field.
The cover blurb is by Andre Norton, and it reads very much like it was strongly influenced by Norton.
On a desert planet, controlling the underground water supply is of primary importance. Unfortunately, i...more
Unfortunately, although this book is a perfectly acceptable sci-fantasy adventure, it does not show any of the witty, original aspects that have subsequently catapulted Willis to the forefront of her field.
The cover blurb is by Andre Norton, and it reads very much like it was strongly influenced by Norton.
On a desert planet, controlling the underground water supply is of primary importance. Unfortunately, i...more
SF. For generations, water witches have ruled the desert planet of Mahali, their sensitivity to water allowing them to find and direct the underground river to where it's needed, but the current ruler has no sway over the water and must rely on a computer system to manipulate its flow. That actually sounds like a really interesting premise. Too bad this book chose to focus more on the poorly orchestrated murder attempts and the wandering around in the desert.
I have no idea who Cynthia Felice is...more
I have no idea who Cynthia Felice is...more
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One of my favorite old time SFR books. Great early Connie Willis (I actually like her earlier books which were character sketches-her newer books are world building and plot driven masterpieces but nothing comes close to a good character study-for me anyway!)
This is a sci fi story about a desert society where the rulers have an ability to detect water. The ruling princesses are given special cheek implants which further enhance this ability. At this time there is only one princess with this power, and she relies more on technology than any powers to detect and control water. There was a coup many years ago and the original rulers with this ability fled and were said to be dead. This story centers around a con-artist pretending to be the exiled princ...more
This wasn't as fun as "To Say Nothing of the Dog", but I enjoyed it. Will continue to read this author (Willis)
Once you meet all the main characters it is totally predicatable and not eapecially charming.
Obviously early Willis. It's good, but not great. I did enjoy it, though.
Obviously one of Willis's early efforts, I still enjoyed the glimpses of creative myths/technologies and their interweavings. This book has a lot of potential to be expanded and elaborated on at some future date.
thanks to the marvels of bookmooch, i got my hands on a copy of this (from iran, of all places). and it was a good, satisfying read, although not as good as Willis on her own, and not nearly as good as Promised Land. then again, not much is.
The worldbuilding was fascinating for this one, but I got hung up on how cliched it felt, despite some interesting twists and characterizations. [March 2010]
The blurb on the back wasn't accurate. Lots of political intrigue, which I don't like, but also some adventure and some interesting ideas.
May 16, 2013
Zoeeloise
marked it as to-read
May 04, 2013
Amadeus
marked it as to-read
Apr 16, 2013
Natalia
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mis-libros-en-ingles
Apr 11, 2013
Bonnie
marked it as to-read
Feb 12, 2013
Celeste
marked it as to-read
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