The Gates to Witch World (Witch World Chronicles) [Paperback]

The first Witch World novel was published in 1963 so this book almost marks the 40th anniversary.

In her Introduction, C. J. Cherryh refers to Norton's Witch World novels as "the good stuff". She is right. I am so pleased to have this omnibus collection of the three seminal Witch World novels although it can never replace my tattered old Ace paperbacks with the Jack Gaughin covers. It even felt a little odd to be reading clear text (minus some of the typos that Ace was notorious for) on a white page instead of the yellowing pages of the acidic paper of these old books.

However, I found myself just as caught up in the story of Simon Tregarth, the tarnished war hero who stepped through a gate ahead of an assassin into the world of Jaelithe, the Witch of Escarp, as I have ever been. The story of these two who fight, along with Koris of Gorm and Loyse of Verlaine, to try to preserve the ancient world of Escarp from the advance of the Kolder, is played out against a vivid background of cultures such as the Falconers, who value their hawks far more than their women; the Sulcar, valient seagoers; and last but not least the matriachal Witches who rule the land of Escarp through the power of the jewels and their minds.

The third book is Year of the Unicorn. It is set in High Hallack, a land of dales and small holdings. High Hallack has been torn by war with Alizon from overseas. This story is set after the war has been won when the Dalesmen are faced with meeting a bargain they made during their most desperate hours with a people they feared, the Were riders.

The premise is the barter of 13 brides for the services of the Were Riders against the hounds of Alizon. The heoine is Gillian, who also came from overseas on an Alizon ship as a child, but not of Alizon. The hero is Herrel who does not fit into the mould of his kinsmen and thus has suffered all his life as an outsider in a very close knit group.

Published in the 60's these books have not aged a bit and are as fresh as the first time I picked them up.

"The Gates to Witch World" combines the first three published Witch World novels of Andre Norton. The first two concern the adventures of Simon Tregarth, and the third, "Year of the Unicorn" is a stand-alone fantasy set in the Dales of High Hallack.

As the first fantasy, "Witch World" (1963) begins, Simon Tregarth, who worked his way up to Lieutenant-Colonel on the battlefields of World War II, is a hunted man, unjustly cashiered from the U.S. Army for dealing in the post-war blackmarket. Since Simon had been labeled as a crook, he figured he might as well play the game.

After seven years in the underworld, surrounded by his enemies and a gunshot away from death, Simon treats himself to a decent last meal (Andre Norton heroes and heroines NEVER whine. They assess the odds, then keep on slogging). Enter the mysterious Doctor Petronius who persuades Simon that he has nothing to lose by vanishing from his enemies' gunsights through the Siege Perilous, a Cornish megalith that is rumored to be a gate to other worlds. Simon leaves the restaurant with Petronius, almost positive that he is walking into a trap. Instead of the bullet he is expecting, our hero is transported to the foggy moors of a new world.

The action doesn't let up. The first thing Simon does is rescue a witch from a nasty bunch of snake-headed dogs and hunters (we don't learn the witch's name until the very end of the book). The next thing he knows, he's embroiled in a war where the good guys appear to be losing.

Simon allies himself with "a tall, proud-walking race with...the carriage of rulers and an odd weight of years upon them." His new home, medieval Estcarp is a matriarchate, ruled by witches, whose powers depend on their continuing virginity.

Nevertheless, Simon falls in love with the witch he rescued.

The enemies that he and Estcarp must confront have invaded Witch World via a gate similar to the Siege Perilous. The alien Kolder are technically advanced, with submarines and mind-control devices that they use to command their zombie soldiers.

Estcarp's only allies are the Sulcarmen, seafaring warriors and traders who lose their main port of Gorm to the Kolder. Simon, his friend Koris of Gorm, the witch he rescued from the Hounds of Alizon, and a youthful soldier called 'Briant' tread the mysterious byways of Estcarp and its warring neighbors, in an attempt to track down and destroy the technically superior aliens.

"Web of the Witch World" (WWW - 1964) is the sequel to "Witch World" (WW- 1963) and continues the story of Simon Tregarth and the witch, Jaelithe. Thematically, both WW and WWW will seem very familiar to fans of the late, great Andre Norton: a conflict between technically advanced, but soulless aliens, and courageous, sword-wielding men and women, who are attempting to make one last stand against the Powers of Evil.

Simon Tregarth and his witch-wife, Jaelithe once again find themselves in combat with the alien Kolder, who invaded Witch World through a gateway from their own dying planet. The Kolder were temporarily stymied in WW, but Simon and his fellow warriors know that they must somehow close the gate between worlds before there will truly be an end to the alien evil.

Witch-ruled Estcarp must do battle with her own neighbors as well as the aliens. Yvian of Karsten declares open war against the witches, and they in turn believe that he has somehow been tainted by the Kolder. The Hounds of Alizon, seething with hatred against all things magical must also be tamed.

The third fantasy, "Year of the Unicorn" (1965) is a grand adventure, a love story, a coming-of-age novel set like a jewel amidst the fantastical Dark and Light of Norton's Witch World. `Unicorn' veers away from the `mainstream' Witch World adventures of the Tregarth family, but it is perfect in its own setting: the Wastes and Dales of High Hallack.

Each setting, each character is illuminated with clear description and color, like scenes from a medieval Book of Hours. Even though I first read this book in 1965, I can still close my eyes and see Gillan and the ancient Dame Alousan gathering herbs in the high-walled garden of Norstead Abbey. I can see the twelve and one high-born maids riding forth from the Abbey - the twelve and one maids who were promised as brides to the Were-riders of the Waste.

The heroine, Gillan realizes that she is not meant for the quiet life of her vowed companions. She possesses a magic that is forbidden to the goodly Dames, and a restless curiosity that is stifled behind the stone walls of the Abbey. And so she rides forth, disguised as the bride who had threatened to kill herself rather than marry a Were-rider. In order to survive, Gillan must rely on her unschooled magic to separate illusion from reality, and true love from the snarling masks of the Were Pack.

Lifetime Grand Master of Fantasy, Andre Norton built well. There are 35 Witch World (WW) fantasies, and the count is probably still rising even though this author passed away on March 17, 2005. Many of the later WW novels were collaborations, and it wouldn't surprise me if her co-authors attempt to live on in the world that the Grand Master created. I wish them well, but so far they have not managed to penetrate the brilliantly weird landscapes of Andre Norton's imagination.

If you like fantasy and are not acquainted with the works of Andre Norton, then this is an excellent starting point. Believable, heroic characters and a well thought-out "Witch World" combine to make for an enjoyable read. Simon Tregarth is transported through a mysterious gate into a world populated by people and other things not people. A struggle goes on between good and evil, and it's not clear who is winning. (But, we know who wins in the end - "good", of course.) The style of writing - more of a story that unfolds as it is read - is one strength that characterizes her writings. That, and the fascinating settings, imaginative perils faced, and strong likable characters make this a "must read". This is a refreshing hard-to-put-down story. It does not suffer from the typical overinflated, overwordy, overcomplicated, and overcharacterized (and lifeless) features of the usual fantasy megathon offered today.