Book 3 of the first Witch World series and different from the first two, which told the story of Simon Tregarth, who came to Witch World from our world through an interdimensional gateway, and Jaelithe, one of the Witches. The first books are concerned with how Simon and Jaelithe spearhead the fight against the Kolder, an alien race who came through yet another gateway, and so can be classified as science fantasy, given the amount of technology in the stories as well as the Witch World's psychic witch powers.

This book is told from the viewpoint of their oldest son, Kyllan, first of triplets. He and his brother Kemoc, and sister Kaththea, inherited the abilities of their parents who shared a mental bond, despite the rejection of the other Witches who deplore the idea that men can share the Power as it is called. The first part covers their upbringing, with Jaelithe ill for months following the birth, and after her recovery a remote parent, as is their father. The children are given to a nurse to raise, and, in the case of the boys, a soldier to train in warrior skills as, despite the removal of the Kolder, the land of Estcarp is still under severe pressure from their enemies to the north and south. Friends of their parents, Koris and Loyse, who featured in the first two novels, stand in loco parentis. As the chidren develop, so does their mental three-way bond, similar to that shared by their parents.

The first tragedy which will shape their destiny strikes when they are about 12 and Simon is lost at sea. Jaelithe departs to search for him. After a few more years, Koris and Loiyse are unavoidably absent and this provides the opportunity for the family's enemies to strike. I won't say more about the plot, other than to say their paths will separate but lead them ultimately to a strange land, which is old rather than new, and that what they discover throws an illuminating light on the history of Estcarp and the restrictions now based on the Power.

This story differs from the first two which were action adventure with quite a science fictional flavour. This is much more of a straight fantasy, except that intriguing and odd characters appear which add a different flavour to the series. The narrative is possibly a little flat; old time fantasy such as this doesn't feature deep characterisation, angst and self examination. Characters face problems and just get on with things rather than agonise. Yet I liked the different setting of this book and the characters they meet who are reminiscent of the Irish Sidhe or some otherworldly group.

It's also easy to see again how influential Norton was, with a sequence involving a dark force within a stone ring that pulls in its prey in a spiraling walk - reminiscent of the same idea in a Roger Zelazny Amber novel except this precedes the Zelazny book by some years. Norton had new ideas which no one had thought of before and other writers often borrowed them and gave them a different spin, which is why she had such an influence on the genre.

Therefore an enjoyable read even though the story is left at a point in the proceedings where more is obviously to come, probably in the next volume. ( )

niente da fare... non va già.
Troppi nomi, luoghi da ricordare e abbinare, forse per il fatto che prima ci sono altri 2 libri...
Non mi piace lo stile di scrittura.
Lo rimetto in libreria. :( ( )

This is as awesome as the first time I read it in the 80s. ( )

Half earthling, half witch-brood -eek! Great cover art.

I need to re-read this before offering a proper review. Review pending. ( )