Elvenblood: The powerful magic of ruthless Elvenlord masters has for centuries ruled the world. Even Shana, the legendary Elvenbane prophesied to deliver the oppressed into freedom, is helpless before such power. She and her ragtag band of outcasts, half-blood wizards, escaped human slaves, and free-thinking dragons have gained only a token victory against the mighty lords. Only the long-forgotten Iron People, a band of human nomads, have escaped the tyranny of the reigning wizards. How have they survived through the centuries? As the winds of change sweep the world, and as tensions seething beneath the surface of Elven society threaten to break into open revolt, Shana meets the ancient tribe. Could an age-old secret free Shana and her people…or will its discovery call down their doom?
Elvenborn: For generations, Elvenlords have ruled the world, holding sway over humans and half-bloods alike. But the peace was shattered when the Elvenbane emerged to lead a rebellion against them. And now the Elvenlords’ own children, grown old enough to want their own power, have begun their own revolt, and are seizing the houses of noble Elvenlords. The Elvenlords need a new military leader, and they find one in Krytian, a quiet, un-ambitious Elvenlord who has studied the art of war since his father disappeared years ago while searching for the Great Portal through which the Elvenborn came to this world. Kyrtian proves to be the Elvenlords’ best military mind. But as he fights the young lords, his scheming cousins Aelmarkin and Triana are hatching a plot to take over his estates. And his greatest supporter, Lord Kyndreth, is as wily a politician as any among the elite. Kyrtian can defeat any foe on the field of battle…but can he survive his “allies”?
The Five Senses series
The Hands of Lyr Once the magnificent garden of the goddess Lyr, the land called the Ryrt lies blackened and desolate -- Destroyed by an ancient and cunning depravity. It is here that the beautiful child Alnosha came -- to awaken, to learn… and to hone her astonishing ability to divine by touch. Now years have passed, snd snother has made his way to this terrible ruied place – an embittered High Born youth fleeing the bloodthirsty sevants of a false god. And though he mistrusts Alnosha’s powers, the fugitive Kryn is inexplicably drawn to the reluctant young heroine. For he has been chosen to serve as her sword and champion – to accompany her into the malevolent heart of an all-consuming darkness on a perilous quest for light.
Mirror of Destiny The Industrial Monster has descended upon Varslaad, devouring all the arable land in its path. By royal decree, the displaced must venture into the treacherous woodland domain of a strange and secret race. The King's lottery has determined that Twilla, young, orphaned apprentice of a renowned wise woman, must marry -- for only the wedded can survive the terrible fate awaiting those who penetrate the primeval forest. Altered by a talisman of great power, she escapes her unwanted lot -- joining a commander's tragically blinded son on a remarkable journey from peril to peril. For they are the chosen who must rescue the vanquished of an ancient war of magic’s. . . and shape the destiny of a bloody, disputed land.
Sent of Magic Over the course of six decades, Grand Master Andre Norton has created a universe of diverse and unforgettable worlds – yet none more compelling and alive than the city Kronengred in a faraway dukedom; a place rich in intoxicating aromas that are capable of strange enchantments… and devastating malevolence. An orphaned child and captive scullery maid, young Willadene possesses an uncanny ability to sense and understand the magical odors that pervade her world. It is this remarkable talent--or curse--that carries her far from the fetid kitchen into an apprenticeship with a revered herbalist and ultimately to the highest circles of the Ducal court. But there is depravity lurking within the castle's walls, inspiring brazen treacheries and usurpations--and foul abduction as unthinkable as it is unexpected. Something horribly strange and forbidden struck at the dawn of a new day of corruption and terror. And an innocent girl finds the heightened sense that has been her fortune is now drawing her down into a maelstrom of evil.
Wind in the Stone Once the Wind united the Valley with the Forest, enveloping them in the strongest of magics which protected the land and banished the threatening Darkness. And there was peace for many centuries…Until the Dark returned. A mage, seeking to enslave the Valley and destroy the Forest, has brutally sundered a family. A mother has fled into the woods with her infant girl-child, while the depraved sorcerer holds the babe's twin--a boy--captive in a black tower. The mother dies but the girl survives. Adopted by the strange denizens of the Forest--safe from the mage's malevolent influence--she grows to young womanhood, cultivating a cherished skill that has been denied the others of her kind: the ability to truly hear the sounds of her world. But her future will be fraught with trial and terror, for only she can smash the chains that shackle the Balley and its inhabitants. It is her destiny to confront sorcerer and demon minions, and to oppose the one she must conquer and free: the magician's protégé and her most powerful adversary. Her bane and blood. Her brother.
A Taste of Magic Wisteria is magically attuned to the world around her. Her senses relish the tastes of magic that the wonders of nature offer. But the peacefulness of her backwoods existence is shattered when her village is attacked by the raiding force of the bellicose Lord Purvis, who leaves only this twenty-something magic wielder and an adolescent lass as the inadvertent survivors. Wisteria has pledged herself to a mission. Now she and her young ward must brave the wilds beyond their home in pursuit of the ravager who destroyed everyone near and dear to their hearts. The woman with the Taste of Magic now has a taste for vengeance, and the blood oath she has pledged must be satisfied with the life of Lord Purvis.
Carolus Rex series
Leopard in Exile (with Rosemary Edghill) Under King Charles II, England's New World colonies are flourishing, as is France's colony Louisianne. Napolean is the dreaded Master of the European continent . . . And Sarah Cunningham, a woman from our own world, knows all too well what a difference this makes, for not long ago she was ripped from her life as a United States citizen in our history. Sarah, now the Duchess of Wessex, journeys to North America with her new husband, the Duke - but this is no pleasure trip. The fate of the world - New and Old - rests on her saving her friend Meriel, rescuing Louis, rightful King of France, from the clutches of the Marquis de Sade, and finding the Holy Grail. But she and her beloved Duke are beset by perils that will test their strength and spirit to the utmost.
Oak-Ash series
To the King a Daughter: The Book of the Oak (with Sasha Miller)Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan: the four powers of the world, all once great and mighty, now yielding to the effects of centuries of war. A Kink of Oak and a Queen of Yew sit on the thrones of the land – the King a drunken lout, the Queen a magical schemer. Ash and Rowan are nearly dead, their totem trees in the sacred square withering away to nothing.All is falling into place for the power hungry Queen Ysa, who will stop at nothing to ensure the continuation of her line. Her Expertise in the dark arts all but guarantees her success, and the wooden rings of royalty have transferred themselves to her hands of their own accord. Nothing and no one escapes her notice or her wrath. Only one thing may stand in her way: a long-ago prophecy that a Daughter of Ash will one day rise again to reclaim her rightful place on the throne. Queen Ysa’s shrewd machinations have seen to it that none of the House of Ash remains alive. But deep in the swamps, in the care of the witch-healer all need and fear, there is a young girl who cannot be the witch’s daughter; a girl who by virtue of her beauty, elegance, and simmering power can only be a Daughter of Ash, the one who will rise to fulfill the prophecy - and the destiny of her birthright.
Knight or Knave: The Book of the Yew (with Sasha Miller) Times are changing in Rendelsham. The old King is dead, and the foolish Prince Florian has assumed the throne. Florian's mother, Queen Ysa of the House of Oak, still controls the land from behind the scenes, but her job grows more difficult every day. Her unworthy, headstrong son is harder to control than her husband was, and she must spend more time than ever masking her own movements. The barbarian Sea-Rover clan presents problems from the edge of the Bog, Ysa's newest magical ally has been exposed as a traitor, and still the unknown yet encroaching threat from the North continues to grow. Ashen, heir to the nearly dead House of Ash and illegitimate half-sister of the boy king, is the only force for good in the kingdom. To keep her further from the throne, Ysa has arranged for her to be married and far from Rendelsham—and Ashen, eager to be away from the predatory politics of the palace, is happy to go. But duty overwhelms personal desire in matters of the court, and soon she must return to Rendelsham for the good of the kingdom. Through births and deaths, marriages and duels, love and betrayal, magic and force, the four Houses of Rendelsham can only survive by the strength of their unity—but is unity possible in such a court of intrigue as this one?
A Crown Disowned: The Book of the Ash and the Rowan (with Sasha Miller)The Earth is shaking and splitting as the forces from the North draw nearer. The Ice Dragon Riders are speaking to the land, and more fire mountains awaken in the Bog. Rohan seeks to join forces with Tusser, leader of the Bog-folk, as Queen Ysa raises an army to clear the Bog. War draws closer until even the Queen cannot deny it any longer. Raids from the North increase and for the first time, the Riders of the Ice Dragons appear. It is time for the Queen to give up her game of pitting one faction against another. Four great armies assemble and they all march under the same banner. Though they do not and cannot represent the Four Trees, this is nevertheless seen as a good omen. Many good men from all four armies fall in battle, yet the Great Foulness is still at large. Is the combined might of the four powers enough to free the land from evil?
Dragon Blade: The Book of the Rowan (with Sasha Miller) Over a year has passed since the defeat of the Great Foulness, and the ravaged earth has begun to heal. Lost for generations, the signet rings of the Four Great Houses—Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan—have been restored to their rightful heirs. And Ashen NordornQueen, mistress of the Land of Ever Snow, looks forward to a life of peace and happiness with her beloved husband and their newborn son—only to learn that an ancient evil still threatens all that she holds dear. The Mother Ice Dragon, the fearsome progenitor of her deadly breed, has awakened from slumber to menace the world anew. Legend holds that only the Dragon Blade, forged from the scales of her vanquished mate, can slay the deadly female dragon, but the Dragon Blade has been lost for ages. As Ashen embarks on a perilous quest to find the mystic sword, she leaves her castle and homeland in the care of her closest friends, including Rannore, Lady of the Rowan, who soon faces danger of a different sort....
Knight of the Red Beard (with Sasha Miller) Having rebuilt the NordornLand from rubble, Ashen and Gaurin rule justly and fairly over a reinvigorated land. Beloved by their kingdom, they now turn their attention to the next generation of Nordorn royalty. Responsible Bjaudin, heir to the throne, focuses on his studies and Hegrin, Queen of Rendel, rears her own growing brood. But the youngest siblings, Elin and Mikkel, seem destined to alter the future of the NordornLand—for better or for worse. Thirteen-year-old Elin craves power, and believes her new alliance with the evil Ysa may help her achieve it. Eleven-year-old Mikkel stows away on a Sea-Rover ship, hoping for a brief adventure. But when the ship is attacked, Mikkel is taken prisoner, and soon his bonds to the NordornLand are the last thing on his mind. Through births and deaths, celebration and wars, Ashen and Gaurin have worked tirelessly to bring peace and prosperity to their kingdom. But it appears that this era of peace may be at its end. This final installment of the Cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan brings the series to a thrilling climax worthy of these fascinating characters.
Trillium series
Blood Trillium (by Julian May) Twelve years after the princess Haramis, Kadiya, and Anigel wielded the three-part Scepter of Power to vanquish the sorcerer Orogastus, the Archimage Haramis is visited by a fugitive who brings dire news. A sorcerer has escaped from the Klimilon, remote Land of Fire and Ice, to established himself through force of magic as Portolanus, Master of Tuuzamen. Haramis's talisman cannot--or will not--tell her whether Portolanus is the long-banished Orogastus, but it brings ominous intelligence: The sorcerer has brought from his exile a magical object that can unbound the three talismans of the Scepter, transferring their powers from the sisters to Portolanus himself. Even more fearsome, Haramis's talisman reveals a grave threat to the unity of the sisters and the future of Ruwenda . . .for the sacred Black Trillium contained within the amulet worn by each sister has changed, its petals stained the color of blood.
Golden Trillium One of the famed triplet princesses who defeated the evil sorcerer Oragustus, Kadiya ventures forth into the choked swamplands of Ruwenda to seek her own destiny among the Oddlings she once led in battle. Armed with her mystical three-eyed sword, she reaches the lost city of the Vanished Ones and discovers a strange race of dream-catchers called Hassitti whose vision brings chilling warning of a lethal plaque that sows the land with death. Now Kadiya, with only three companions to aid her, journeys into the Thorney Hell, realm of the cannibalistic saurian Skritek, to stop the carrier of the evil disease. Here they discover a portal leading to a universe of awesome darkness – an entranceway to a horror that threatens the very existence of the world of the Three Moons.
Lady of the Trillium (by Marion Zimmer Bradley) When the aging princess Haramis, Archmage of Ruwenda and protector of its lands, senses her impending death, she settles upon young Princess Mikayla as her successor-heedless of the fact that her plans ignore Mikayla's own desires. Set against the background created in Black Trillium (co-authored with Julian May and Andre Norton, LJ 8/90), Bradley's latest novel focuses not on the cliched battle between good and evil but rather on the more subtle war of the misunderstanding and intolerance found between old and young. Poignant in its depiction of old age, this is a strong addition to most libraries. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Bradley writes the latest sequel to Black Trillium (1990), the fantasy she created with Julian May and Andre Norton that has generated several successful progeny, all by her lonesome. Her tale concerns the triplet princesses of Ruwenda and their fight to save their homeland. Some time back, Princess Haramis became, on next to no notice, archimage of Ruwenda and had to learn how to handle both her powers and her office as she went along. Now she is aging and must groom a successor. Her determination unleashes a storm of personal and political intrigues, both mundane and magical. With her well-established talents for depicting female characters, political shenanigans, and potent magic, Bradley turns out a thoroughly satisfying yarn that brings to a fine conclusion a project that might have been a disaster in lesser hands.
Sky Trillium (by Julian May) After high fantasy grandes dames Marion Zimmer Bradley, Andre Norton and Julian May collaboratively created a quest saga on the magical World of the Three Moons with Black Trillium (1991), May carried on the series by herself (Blood Trillium, 1993). Now, in order to save that world, the series' three sister-heroines must battle the power-hungry Star Men in order to forge a mysterious Sceptre of Power from the supernatural talismans that are relics of the Vanished Ones who nearly destroyed the world. One of the sisters, Queen Anigel, pregnant with triplet princes and dismissing herself as the least courageous of the three Petals of the Black Trillium, has lost her talisman. A second, Kadiya, warrior Lady of the Eyes, wields an impotent sword despite her dashing bravado. And the third sister, Haramis, Archimage of the Land, finds the third talisman, The Wand of the Wings, key to unifying the Sceptre, threatened by her unwilling love for Orogastus, leader of the Star Men. May traces her characters' paths through the inevitable bog, battle, ambush and torture chamber. It opens with evil magic from the ancient "war of enchantment" reasserting itself and unleashing a host of natural disasters. Only the Sky Trillium can defeat this evil, and only the talismans of the three princesses in unison can control the Trillium. Unfortunately, one talisman is missing, another has lost its power, and common court intrigue threatens to sabotage the search for the lost one and the relationship of the three princesses. The princesses remain engrossing characters, and the rest of the story, though leaning more toward standard fantasy than its predecessors, displays May's usual brisk pacing, command of the language, and deftness at world building. Maybe this is not the book with which to start the saga, but it is an admirable continuation of it that will gratify readers already hooked by it.
Witch World - The Turning
Storms of Victory The Witches of Estcarp defeated Pagin of Karsten when they caused the Turning, a massive cataclysm that moved mountains to block the invasion. But the witches’ enormous use of magic crippled their powers and brought chaos and destruction to all of Witch World. At the Lormt sanctuary, a solitary chronicler is trying to bring people news of those lost or missing since the cataclysm. And to him come two rousing epics of heroism and triumph, one of a young Sulcar woman who awakens to her Power only to do battle with an Ancient Evil; the other a saga of a Dales Lady and the falconers who help her defend her lands from marauding pirates.Flight of Vengeance The only way the Witches of Estcarp could save their realm from the invaders was to combine their power in a vast Turning. So they willed a massive earth-movement that toppled mountains. But victory was bitter. Rivers shifted; the shape of the land was changed; hordes of innocent people lost homes, families, heritage…and the Witches’ power were spent in the enormous effort. Here is the saga of the heroic survivors who struggle to resurrect their world from its ruins: a young healer and a lost borderer find new hope and the means to thwart an ancient evil awakened by the cataclysm; while a Lady of the Dales and a Falconer lord fight a common otherworldly enemy. Excitement and adventure fill the pages of this second volume in the culminating epic of Andre Norton's Witch World, one of the most beloved fantasy worlds of all time.
On Wings of Magic Tumultuous changes reverberated throughout Witch World. The witches of Estcarp lay decimated by the massive mountain-moving magic of the Turning. Saving their world from invasion by Pager of Karsten wreaked a havoc all its own, and the face of the world has been racked by catastrophe. Now is a time of chaos; former enemies are thrust together; ordinary people must become heroes. A simple scribe holds the key to her village’s survival; the parents of a kidnapped girl challenge the mighty Hounds of Alizon, Karsten’s ally. Their fight against all odds to defeat the malicious magic of the Hounds is their only chance to win their way to freedom. This is the stuff of high adventure; memorable, enchanting.
Secrets of the Witch World series
The Key of the Keplain For time beyond memory, the fire-eyed Keplian horses have lured riders to their death, sating the blood lust of the Dark Tower. All Witch World knows that the hunted, hated beasts serve Evil--all except one young woman. Fleeing her home after her beloved grandfather dies, the orphaned Navajo-Comanche girl Eleeri follows an ancient and magical trail to Witch World. When she discovers the Keplian mare Tharna and her newborn colt in the hands of men eager to destroy them, Eleeri fights for their freedom. Running for their lives, psychic Eleeri and telepathic Tharna bond. And in a hidden canyon, they discover the awesome truth: The Keplians were created to serve Light, and to ride with humans.
The Magestone They were sworn enemies compelled to join forces against a greater foe... Mereth, a 75 year old woman from the Dales, has traveled to the famed archives at Lormt in search of her heritage. She was hoping to learn both her father's identity and the origin of an unusual jewel her mother had once given her as a betrothal gift - an ancient magestone that was stolen long ago. Kasarian, a nobleman of Alizon, had come to Lormt unintentionally - through a glowing portal he'd found in the lowest levels of his castle.
The two had no reason to trust one another. Magic was a way of life in the Dales while the Alizonders abhorred it, and the two lands had been at war for a millennium. Yet Mereth and Kasarian discovered they had a great deal in common - and a reason to join forces. For Kassarian was desperate to thwart the schemes of one of his countryman, an ambitious tyrant who was plotted to seize control of Alizon through an alliance with the dark wizards of Escore. And the key to his success was a strange magical device the mages possessed - Mereth's long-lost magestone.
Anthologies and Collections
Magic in Ithkar (4 vols) is a shared world anthology of fantasy stories edited by Andre Norton and Robert Adams. The book collects thirteen original short stories by various fantasy authors which share the setting of an annual fair in the city of Ithkar, together with an introduction by Adams and notes on the authors by Norton.
As described in the introduction by co-editor Robert Adams, the world of which Ithkar is a part has suffered from some past holocaust which wiped out an earlier, higher civilization. Subsequently, the area which became Ithkar became a base for the explorations of three godlike visitors, who came to be worshiped as actual deities after their departure. A temple and priesthood dedicated to them developed over succeeding generations, which held a yearly fair on the anniversary of the visitors' first arrival. The city of Ithkar grew up about the temple on the strength of the commerce the fair attracted.
The historical background provided appears science fictional in nature; the war that destroyed the previous culture is related in terms which suggest a nuclear war, complete with radiation-derived mutations of life-forms in the vicinities of the nuclear strikes, while the story of the visitors resembles an expedition of interstellar explorers. Present-day Ithkar is, however, a fantasy setting, in which wizards and sorcerers are rife, and magic works.Catfantastic (6 vols) Two of the biggest names in the fantasy field have put together a unique collection of fantastical cat tales for friends of furry felines. Cats work a special magic in these stories from the future, from the past, and from dimensions people never dream of.
Tales of the Witch World (3 vols) Almost 25 years after Norton created her much-loved Witch World series, she has invited 16 other writers to use that background. Her own contribution, a typically darkly imagined fragment, is followed by Robert Bloch's droll rewriting of the same story from another character's point of view. The other colorful, clearly told stories include Wilanne Belden's moving account of a strange child's survival in war and wilderness, Charles de Lint's tale of a wondrous white road, Ardath Mayhar's narrative of a young boy coming to terms with his ""witch borne'' powers and Elizabeth Scarborough's fable of a warrior meeting a new challenge: a baby needing a foster mother. This collection is a welcome exception to the tedium of most shared-world anthologies.
Four From the Witch World Four long stories, that is, not people or monsters or things: sort of a companion volume to the various Tales of the Witch World collections (most recently 1988). Again, Norton s role was limited to encouraging the authors to contribute. Thus, Elizabeth H. Boyer explores some problems with an inheritance; C.J. Cherryh writes of a Dale warrior and an Estcarp witch; Meredith Anne Pierce meditates on Gates and ecology; and Judith Tarr's Javanne masquerades as one of the traditionally all-male Falconers.
Moon Mirror A collection of stories from the Grand Mistress of Fantasy which are mostly from the seventies, with an general theme of environmental problems. My favorite was "The Toymaker's Snuffbox", which didn't fit the collection and was written in 1966, quite a bit earlier than the rest. (Goodreads)
Wizard's Worlds collects thirteen novellas, novelettes and short stories by Norton,most of them previously published in her collections High Sorcery (1970) and Lore of the Witch World (1980). The title story was previously published as "Wizards' World". Included are seven stories set in Norton's "Witch World" series ("Falcon Blood", "The Toads of Grimmerdale", "Changeling", "Spider Silk", "Sword of Unbelief", "Sand Sister", and "Were-Wrath".
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