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Andre Norton

1912-
2005

Reviewed by Kat Hooper,
Tim Scheidler, Kelly Lasiter

Alice Mary Norton, who wrote under the pseudonym Andre Norton, wrote hundreds of short stories, stand-alone novels, collaborations, and series in several genres (mostly science fiction and fantasy). She was the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master Award from the World Science Fiction Society (1977). In 1983 she received the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America. Because of her tremendous influence on other writers, she is often referred to as the Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy.

Click covers to view available formats, including audio & Kindle.

Witch World — (1963-2005) This series, her most popular, is more properly called "science fantasy." Many of these novels are co-authored, and some include related short stories. Some are available on audio. Publisher: The story of Simon Tregarth, who fled the Earth through an inter-dimensional gate and ended up in a world where magic worked and the forces of evil threatened the benevolent witches who lived there.

Witch World novels written solely by Lyn McConchie are found on our McConchie page.

Witch World: Estcarp — Andre Norton enthralled readers for decades with thrilling tales of people challenged to the limits of their endurance in epic battles of good against evil. None are more memorable than her Witch World novels. Simon Tregarth, a man from our own world, escapes his doom through the gates to the Witch World. There he aids the witch Jaelithe's escape from the hounds of Alizon, only to find himself embroiled in a deeper war against an even deadlier foe: the Kolder.

Andre Norton Three Against the Witch World

Andre Norton Sorceress of the Witch World

Andre Norton Witch World The Gate of the Cat

Songsmith, The Turning Storms of Victory, Flight of Vengeance, On Wings of Magic, The Key of the Keplian, Ciara's Song, The Duke's Ballad, The Magestone, The Warding of Witch World, Silver May Tarnish

Available for download at Audible.com
Omnibus editions

Andre Norton Witch World: THe Gates to Witch World, Lost Lands, Swords and Spells, Horn Crown, Spell of the Witch World, The Jargoon Pard, Zarthor's Bane, The Crystal Gryphon, Gryphon in Glory, Gryphon's Eyrie

Witch World: High Hallack — Were-Wrath (the one with the funny cover) is a short story and a rare title — There were only 175 printed (but the story is also published in the Wizards' Worlds collection).

Lore of the Witch World, Were-Wrath, High Sorcery

Witch World: The Turning — There is an omnibus edition (Secrets of the Witch World) that contains the last three books.

Collections of short stories about Witch World — some stories are written by other authors

Tales of the Witch World, Four from Witch World

Tales of the Witch World, Four from Witch World 2 Andre Norton

Tales of the Witch World, Four from Witch World 3 Andre Norton

Witch World

Simon Tregarth knows he’s about to die — he’s being hunted down by a professional assassin and he has a “feeling” that it’s going to happen tonight. But then the infamous Doctor Petronius interrupts Simon as he’s savoring his last meal and offers him an escape. Dr. Petronius’s services don’t come cheap, but this expense is a no-brainer (after all, you can’t take it with you). The only downside is that neither Simon nor Dr. Petronius knows where Simon is actually going, for he will sit on King Arthur’s Siege Perilous and be sent to a world where his soul is at home…

Andre Norton (her real name was Alice, but she chose to write SFF under a male pseudonym back in the 60s) is often called the Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy and was the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master Award from the World Science Fiction Society. I’ve been meaning to read Witch World for years and since Brilliance Audio has just released the first Witch World novel on CD, this was the perfect opportunity.

As expected, I enjoyed Witch World. Andre Norton’s language is pleasant, if not brilliant, and all the characters were instantly engaging. I liked Simon immediately — how can you not like a guy who has already killed two of his potential assassins and is now eating a steak dinner while waiting for the arrival of the last and best one? I also particularly liked Loyse, daughter of the odious Fulk, who doesn’t want to marry the equally odious duke.

Though decades old, the plot was quick, fun, and refreshing and I liked the blend of science fiction and fantasy. However, the book wraps up a bit too quickly and easily at the end; I could have used a bit more tension. But perhaps if you go straight on to the next novel (Web of the Witch World, also being produced on audio) you won’t feel this way since it’s a continuation of the story.

Nick Podehl was the reader for this book and he did an adequate job, though his voice could sometimes be described as plodding and soporific. Consequently, I didn’t find that his reading added anything to the story. It didn’t reduce my enjoyment of the story, but I was disappointed that it didn’t enhance it.

I’m looking forward to Web of the Witch World. I like Simon and his companions and I’m wondering what they’ll do next in Simon’s new world. —Kat Hooper

Web of the Witch World

Web of the Witch World continues the story of Simon Tregarth, the modern man who escaped assassination by coming through a gate into the Witch World, and Jaelithe, a witch of Estcarp, as they fight the strange enemy who are invading their land. At the end of the previous novel, the Kolder, who are from a technologically advanced planet, had been defeated by the witchery of Jaelithe and her sisters (and it seems that Simon has some powers, too). Jaelithe gave Simon her name, thus showing her trust in (and love for) him, and Loyse and Koris declared love for each other.

But in Web of the Witch World the sappy stuff abruptly ends when Duke Yvian, formally betrothed to Loyse, kidnaps her because he needs to marry her to seal his claim to power in Karsten. This sets off another fast-paced science fantasy adventure in which everything is not as it seems, for once again our heroes discover that alien Kolder is influencing Estcarp’s enemies. Simon, Jaelithe, Loyse, and Koris must find and destroy the root of this evil while dealing with their own personal issues.

If you’ve read Witch World, you’ll definitely want to read Web of the Witch World since it is part two of the story — a direct continuation. Expect the same quick-moving plot filled with battles, captures, escapes, shapechanging, mind control, illusions, ships, and flying machines. Andre Norton created likable heroes and an interesting world, and the writing is pleasant, too. I listened to Brilliance Audio’s version read by Nick Podehl. He does a fine job — his narration isn’t particularly inspiring, but there’s nothing wrong with it either.

Where Witch World falls short of more excellent work is in the magic system, which is based mostly on telepathy and mind power. Thus, our heroes are able to do things by willing them strongly enough or by just “knowing” things, or sometimes through really good hunches. That works, I guess, but it’s not nearly as fun and exciting as the kind of stuff that, say, Brandon Sanderson dreams up. However, these novels were written in the 1960s — long before fantasy fans were demanding something “new.” Reading Andre Norton is valuable then, not just for a quick fun read, but also for an SFF history lesson. —Kat Hooper

Year of the Unicorn

Year of the Unicorn, third in Andre Norton’s Witch World saga, is a departure from the first two novels. It’s the story of Gillan, a girl with no family and an unknown heritage who has grown up in an abbey in High Hallack, far from the places we visited with Simon and Jaelithe in the first two Witch World novels. Gillan feels stifled in the abbey and longs for something more. She also feels the stirrings of a strange power within her. She finds a way to escape her meaningless life by volunteering to be one of the 13 maidens that High Hallack has promised to a group of shapeshifters who helped them win a war. This leads her on a terrifying adventure in which she discovers her power and, possibly, love.

Year of the Unicorn has a completely different feel from the previous Witch World novels. It’s written in first person and is, therefore, much more introspective than the action-packed stories about Simon and Jaelithe. The prose, also, has a completely different tone, and is most comparable (in my experience) to Ursula Le Guin’s. This comparison seems especially notable with the audio edition because it feels a lot like the audio version of Le Guin’s Voices — even the voice of the reader (though different) is extremely similar. Kate Rudd reads Year of the Unicorn for Brilliance Audio and she does a great job.

I enjoyed learning more about Andre Norton’s universe. The world-building is extensive and Norton avoids infodumping, so we just get a tantalizing glimpse of the Witch World with each book. The first half of Year of the Unicorn flies by while we learn about High Hallack and get to know Gillan as she makes sneaky plans and moves quickly to implement them. Unfortunately, the magic system, which relies mostly on willpower, is not so intriguing. Basically, supernatural things are accomplished by thinking and willing strongly enough. This is forgivable for a fantasy novel published in 1965, but it’s still boring.

Speaking of fantasy history, according to Wikipedia, Year of the Unicorn marks “the first time in American publishing history that a young woman is the primary protagonist in a fantasy book” (no citation, retrieved on May 12, 2010). I don’t know if that’s really true, but I can say that Gillan is a likable young woman and her characterization is strong. However, this was actually both boon and bane, for Gillan, as she says herself, “speaks little… but she thinks much” and each thought she has is recorded for us. Thus, we are frequently subjected to her inner queries and then her entire cognitive process as she contemplates a catalog of potential answers. This includes frequent exclamations of “I could not... or could I… but how… how could I?” (etc.) and habitual reiterations of her terror. This caused the second half of the story to drag and to become frustrating when it seemed that Gillan had worked out a solution, acted on it, and then discovered that she was wrong and had to start over. I usually enjoy a first-person point-of-view, and I loved the first half of Year of the Unicorn, but by the end, I was quite eager to get out of Gillan’s head.

Those, especially female readers, who enjoy a strong introspective heroine, are likely to enjoy Andre Norton’s Year of the Unicorn. This can be read as a stand-alone novel. —Kat Hooper

The Magic Sequence — (1965-2008) Ages 9-12. Publisher: A final stand for Avalon... Sara, Greg, and Eric Lowry are exploring the woods near their uncle's Hudson Valley estate when they are magically transported to the land of Avalon. There they meet Huon, Warden of the West. When he tells them that the forces of darkness have stolen the three talismans that protect Avalon — King Arthur's sword, Excalibur; Merlin's ring; and Huon's horn — the children set off on a quest to find the three tokens of power. For Avalon stands as a wall between the Dark and the mortal world. And if Avalon falls, so does Earth...

Steel Magic, Octagon Magic, Fur Magic, Dragon Magic, Lavender Green Magick, Red Heart Magic, Dragon Mage

Quag Keep — (1979-2005) Publisher: In 1976 Andre Norton was invited to play a new sort of adventure game, Dungeons & Dragons. Its creator, Gary Gygax, introduced Norton to his world of Greyhawk. After a session of world building, role playing, and fantasy adventuring, Norton wrote Quag Keep, a tale of six adventurers from our world who journey to the city of Greyhawk in order to aid a wizard and unlock the secrets of the stronghold of Quag Keep.

Andre Norton Quag Keep, Return to Quag Keep

Trillium — (1990-1997) With Marion Zimmer Bradley and Julian May. Publisher: Those with the gift have the power One stormy night, three princesses are born. As each baby is placed into her mother's arms, so the Archimage Binah bestows on her a gift of great power: a pendant containing a bud of the long-extinct Black Trillium. One day that power will be all that protects the princesses from certain doom.

Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May, Andre Norton 1. Black Trillium 2. Blood Trillium 3. Golden Trillium 4. Lady of the Trillium 5. Sky Trillium

Black Trillium

At first glance, Black Trillium looks like an interesting project: three leading female authors of speculative fiction — Marion Zimmer Bradley, Julian May and Andre Norton — writing a book together. After having read it, I don't think the result is a resounding success. It still spawned a total of four sequels written by each of the authors individually. I understand there are some continuity issues between those books, making the SAGA OF THE TRILLIUM series a strange one indeed.

Black Trillium is the story of the Kingdom of Ruwenda, a place surrounded by vast marshlands and bogs and closed off from neighbouring states by a mountain range. Ruwenda is a human kingdom, but a lot of the inhabitants of the marshlands are not. Different tribes of the Folk or Oddlings, as humans refer to them, live more or less peacefully together under the watchful and benevolent protection of the White Lady, a sorceress of great power. The Oddlings are the source of some much-coveted merchandise and all of this trade goes through Ruwenda (and adds to the royal treasury) — something not all of Ruwenda’s neighbours seem to think fair.

Driven by the dark magician Orogastus, the newly crowned king Voltrik of Labornok decides to cut out the middleman and conquer Ruwenda. The White Lady's power is waning, and the power-hungry Orogastus has his own reasons for joining this invasion. Soon the Kingdom falls and all seems to be going Orogastus' way. The White Lady has one more trick up her sleeve, though. The three daughters of King Krain of Ruwenda escape when Voltrik's forces take the capital. According to prophecy, they will bring great change to the kingdom. Set on their path by the White Lady, the bookish Haramis, the hot-headed Kadiya and the shy Anigel begin a quest to fulfill their destiny.

For most of the book, the chapters alternate between the three princesses, with each of the authors writing one storyline. Haramis is the creation of Marion Zimmer Bradley, Kadiay is written by Andre Norton and Aringel is Julian May's part in the story. The style of the writing is very much the same; the editor took great care to make sure the writing matches. The prose itself is rather flowery. It’s probably not everybody's cup of tea, but once you get into it Black Trillium is a pretty fast read. The worldbuilding, at least for the nation of Ruwenda, is also quite elaborate. It mentions a great many details on life in the marshlands and different types of Oddlings and their cultures. The setting is one of the more interesting aspects of Black Trillium.

The plot is rather disappointing. We see the story in large part through the eyes of the three princesses, whose actions are almost entirely decided by others. There is very little initiative in these girls. The White Lady’s prophecy and guidance lay out their map to their destiny almost from start to finish, turning it into a rather standard D&D plot: fetch the talisman, rally your supporters, defeat the evil wizard, live happily ever after. And yes, there is a handsome prince to be married to. It's not only a standard and horribly predictable plot, we go though it three times in the course of this one novel. Given the fact that Black Trillium was written by three established authors, who at that point had more than a few critically acclaimed novels under their belts, it is really beyond comprehension that they were willing to have their name attached to this.

The idea behind Black Trillium may have been interesting and the world is certainly unusual, but that is not enough to save this book from being a disaster. If you are attracted to it because the book has three female protagonists (rare these days, even rarer in 1990 when the book was first published) or because of the names of the authors, think again. The good thing about buying secondhand books is that you can afford to take chances. I never seriously considered putting it down, as the story progressed at a fair pace and the book certainly isn't a punishment to read, but when you get right down to it the plot itself is substandard. I really can't recommend Black Trillium to anyone. —Rob Weber (guest)
FanLit thanks Rob Weber from Val's Random Comments for contributing this guest review.

The Half-blood Chronicles (Elvenbane) — (1991-2002) With Mercedes Lackey. Mercedes Lackey says that a fourth book, called Elvenbred, will eventually be published. Publisher: Two masters of epic fantasy have combined in this brilliant collaboration to create a rousing tale of the sort that becomes an instant favorite. This is the story of Shana, a halfbreed born of the forbidden union of an Elvenlord father and a human mother. Her exiled mother dead, she was rescued and raised by dragons, a proud, ancient race who existed unbeknownst to elven or humankind. From birth, Shana was the embodiment of the Prophecy that the all-powerful Elvenlords feared. Her destiny is the enthralling adventure of a lifetime.

Elvenbane, Elvenblood, Elvenborn, Elvenbred

Elvenbane

In the world of Elvenbane, elves have subjugated humanity because… well, they’re elves, frankly: magical and long-lived and perfectly capable of taking what they want. Apparently having served as the unselfish goodie-goodies one too many times, elves have instead been refreshingly cast as the fantasy version of the Roman Empire in this text, conquering and enslaving other races out of a sense of entitlement and a desire to expand their power. Humans are used for menial labor and sexual gratification, but any human/elf hybrid must by law be killed, as apparently these half-breeds can become very magically powerful and might do something crazy like pitying the wrong bough of the family tree. With a set-up like this, it’s really no surprise that our heroine is just such a hybrid, born of a pregnant human concubine fleeing into the desert. The young girl, called Shana, is raised by dragons for a time, but her magical powers eventually manifest and she is cast out after an incident with a young dragon. Relatively on her own, she makes her way toward joining a revolution and taking on the prophesied role the title hints at.

Elvenbane starts off with a very entertaining premise, I admit, and though I am far from a Mercedes Lackey fan, I was willing to give the Andre Norton/Mercedes Lackey team the benefit of the doubt and have a look. For a time, I was not disappointed (if not actively inspired) and was ready to log this away as a blandly fun fantasy romp.

The trouble, however, starts to emerge at about the two-fifths mark. It's at that point that, for whatever reason, the Lackey/Norton pairing stops being a happy marriage. Reading the book was like watching them bickering. Something would happen — a big plot point — and then it would be swept under the rug in the next chapter, only to come roaring back a little later. Plot threads would appear from nowhere as though they had been ongoing, and then simply vanish without a trace. I can't decide whether the communication was bad, the editing did strange things, or whether these two women really were sort of passive-aggressively hacking each other's plot points into dust, but it makes for a very disjointed reading experience. To provide one example among many, there is at one point a brewing romance between two main characters left on a dramatic cliffhanger. Then it's almost immediately, and absurdly casually, put down in the next chapter. Twenty pages later, it returns and becomes the basis for the protagonist's entire emotional state. Then it goes poof and we never hear from it again.

The number of dangling plot threads in Elvenbane is maddening, and even the characterization is affected. In order to fill certain roles in whatever direction one of them is trying to take the story at a given moment, characters will suddenly be revealed as different figures than they were portrayed as up to this point, carelessly flouting all evidence to the contrary provided so far that makes it abundantly clear this change was unplanned. What's even worse is that once they've done their duty to the plot, they'll undergo a sudden conversion experience and change right back again.

This last has Mercedes Lackey written all over it. She has always been a careless author with no sense of dramatic timing and the mistaken belief that she can get away with abrupt, sweeping changes without the slightest consequence to her world. She's not better, and is even a bit worse than usual, in this book.

I do have one positive element to note in Elvenbane, and that is that Ms. Norton is not only a far superior author to Lackey, but actually manages to provide some very good imagery and characterization. When the book swings up, I'm pretty sure it's her hand on the tiller. It does swing up once in a while, and as I've said, it begins very well.

But once again, the latter part of the book swiftly descends into Lackey's customary undramatic blather, with its cohesion shot all to ribbons by Norton and Lackey's apparent inability to work together effectively.

I give it points for the concept, and for Ms. Norton's truly entertaining prose in some places. But honestly, the plot is a complete shambles, and whatever dramatic moments the book has are smothered by Lackey. —Tim Scheidler

Five Senses — (1994-2006) The last book was coathored with Jean Rabe. Publisher: Once the garden of the Goddess Lyr, the land called the Ryft lies blackened and desolate, destroyed by true evil. It is here that the child Alnosha came to learn of her ability to divine by touch. Now, the fugitive Kryn has come to Ryft, and although he mistrusts Alnosha's powers, he is drawn to her — for he has been chosen to serve as her sword and champion.

Andre Norton Five Senses 1. The Hands of Lyr 2. The Mirror of Destiny 3. The Scent of Magic 4. The Wind in the Stone 5. A Taste of Magic

Carolus Rex — (1999-2001) With Rosemary Edghill. Publisher: Young Sarah Cunningham is ripped from the present day and thrust into a volatile alternative Europe of 1805 where King Henry IX rules over the English Empire, America has no revolution, and Napoleon Bonaparte marches unchecked across Europe.

Carolus Rex Andre Norton Rosemary Edhill review 1. The Shadow of Albion 2. Leopard in Exile

book review Andre Norton Rosemary Edghill Carolus Rex The Shadows of Albion The Shadow of Albion: Refreshing as the spring rain

I've heard others gripe that this book is basically fluff. Well, yes, it's light, but that's part of what I liked about it. I've read a lot of serious (and sometimes depressing) books lately, and this one was a much-needed cool breeze of just plain fun.

The Marchioness of Roxbury, a vain and vapid woman, is on her deathbed, having failed to fulfill a promise made to the Fair Folk. She lives in an alternate England where magic exists, though it's subtle. The only way she can keep her word is by switching places with Sarah Cunningham, her double from our world, an independent woman who was raised in the wilderness and knows her way around a musket. Sarah's memories are jumbled by magic, and now she has to figure out who she is.

She and her new husband, Wessex, get caught up in a deadly game of espionage, kidnapping, and murder. When Sarah becomes friends with the Crown Prince's new sweetheart, the game gets even deeper. Danger, betrayal, and unexpected allies are around every corner. While the love story between Sarah and Wessex is never developed really well, the adventure is fun and movie-like, and the end leaves me wanting more. Gotta go read the sequel now. —Kelly Lasiter

book review Andre Norton Rosemary Edghill Carolus Rex Leopard in Exile Leopard in Exile: Zzzzzzz...

Is it a bad sign that I just finished Leopard in Exile the night before last, and now I'm hard-pressed to remember much of the plot?

This book's predecessor, The Shadow of Albion, was fun in a light sort of way, with the promise of sequels that would delve deeper into the faery magic at which it hints. I should have gotten my first clue about Leopard in Exile when I looked at the cover art. Thomas Canty's drawings are lovely as always, but this illustration looks like it's supposed to be a rough preliminary sketch, compared to the sublime cover of Albion. Even the typefaces are clunkier. But I tried not to judge the book by its cover.

Inside, though, I found little of interest. I had hoped that the characters, who were kind of cardboard in Albion, would get fleshed out now that we're getting to know them better. Nope, still cardboard. It's even worse in this one because people are going around moping about how much they love their husband/wife and yet the relationship has not been developed in the story. Why do they love each other? Because the authors say so, I guess.

And to add more frustration, the authors seem to be under the impression that a good plot can be obtained simply by continually landing the characters in danger. (It reminds me of a 70s bodice-ripper I read years ago, in which the heroine got raped, then shipwrecked on a tropical island, THEN kidnapped by pirates, THEN trapped in an opium den... You get the idea.) Dropping the characters into one problem after another works pretty well if we KNOW the characters and CARE what happens to them, but since they're still 2-D, the constant action keeps us from learning any more about them. It's just crisis after crisis after crisis, and seldom a conversation.

Not to mention, the magic doesn't get explained! Sarah went to the New World to fulfill a promise to the Fair Folk, but then they were absent for the first nine-tenths of the book, then showed up just long enough to give Sarah some vague aid against the villain, then disappeared again, without any explanation.

I know both Andre Norton and Rosemary Edghill are capable of better books than Leopard in Exile. Let's hope they remember that. —Kelly Lasiter

The Cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash, and Rowan — (2000-2008) With Sasha Miller. Publisher: 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 King of Oak and a Queen of Yew sit on the thrones of the land — the King is 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. Allis falling into place for the power-hungry Queen Ysa, who will stop at nothing to ensure the continuation of her line. Only one thing may stand in her way: a long-ago prophesy that Daughter of Ash will one day rise again to reclaim her rightful place on the throne. But deep in the swamps, in the care of the witch-healer all need and all fear, there is a young girl-woman who can not be the witch's daughter; a girl who by virtue of her beauty and 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.

Andre Norton To the King a Daughter, Knight or Knave, A Crown Disowned, Dragon Blade, The Knight of the Red Beard

Stand-alone novels:

The Prince Commands — (1934) Publisher: Swashbuckling adventure in the grand tradition.

Ralestone Luck — (1938) Publisher: Rupert Ralestone is officially the Marquess of Lorne — but with no family money or prestige, the title is worthless. He and his younger brother and sister return to the old family homestead — Pirate's Haven. Their only hope is to find the family's talisman, a great sword, and restore it to its proper place.

Huon of the Horn — (1951)

Here Abide Monsters — (1973) Publisher: Taking an abandoned road, two teenagers are transported back in time to Avalon of Arthurian legend where they are embroiled in a battle between good and evil.

Outside — (1974) Ages 9-12. Publisher: A young girl determines to find out what is "outside" the sealed off city in which she's always lived but discovers that the only way she can get out is with the help of a mysterious rhyming man.

Merlin's Mirror — (1975)

Knave of Dreams — (1975) Publisher: Ramsay Kimble finds himself living in an alien world, the focus of a complex and dangerous political struggle, and only his ability to dream can help him triumph over his adversaries.

Seven Spells to Sunday — (1979) Publisher: With Phyllis Miller. Ages 9-12. Two children receive messages in an old mailbox in a vacant lot and are plunged into the strangest week of their lives.

Moon Called — (1982) Publisher: In order to preserve the Holy Force, Thora, the Chosen one, and warrior Makil, the Man of Pure Light, descend into an underground world to battle the evil force of the Dark Lord.

Wheel of Stars — (1983) Publisher: The scion of an ancient family and a young woman tortured by bizarre nightmares become involved in a monumental struggle between the forces of good and evil.

House of Shadows — (1984) Publisher: With Phyllis Miller. Mike and Susan feel a mounting sense of urgency and terror as they try to protect their younger brother who seems threatened by an invisible and powerful force in a house that has long been in their family, on which there is supposedly a curse.

Ride the Green Dragon — (1985) Publisher: With Phyllis Miller. Ages 9-12. When Tracy and Jared's family moves into an old house designed like a castle, they find a former circus giant, the granddaughter of a gypsy fortuneteller, and the mystery of a missing fortune.

Imperial Lady: A Fantasy of Han China — (1989) Publisher: With Susan Shwartz. With Imperial Lady, based on the life of a real historical princess of the Han dynasty and mixed with Chinese legendry andry, Andre Norton (a Grand Master of Fantasy) joins with Susan Shwartz to create a stirring, romantic, and unforgettable tale.

Empire of the Eagle — (1993) With Susan Shwartz. Publisher: The tribune Quintus was once a man of honor. But when Rome's might is crushed at the battle of Carrhae, Quintus can only watch with honor and hope gone as Rome's Eagles — the golden standards which every Roman believes houses the very essence of the gods — are dragged through the mud by the barbarian hordes. The Eagles will go East as bloody testimony to Rome's humiliation. But even in Hell, there sometimes lies a path of redemption. Quintus will follow the Eagles, and strive to somehow recapture the honor that Rome has lost. He will abandon the logic that is Rome... and travel into the mists of myth and legend, where he will see visions of magic unknown to any Roman. And where he will learn to use barbarian magic to win back Rome's gods.

Tiger Burning Bright — (1995) Publisher: With Marion Zimmer Bradley and Mercedes Lackey. Abdicating when their realm is threatened by an all-conquering emperor, the three ruling women of Merina secretly plan a powerful counterattack that takes the form of deception, misdirection, and magic.

The Monster's Legacy — (1996) Publisher: Sarita, apprentice to the Embroidier Dame Argalas, escapes from Earl Florian's enemies with the Earl's infant son and seeks refuge in the mountainous lair of the legendary beast, the Loden.

Three Hands for Scorpio — (2005) Publisher: Andre Norton, the celebrated author of Witch World and many other fantasy adventures, offers a new novel unique among her works, set in a realm not dissimilar to northern England in the sixteenth century: also, the Dismals of Northern Alabama are the model for part of the exotic setting. Drucilla, Sabina, and Tamara, identical sisters born to Desmond, Earl of Skorpys, understand the price of being princesses in a realm bordered by fractious neighbors. For generations their land has been plagued by incursions, raiding parties, and more serious conflicts with Gurlyon, the land to their North. But when these three plucky young ladies are kidnapped as part of a plot to undermine their father's domain, they are taken to a mysterious realm where they experience terrors unlike anything they could imagine. Their captors, fearing pursuit, thrust the princesses into a deep recess in a bizarre underworld called the Dismals. Once there, they must fend off hideous creatures, and a young man who claims to be lord of this dark, forbidding realm. Not sure whether he is friend or foe, they must depend on their wits, on each other, and on the mind-link that binds them together. Only thus can they escape the bizarre nether-realm they must roam in search of a way home. Their travails test them in ways they cannot foresee, both physically and magically. Powerful forces work against them, but together they may yet escape, and help right the wrong that brought them to the strange realm in the first place.

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