Rating: 
Summary: Very Good but ...
Review: A good book but not as good as others in her Witch World series. An easier read than many of the books in the series and is true to her style of good conquering evil but the stories are a little too mellow from the Norton I first read years ago. The suspense is much shorter lived than in many of her earlier works. Evil never really seems on the verge of triumphing as it always did, you just seem to know that everything is going to be all right in the end. Add to this the fact that there are too many characters instead of the concentration on one or two that was characteristic of the Norton of old and you have a very tame book. There is no empathy because you never really get to know the players in the game. Still, a lesser book by Andre Norton is better than many an author's best effor
Rating:
Summary: All of my Favorite Witch World Characters Finally Meet
Review: All of my favorite characters from all of Andre Norton's previous 'Witch World' volumes meet in this volume. I've read all of her previous (solo) Witch World volumes at least three times each, and my very favorites, probably nine or ten times (the first four WW novels plus 'Year of the Unicorn'). Therefore, I feel qualified to comment on Norton's use of her previously developed characters in this volume. They came across as wooden: like someone had found a set of puppets in an old trunk in the attic, dusted them off, and strutted them across a very familiar stage. I was disappointed (to say in the least). Here were all of my old friends, together at last, and acting as though they would really rather be somewhere else.However, even if I'd known in advance that I was going to be disappointed, I still would have read the book, just to find out how Hilarion, Simon Tregarth and his family, and the Were-riders were getting along. All of you real Witch World fans will have to do the same. Buy the book. Read it. Bid Witch World 'Hail and Farewell'. More unsolicited advice for old Norton fans: Don't buy any of the imitation Witch Worlds that were authored by collaborators, even if Norton's name appears on the cover. No matter how good the writing, it's not Norton and it's not Witch World.
Rating:
Summary: All of my Favorite Witch World Characters Finally Meet
Review: All of my favorite characters from all of Andre Norton's previous 'Witch World' volumes meet in this volume. I've read all of her previous (solo) Witch World volumes at least three times each, and my very favorites, probably nine or ten times (the first four WW novels plus 'Year of the Unicorn'). Therefore, I feel qualified to comment on Norton's use of her previously developed characters in this volume. They came across as wooden: like someone had found a set of puppets in an old trunk in the attic, dusted them off, and strutted them across a very familiar stage. I was disappointed (to say in the least). Here were all of my old friends, together at last, and acting as though they would really rather be somewhere else. However, even if I'd known in advance that I was going to be disappointed, I still would have read the book, just to find out how Hilarion, Simon Tregarth and his family, and the Were-riders were getting along. All of you real Witch World fans will have to do the same. Buy the book. Read it. Bid Witch World 'Hail and Farewell'. More unsolicited advice for old Norton fans: Don't buy any of the imitation Witch Worlds that were authored by collaborators, even if Norton's name appears on the cover. No matter how good the writing, it's not Norton and it's not Witch World.
Rating: 
Summary: I cried....
Review: because of boredom. This book, my opinion, is the stuipdest thing ever to be put on the printed page. Andre Norton is a terrible writer. I read about 75% of the book andit was one of the least enjoyable times of my life. Andre Norton sucks!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: The Best of the Best
Review: Every character from all of the Witch World books come together to defeat a final evil and to close the gates to all other worlds. Told in four seperate tales that are hard to stop reading and introduce some new memorable characters. This book is supposedly the last to Norton's great 30 year running series and is the most classic of her classic tales. Will be loved by all of Norton's fans, but I do not recommend reading this book if you have not read at least one of the other Witch World books.
Rating: 
Summary: Only because...
Review: I think the editorial process must have been skipped in this book. Although it's great to have all of my favorite characters back in one book a *lot* of the names are spelled wrong. I saw someone else said that Aylinn and Kethan are cousins. I don't remember that from The Jargoon Pard at all so I guess people do forget some things.
Rating:
Summary: Only because...
Review: I think the editorial process must have been skipped in this book. Although it's great to have all of my favorite characters back in one book a *lot* of the names are spelled wrong. I saw someone else said that Aylinn and Kethan are cousins. I don't remember that from The Jargoon Pard at all so I guess people do forget some things.
Rating:
Summary: Editor, please?
Review: I, too, had suspicions that Norton was not the sole author of this book. Or at least, she didn't reread a lot of her previous stuff when she wrote it, because discrepancies abound. There are names misspelt (Joison?), people's appearances and coloring change, changing backstories, etc. etc. Some things were just plain inaccurate. For instance, Kethan says that he and Aylinn are not related by blood, when in fact they are cousins, according to "The Jargoon Pard". And in that book, his nature gifts were read as "Magician" where here he is Warrior. And so forth. We don't get much backstory on Firdun and Uta, either. It feels rushed, and repetitive. There are still some good things, though, and it is a must-read, I guess, for fans. But doesn't she have an editor? A lot of the mistakes could have been caught at the editing stage, and the carelessness looks like indifference to the fans of the books.
Rating:
Summary: This book brought closure to all of the witch world stories
Review: The reason I adored this book is that Mrs. Norton answered all of my questions from every short story, novella, and novel that I have read of the witch world. The characters are already friends of mine from the short stories I have read. When I read SAND SISTER I wondered if I would ever know what happened to them. Well here they are again! It is wonderful to get closure on all of my friends. I wondered what happened to Hillarion and Kathrea it is great to know they are still alive and the timeline is finally evident to us. The sulcar and the falconers are some of my favorite characters and they are here!!!! Good luck, Good reading, and God bless!! Elaine McTyer
Rating:
Summary: A highly satisfying, triumphant, yet bittersweet conclusion
Review: The Warding of the Witch World is a highly satisfying, yet also bittersweet conclusion to a series that in my opinion, along with Tolkein, defines the term "High Fantasy". A new generation ably defends Witch World against a massive onslaught of evil as all Gates are thrown open by a blast of wild magic. All our old friends are gathered here, Simon, Jaelithe, Kaththea, Kyllan, Joison, Kerovan, Gillian, Herrel, Koris and more but it is their children who face the test. As usual, they must overcome their own personal demons but in the end, they defeat the forces of evil, find their place in the world and even find love. (Andre Norton does like happy endings.) I HATE the idea that this is the last Witch World novel but I know sooner or later, there was going to be an end and so I am glad that Andre Norton concluded the series in such a grand manner
|
