I believe there were only four 'Magic in Ithkar' volumes, which is a shame because Norton and Adams did a great job of soliciting (and editing?) these commonly-themed fantasy shorts. Each of the four collections has the same prologue by Robert Adams, which explains how the fair originated in Ithkar (a religious anniversary turned pilgrimage), the set-up (temple, campgrounds for the merchants, docks and canals for the riparian traffic, etc.), and the difficulties encountered on a pilgrimage or trading voyage to Ithkar (Death Swamp, dragons, outlaw wizards). All weapons must be surrendered before entering the fair and wizards are discouraged from glamorizing shoddy goods with their spells. Of course, as at any large festival, the fair at Ithkar has its share of rogues, piratical merchants, bravos, potion-makers and witches, troupes of entertainers (not a few of them turning tricks), and gullible pilgrims.

A sampling of stories:

"The Goblinry of Ais" by Lin Carter - a rather pedestrian story on the theme of 'be careful what you wish for,' especially if the genie in the rock happens to be a goblin.

"To Take a Thief" by C.J. Cherryh - A young apprentice-thief's master hangs from a gibbet down near the docks. How will he survive at a fair already overrun by thieves, and worse?

"Jezeri and her Beast Go to the Fair and Find more Excitement than They Want." by Jo Clayton - this story about a young girl and her mysterious telepathic pet is written like a chapter taken out of a novel. It's a 'day in the life of' rather than a story with a true ending. I checked Jo Clayton's bibliography to see if Jezeri and her Beast came whole-cloth out of a novel, but didn't find anything to indicate that it did.

"Fletcher Found" by Morgan Llywelyn - One of my favorites. A young fletcher is robbed of his wares on the way to Ithkar, but manages to replenish part of his stock of arrows with the help of a peculiar wild magic. His new arrows are not precisely saleable.

"Well Met in Ithkar" by Patricia Mathews - A blind jewelry maker is fighting long odds when she identifies a priest of Thotharn as the man who ruined her family.

When I first read it, I had my doubts because I had never heard of it before. But as I was reading it, I could not stop; I had to know what was going to happen to the characters in the next chapter.

Each author contributes a wonderful tale that is set in the magical place of Ithkar. Just when I think I know what will happen, the story takes an unexpected turn into a new avenue of adventure. This book makes me want to read all the other Magic in Ithkar books.

This is one of those books that you assume cannot work: an anthology of fantasy-science-fiction-Christmas stories. Somehow it manages to, despite a large gaping flaw near the end.

It kicks off on a strong note with Julian May's heartrending "Star of Wonder," in which a saddened starship commander comes to Earth on a fateful night, and encounters a certain baby born in a desert stable. Dennis McKiernan's "Ornament" is sweet and poignant, although readers may not fully absorb the point of Rufous the fox and the Pysk Tynvyr without reading his other works. Andre Norton provides a sweet "Very Dickinsy Christmas," in which a young woman encounters a ghost at a Christmas ball.

Christopher Stasheff provides a delightful "What are we going to do with Grandfather?", in whichwe see a funny, endearing SF story about charity and Christmas cheer. "I Sing of a Maiden" displays Judith Tarr's great skill in atmosphere and beautiful language, where a young intellectual encounters Thomas Becket, who helps bring the spirit of Christmas back to her. Gael Baudino's "Tidings of Comfort and Joy" is the only blot on this collection: its only purpose seems to be to let her obnoxious, self-absorbed Wiccan protagonist sleep with a Catholic priest. The main character seems to have no identity beyond being a witch; virtually every thought and sentence reflects that. Fortunately the collection sprinmgs back into style with Richard Christian Matheson's "Holiday," complete with a sunbathing Santa.

If you can bypass Baudino's disgusting story, this is a sweet collection of heartfelt, inspired stories about Christmas. Delightful read for Christmas and fantasy buffs alike.

Ms. Norton's tales in this instance (two full length novels bound into 1 volume) are set in Karen Kuykendall's Outer Regions, which previously appeared only in artwork, without actual books to provide a backstory (to the best of my knowledge). Yes, we finally have here not only a reprint of _Mark of the Cat_, but its long-awaited sequel. I'd provide separate reviews of both, but the sequel has so far appeared only in this volume, and a detailed discussion of the sequel presupposes knowledge _Mark of the Cat_.

Overview: The Outer Regions are desert country, mostly lacking open water, where life depends on occasional algae pools, where in a famine year (mercifully, rather rare) the Ministers of Balance may be called out to decide which animals live, and which die - and even which people. The great sandcats of the desert are greatly feared, and are hunted despite their intelligence. Paradoxically, the great leopards forming the Emperor's guard are much revered, and as for ordinary cats, killing a 'kotti' is a capital crime.

The people depend on trade between the 5 queendoms: Kahulawe, Thnossis, Azhengir, and Vapala, which have roughly similar governments (all ultimately answering to the Emperor) but somewhat different cultures. These aren't purely hereditary offices; an Emperor competes in various deadly trials to win the office, designed not only to ensure fitness but an acquaintance with the lives of his people. Even to be recognized as an adult, a youngster must pass his or her 'Solo': the youngster is knocked out and stranded in the desert, and must find his or her way back to civilization alone.

Both books alternate between 2 narrators: Hynkkel of Kahulawe, and Allitta, last survivor of a fallen noble house of Vapala. Allita provides us with a close-up view of the capital in the last days of the dying emperor Shank-ji, whose son (against tradition) intends to try to win his father's office. Allitta is also apprentice to the doll-maker Ravinga, whose enchanting miniatures aren't the most magical thing about her. Primarily, though, this is Hynkkel's story.

As a herder and the least-respected member of a warrior clan in Kahulawe, Hynkkel comes to his Solo late since his father doesn't think he amounts to much. The lonely rock 'island' where he awakens isn't entirely deserted, however: a swarm of the vicious rats of the desert occupy it in such numbers that they've killed one sandcat, and would have pulled down another if Hynkkel hadn't intervened with his slingshot. So it is that Hynkkel not only sees the sandcats' dance and song, but gains a blood-brother: Murri, the half-grown cub of the sandcat he rescued. So it is that Hynkkel doesn't return to his clan after his trial, but seeks a new life, leading him eventually to the capital and the dollmaker's shop.

_Year of the Cat_ picks up shortly after the first book, during the preparations for the coronation of the new emperor - when a fallen house such as Allitta's can request reinstatement, if she comes out of hiding. The emperor's first official progress through the Outer Regions will be marked by trouble: the water table is dwindling, and the desert rats are endangering the trade routes that tie the queendoms together. Soon the sandcats and humans must decide to end their enmity, or both peoples will fall to the evil coming out of the Plain of Desolation...

One distracting misprint: the name "Vapala", that of the Diamond queendom where the Emperor holds court, is misspelt all the way through this 1st hardcover printing of _Year of the Rat_, and I mean *every* occurrence, even though it's spelled correctly throughout _Mark of the Cat_ (1st half of the volume). Of the 5 queendoms, this is the worst name to get wrong, since it's named most often. It distracted me to the point where I had to go look it up, wondering if I were imagining things. I got over it, but one wishes it hadn't happened.

"Quest Crosstime (1965)" is the sequel to Andre Norton's "The Crossroads of Time (1956)," and continues the adventures of Blake Walker, a citizen of our own circa-1950s Earth.

Science has never been Norton's strong suit, so when the action shifts to an alternate Earth where life never began, don't quibble over the presence of a breathable atmosphere. Breathe in, breathe out, and follow Blake Walker as he attempts to track down a missing telepathic twin, with the help of her similarly-gifted sister.

"Quest Crosstime" is a wildly scenic adventure through alternate Earths. One of my favorites---a jewel-like vignette to the main plot---is ruled by turtles whose brainy heads are too large to pull back into their shells.

E6525, the alternate Earth where much of the action takes place, had a couple of twists to its history as compared to our own time line:

•Richard III won the Battle of Boswell and the Plantagenets continued to rule in England;
•Cortez was killed in his final battle with the Aztecs, and the Spanish never established an Empire in the New World.

Norton expends a great deal of imagination and verve in creating a successor Aztec Empire that rules North America west of the Mississippi. The action never falters as Blake in his disguise as a trader from New Britain continues his search for the missing twin.

I believe the author may have originally planned to write a sequel to "Quest Crosstime," as the action ends rather abruptly with some of the Time Wardens still stranded on E6525, and only a handful of the bad guys accounted for. I've checked Andre Norton's web site and no sequel is listed, so if any of her fans know of one, please drop me a line.

Story a sequel to (The Stars Are Ours) 3 to 4 generations in the future. Dalgard Nordis of the colony with a Merman Sssuri are on a scouting trip to investigate some old ruins that were rumored to have been visited be the evil former inhabitants only to see a space ship in the sky land near there. After discovering the old ones looting the city for lost technology Dalgard finds the people from the star ship to be of his race. Good sequel, Classic Andre Norton

The Star Ka'at books are intended for children, but they hold up pretty well (_Star Ka'at_ itself is the best of the lot). Some enterprising publisher could easily fit all 4 novels into a single volume, even with the illustrations.

Jim and Elly Mae have settled into life on Zimmorrah after the events of _Star Ka'at World_. They're now helping the Ka'ats explore the ancient, desolate city of the Hsi (a.k.a. the People), now that its automatic defenses have finally been shut down. Although they're kids, they have the advantage of Hsi-like hands and vocal chords, so they are a tremendous help in analyzing Hsi-built machines, which were often voice-activated. (Up until quite recently, the city *did* have working robots, who presumably kept up the maintenance although their masters were long dead.)

The Ka'ats, who have been using Hsi stockpiles of metal for years, now have an urgent need to unlock the Hsi records - the stockpiles are finally running out, and existing Ka'at flyers and other devices are giving out due to metal fatigue. The answer to the question of where the Hsi got the metal to make their machines is presented quite logically, but it's not what you might expect.

This is a good story, but it leaves at least 1 question that isn't addressed. The Ka'ats first visited Earth, after the Hsi left the scene, in the days of ancient Egypt, if not earlier. Even if we assume that this was immediately after the Hsi sealed themselves into their city, that's a *long* time to run a space-faring civilization using only stockpiled metal, without any apparent idea of how to obtain it in nature.

This volume suffers occasionally from sloppy editing, containing both grammatical and spelling errors (the latter in place names).

Allen, M.E. "Voice of Memory" Derivative of Norton's own "Spider Silk" from _Lore of the Witch World_, but with a deaf rather than blind protagonist.

Carr, Jayge "Plumduff Potato-Eye" Many would-be adventurers challenge the giant (8') Plumduff - he minds his own business, but he must be evil, right? Plumduff, sick of it, strikes up a dialogue with the youngster who's currently trying to get the nerve to challenge him, and they both learn a few things.

Coulson, Juanita "The Scent of Magic" Joa, a youngster with developing Witch-talent, belongs to a Vupsall tribe that has suffered severe losses, with no Wise Woman to teach her. While hunting for a lost puppy from the pack, she stumbles across an arcane sanctuary, that *seems* all to the good...

Crispin, A.C. "Heartspell" Branwyn Stormgerd has Witch-talent, but she doesn't *want* it - she wants to remain a farmer. And everybody knows there's an easy way to lose unwanted Witch-talent...

Friesner, Esther M. "The Weavers" Fyuru the Mosswife once took pity on a wounded man in the forest - not only healing him, but taking on human form to comfort him. She even accompanied him on his quest to retake his lands - but as his heart chilled to hold only ambition, she grew ever more weary, and finally fled to resume her old form. Now their daughter has unknowingly entered Fyuru's domain.

Green, Sharon "The Root of All Evil" - A woman with Witch-potential and a philosophical turn of mind accidentally awakens an Adept. This is more a Socratic dialogue on the nature of evil than a conventional story.

Griffin, P.M. "Knowledge" Aden, the protagonist, is a caretaker and student at Lormt (she and her brother first entered its gates on a dare as children). Now her brother is missing, after hinting at making a great discovery.

Inks, Caralyn: "The Circle of Sleep" Sequel to "Nine Words in Winter" from volume 1.

Mathews, Patricia Shaw "Falcon's Chick" The women's village of the Falconers *don't* care for their absentee landlords, and the protagonist is one of their many secrets - a crippled son. While the women's resentment of the Falconers is understandable, their tolerance of the system (and their children's ignorance of basic biology - in farm country, yet) is not.

McKillip, Patricia A. "Fortune's Children" Lyse was a tough foundling - so tough that she joined Ysledale's army during the Invader's War, and afterward remained a mercenary. She isn't trying to pass as a man, either. Eventually, though, she gets curious about her mother.

Miller, Ann; Rigley, Karen E. "Godron's Daughter" Sequel to "Stones of Sharnon" from volume 2.

Randall, Marta "A Question of Magic" Imrie is a Daleswoman who doesn't believe in magic. After all, have *you* ever seen an Old One, or met anybody who has? (See Norton's "Sword of Unbelief" in _Lore of the Witch World_ for an example of how unbelief can be put to good use.)

Roberts, K.L. "Strait of Storms" An ex-Witch has taken up residence near the Strait, playing mermaid - using illusions to lure navigators onto the rocks. Fortunately, when Grenwall volunteers to solve the problem, he thinks to ask *why* this is happening, and gets a Wise Woman's help.

Schaub, Mary H. "Candletrap" Damsel rescues a would-be heroic explorer in distress. (What is there about AVOID on the map that he didn't understand?) Good story.

Severance, Carol "Whispering Cane" Yes, this is partly derived from the ending of the Midas legend.

Waters, Elisabeth "Gunnora's Gift" Kyria, seeking Gunnora's shrine to ask for a child after eight years of a childless marriage, receives an unexpected answer.

Winkle, Michael D. "Wolfhead" Although most Dales were slow to ally against Alizon, the lord of Ellskeep, having a streak of wanderlust in his character, took many of his fighting men into the war early on - leaving Ellskeep in the care of his daughter and heir, Wylona. While quite competent to lead men in battle, she's caught in a hopeless situation when Alizon sends their war-machines to the dale in a sneak attack. The survivors must gamble that the human "wolfheads" are more to be feared than those of the Waste who have more right to such a name. Excellent story, deserves to be continued.

Woodworth, Lisa "Were-Flight" Explores the concept of females with Were abilities.

Wrede, Patricia C. "The Sword-Seller" Auridan, finding an ancient short-sword at a fair, accepts the sword-seller's offer to give his name to potential employers. And in the end, it isn't Lord Hervan, but his stepfather's niece Cyndal, who takes his hire - preferring her mother at Abbey Norstead to Hervan's household, if she can get an escort. (The tale of Lady Ysmay, mentioned in passing, is Norton's own "Amber Out of Quayth" from _Spell of the Witch World_).

The stories that make up "Trey of Swords" take place in Escore, the weird sister-state of witch-ruled Estcarp that lies to the forbidden East in "trembling balance between the forces of Light and those of the Dark."

Each story is roughly sixty pages in length and the first two, "Sword of Ice" and "Sword of Lost Battles" are narrated by Yonan, a border guard of Estcarp who is called to the defense of Escore by Kyllan Tregarth.

(Many of the characters in "Trey of Swords" will already be familiar to Witch World readers, most notably the warrior Kyllan Tregarth, and Dahaun, mystical Lady of Green Silences).

Yonan, an indifferent warrior at best is injured in a fall in the mountainous heights surrounding Escore's Green Valley. While separated from his patrol by a storm, he discovers the hilt of an ancient sword---an artifact of the vanished Great Adepts of magic.

Oh, no! All WW fans know that ancient artifacts are better left untouched. But Yonan feels a compulsion to rescue the sword hilt from its imprisoning stone, and so the original wielder of the Sword of Ice is able to reincarnate himself within Yonan. Yonan-now-Tolar forges a magical blade for his sword, rescues his friend Uruk of the Ax from a pillar of ice, and together they hurtle back through time to refight the Lost Battle of Witch World.

Before they bid farewell to the present, Yonan-now-Tolar and Uruk rescue Yonan's childhood companion, the untrained witch, Crytha from the filthy, claustrophobic burrows of the Rasti.

Crytha then narrates the third story of the trilogy, "Sword of Shadows."

An untrained witch is a very dangerous thing to be in Escore: a vessel waiting to be filled with the wrong kind of magic---which is exactly what happens to Crytha. She is put under a strong compulsion to obey an evil female magician named Laidan, who is plotting to reincarnate her lover, an adept of the darkest shadow who originally perished in the Lost Battle. (Evil females in Norton stories are easily identified by their scarlet lips and wanton behavior.)

How Crytha manages to foil the adepts of the Dark, with unexpected assistance from one of the Great Ones who had withdrawn from Witch World after the Lost Battle is the essence of "Sword of Shadows."

My only reason for withholding a star from my review is the very loosely constructed plot of "Trey of Swords." I never did quite comprehend why the Lost Battle of Witch World had to be refought. A more favorable outcome to the ancient battle didn't seem to change anything in 'modern-day' Escore---at least not by book's end. The blurb on the cover states that "the fate of witch world hangs in the Balance!" but I've read "Trey of Swords" at least twice now and still haven't figured out what sort of awfulness fate had in store, if Yonan and Crytha hadn't done their thing.

Read "Trey of Swords" because Norton tells an engrossing story of Good versus Evil magic in fabled Escore.