The Sorcerer's Conspectus:

A comprehensive view of Andre Norton's Witch World

by Lotsawatts

Isle of Illusion

A Novella in the [Witch World Saga] by Carol Severance

See Also: [Martinez ~ Glossary] [Martinez ~ Races] [Schlobin ~ Survey] [Coulson's Index]

[Expanded Reading Order] [Bibliography Page] [Read it Here] [Return to Contents]

Edition Used for Analysis:
[Tales of the Witch World 1] (1989) Published by TOR, PB, 0-812-54757-8, 978-0-812-54757-3, $3.95, 343pg ~ cover by Victoria Poyser

Synopsis:

Metae liked to fish and it made her uncle Taggart mad for as the Heir to Komlin’s Keep, fishing was beneath her. During her latest fishing expedition she is swept overboard by a freak storm and entangled in the fishing line. She awakens on an Isle that cannot be, for it is warm, lush and remote. There she is saved by an old lady named Kelena, her Aunt who drowned some 20 years ago. Kelena teaches her how to survive on this once deserted Isle and of the magic that has them both trapped. Matae finds some poisonous red coral deep in the sea and captures the evil creature that lives in a golden shell at the corals center. The effort to pull the shell out of the red coral cost Matae the use of her arm. Once the creature is destroyed the magic that has them trapped starts to fade. But then a hermit crab moves into the shell and the magic starts to return. Matae tries everthing she can think of to get the crab out of the shell and resorts to putting the shell in the signal fire that they were going to use once the magic desolved. Both women thought that all was for naught as the fire burned out. But the next morning they are rescued by their kinfolk and discover the fate of Matae’s evil Uncle Taggart.

Timeline Points:

1. p289. "Her [Metae's] homeland [Komlin], located as it was to the far north of Quayth, was cold and gray through most of the year, especially so in winter." Not clear when this occurs. Possibly sometime after Amber of Quayth and before The Warding of Witch World? The island must be off the coast of Arvon somewhere if it's north of Quayth. Probably somewhere around the Vellas Islands mentioned in Rampion.

The Sorcerer’s recommend that you read next: Through the Moon Gate

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Formatted and Edited by Jay Watts ~ May, 2022

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