Warlock

~ An Omnibus for the Warlock Series by Andre Norton

Contains ~

• Storm Over Warlock (1960) Published by World, HC, LCCN 60007204, 251pg ~ cover by Ed Emshwiller

• Ordeal In Otherwhere (1964) Published by World, HC, LCCN 64012354, 221pg ~ cover by Gilbert Riswald

• Forerunner Foray (1973) Published by Viking, HC, 0-670-32357-8, LCCN 72091403, 286pg ~ cover by Charles Mikolaycak

Synopsis ~

Write-up from the back of the paperback edition ~

Andre Norton, whom Time calls the “Grande Dame” of science fiction, has created one of the most memorable worlds in SF in the planet called Warlock, ruled by the matriarchial Wyvern, an alien race of witches who are masters of mental illusions and dreams. In a sweeping generational saga, the story of Warlock is told by three humans:
        Shann Lantee was an explorer sent to the newly discovered planet Warlock. When the insectile Throgs destroyed the base, the Wyvern were his only hope – if they weren’t an even greater menace.
        Charis Nordholm was sold into slavery by the tyrants on her planet. Taken to Warlock by the outlaw who held her contract, she and Shann Lantee found themselves fighting for their lives.
        Ziantha’s mental powers made her valuable to the criminal carrel she worked for until she stole a gem of ancient mystic power. Pursued by the stone’s owners, she fled across the galaxy and encountered Ris Lantee from Warlock, who alone could solve the gems mystery.

Write-ups from a fan ~

Storm Over Warlock ~ Another protagonist from a slum area --Shann Lantee from the "Dumps" on Tyr (an early version of The Dipple on Kowar.) He is a menial laborer assigned to a survey team on Warlock (another of Andre's 3-planet systems) to prepare for an incoming colony ship. He takes care of the mutated animals that serve the group.
One day, as a prank one of the other team members lets loose the pair of Wolverines and Shann has to go and catch them before the expedition leader knows that they are gone. Ironically, this mean-spirited trick saved his life as the camp is attacked by the Throgs (Andre's nastiest aliens so far) A savage race that resemble large ferocious Beetles. Their thought patterns are too alien to have any meeting of the minds with humans. They also need the same type planets as the Earth colonists do and a war has been going on for twenty-five years.
Alone, with no supplies and a pair of wolverines, he must play a deadly game of hide-and-seek with the Throgs.
After a while he is joined by an experienced scout who crash lands his ship. Together, they go on a quest to find aid from a rumored native race. After many harrowing adventures they are captured by the Wyverns, a matriarchal society of witches who are flummoxed by concept of males who can think for themselves. A jam-packed wild adventure. ~ PG

Ordeal In Otherwhere ~ A plague struck the colony on Demeter, killing most of the government personnel. Outlaws seized control and Charis Nodholm, teacher became outcast and was traded to an unscrupulous Free Trader. He sold her indentures to another trader bound for Warlock. On Warlock, the reptilian Wyverns would not deal with males, so the traders hoped to use Charis as a liaison to trade for some beautiful fabric made by the Wyverns. One day, the traders disappeared and Charis after beaming an sos to the Survey base (from Storm Over Warlock), takes off into the wilderness, meets and befriends a Warlockian curl-cat. She is captured by the Wyverns and taken to their base where she is tested. The Wyverns, a matriarchal society, possess the Power of mind control (through dreams, mainly) and Teleportation and Telepathy. She shows some aptitude for the Power, as did Shann and Ragnar from SOW. She escapes and meets Shann and his telepathic wolverines. All of the off-world camps have been taken over by Jacks, ruthless pirates, who want to find some way to steal the Power. Charis and Shann and their animal companions must find a way to get the Wyvern "Witches" help them defeat the Jacks.
Notes:
Charis is Andre's first female main character and was a tough sell to the publishers
The first appearance of the term "Jacks" meaning independent pirates, ie. not associated with her Thieves' Guild.
"Otherwhere" is a big darkness that Wyverns (and Charis) teleport though. They also use it as a place to store prisoners. Other than it not being cold, it reminds me of "BETWEEN" in the Anne McCaffrey Pern books. ~ PG

Forerunner Foray ~ This book has Andre Norton written all over it. Ziantha, a former resident of the Dipple on Kolwar (yes, the same Dipple from Catseye, Night of Masks and Judgement on Janus), is now using her esper talents (telepathy Telekinesis, and Psychometry) to help her masters in the powerful Thieves Guild. On one mission to copy secret files from a rival Veep, her attention is drawn to an ugly lump of stone on a table.
She becomes obsessed with it and sneaks out later and steals it. Her bosses and their bosses realize that this lump is a forerunner artifact and she and the artifact are sent to Waystar, the legendary home of thieves and fences where they are supposed to find out what the artifact is where it came from and if it can be used to find more Forerunner treasure. Ziantha tells them where to go and a Veep sends her and her boss on a Jack ship and she locates a possible source on a nearly burned-off planet. The Jack captain forces her to use her power on the artifact without any preparation or safeguards.
She is hurled into the past into a body of Vintra, a captive left to die in a warlord's tomb. The dead warlord awakes, and they escape the tomb together. She knows that she is supposed to find a focus-jewel like the one she had secretly discovered inside the artifact. After many dangers, she slips even further back in the planet's Past and becomes one with D'Eyree and ancient protector of her city through the use of twin jewels.
When she finally gets back to her own time, she is rescued from the Jacks by the son of a couple we met in Storm over Warlock and Ordeal in Otherwhere. As usual, Andre has included a soft fuzzy creature who happens to be a super-powerful telepath/telekinetic. "Action-packed!" is really faint praise. There is a lot going on between the covers of this one. ~ PG

Bibliography of English Editions ~

• (2002) Published by BAEN, HC, 0-671-31849-7, LCCN 2001049949, $25.00, 534pg ~ cover by Larry Elmore

• (2002) Published by BAEN, DM, 0-671-31849-7, $6.99, 544pg ~ cover by Larry Elmore

• (2002) Published by SFBC, HC, # 51528, $12.50, 534pg ~ cover by Larry Elmore

• (2003) Published by BAEN, PB, 0-743-47151-2, LCCN2001049949, $7.99, 563pg ~ cover by Larry Elmore

• (2021) Created by Tantor Audio, Audible, length 20hrs & 35mins, $21.43 ~ narrated by Gabriel Vaughan

View the 1999 BAEN contract

• Warlock - 2002 HC Warlock - 2002 HC
• Warlock - 2003 PB Warlock - 2003 PB
• Warlock - 2021 Warlock - 2021
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