Witch World High Hallack Cycle

~ An Omnibus for the Witch World: High Hallack Series by Andre Norton

witch.world.high.hallack.cycle

 

Contains ~

  • The Crystal Gryphon (1972) Published by Atheneum, HC, LCCN 70190559, $5.50, 243pg ~ cover by Jack Gaughan
  • Gryphon in Glory (1981) Published by Atheneum, HC, 0-689-50195-1, LCCN 80024835, $9.95, 242pg ~ cover by Jack Gaughan
  • Horn Crown (1981) Published by DAW, PB, 0-879-97635-7, $2.95 US, $3.95 Canadian, 255pg ~ cover by Michael Whelan
  • The Jargoon Pard (1974) Published by Atheneum, HC, 0-689-50011-4, LCCN 74076279, $6.95, 194pg ~ cover by Jack Gaughan
  • Zarsthor’s Bane (1978) Published by ACE, PB, 0-441-95490-1 , $1.95, 204pg  ~ #95491 1981 $2.50 204pg, covers by Manuel Sanjulian, illustrated by Evan TenBroeck Steadman


Synopsis ~

Crystal Gryphon, The ~ The curse of his forebears - who had looted one of the sacred places of the old ones, taken the forbidden treasure that glowed in the dark, and, thereafter, been visited with a painful, often fatal sickness - was handed on to Kerovan at his birth, though in a different form. His feet were not like those of other humans, but were small hooves, while his eyes were a strange butter-amber color. Yet he was his father's rightful heir to Ulm and was so brought up. When he was ten, his father arranged for his marriage to a fitting bride - Joisan - thought the two were not to meet until he was eighteen. Before then, invaders came to Ulm and, in the disastrous times that followed, both Kerovan and Joisan were sent fleeing. A link between them was unexpectedly provided by a small and beautiful crystal sphere with a gryphon engraved therein that Kerovon had found once and had sent to Joisan. Through incredible dangers and hardships their paths slowly converged, and, united, they journeyed to the farthest reaches of the wilderness, where only the Old Ones had lived, to save their people - and the world - from total enslavement and destruction.
In this utterly absorbing and original book of ensorcellment and high adventure, Andre Norton one again demonstrates her unsurpassed gifts as an imaginative writer and a leader in the field of science fiction.

Gryphon in Glory ~ What did the Hounds of Alizon, invaders from overseas who were threatening to overrun the Dales, seek? Could it be that they hunted for some of the old Power that still existed in the Waste beyond? When Joisan set out from her Dale refuge to seek her wedded lord Kerovan, unrest filled the Dales and, in the Waste where Kerovan journeyed on a secret mission, evil was stirring. Strange forms of the Dark, long quiet, were beginning to wake. Kerovan, whose cloven hoofs instead of feet set him apart from the human folk of the Dales and manifested his mixed heritage, had renounced Joisan, wholly against her will, to free her from her bond to a man who did not know the mystery of his birth or his final destiny.
Reunited in the Waste, though Kerovan still kept his heart closed against Joisan, they soon found themselves confronted by evil powers of the Dark on every hand. Kerovan must now follow his destiny wherever it led, Joisan knew, and to win her lord again she would stay with him, whatever their final fate might be. Helped occasionally by the strange power she did not understand that came from her lord’s gift of a small crystal globe, on a neck chain, encasing a miniature gryphon, Joisan remained steadfast. Kerovan, however, haunted by strange dreams that took possession of him, strove for answers to the riddles of the Dark.
Andre Norton, an outstanding and widely honored science fiction writer, creates a strange, memorable, wholly believable world filled with extraordinary characters in this compelling tale of courage, loyalty, and danger-to-the-death, companion to the earlier book, The Crystal Gryphon.

Horn Crown ~ When Elron's people pass through the Gate which gives passage between worlds, they trade the memories of their old land for a future in this strange new place, known only to the Sword Brothers who had come before and scouted it. Yet while on guard duty, Elron is drawn, as though by half-dorment remembrances, to an ancient, eerie shrine of the moon.
After Elron's cousin Iynne confesses a similar attraction for the shrine, she vanishes. Later, banished by his clan - declared kinless, because he had kept Iynne's shrine-visits a secret - Elron meets Gathea, an apprentice sorceress, who claims the shrine's magic powers as her birthright. Determined to seize these powers, she joins Elron in search of Iynne, on a perilous, fast-paced journey through the strange land.
Besieged and captured by creatures of the Dark, separated and reunited, Elron and Gathea are forced to learn and employ the Old Ones' magic. For together, Elron and Gathea learn that only the powers of the Old Ones - the ancient gods, goddesses, and the Horned Hunter himself - can fend off the magical sirens and other life-threatening powers of evil. Finally, in a surprising and terrifying showdown, Elron alone must rescue Iynne from the forces of Dark - and, by restoring the balance between good an evil, determine the future of the land.
Thrilling adventure set in Norton's famed Witch World.

Jargoon Pard, The ~ Kethan, heir to the House of Car Do Prawn and all its holdings, was deeply aware of the unrest and foreboding that filled the ancient land of Arvon. He was aware, too, that something had always set him apart from other men, though he knew not what. Increasingly he longed for freedom - from his mother, the Lady Heroise, and her Wise Woman, Ursilla, who hoped to use him as their pawn and rule through him; from the strange and evil Powers they served; from the intrigues of his jealous cousin, Maughus. With the gift of a belt, to which Kethan was strangely drawn, his life changed dramatically. It was made of leopard skin, its buckle a large yellow-brown stone - a jargoon - carved to resemble the head of the dreaded hunter, a snow cat. The belt had strange powers, through which the threads of Kethan's destiny began slowly to unwind. In a stunning confrontation between the Powers of evil and the Powers of good, in which Kethan nearly loses his life, he discovers his true identity and the path he must follow.
Andre Norton's remarkable imagination and extraordinary skill in creating outstanding science-fiction have never been more ably demonstrated. A companion volume to The Crystal Gryphon, this sword and sorcery fantasy will delight her host of admirers and create many new friends. 

Zarthor's Bane ~ Profusely illustrated by Evan Ten-Broeck Steadman, it borders on a horror story. The wars are over in High Hallack and Brixia, last survivor of the House of Torgus when the invaders razed her dale. Wandering with only a cat for companionship and scavenging for the means to survive, she comes across a young man, Dwed and his master, the dazed and confused Lord Marbon from Eggarsdale, a man obsessed on locating Zarsthor's Bane a talisman of great power and an heirloom of his house. They travel for a while together but get split up and Brixia feels compelled to follow the other three. She suffers many hardships and encounters many nightmarish creatures on the way, but she finds great aid in an unexpected place and form. Lessons learned from her wise woman nurse maid come in handy in day-to-day survival and she learns that she is stronger than she thought when she at last catches up with the three. A fast read, the many pictures help in the flow of the story. I had forgotten how good this book is. If you want to find out exactly what the Bane is and its final fate, read the book. ~ PG


Bibliography of English Editions ~

  • (2018) Published by Open Road Media, DM, 9781504055727, $17.99, 1910pg ~ cover by unknown
  • Books 1&2 (2021) Created by Podium Audio, Audible, length 12hrs & 46mins, $30.62 ~ narrated by Adjoa Andoh & John Lee ~ contains The Jargoon Pard & Zarsthor’s Bane
  • Book 3 (2021) Created by Podium Audio, Audible, length 8hrs & 30mins, $30.62 ~ narrated by Adjoa Andoh & John Lee ~ contains The Crystal Gryphon
  • Book 4 (2021) Created by Podium Audio, Audible, length 8hrs & 53mins, $30.62 ~ narrated by Adjoa Andoh & John Lee ~ contains Gryphon in Glory
  • Book 5 (2021) Created by Podium Audio, Audible, length 8hrs & 18mins, $30.62 ~ narrated by John Lee ~ contains Horn Crown

 

Note: The following Audible books are not part of the original set but are listed as books in the grouping by Amazon and Podium Audio

  • Book 6 (2021) Created by Podium Audio, Audible, length 8hrs & 20mins, $30.62 ~ narrated by Adjoa Andoh & John Lee ~ contains Gryphon's Eyrie
  • Book 7 (2021) Created by Podium Audio, Audible, length 11hrs & 22mins, $29.99 ~ narrated by Adjoa Andoh ~ contains Songsmith
  • Book 8 (2021) Created by Podium Audio, Audible, length 9hrs & 55mins, $29.99 ~ narrated by Adjoa Andoh & John Lee ~ contains Silver May Tarnish

For information on editions currently available visit the Book Store

  

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