This is the third and final volume of the collected short stories of Andre Norton. It's a mix of science fiction and fantasy stories, and of stories from her established fictional universes and free-standing stories, ranging from 1943 until her death in 2005.

Norton was one of the most treasured writers of my youth, a huge influence on subsequent generations of, especially, women writers, and a SFWA Grand Master. Those familiar with her Witch World stories will recognize the name High Hallack, but the title of this collection doesn't refer to those novels, or not directly. It's the name she gave her magnificent private library, which she used to support younger writers starting out on their careers.

Andre Norton and her stories were both treasures. She's gone now but her stories are still here for us to enjoy.

Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. ( )

Andre Norton was not the first science fiction author I ever read but, the first book of hers I read – Star Man's Son 2250 AD (1952) – was her first published SF novel, although some years passed between publication and my discovery. "Star Man's Son" is considered by some to be the first modern post apocalyptic novel, and it is my go-to book when trashing McCormac's "The Road."

I discovered SF on the bookshelf of my 4th grade classroom. The title of that glorious space opera is long lost but I remember the brown cloth cover with a little rocket ship on the bottom of the spine, a device used by Doubleday around then. I remember scouring the shelves of our tiny school for that little rocket, and having a surely confusing conversation with my teacher about the difference between "fiction" and "novels." I had the notion that "fiction" was the catchall for non-fact writing and "novels" were top-drawer literature.

There were two sources of SF in my early life – the public library and our neighbor Mr. Meyers. The library had a few shelves (which in retrospect seems quite a lot for a small town) and the Meyers house had piles. I was allowed to read all there was, because pre-1967 there was no sex in SF. One of my life regrets is not begging for Mr. Meyers' collection when he died.

In any case, Mr. Meyers was an Andre Norton fan and of the books I read, it is hers I remember. (well, and Gully Foyle.) And it is the space opera Star Man's Son 2250 AD, that I remember first and best, and in this remembering, I say to you that Tales of High Halleck is not the place to start reading Andre Norton.

Take a moment to look at Andre Norton bibliography pages online. They are a mess. The woman published for 70 years and her titles were repacked, renamed, reissued, reanthologized and otherwise remarketed to the point that scholars are mostly content to clump series together (if a short book with a single follow-on can be called a series) and choose a publication date, sprinkling the stand-alones in like nonpareils. The less scholarly take the clumps and put almost any old date on them. ACE doubles have a lot to answer for.

The dates are important though because like any writer of pulp fiction (much as I love her, Andre Norton was no Pulitzer candidate), Ms Norton's books reflected the literary trends of the time. Her work is also self-reflexive in that while her style evolved over time, it also curls around itself when something clicked with readers. She was not immune to the siren call of fashion either, as when she sidetracked into Authurian legend following Monty Python and Marian Zimmer Bradley.

The early works, their themes and their language are pulp. Space ships, time travel, ESP and the reworked themes of the classic western (ref Firefly). The shift to magic and a more convoluted voice is most easily seen, I think, in the Moon of Three Rings (1966) in which the star man meets the shapechanger. Norton used idiom brilliantly as a cultural shortcut. (We may never know if Elmore Leonard read Ms Norton in his youth.)

In about 1982 I did a quick tally of my Norton paperbacks and decided that the average length was 187 pages. That's 187 old style paperback, not these tall things with wide margins we have today, so these tales are well under 100,000 words. Compact and exciting. But, and this is a big thing, by 1967 and Dangerous Visions, her audience moved on to more exotic reading, but fortunately for her, unlike some others writing around then, a new audience was waiting.

I, like other readers my age, was thrilled by Moon of Three Rings, Catseye (1961) and the tales of ESP and animals, and by Witchworld (1963) where ESP was transformed into witchcraft, with a tiny bit of sexual tension thrown in (perfect for a teen reader, right?). Witchworld is written from the POV of Simon Tregarth, a modern man who meets and loves Jaelithe, a witch of Estcarp who sacrifices herself, she thinks, for him. Witchworld became a series and then a franchise and then took over and the convoluted idiom of Maelen and later Jaelithe became the Norton norm. Even the later space operas, few as they are, are tainted (now that's a strong word that will raise ire) by Maelen's voice.

So be it. Andre Norton became a legend with a huge modern following and I do not begrudge it, but I straddled the transition and I like space opera better.

Which brings us the long way round to why Tales of High Halleck should not be your Andre Norton introduction or if it must be (you are stranded on an island or something) you should approach it carefully. Read the stories in chronological order, not the order presented.

The first story in this collection is called The Last Enchantment (1995), a retelling of Nimuë's story. If you don't already know Arthurian legend and its modern permutations you will be completely mystified. It is a terrible first story for a collection, especially when the second is Sword of Unbelief a lateish Witchworld tale originally published in 1977. By then, Witchworld idiom had become so peculiar that it only qualifies as English because each word is an English word. You have to know the language to be able to read the story. It's a pretty good story but even I, with the deepest affection, groan at the tortuous phrasing.

"It was contagious magic which I used to track Jervon, for about my throat I wore the amulet of a strange stone shaped not unlike an eye, which he had found and carried for a luck piece since he was a boy, and then had put into my keeping upon our handfasting, having in those years of war no other bride-jewel to offer."

"Colors rippled here that had no name I knew, sensations wrenched at the inner core of my determination and Talent as if they would pull me apart while I yet lived."

"Now the stones of the forgotten ruins drew together, formed tumbled walls, with here or there some uprise of worked rock which might have once been a statue. But these were now so worn away by erosion that such shapes remained only vaguely unpleasant ones, hinting of ancient monstrous beings. Gods or guardians? What man now living could say?"

If you are new to Andre Norton and have the tenacity to read these pieces in chronological order you will enjoy yourself much more.

I received review copies of "Tales from High Hallack: The collected short stories of Andre Norton , Volume 1, 2 and 3" by Andre Norton (Premier Digital Publishing) through NetGalley.com. I received and read these books in 2014 and thought I had uploaded this review then. I am sorry for being negligent. ( )

I have been enthralled by Andre Norton's style and imagination since I was 11 years old. This new anthology showcases the best of her unique voice in science fiction writing. This compilation of short stories runs the gamut of locations such as a planet far far away, and Earth of the here and now, and characters as diverse as Amer-Indians fighting a race of Ants who have taken over the Earth, to the reincarnation of Merlin's Nimué who is creating a beaded tapestry that may end all life as we know it. There is no writer living or dead to compare to the prolific and inventive Andre Norton.

I was given the e-book by Netgalley and am very happy to have been able to read this collection pre-release. Andre Norton has ever been one of my favorite writers. ( )

I was a big fan of Andre Norton when I was a kid... but I hadn't previously read any of these stories. This is the third in an (I presume) chronologically-arranged series of Norton collections, the majority of the stories here were written in the '90s - after my big Norton-reading phase. Regardless of the title, there aren't any 'Witch World' stories in this collection (no actual mentions of High Hallack).

I was definitely curious to get a sense of her later work, and to revisit an author from a new perspective. The result? Well, I'm not actually sure Norton's writing, if it came out for the first time today, would gain the popularity it enjoyed. The literary bar for genre writing has moved over time. However, I definitely saw what I always loved about her writing. She had a talent for creating appealing characters (both human and feline), and her stories show a pro-woman, pro-tolerance and understanding attitude that was far from ubiquitous at the time.

Auôur the Deepminded
Relates the tale of a Scandinavian woman who leads her people to settle Iceland. I'm not sure if the character is fictional, legendary, or possibly historical, but this is a fine tale.

No Folded Hands
A response to "With Folded Hands ...", a 1947 science fiction novelette by Jack Williamson, in which humanity comes to accept alien overlords. I haven't read Williamson's story, but Norton imagines a brave resistance to the deceptively benign-seeming antlike aliens by Native American shamans.

Bard’s Crown
A Scottish woman must deal with her dissolute brother, and his quest for treasure that should better be left to lie...

Frog Magic
Usually, it's the wizard turning people into frogs. But now, the tables have been turned, and a wizard finds himself unexpectedly in the middle of a stream, catching flies with his long, sticky tongue...

Herne’s Lady
At the advanced age of twenty-six, an heiress finds herself the lady of the manor, and unattached. The neighboring lord is a threat - but an elderly woman will help her find her true destiny in the surrounding wood.

The Outling
Outside her village, a midwife finds a mother in the midst of a difficult birth. Despite her best efforts the mother - clearly not human - dies, and the midwife takes the normal-appearing baby to foster. But eventually, ancient heritage will out... I particularly liked this one, with its fairy tale setting, and exploration of ethics, loyalty and identity.

Stonish Men
A Knight Templar, blown far off course while fleeing enemies, eventually finds himself alone and lost in a strange and unknown land. He has no option but to hide the casket containing his order's greatest treasure. Centuries later, the relic will be found...

Churchyard Yew
A story of malevolent ghosts and exorcism at a historic bed and breakfast. This reminded me a lot, in feel, of Marion Zimmer Bradley's 'Witchlight' series.

Root and Branch Shall Change
An Arthurian musing, from the perspective of Nimue, about Merlin. This one didn't really capture my attention.

White Violets
Traditional-feeling, old-fashioned story of a curse, a broken engagement - and an evil that may visit itself in yet another cycle, affecting two families.

Needle and Dream
Celebrating 'women's work,' in this story, a homely craft becomes a potent force against evil, in a small town where villagers are occasionally gifted with true dreaming.

Procession to Var
This kind of story is what I think of when I think "classic Andre Norton." Sci-fi, interesting aliens, a focus on cultural differences/understanding, and some golden-age-style action. A group of spacefaring archaeologists discover an interesting mural on an alien planet - realize that the alien culture is not at all dead - and then deal with the nefarious raiders that secretly followed them to their remote location...

Set in Stone
Another classic sci-fi tale... An enslaved young man, forced into dangerous space exploration as a 'scout' by his overlords, hopes to find escape on an alien planet - even if it's through death.

Ravenmere
On a working retreat at a friend's ancient manor, a young artist is overtaken by pagan magic filtered through Arthurian lore. Can she escape the power of her spiritual heritage?

Three-Inch Trouble
A spaceship has unintentionally got itself infested with angry alien gremlins. It's the ship's cat to the rescue: he knows and understands far more than his clumsy human crewmates guess!

The End is the Beginning
The themes here will be familiar to those who've read the 'Star Ka'at' books. Through endless years on a generation ship, the humans who built the infrastructure and planned the voyage have died out - but 'their' cats have mutated or evolved into increasingly intelligent beings...

The Familiar
When raiders strike, a young girl's favorite toy reveals itself as a sentient being with - possibly - the power to save her.

Red Cross, White Cross
Two brothers, forced into Holy Orders - one a Knight Templar, one a Knight Hospitaller. Years later, when the Templars are discredited and disenfranchised, both meet and find their oaths and loyalties tested.

Sow’s Ear—Silk Purse
On the eve of an unwanted marriage, a young woman seeks out a witch to ask her to curse her with ugliness. Surely her betrothed will reject her if she is truly hideous! But things don't work out as expected...

The Cobwebbed Princess
Sleeping Beauty's rescue depends upon her loyal cat, in this retelling of the classic fairy tale.

Faire Likeness
Trouble comes to the Renaissance Faire, in the form of a black magician and his malevolently-created voodoo dolls. A woman and a cat team up to use heretofore-untapped powers to defeat the evil...


Copy provide to me by NetGalley - many thanks for the opportunity to read this volume. As always, my opinions are my own. ( )

This collection of fantasy short stories cover ancient Britain, science fiction, dystopian futures and horror situations and are mostly enjoyable. Of course tastes vary but there should be something for everyone’s taste.

Unfortunately the digital edition that I read was not particularly well transposed and there were printing errors but that did not detract from the enjoyment. Occasionally the style jars but most of the time the stories are well-written and engaging.

This is fantasy pulp fiction in the style of Edgar Rice Burroughs, HP Lovecraft and all the greats.

Highly recommended to lovers of fantasy stories, sometimes with a twist.
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