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The Witches of Karres (SF Collector's Edition) (Gollancz S.F.) | 
| Author: James H. Schmitz
Publisher: Gollancz
Category: Book
List Price: $22.70
Buy Used: $4.30
You Save: $18.40 (81%)
Rating:  52 reviews
Sales Rank: 1650942
Media: Paperback
Pages: 344
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.3 x 1.2
ISBN: 0575071443
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780575071445
ASIN: 0575071443
Publication Date: November 16, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Captain Pausert, master of the old pirate-chaser "Venture", seems to have a knack for selling job-lot cargoes around the fringes of the Empire. He's so ahead of the game that he has time to rescue three child slaves, only to find out that they are three witches of Karres with awesome psi powers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 47 more reviews...
 Classic, wide-ranging space adventure August 24, 2007
L. A. Morrow (USA)
An utterly non-serious book in a fantastic, unlikely future... the way sci-fi used to be in the good old days. You've got a bit of everything: intergalactic worms, dangerous space pirates, and unpredictable young witches who take Captain Pausert's life on an unexpected turn. You won't wan to put this one down. No wonder there are 50 other 5-star reviews here. It's a tale of old-fashioned adventure!
(This is a review of the original 1966 story-- I haven't yet read the edited version. I will admit that the ending of the story might need a little less bravado.)
Fast Paced, Clean Wholesome Fun February 11, 2007
Weston J. Zach (Silverton, OR USA)
This is an excellent space opera. Captain Pausert is an interplanetary merchant who chances to acquire/rescue three sisters who are being kept in slavery (by three different masters). His life quite rapidly becomes more exciting (and it wasn't exactly dull to start with).
The plot shifts from one dilemma to another over the course of the book, so if you prefer long thought provoking novels to a series of obstacles this may not be your cup of tea. One reviewer commented that the dialogue was "hokey." Personally I prefer the old space operas to some of the pretentious fare we get these days. Many modern science fiction authors recognize Schmitz as one of the greats, so it also seems a bit pretentious to trash on his writing style.
Another reviewer complained that Eric Flint edited the new printing, another said that it probably made the book more readable for modern people. I have read the book many times and have copies of both printings. I am usually pretty fussy about that sort of thing. If Mr. Flint actually changed anything I failed to notice it.
This is my favorite Science Fiction novel.
Just for the record "The Lord of the Rings" is not science fiction.
 Fun stuff! January 10, 2007
C. LaFever (California)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book is both a fun read and a taste of old style science fiction. The adventure is the thing, and the bad guys just keep coming as fast as they're brought low. Captain Pausert is an officer and a gentleman, who doesn't space his troublemakers even though they threaten his ship and crew. The three witches he rescues are each clearly their own girl, altho I liked the Leewit best and she didn't get as big a part as I'd have liked. No sex, no foul language, just a solid story. If you enjoy the old hands of adventure sci-fi, like Robert Heinlein, Andre Norton and H. Beam Piper, you'll like this book. Similar books recommended: Star Beast; Have Space Suit, Will Travel; Star Ka'at; Beast Master; Little Fuzzy and Fuzzy Sapiens.
"You! What you do?!" August 24, 2006
Michael K. Smith (Gonzales, Louisiana)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I first read this delightful space-operatic romp when it was first published. I was taking a required Young Adult Literature course in library school, one of the requirements of which was writing and doing a book talk before the class. Since I was (and still am) a serious science fiction fan, I picked this one, based on the reviews I'd seen. The funny thing is, while it certainly is a good book to recommend to adolescents, most libraries shelve it in the Adult Fiction section, where it has been doing equally well for forty years. Captain Pausert is the archetypal protagonist, a well-meaning, slightly stuffy, reasonably competent skipper of an interstellar trading vessel. Only he comes across three young sisters who were kidnaped and sold by slavers and are making life very difficult for their respective new owners. The girls, ranging in age from six to sixteen, are inhabitants of Karres, the "witch world," and though young, they're far from defenseless. The witches are the Good Guys, though, and the Bad Guys, who slipped into our universe accidentally, are very bad indeed. Pausert has his hands full, sometimes because of the girls -- especially the middle one, who has set her cap for him -- and sometimes despite them. But the Captain has unknown talents himself. It's a light and easy read of less than 240 pages, and it has generally aged quite well. But you should ignore the Velez jacket illustration on the Baen hardcover reprinting because it bears no resemblance whatever to the characters as described.
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