''Magic in Ithkar 2'' is a
shared world
A shared universe or shared world is a fictional universe from a set of creative works where more than one writer (or other artist) independently contributes a work that can stand alone but fits into the joint development of the storyline, chara ...
anthology
In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors.
In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
of
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
stories edited by
Andre Norton and
Robert Adams. It was first published as a trade paperback by
Tor Books
Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...
in December 1985 and later reprinted as a standard paperback in October 1988.
Summary
The book collects fourteen original short stories by various fantasy authors which share the setting of an annual fair in the city of Ithkar, together with an introduction by Adams and notes on the authors by Norton.
[Fantastic Fiction entry for ''Magic in Ithkar 2''](_blank)
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Setting
As described in the introduction by co-editor Robert Adams (identical to that in the previous volume), the world of which Ithkar is a part has suffered from some past holocaust which wiped out an earlier, higher civilization. Subsequently, the area which became Ithkar became a base for the explorations of three godlike visitors, who came to be worshiped as actual deities after their departure. A temple and priesthood dedicated to them developed over succeeding generations, which held a yearly fair on the anniversary of the visitors' first arrival. The city of Ithkar grew up about the temple on the strength of the commerce the fair attracted.
The historical background provided appears science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
al in nature; the war that destroyed the previous culture is related in terms which suggest a nuclear war, complete with radiation-derived mutations of life-forms in the vicinities of the nuclear strikes, while the story of the visitors resembles an expedition of interstellar explorers. Present-day Ithkar is, however, a fantasy setting, in which wizards and sorcerers are rife, and magic works.
Contents
* "Prologue" ( Robert Adams)
* "Flux of Fortune" (Mildred Downey Broxon
Mildred Downey Broxon (born June 7, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American science fiction and fantasy author.
Life
Broxon was born in Atlanta and grew up in Brazil. She studied psychology and worked as an assistant teacher for the mentally ha ...
)
* "Geydelle's Protective" (Lin Carter
Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...
)
* "If There Be Magic" (Marylois Dunn)
* "Babes on Bawd Way" (George Alec Effinger
George Alec Effinger (January 10, 1947 – April 27, 2002) was an American list of science fiction authors, science fiction author, born in Cleveland, Ohio.
Writing career
Effinger was a part of the Clarion Workshop, Clarion class of 1970 an ...
)
* "Sardofa's Horseshoes" ( Gregory Frost)
* "The Ruby Wand of Asrazel" ( Joseph Green)
* "Bird of Paradise" (Linda Haldeman)
* "Flaming-Arrow" (R. A. Lafferty
Raphael Aloysius "R. A." Lafferty (November 7, 1914March 18, 2002) was an American science fiction and fantasy writer known for his original use of language, metaphor, and narrative structure, Lafferty also wrote a set of four autobiographical n ...
)
* "The Shaman Flute" (Shariann Lewitt
Shariann Lewitt (born 1954) is an American author, specializing in science fiction. She is currently a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Publications
* ''First and Final Rites'' (1984, Ace)
* ''White Wing'' (1985, Tor) w ...
)
* "Shadow Quest" (Brad Linaweaver
Bradford Swain Linaweaver (September 1, 1952 – August 29, 2019) was an American science fiction writer, film producer, actor, and magazine publisher. Over a 40-year career, he completed a body of work including novels, short stories, and scree ...
)
* "Kissmeowt and the Healing Friar" (A. R. Major)
* "The Cards of Eldrianza" (Mary H. Schaub)
* "The Marbled Horn" (Lynn Ward)
* "Biographical Notes" ( Andre Norton)
Reception
The book was reviewed by Don D'Ammassa in '' Science Fiction Chronicle'' no. 83, August 1986.
Notes
{{Andre Norton
1985 anthologies
Fantasy anthologies
Andre Norton anthologies
Tor Books books