''Magic in Ithkar 3'' 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
Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...
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 October 1986 and later reprinted as a standard paperback in September 1989.
Summary
The book collects fourteen fifteen 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 3''](_blank)
/ref>
Setting
As described in the introduction by co-editor Robert Adams (identical to that in the previous volumes), 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)
* "Three Knives in Ithkar" (Gareth Bloodwine)
* "Were-Sisters" (Ann R. Brown)
* "The Magic Carpet" (James Clark)
* "The Amiable Assassin" (A. C. Crispin
Ann Carol Crispin (April 5, 1950 – September 6, 2013) was an American science fiction writer, the author of twenty-three published novels. She wrote several ''Star Trek'' and ''Star Wars'' novelizations, and created an original science fiction ...
)
* "Guardians of the Secret" (Ginger Curry and Monika Conroy)
* "The Beggar and His Cat" (Gene DeWeese
Thomas Eugene DeWeese (January 31, 1934 – March 19, 2012) was an American writer of science fiction, best known for his ''Star Trek'' novels. He also wrote Gothic, mystery, and young adult fiction, totalling more than 40 books in his caree ...
)
* "Flarrin Red-chin" (M. Coleman Easton)
* "Covenant" ( P. M. Griffin)
* "What Little Girls Are Made Of" ( T. S. Huff)
* "Eyes of the Seer" (Caralyn Inks and Georgia Miller)
* "Fiddler Fair" ( Mercedes R. Lackey)
* "The Silverlord" (Morgan Llywelyn
Morgan Llywelyn (born December 3, 1937) is an American-Irish historical interpretation author of Historical fiction, historical and Mythic fiction, mythological fiction and history, historical non-fiction. Her interpretation of mythology and ...
)
* "SunDark in Ithkar" (S. Lee Rouland)
* "Hair's Breath" ( Susan M. Shwartz)
* "The Singing Eggs" (Kiel Stuart)
* "Biographical Notes" (Andre Norton
Andre Alice Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 – March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name ...
)
Notes
{{Andre Norton
1986 anthologies
Fantasy anthologies
Andre Norton anthologies
Tor Books books