text: If you like fantasy and are not acquainted with the works of Andre Norton, then this is an excellent starting point.  Believable, heroic characters and a well thought-out "Witch World" combine to make for an enjoyable read.  Simon Tregarth is transported through a mysterious gate into a world populated by people and other things not people.  A struggle goes on between good and evil, and it's not clear who is winning.  (But, we know who wins in the end - "good", of course.)  The style of writing - more of a story that unfolds as it is read - is one strength that characterizes her writings.  That, and the fascinating settings, imaginative perils faced, and strong likable characters make this a "must read".  This is a refreshing hard-to-put-down story.  It does not suffer from the typical overinflated, overwordy, overcomplicated, and overcharacterized (and lifeless) features of the usual fantasy megathon offered today
  