Magic in Ithkar 1

Rating:
Summary: Come to the fair at Ithkar
Review: I believe there were only four 'Magic in Ithkar' volumes, which is a shame because Norton and Adams did a great job of soliciting (and editing?) these commonly-themed fantasy shorts. Each of the four collections has the same prologue by Robert Adams, which explains how the fair originated in Ithkar (a religious anniversary turned pilgrimage), the set-up (temple, campgrounds for the merchants, docks and canals for the riparian traffic, etc.), and the difficulties encountered on a pilgrimage or trading voyage to Ithkar (Death Swamp, dragons, outlaw wizards). All weapons must be surrendered before entering the fair and wizards are discouraged from glamorizing shoddy goods with their spells. Of course, as at any large festival, the fair at Ithkar has its share of rogues, piratical merchants, bravos, potion-makers and witches, troupes of entertainers (not a few of them turning tricks), and gullible pilgrims.

A sampling of stories:

"The Goblinry of Ais" by Lin Carter - a rather pedestrian story on the theme of 'be careful what you wish for,' especially if the genie in the rock happens to be a goblin.

"To Take a Thief" by C.J. Cherryh - A young apprentice-thief's master hangs from a gibbet down near the docks. How will he survive at a fair already overrun by thieves, and worse?

"Jezeri and her Beast Go to the Fair and Find more Excitement than They Want." by Jo Clayton - this story about a young girl and her mysterious telepathic pet is written like a chapter taken out of a novel. It's a 'day in the life of' rather than a story with a true ending. I checked Jo Clayton's bibliography to see if Jezeri and her Beast came whole-cloth out of a novel, but didn't find anything to indicate that it did.

"Fletcher Found" by Morgan Llywelyn - One of my favorites. A young fletcher is robbed of his wares on the way to Ithkar, but manages to replenish part of his stock of arrows with the help of a peculiar wild magic. His new arrows are not precisely saleable.

"Well Met in Ithkar" by Patricia Mathews - A blind jewelry maker is fighting long odds when she identifies a priest of Thotharn as the man who ruined her family.

Rating:
Summary: Come to the fair at Ithkar
Review: I believe there were only four 'Magic in Ithkar' volumes, which is a shame because Norton and Adams did a great job of soliciting (and editing?) these commonly-themed fantasy shorts. Each of the four collections has the same prologue by Robert Adams, which explains how the fair originated in Ithkar (a religious anniversary turned pilgrimage), the set-up (temple, campgrounds for the merchants, docks and canals for the riparian traffic, etc.), and the difficulties encountered on a pilgrimage or trading voyage to Ithkar (Death Swamp, dragons, outlaw wizards). All weapons must be surrendered before entering the fair and wizards are discouraged from glamorizing shoddy goods with their spells. Of course, as at any large festival, the fair at Ithkar has its share of rogues, piratical merchants, bravos, potion-makers and witches, troupes of entertainers (not a few of them turning tricks), and gullible pilgrims.

A sampling of stories:

"The Goblinry of Ais" by Lin Carter - a rather pedestrian story on the theme of 'be careful what you wish for,' especially if the genie in the rock happens to be a goblin.

"To Take a Thief" by C.J. Cherryh - A young apprentice-thief's master hangs from a gibbet down near the docks. How will he survive at a fair already overrun by thieves, and worse?

"Jezeri and her Beast Go to the Fair and Find more Excitement than They Want." by Jo Clayton - this story about a young girl and her mysterious telepathic pet is written like a chapter taken out of a novel. It's a 'day in the life of' rather than a story with a true ending. I checked Jo Clayton's bibliography to see if Jezeri and her Beast came whole-cloth out of a novel, but didn't find anything to indicate that it did.

"Fletcher Found" by Morgan Llywelyn - One of my favorites. A young fletcher is robbed of his wares on the way to Ithkar, but manages to replenish part of his stock of arrows with the help of a peculiar wild magic. His new arrows are not precisely saleable.

"Well Met in Ithkar" by Patricia Mathews - A blind jewelry maker is fighting long odds when she identifies a priest of Thotharn as the man who ruined her family.