I had missed this when it came out, I LOVE Andre Norton. I wish someone would turn the Witch World into an RPG, A good one
Anyway, this is a goodthoughnotgreat addition to the cannon, The plot is a bit episodic and predictable, with an overarching theme, but not much of a fulllength plot, I also thought the villain's motivation was a little thin it could have been foreshadowed a bit more in the early chapters when Lorcan was a boy, Anyway, the romance was sweet, deftly handled, and in the Norton tradition, The setting was spoton, and I enjoyed it overall, Originally I said that this book was finished from Ms Norton's notes after her death, However, when I just reread it, I read the notes from McConchie, who said that the idea was hers, and Norton helped with it,
Either way, it is an excellent read, with a good story flow and a good ending, If I was to edit it perhaps I would have removed a few of the Postscripts at the end, but overall a plusfive read!
Good triumphs in the end, but warns that to remain safe good must be ever vigilant against evil! We hear and we forget.
Today we see evil return because we didn't remember, we chose to forget, That is why we have storytellers to remind us in amusing ways that the good we have may not last if we don't take care, sitelink com/reviewsilve
This isn't going to be the best review ever, I've read the book too many times, I love this book and this series too much,
This book is several books into the Witch World series but it is a stand alone, While it can be read without prior knowledge of the Witch World, . . Norton writes with the assumption that you know what she's talking about,
Some Background
Silver May Tarnish is set in the Dales of High Hallack, a country in the Witch World, It occurs after a long and very destructive war has happened on that land, Invaders came to the Dales from a country named Alizon, The Alizoners despise magic in all forms and thus allied themselves with a technologically advanced group of outworlder invaders named the Kolder, The Kolder gave the armies of Alizon "war machines" that read very much like modern day tanks, With these machines technology unknown to the Witch World a low tech world the armies of Alizon were able to batter down the walls of many keeps as they invaded the dales.
They destroyed the land as well seemingly sowing it with salt so lots of Dales men and women starved to death if they were not killed by the Alizon,
Eventually the armies of the Dales won but the price they paid was very high, Most dales were stripped of all their able bodied men of all ages, leaving only untrained women and children for the defense the entire dale, Keeps destroyed by the Alizon were expensive or impossible to rebuild, leaving people homeless and displaced, Crops were destroyed so people starved, Lines of authority were destroyed or disrupted and thus the rule of law was broken, Men turned to banditry to survive: stealing from those who had little, raping, killing and destroying Dales that were still somewhat whole,
Silver May Tarnish
Silver May Tarnish was originally a short story written by Lyn McConchie and sent to Andre Norton, The short story told the tale of the murders of the people of Honeycoombe home of the heroine and of the death and destruction of Erondale the hero's home, It also showed the meeting of the heroine and hero, When Andre Norton read the story she contacted Ms McConchie and instructed her to finish the rest of the book,
I really love this book but it is not your typical fantasy book, It tells of death and destruction and then rebirth and renewal, It details the simple things that simple people do to survive extreme hardship, . . and how even the darkest cloud has a silver lining, One of my good friends would call this a "slice of life" story,
Lorcan was born to a noble household and raised to be a Lord who takes care of his people, Upon his birth his parents had his fortune read, They were told that three sorrows would befall him before he would wander, But in his wandering he would find treasure unlooked for, heart to his heart, And then his wandering would be no more, The sorrows that Lorcan dealt with were many: his mother dies in childbirth, then the child she bore died a few years later, Years after that the Alizon came and his keep and Dale were destroyed, his father and brothers killed along with the majority of his people, He spent the rest of his childhood years in Paltendale, home of his kin, There he meets Hogeth, his cousin and enemy, Lorcan wandered for some years after leaving Paltendale, until he meets Meive,
Meive lived in a very small and hard to locate Dale named Honeycoombe, The wars never touched Honeycoombe and they lived happily, They made the majority of their money and additional food by keeping bees, led by a wise woman of the bees, One day the wise woman has a young boy, Neeco, ejected from the dale the bees had rejected him, telling her he would bring death and destruction to the dale.
Angry that he had to leave, he threatened to make all of them pay, He does this by leading a gang of bandits to Honeycoombe, The bandits kill everyone and steal all the useful goods, But Neeco realizes he missed someone: the bees and Meive were outside of the dale, Meive with the help of the bees manages to kill the bandits then goes to shelter at a magical shrine, Years later she meets Lorcan, Together they decide to revive her dale,
The book follows Meive and Lorcan as they slowly rebuild and that's why I call it a "slice of life, " While the book includes the story of Lorcan and Meive defending their dale from Lorcan's enemy and cousin Hogeth, who is little better than a bandit the story mostly focuses on the struggles and small triumphs as they rebuild their lives after death and destruction.
The book tells how they take in others who are displaced and homeless but it is also a story of family, of magic and of love, Bees are in the forefront of this book as Meive's magic allows her to speak and bond with them, The bees serve as both friends and protectors in Honeycoombe,
Silver May Tarnish
Silver may tarnish, gold may be stolen,
Years may flow by like wind in the grass,
Nothing else matters but you beside me,
Never alone again, love of my heart,
Morning awakes me, the night is behind me,
Sweet is the daylight on this, my land,
Beside me beloved, you still are sleeping
I kiss your eyelids, I touch your hand,
Beyond expectation, into love's dawning,
I found you waiting, heart of my heart,
Once I walked lonely, no one beside me,
Now I have found you, never to part,
Silver may tarnish, gold may be stolen,
Years may flow by like wind in the grass,
Nothing else matters but you beside me,
Never alone again, love of my heart,
This a rather wonderful little book that puts the spotlight on life's simple pleasures, I read this book often as it helps to remind me to slow down and appreciate the small things that life has to offer, Unlike the majority of Witch World books, there is no great evil here just the evil of man, There's no decision to be made that impacts the world or a land as a whole, This book is about simple people doing their best to live and thrive and love, A Witch World novel. Beautifully written and executed. Low key for a fantasy novel but well woven, Not too bad but it did not completely set my blood on fire, Where is that next Gotrek novel A standalone Witch World book set in the Dales, Though Andre Nortons name is on this from the intro its obvious that its all Lyn McConchies work as she plays in Nortons world and this suffers from that because although McConchie can take the world out for a spin and create characters and situations, she cant add to canon.
Nothing she writes can alter Nortons timelines and history of the Witch World, Its a more of the same book, but at the end of it, nothing has changed in the world,
Lorcan, the son of a minor noble house, is orphaned when raiders come to the Dales and forced to grow up living on the charity of relatives until his position becomes untenable and hes cut loose.
He meets up with Meive of Landale, the only survivor of her village and a wisewoman in training who talks to bees, Lorcan and Meive gradually gather survivors together and try to build a new community, but as the original raiders from Alizon retreat, the wartorn country is beset by the dispossessed who are almost as dangerous as their previous enemy.
This is a slight book and though the author uses a voice very similar to Andre Nortons it feels a little stiff, Nortons characters and plots often outshine her dialogue and sometimes a new author manages to retain the best part of Norton whilst avoiding the codhistorical vocal inflexions, Sadly not this time. McConchie is if anything too true to Nortons formidable style, I enjoyed this, but at the end of it can compare it with eating a bowl of ice cream, It was nice while it lasted, but I didnt really need it,
It has been many years since I read a Witch World novel, Yet revisiting that milieu felt as familiar and comfortable as slipping into a favorite robe, a pair of fuzzy slippers, and curling up in front of a warm fire,
Lorcan and Meive are both Dales folk, who lost their homes to invaders and war, Now they seek to make a home for themselves, with others who will join them, in Meive's dale known as Honeycoombe for its bees and honey, But Lorcan has made an enemy in his distant kinrelative, Hogeth, who may not allow them to settle peacefully, even though the war is over, . . My heart swells!
I love this story! I read it years ago and it definitely holds up, I think I appreciate it more because I'm older, What I like about this story is that Lorcan amp Meive aren't fighting a war, They're fighting for a home, I like that they take upon themselves such a great responsibility of taking care of other people, of bringing people who need a home, together, It's amazing amp wonderful. I like how they fall in love, so slowly and sweetly, I'd love to be a part of their community, Norton
I like Norton's tales, a bit Pollyanna in ending but beautiful imagery and a great setting, A very good story teller, A Dales lordling orphaned by invaders and a Bee Goddess servant orphaned by outlaws, unite with other survivors to rebuild their wartorn land in this new chronicle of the Witch World completed by one of Nortons most talented proteges.
I liked this book. A good story combination between two authors, I abide for a while in WONDER
For those of you, who, like me, have tasted the honey of words and the worlds of Andre Norton, I need say no more than that this is one of her finest tales.
I so love the two main characters,
From my physical copy, which I read back in the Dark Ages, I'm not going to leave a rating since I honestly can't remember a thing about it!! If I revisit it soon, I'll leave a proper rating and review, The Dales of Andre Nortons Witch World have endured wars, natural disasters, the predations of strange creatures, and treachery, None loves the land as well as Lorcan, orphaned at birth, who has sought his birthright for as long as he can remember, Exiled from his native land when it was invaded by Alizon, he spent his youth in Paltendale where he was treated as an outsider, especially by Hogeth, an heir of that dale, who resented Lorcans presence when both were still young men.
When he came of age, Lorcan left to seek his own destiny, Since then, he has fought valiantly to rid the Dales of the Alizon invaders, but not even his efforts can prevent the deaths of many people, and the destruction of many keeps and garths.
The war now over, he has survived, but so have those who would plunder the lands of the survivors, And among the plundering bandits is his nemesis from Paltendale, now more bitter and determined to vanquish Lorcan,
During his travels Lorcan has joined with five blank shields, who, fighting together for common cause, become his boon companions, Then he meets a young noble lass, from a dale known as Honeycoombe for its beekeeping, Her dale has been decimated by the war, but with Lorcan and his band, she will try to rebuild a home where they all can live in peace, Lorcan feels that he might at last find happiness with the valiant fair maiden, But Hogeth now leads marauders across the dales, destroying what they cannot rightfully have, and there will be no peace in the dales until Lorcan and Hogeth settle their old, bitter score.
This review was originally published on Kurt's Frontier,
Synopsis:
The Dales have endured much in wars, natural disasters, magic, strange creatures, and more, This is the home of two souls lost in the ravages of war, When the Hounds of Alizon invaded the Dales of High Hallack, most were caught off guard, Lorcan was orphaned in a single savage strike and fought hard to rid the Dales of the savage invaders, He has endured heartbreak and treachery that cost him almost everything, Yet his father, a lord of a small dale, left him an inheritance with which he could rebuild, After the war, he still has one enemy: Hogeth, of Paltendale, He would steal Lorcans inheritance, and anything else he can use, Lorcan knows he will stop at nothing, Hogeth has already murdered his own kin,
Meive has also suffered much, She lived in the dale of Honeycomb which escaped most of the fighting, Honeycomb is known for its beekeeping, and she is an apprenticed wise woman who has chosen Meive for her ability to talk with bees, However, a traitor and a group of bandits have killed all she knew and loved, However, her bees rose in her defense, Now she is heir to a dale with no people, Together they vow to rebuild Honeycomb, but Hogeth has other ideas, The peaceful life they seek for themselves and those who now follow them can not happen until they confront Hogeth,
:
Those who follow my reviews know I am a long time fan of Andre Norton, While the grandam of science fiction has the first, honored name among the authors, it appears the story is the brain child
of Lyn McConchie, who turned it from a short story to a novel under Andre Nortons guidance.
The result is a story worthy to stand in Andre Nortons Witch World Series, For the two protagonists, it is a classic coming of age tale, While there are episodic elements at the beginning as both become adults and survive their respective conflicts, once they unite, the plot quickens, Even so, the early parts did not drag and were quite compelling,
I do feel the last two chapters were extraneous and could have been dropped, being little more than postscripts that really dont lead anywhere, Aside from that, it was of a quality worthy of Andre Norton, .