Review: Ordeal in Otherwhere by Andre Norton

‘Ware the dream-powers of the Wyvern witches of Warlock!

Charis Nordholm is the daughter of education officer Ander Nordholm. She accompanied her father and a group of colonists to the planet Demeter, but some colonists were suspicious of those who work for the government, including the education officer and his daughter. Nevertheless, all seemed poised to go well – until a mysterious illness called simply “the white death” struck the colony, killing mostly the men. Ander Nordholm, Charis’s only protector, is among the dead.

When her attempts to get off world and seek justice leave her with either the option to be a slave on Demeter or a slave in the outer galaxy, Charis chooses the latter. Off Demeter she might be able to put in a call to the government and have them arrest the colonists who committed murder once the white death had finished its job. But Charis is not given the chance; she is sold to a trader headed for the planet known as Warlock, a world populated by a sapient saurian race where females rule supreme…

...or so it seems.

The Story

Charis barely escapes the torching of the government domes on Demeter before she spots a space transport touching down outside the colony. Unfortunately, it is not the Patrol ship she initially believed it to be, and she is caught by the remaining colonists when she attempts to reach the ship. These men resent her for her education and her connection – however slim – to the government. So they sell her to the Free Trader who just landed in exchange for the men he already has in freeze aboard his ship, since they need more men to keep the colony going after losing so many to sickness. Getting a message to the Patrol and the government to report the colonists’ actions now will be next to impossible for Charis to accomplish.

After some time in space, however, Charis is sold once more. A man named Jagan, a Free Trader trying to make contact with the native Wyvern witches on Warlock, buys her so he can use her to purchase the fantastic cloth made by the witches. He initially had another young woman who was not a slave at his post whom he hoped could parlay with the witches, but Sheeha could not stand their dreaming messages and has gone mad. He hopes that Charis will have better luck but she has her own ideas: every new contact world has a government outpost. All she needs to do to get justice for what happened on Demeter is to call them, and…!

The Wyvern witches interfere just as Charis gets her call through. She dreams and is somehow somewhere else, far away from the trading post. Soon she is taken directly to the witches, who teach her their ways and give her access to their Power. But when Charis finally encounters a member of the government Survey duo charged with monitoring access to Warlock after discovering Jagan’s trading post has been blasted with all hands murdered, she has other concerns to occupy her mind. Along with the Survey man, Shann Lantee, she learns that not all is as it seems on this new world. If they want to prevent the witches from declaring war on any humans who dare to land upon Warlock, then they have to find out how the Wyvern males slipped the witches’ control – and stop the men who freed them from fulfilling their villainous plan!

The Characters

Charis is the main character and her determination to survive as well as to pursue justice makes her an enjoyable protagonist. The acceptance of the witches and then the fracas after Jagan and his people are killed kind of drives out her initial hope of getting justice for what happened on Demeter, but that only makes sense, considering how much her survival depends on stopping something similar from occurring on Warlock. Although tempted believably to panic, Charis makes herself stay calm and she shows great courage under fire, walking into certain doom to save her friends.

Shann Lantee does not get as much screentime, but what he does get is impressive. The man is a fighter and while he wouldn’t last long without Charis’s non-combat aid, if he had given up earlier she would not have been able to help him. Despite not being a soldier he is a man with a solid grasp on what to do and what must be done in a battle, even if part of him does not necessarily like it. He also proves to be a fantastic negotiator, something Charis finds they need as they try to fulfill the witches’ demands!

The World

Andre Norton crafted her worlds with care and Warlock is no exception. From the alien plants and landscape to the strange, often dangerous creatures that call the planet home, Warlock truly feels like an alien world. The addition of the witches’ misandry makes their culture quite alien and, like other Norton heroines, Charis soon must face the stubborn will of females who believe men are worth nothing except for their muscle and the continuance of the species. In a world trying to imitate the society of Warlock, this is a timely setting for the action indeed.

Politics

What politics there are seem to lean left, but given the timeframe in which the book was written, this is not the demerit it would be today. Furthermore, these politics disappear within two chapters and cease to be a bother for the rest of the book. They just are not important to the story after that point.

Content Warning

None.

Who is it for?

Andre Norton fans will enjoy this novel, as will readers who love to devour classic sci-fi. Those looking for heroines and heroes to model in a world gone mad will also like it, as it is clear that the Wyverns’ lifestyle is not going to last and causes far more harm than good. What will it profit them in the long run to keep their males bound in slavery and to treat all off-world males the same? In a modern era that insists on equality but does not give it, Norton proved to be prescient in how she presented the Wyverns’ culture – and the cure for it. Those frustrated with how the world works at present may find solace and even some good ideas in this novel, as well as other Norton works if they enjoy this one enough to try the rest of her books.

Why buy it?

It is great classic sci-fi that takes a frank look at a world under a matriarchy. The adventure is fast-paced, the culture well thought out, and the fun continues to the last page. What could make the book unattractive to an audience hungry for something good to read?