The Wizard of Karres

The Wizard of Karres

It just wasn't fair! Captain Pausert had defeated not only a villainous space pirate, but had also eliminated the threat that the Worm World had posed to the entire galaxy-still, his troubles just kept piling up. The Empress Haile herself sent him on a secret mission-so secret that, he soon found out, that he hadn't been told about the most important part of it: the nanite plague, an intelligent and self-aware disease that had devastated whole worlds eons ago, was back and spreading, and had to be stopped. And then someone convinced both the Imperial Fleet and the dreaded Imperial Interservice Security that he was actually a wanted criminal and his safe-conduct papers from the Empress were forgeries. Someone else managed to suspend the Imperial line of credit he had been given for the mission, and a set-to with Imperial ships had left his battered but serviceable ship, the Venture , damaged and in urgent need of repairs, which he could not afford. And while Goth and the Leewit, two of the notorious witches of Karres, could do some pretty amazing things, ship repair was not in their line. Furthermore, a lot of that now deceased space pirate's colleagues were convinced that Pausert had custody of their late partner's hidden loot. Pausert had to complete his mission, or the nanite plague would obliterate galactic civilization, so there was only one thing to do-join the circus! An interstellar traveling circus, that is. All the galaxy loves a clown-as long as Pausert, Goth, the Leewit, and a few more of their unusual traveling companions could keep their disguise from slipping. The show must go on-or the galaxy would be doomed! Adult/High School–James H. Schmitz's The Witches of Karres , a far-future space opera combining screwball comedy with psi powers, has remained one of science fiction/fantasy's best-loved classics since its first publication in the 1960s. Decades of readers have been disappointed that Schmitz himself never revisited his richly imagined universe, but now there's a sequel that should satisfy all but the most nit-picking fans. Wizard seamlessly picks up the story where Witches ended, sending the still overly honest Captain Pausert and his oddly assorted crew of spies and precocious child-witches on a new mission to save humanity (and friends) from imminent disaster. Soon they are pursued by competing Empire factions, pirates, and alien gremlins, all with agendas of their own. Much of the time, the gang hides in plain sight–in an intergalactic traveling showboat/circus, working as sideshow artistes and Shakespearian thespians (the Bard would have been delighted with these productions of his plays). Though the plot might seem at first to be hurtling randomly from crisis to crisis, soon the elements come together in a wacky Karres sort of way that matches Schmitz's narrative style and high standard of humor, imagination, and absurdity.To bring new readers up to speed, numerous references to the first book are skillfully worked into the narrative; for those already familiar with Karres, Wizard expands satisfyingly upon many elements of that universe that Schmitz merely touched upon. Fans of humorous science fiction will enjoy this outing. –Christine C. Menefee, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. A sequel to James Schmitz's cult classic The Witches of Karres (1966), this collaboration continues the saga of Captain Pausert and his ship, the Venture , now on its way to the imperial capital, smuggling Hantis, the Nartheby Sprite, and her grik-dog , Pul, past imperial security. The nanite plague that decimated Hantis' people long ago has reached the empire, which aims to foil its invasion. Pausert attracts the attention of a little vatch , occasionally useful but often just mischievous, and then they are captured on Pidoon during a routine fueling stop. Thereafter, realizing more thorough disguise is necessary, they head to Vaudevillia. There they secure passage and jobs with Petey, Byrum & Keep, the Greatest Show in the Galaxy, and proceed to the imperial capital--slowly, of course, because the show must go on, regularly. This satisfying revival of Schmitz's fantastic characters is entertaining enough, even if one lacks knowledge of its progenitor; the Leewit and Goth, in particular, are made for circus living. Regina Schroeder Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Used Book in Good Condition