World back to its own dimension, send himself and the witches back to his ship, and send the ship to its rightful time and place. They arrive on the planet Emris in time to rejoice about the victory with the young witches' parents. Testing shows that the captain does indeed possess klatha powers: two rare talents for now, with a strong overall capacity for future development. The witches' father recruits the captain as a special courier for the Empress, with the understanding that Goth accompany him because the witches have foreseen it. The captain and Goth are only hours into their first courier mission when Vezzarn and Hulik enter the control room, admitting that they stowed away and asking to join his crew. When the Leewit suddenly appears – once again thrown through space but by an unknown force this time – the captain can only mutter, "here we go again!" History The Witches of Karres was originally a novelette published in the December 1949 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, and has been reprinted many times. The novelette version was included in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Two as one of the best works published prior to 1966. Schmitz expanded the novelette into a novel in 1966, and it was reissued by Baen Books in 2005. A sequel, The Wizard of Karres, written by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint, and Dave Freer, was published by Baen Books in 2004, featuring the same characters as the original novel. The Sorceress of Karres, written by Eric Flint and Dave Freer, was published by Simon & Schuster in 2010 and continues the story with the return of most of the characters. A third sequel, The Shaman of Karres, written by Eric Flint and Dave Freer, was published by Baen Books in 2020. Reception The Witches of Karres was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1967. In a generally positive review, David Langford commented that the "plot isn't really defensible", but that overall the novel is "saved by pace and good humour", and that "its tone is genuinely light". Other versions Hayao Miyazaki contributed the cover illustration for the Japanese translation, first published in 1987 and reissued in 1996. Notes External links "The Witches of Karres" at the Internet Archive 1966 American novels 1966 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Picaresque novels Space opera novels Chilton Company books