Oct 27
Danielle Comments: The title phrase says – One man against a wonder planet. Yeah. I wonder why these guys are dressed like some weird bird-fetish group. I wonder why one is holding a ray gun, while the rest have swords. I wonder why they have to have a bird emblazoned on their chest. I guess it’s in case someone misses the fact that they’re full grown men dressed as giant birds
Published 1963
Many thanks to Danielle!
October 27th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Makes me think of that old French and Saunders Stars Wars skit: ‘look at the dog! Not at me — at the dog!’
Non-UK people, and indeed possibly most UK people, may not understand that reference.
October 27th, 2010 at 9:14 am
Pffft you’re being a bit generous calling that a ray gun, it’s obviously a hair dryer!
October 27th, 2010 at 9:24 am
I especially love that fluffy feathery spandex-dress…makes me want to pat him…somewhere 😉
October 27th, 2010 at 10:50 am
I’m not laughing at this cover, for I see an economic vision in it: One could make a pretty good living as a hairdresser specializing in furry clients!
October 27th, 2010 at 12:55 pm
“At least I have a gun. Think how stupid I’d look with a sword and shield….”
October 27th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
It’s like one of those awful Halloween costumes from the 70s, where it’s a Spider-Man mask, and then instead of Spider-Man’s red and blue suit, on the chest there’s a picture of Spider-Man with “Spider-Man” written under it. Yes, I was disappointed by one of these costumes as a child.
October 27th, 2010 at 2:12 pm
Soon to be made into a John Waters film.
October 27th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
This book was originally entitled “Rich World” until people started saying the title too fast and too often.
October 27th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
kind of looks like “four men against a wonder planet” to me
October 28th, 2010 at 9:52 am
Sentiments shared, Mike…
…except in this instance, the costumes appear to be made out of ACTUAL BIRDS
October 28th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Where oh where are the WITCHES on this Witch World? Did the artist read the book, or maybe he read BirdMan Planet?
November 1st, 2010 at 10:20 pm
The story involves travel through an interdimensional gate into a parallel universe. I don’t remember anything in the story about ray guns (or hair driers). The witches are women with psychic powers. One is at a loss to know why the publisher did not insist on a sexy witch woman for the cover. It is the first in a series set in the same universe.
“Andre Norton” is actually Alice Mary Norton, one of the female authors whose publisher felt their female identity would deter book sales. She also wrote the “Borrowers” children’s fantasy stories, about a civilization of mouse-sized humans coexisting among normal people.
December 16th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Gravel-voiced Witch World Sergeant: “Atten-SHUN! One, two, three, four and… mince, mince, prance, cavort, sashay, mince, mince…”
March 10th, 2011 at 9:03 pm
“We do this to disguise ourselves as birds. So our enemy does not know we are coming. But our enemy must have a powerful wizard, for this does not work.”
“Are there birds this big on your world?”
“No.”
“Well, then, what’s the point?!”
“Wow! You are a very wise man!”
—From “Mom and Dad save the world”
August 26th, 2011 at 12:31 am
Actually read this one. Liked it, but kinda weird in spots. Ms. Norton really managed to inspire some “interesting” covers. IIRC, the good guys had some sort of dart guns, and their helms had likenesses of birds on them. But I don’t recall them looking like college mascots or them park extras wielding Flash Gordon-style armaments.
September 19th, 2011 at 7:23 pm
I know this is a late response, but Andre Norton the American author of the Witch World and etc. is not the same person as Mary Norton, the English author of The Borrowers.
October 1st, 2011 at 4:19 pm
It is not a ray gun, it shoots poison darts if I remember correctly. The headdress was supposed to be a stylized hawk or something like that – not a beak.
October 2nd, 2011 at 3:10 am
They look like their totem is Toucan Sam, the old Froot Loops cereal mascot.
“Follow your nose …”
The sad thing is, one can imagine from Ms. Norton’s description a really lovely, evocative medievalish alien armor. This isn’t it.
March 26th, 2013 at 3:02 am
This also seems like a good candidate for the “bird hairdo” tag.
March 26th, 2013 at 8:09 am
Thanks Stevie!
August 6th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
“Bird Hairdo”. Your argument is invalid.
August 8th, 2015 at 2:19 pm
@Perry Armstrong: *Hairdodo
August 8th, 2015 at 4:46 pm
Hairdododo?
December 20th, 2015 at 6:30 pm
I’m glad the armor has a bird emblem on it just in case the giant beaked helmets aren’t suggestive enough of feathered fowl.
December 21st, 2015 at 2:20 pm
One man against a planet with no sense of shame.
August 21st, 2017 at 2:00 pm
“There are bird-men on that world.”
“Which world?”
“Witch World.”
“Hey, I was asking you.”
“Asking what?”
“Which world?”
“Witch World!”
“THAT’S WHAT I JUST ASKED YOU!!”
“What??”
“WHICH… WORLD??
“WITCH WORLD!! Are you deaf or something!?”
“Why, I oughtta…”
“Why, I oughtta…”
(etc.)
August 21st, 2017 at 3:13 pm
@AR: I’ve been waiting many moons for you to recycle that joke.
August 22nd, 2017 at 2:57 pm
And I’ll never disappoint you in that respect, my friend.
August 22nd, 2017 at 11:15 pm
“Who is on Witch World?”
“That is correct”
“What”
“No, What is on Which World”
“Which World is What on?”
“Which is Witch?”
“The one with Who”
“Please kill me.”
August 23rd, 2017 at 12:21 am
@BM: Don’t make me open up a can of whoop-ass for you, too!