panguitch's Full Review: Larry Niven - The Magic Goes Away Collection: The ...
"A natural antipathy exists between swordsmen and sorcerers, as between cats and small birds, or between rats and men. Usually the swordsman lost, and humanity's average intelligence rose some trifling fraction. Sometimes the swordsman won, and again the species was improved; for a sorcerer who cannot kill one miserable swordsman is a poor excuse for a sorcerer."
In 1969 Larry Niven published "Not Long Before the End," one of the most important fantasy stories of the modern age. Niven took the rigor of hard science fiction and applied it to the fantasy genre, positing a question--What if magic was a nonrenewable resource?--and making reasonable extrapolations from that point to recreate the world.
Frank Herbert had already created the spice Melange and used it as a metaphor for oil in the economy of his Dune universe. If Niven's magic is also to be compared to fossil fuels, then instead of examining the power politics involved with a limited resource, Niven laments the civilization-ending potential of a diminishing resource. His sorcerers are a dying breed, hoarding what mana they can, waxing nostalgic for the days when they could levitate castles without having to worry about sucking all the juice out of their immortality spells.
"Not Long Before the End" stars the original Warlock. In a riff on the sword and sorcery genre, he is approached by Belhap Cononson, who wants to kill him. Because, well, that's how swordsmen and sorcerers feel about each other. Belhap happens to be possessed by an enchanted sword, and the key to defeating him lies in Warlock's depressing discovery that all the magic is going away.
It's a good short story with a nice ironic voice, but the concept is what keeps it cropping up in so many anthologies. Almost ten years later Niven wrote a short novel, The Magic Goes Away, which follows Warlock's last adventure, where Warlock teams up with some fellow sorcerers and the reanimated skull of an old nemesis to try and find a way to bring mana back to the Earth. Their best idea has something to do with pulling the moon down out of the sky(!). They just need to find the body of a dying god with enough mana left in it to accomplish the task.
Another sorcerer has different plans for this last great source of mana, and the giants who still worship the god in question may not be amenable to tampering with him. The twists here are entertaining, but the flashy and imaginative ways the sorcerers use their magic as they cope with the dwindling mana and the overall tone of sadness at the change in the world are the real payoff.
Also reprinted here are the stories that appeared in two collections, The Magic May Return and More Magic, in which Niven opened his world to other authors. Many of these stories left me cold, but a few proved worthwhile, with More Magic being a step above The Magic May Return.
Poul Anderson and Mildred Downey Broxon's "Strength" is the story where the loss of magic is most keenly felt. Its portrayal of a man struggling to teach a village how to live a stone age life now that their civilization has crumbled is interesting, especially as it plays out in contrast to the man's attraction for the local sorceress. The characters are somewhat flat, but at least their passions are clear.
Set in the modern era, Roger Zelazny's "Mana from Heaven" reminded me of the Highlander franchise, with the few remaining sorcerers living amongst us, and occasionally battling over what little mana remains. There's no question Zelazny can write, though I think this tale could have unfolded in more interesting directions.
Bob Shaw's "Shadow of Wings" tells of a sorcerer who retreats from the world, only to be lured back by a woman in order to assassinate a king. His approach to this task is clever, and Shaw manages to explain all of history's tyrants in the context of Niven's world.
Two stories contributed by Niven himself are among the best. "The Lion in His Attic" turns the spotlight on were-creatures. "Talisman," my favorite story after the original, portrays a cocky young thief who tries to steal a treasure map from an eastern sorcerer. Her character is spunky and alluring (probably thanks to Niven) but the ambiguous and evolving relationship between her and the sorcerer (probably the contribution of coauthor Dian Girard) are what makes the story meaningful.
Some of these stories can stand with the best in the sword and sorcery genre that they're playing off of, but they don't really transcend the genre. Niven brought the extrapolative approach of science fiction to bear, but I'm not sure I would call "Not Long Before the End" the seed from which hard fantasy has sprung. It lacks precision in its application, and the rules governing mana operate at 30,000 feet, rather than ground level as the characters conduct their adventures.
- Panguitch
The Magic Goes Away Collection
Edited by Larry Niven
The Magic Goes Away by Larry Niven
The Magic May Return
"Not Long Before the End" by Larry Niven
"Earthshade" by Fred Saberhagen
"Manaspill" by Dean Ing
". . . But Fear Itself" by Steven Barnes
"Strength" by Poul Anderson and Mildred Downey Broxon
More Magic
"The Lion in His Attic" by Larry Niven
"Shadow of Wings" by Bob Shaw
"Talisman" by Larry Niven and Dian Girard
"Mana from Heaven" by Roger Zelazny
This omnibus edition brings back into print three classic volumes of stories by Larry Niven and other acclaimed authors, all working within Niven s ac...More at Buy.com
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