The Magic Goes Away
Encyclopedia
The Magic Goes Away is a fantasy
short story
written by Larry Niven
in 1976, and later expanded to a novella
of the same name which was published in 1978. While these works were not the first in the "Magic Universe" or "Warlock" series, they marked a turning point after the 1973 oil crisis
and Niven's subsequent transformation of the series into an allegory for a modern-day energy crisis
; the novella was also the first work longer than a short story. Niven's approach to fantasy (as with his approach to science fiction) is relatively logical and somewhat distinct from the high fantasy
normally associated with the genre. The setting was later used as a backdrop for a series of full-length novels, The Burning City
(2000) and its sequel, Burning Tower
(2005), which were co-written with Jerry Pournelle
.
in excess of 200 years of age. He observes that when he stays in one place too long, his powers dwindle and will return only when he leaves that place. Experimentation leads him to create an apparatus (now known as the Warlock's Wheel) consisting of a metal disc enchanted to spin perpetually
. The enchantment eventually consumes all the mana
in the vicinity, causing a localized failure in all magic. The Warlock realizes that magic is fueled by a non-renewable resource
, which would cause great concern among the magicians
, as it was through their magic that nations enforced their wills both internally and abroad. The widespread diminishing of magical power in The Magic Goes Away triggered a quest on the part of the most powerful of the magicians of the time to harness a new source of magic (the Moon
), resulting in the events described in the book.
It was eventually discovered (in The Magic May Return) that mana was originally carried to Earth and the other bodies of the solar system on the solar wind, replenishing mana slowly over time. However, at some point in the "recent" past (a few thousand years ago) a god created an invisible shield between Earth and Sun that intercepted the solar mana and caused the eventual decline of magic on Earth.
Traditional fantasy creatures inhabit Niven's Magic universe, but devolve to normal animals when deprived of mana. For example, a unicorn
becomes a simple horse
.
reviewed the 1978 novella unfavorably, saying that although the story "bristles with amusing devices," the writing itself was unsatisfactory: "Niven doesn't make any of it real for me; there's hardly a spark of humanity in the book. . . . [Niven uses] flat, dull, sterile narrative prose."
identified a number of influences on the setting: "The Wheels of If
", The Incomplete Enchanter
, The Blue Star
, Operation Chaos, Too Many Magicians
, Dragon and the George, as well as Niven's earlier works, "All the Myriad Ways
" and the Svetz series
.
There are also several references to the works of H. P. Lovecraft
, such as the reference of a mad magician named Alhazred
and an amorphous god called the Crawling Chaos
.
, the sixth in the DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel series, by Paul Kupperberg
and Jan Duursema
in 1986.
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
written by Larry Niven
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven / ˈlæri ˈnɪvən/ is an American science fiction author. His best-known work is Ringworld , which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics...
in 1976, and later expanded to a novella
Novella
A novella is a written, fictional, prose narrative usually longer than a novelette but shorter than a novel. The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Nebula Awards for science fiction define the novella as having a word count between 17,500 and 40,000...
of the same name which was published in 1978. While these works were not the first in the "Magic Universe" or "Warlock" series, they marked a turning point after the 1973 oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
and Niven's subsequent transformation of the series into an allegory for a modern-day energy crisis
Energy crisis
An energy crisis is any great bottleneck in the supply of energy resources to an economy. In popular literature though, it often refers to one of the energy sources used at a certain time and place, particularly those that supply national electricity grids or serve as fuel for vehicles...
; the novella was also the first work longer than a short story. Niven's approach to fantasy (as with his approach to science fiction) is relatively logical and somewhat distinct from the high fantasy
High fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
normally associated with the genre. The setting was later used as a backdrop for a series of full-length novels, The Burning City
The Burning City
The Burning City is a fantasy novel of social and political allegory by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle set in an analogue of Southern California in an imaginary past shortly after the sinking of Atlantis about 14,000 years ago in the twilight of a civilization then struggling and now vanished for...
(2000) and its sequel, Burning Tower
Burning Tower
Burning Tower is a fantasy novel by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It is a sequel to The Burning City, set some years after that novel concluded. It was published in 2005.-Plot summary:...
(2005), which were co-written with Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Pournelle
Jerry Eugene Pournelle is an American science fiction writer, essayist and journalist who contributed for many years to the computer magazine Byte and has since 1998 been maintaining his own website/blog....
.
List of works in the series
This is a list of publications based on the setting of The Magic Goes Away.| Title | Sub-series | Published | Original publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not Long before the End | Warlock | 1969 | Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1969 |
| Unfinished Story | Warlock | 1969 | Fantasy and Science Fiction, December 1969 |
| What Good Is a Glass Dagger? | Warlock | 1972 | Fantasy and Science Fiction, September 1972 |
| The Magic Goes Away (short story) | Warlock | 1976 | Odyssey, summer 1976 |
| The Magic Goes Away (novella) | Warlock | 1978 | Trade paperback, Ace Books Ace Books Ace Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns... |
| The Magic May Return | (compilation) | 1981 | Trade paperback, Ace Books Ace Books Ace Books is the oldest active specialty publisher of science fiction and fantasy books. The company was founded in New York City in 1952 by Aaron A. Wyn, and began as a genre publisher of mysteries and westerns... |
| Talisman | (none) | 1981 | Fantasy and Science Fiction, November 1981 |
| The Lion in His Attic | (none) | 1982 | Fantasy and Science Fiction, July 1982 |
| The Wishing Game | Warlock | 1989 | Aboriginal Science Fiction Aboriginal Science Fiction Aboriginal Science Fiction was a high-circulation semi-professional science fiction magazine started in October 1986 by editor Charles Ryan. After releasing 49 issues it ceased publication in the spring of 2001... , May/June 1989 |
| The Portrait of Daryanree the King | (none) | 1989 | Aboriginal Science Fiction Aboriginal Science Fiction Aboriginal Science Fiction was a high-circulation semi-professional science fiction magazine started in October 1986 by editor Charles Ryan. After releasing 49 issues it ceased publication in the spring of 2001... , September/October 1989 |
| The Burning City The Burning City The Burning City is a fantasy novel of social and political allegory by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle set in an analogue of Southern California in an imaginary past shortly after the sinking of Atlantis about 14,000 years ago in the twilight of a civilization then struggling and now vanished for... |
Golden Road | 2000 | Hardcover, Pocket Books Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.- History :Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry... |
| Chicxulub | (none) | 2004 | Asimov's Science Fiction Asimov's Science Fiction Asimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov... , April/May 2004 |
| Boomerang | (none) | 2004 | Flights: Extreme Visions of Fantasy |
| Rhinemaidens | (none) | 2005 | Asimov's Science Fiction Asimov's Science Fiction Asimov's Science Fiction is an American science fiction magazine which publishes science fiction and fantasy and perpetuates the name of author and biochemist Isaac Asimov... , January 2005 |
| Burning Tower Burning Tower Burning Tower is a fantasy novel by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It is a sequel to The Burning City, set some years after that novel concluded. It was published in 2005.-Plot summary:... |
Golden Road | 2005 | Hardcover, Pocket Books Pocket Books Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.- History :Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry... |
| Burning Mountain | Golden Road | in progress | in progress |
Plot summary
The Warlock, whose actual name is both unknown and unpronounceable, is a powerful sorcererMagician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
in excess of 200 years of age. He observes that when he stays in one place too long, his powers dwindle and will return only when he leaves that place. Experimentation leads him to create an apparatus (now known as the Warlock's Wheel) consisting of a metal disc enchanted to spin perpetually
Perpetual motion
Perpetual motion describes hypothetical machines that operate or produce useful work indefinitely and, more generally, hypothetical machines that produce more work or energy than they consume, whether they might operate indefinitely or not....
. The enchantment eventually consumes all the mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
in the vicinity, causing a localized failure in all magic. The Warlock realizes that magic is fueled by a non-renewable resource
Non-renewable resource
A non-renewable resource is a natural resource which cannot be produced, grown, generated, or used on a scale which can sustain its consumption rate, once depleted there is no more available for future needs. Also considered non-renewable are resources that are consumed much faster than nature...
, which would cause great concern among the magicians
Magic (paranormal)
Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...
, as it was through their magic that nations enforced their wills both internally and abroad. The widespread diminishing of magical power in The Magic Goes Away triggered a quest on the part of the most powerful of the magicians of the time to harness a new source of magic (the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
), resulting in the events described in the book.
It was eventually discovered (in The Magic May Return) that mana was originally carried to Earth and the other bodies of the solar system on the solar wind, replenishing mana slowly over time. However, at some point in the "recent" past (a few thousand years ago) a god created an invisible shield between Earth and Sun that intercepted the solar mana and caused the eventual decline of magic on Earth.
Traditional fantasy creatures inhabit Niven's Magic universe, but devolve to normal animals when deprived of mana. For example, a unicorn
Unicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
becomes a simple horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
.
Main characters
- The Warlock - One of the world's foremost magicians. He devised a simple experiment to explain why a magician's power would fade over time, a device called the Warlock's Wheel.
- Clubfoot - The Warlock's apprentice. A Native American named after a deformity of his foot that he could have cured long ago but it would have cost him half his power.
- Wavyhill - The first Necromancer. Exploiting the mana inherent in murder, he invented necromancyNecromancyNecromancy is a claimed form of magic that involves communication with the deceased, either by summoning their spirit in the form of an apparition or raising them bodily, for the purpose of divination, imparting the ability to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge...
. His name comes from his practice of building his houses under magically supported overhangs; when the local mana is depleted by a battle, the hillside collapses, trapping his foe and eliminating the evidence at the same time.
Minor characters
- Orolandes - A Greek soldier, survivor of the sinking of Atlantis.
- Mirandee - A powerful witch, formerly Warlock's lover.
- Aran - A werewolf who assisted the Warlock in defeating the necromancer Wavyhill.
- Roze Kattee - The God Of Love And Madness. Its power lies in the taking away of love or madness. Enemy Berzerkers are suddenly rendered sane, those who do not worship Roze Kattee never find mates, etc.
- The World Worm - Its spine composes all the world's mountain chains, the Andes, Himalayas, Rockies, etc. It consumes its own tail, along with anything that might be living on it.
- Yangin-Atep - A fire god.
- Coyote, Loki, etc. - A trickster god for many cultures.
- Zoosh - Once a powerful patriarch.
- Left-Handed Hummingbird - A Mesoamerican god (HuitzilopochtliHuitzilopochtliIn Aztec mythology, Huitzilopochtli, also spelled Uitzilopochtli , was a god of war, a sun god, and the patron of the city of Tenochtitlan. He was also the national god of the Mexicas of Tenochtitlan.- Genealogy :...
).
Reception
Richard A. LupoffRichard A. Lupoff
Richard Allen Lupoff is an American science fiction and mystery author, who has also written humor, satire, non-fiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he has also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He is an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice...
reviewed the 1978 novella unfavorably, saying that although the story "bristles with amusing devices," the writing itself was unsatisfactory: "Niven doesn't make any of it real for me; there's hardly a spark of humanity in the book. . . . [Niven uses] flat, dull, sterile narrative prose."
Influences
In her afterword to the novella, Sandra MieselSandra Miesel
Sandra Louise Miesel is an American medievalist, writer and science fiction and fantasy fan. Her early work was science fiction and fantasy criticism, fields in which she has remained active. She is a literary analyst; has described herself as "the world's greatest expert" on Poul Anderson and...
identified a number of influences on the setting: "The Wheels of If
The Wheels of If
"The Wheels of If" is a classic alternate history science fiction story by L. Sprague de Camp. It was first published in the magazine Unknown Fantasy Fiction for October, 1940, and first appeared in book form in de Camp's collection The Wheels of If and Other Science Fiction...
", The Incomplete Enchanter
The Incomplete Enchanter
The Incomplete Enchanter is a collection of two classic fantasy short stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, the first volume in their Harold Shea series. The pieces were originally published in the magazine Unknown in the issues for May and August, 1940...
, The Blue Star
The Blue Star (novel)
The Blue Star is a fantasy novel written by Fletcher Pratt, the second of his two major fantasies. It was first published by Twayne Publishers in 1952 in the fantasy anthology Witches Three, a volume that also included Fritz Leiber's Conjure Wife and James Blish's "There Shall Be No Darkness." Its...
, Operation Chaos, Too Many Magicians
Too Many Magicians
Too Many Magicians is a novel by Randall Garrett, an American science fiction author. One of several stories starring Lord Darcy, it was first serialized in Analog Science Fiction in 1966 and published in book form the same year by Doubleday...
, Dragon and the George, as well as Niven's earlier works, "All the Myriad Ways
All the Myriad Ways
All the Myriad Ways is a collection of 14 short stories and essays by science fiction author Larry Niven, originally published in 1971.-Contents:* "All the Myriad Ways"* "Passerby"* "For a Foggy Night"* "Wait it Out"* "The Jigsaw Man"...
" and the Svetz series
Rainbow Mars
Rainbow Mars is a science fiction short story collection by Larry Niven. It includes the five previously published Svetz stories and the novel, also called Rainbow Mars in which humans from Earth visit Mars and find it populated by the creations of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Bradbury, C. S. Lewis,...
.
There are also several references to the works of H. P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft
Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....
, such as the reference of a mad magician named Alhazred
Abdul Alhazred
Abdul Alhazred is a fictional character created by American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. He is the so-called "Mad Arab" credited with authoring the imaginary book Kitab al-Azif , and as such an integral part of Cthulhu Mythos lore....
and an amorphous god called the Crawling Chaos
Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep, also known as the Crawling Chaos, is a malign deity in the Cthulhu Mythos fictional universe created by H. P. Lovecraft. First appearing in Lovecraft's 1920 prose poem of the same name, he was later mentioned in other works by Lovecraft and by other writers and in the tabletop...
.
Graphic novel adaptation
The Magic Goes Away was adapted as a graphic novelGraphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
, the sixth in the DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel series, by Paul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg
Paul Kupperberg is a former editor for DC Comics, and a prolific writer of comic books and newspaper strips.-Biography:Kupperberg entered the comics field from comics fandom, as had his brother, writer/artist Alan Kupperberg...
and Jan Duursema
Jan Duursema
Jan Duursema is an American comic book artist known for her work on the Star Wars comics franchise. She was the creator of Denin and Vila from Naldar, the Twi'lek Jedi Aayla Secura and the Kiffar Jedi Quinlan Vos....
in 1986.
In popular culture
- The collectible card gameCollectible card gamethumb|Players and their decksA collectible card game , also called a trading card game or customizable card game, is a game played using specially designed sets of playing cards...
Magic: The GatheringMagic: The GatheringMagic: The Gathering , also known as Magic, is the first collectible trading card game created by mathematics professor Richard Garfield and introduced in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. Magic continues to thrive, with approximately twelve million players as of 2011...
has a card called Nevinyrral's Disk, which is a reference to the Warlock's Wheel. This card roughly has the effect of removing the effects of players' spells from play, while leaving their lands intact. 'Nevinyrral' is 'Larry Niven' spelled backwards.