The time of the Warlock [Hardcover]

Larry Niven (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 183 pages
• Publisher: SteelDragon Press; 1st edition (1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0916595021
• ISBN-13: 978-0916595029
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,477,423 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

LARRY NIVEN is the multiple Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of the Ringworld series, along with many other science fiction masterpieces. He lives in Chatsworth, California. JERRY POURNELLE is an essayist, journalist, and science fiction author. He has advanced degrees in psychology, statistics, engineering, and political science. Together Niven and Pournelle are the authors of many New York Times bestsellers including Inferno, The Mote in God's Eye, Footfall, and Lucifer's Hammer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Swords, Sorcerers, and Science, August 29, 2000

By 

Dave Deubler (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The time of the Warlock (Hardcover)

This whimsical little book is Niven's entry into the "Swords and Sorcerers" genre, collecting two longish stories, one shorter one, and the blueprints for several more. The conflicts between swordsmen, magicians, and other sundry troublemakers is generally standard enough, but while some fantasy writers lean towards the gothic and others tend to be more cosmological in scope, Niven tries to keep his work solidly grounded in science - even though the setting is 12,000 years ago. To this end, he allows the existence of something called "mana" - the basic force of nature that powers all magic - and further postulates that this mana could potentially be used up, like any other natural resource, and thus leave the world as we know it today completely without magic. In this way Niven attempts to find a scientifically valid approach to fitting warlocks, werewolves, trolls and other problematic beings into their appropriate niche in human pre-history. The first story, "Not Long Before the End", is entertaining, suspenseful, and very nicely constructed. It introduces the hero of the book, the Warlock (whose name must be kept secret, since whoever knows his name has power over him), and reveals his discovery that the magic he has devoted his life to will ultimately dwindle and fail. "What Good is a Glass Dagger?" shows how prescience, preparation, adroit maneuvering, and a glass dagger stand the Warlock in good stead during a long duel with the evil magician Wavyhill. These two stories, occupying about half of the book, are both excellent examples of the possibilities of the form, taking a fairly conservative approach to what magic can do. The longest story, "The Magic Goes Away", however, with its long cloud voyage and sexual exploration, is disappointingly tedious. The sexual angle makes it unsuitable for younger readers, while other fans may find this piece too short on action. Overall, this book is a good effort with some good ideas, but doesn't quite deliver up to its potential.