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Waldo And Magic, Inc
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Waldo And Magic, Inc
North Power-Air was in trouble. Their aircraft had begun to crash at an alarming rate, and no one could figure out what was going wrong. Desperate for an answer, they turned to Waldo, the crippled genius who lived in a zero-g home in orbit around Earth.
But Waldo had little reason to want to help the rest of humanity -- until he learned that the solution to their problems a...more
But Waldo had little reason to want to help the rest of humanity -- until he learned that the solution to their problems a...more
Hardcover
Published
by Pan Books
(first published 1950)
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I'm astonished so many people read this and miss the point. Some folks apparently don't see any connection between the two stories and think these novellas are in a single volume by a fluke or "to fill up space." Either they didn't really read it or they are conceptually challenged, unable to make a logical leap between two related ideas without a flow chart.
The point is that technology is a based on the belief that it will work. As long as we believe in it, it functions; if or when we stop bel...more
The point is that technology is a based on the belief that it will work. As long as we believe in it, it functions; if or when we stop bel...more
For a long time remote handling devices were called 'waldoes' after the central character in the first part. I was most interested in the fact that Waldo, handicapped by myaesthenia gravis, moved to an outer space habitat on the proceeds of the waldos. This marked the first time I'd ever HEARD of myaesthenia gravis.
The second part (Magic Inc) is basically unrelated. I figure the page count turned up short, so they just plugged in another short story of about the right length, with a little cutti...more
The second part (Magic Inc) is basically unrelated. I figure the page count turned up short, so they just plugged in another short story of about the right length, with a little cutti...more
Waldo's story is a little disjointed, the beginning and end make sense once finished, but meant that I was constantly trying to find the connection - and leaves the ending a little bit predictable.
Magic inc is a quick read, with well built characters for such a short story, but plays more along the lines of the supernatural -something I haven't often found in other books by Heinlein
Both entertaining and engaging for short stories, an interesting pairing in a single print, but they're complimenta...more
Waldo (1942) and Magic, Inc. (1940) are two (mostly) unrelated novellas that (mostly) wear their age well. The tenuous connection is that in both "magic is loose in the world" and there is talk of "laws" such as those of "sympathy," "contiguity" and "homeopathy" that rule magic, which is associated with another world, an alternate universe as it were, called the "Other World" in Waldo and the "Half-World" in Magic, Inc.. Waldo is more a hybrid of science-fiction and fantasy, starting out as stra...more
Nov 13, 2008
Dustin
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
persons
Recommended to Dustin by:
Kevin Clark
This compilation of the two stories was first published as a book in 1950, but written in '40 ('Waldo') and '42 ('Magic, Inc.')... right about the time people realized computing was something computers were pretty good at.
In 'Waldo,' Heinlein's story is set in a world reliant on "radiant power" - energy beamed through thin air. The power company hasn't ever bothered to check if this is harmful to humans (it is) and the technology is so enmeshed into society there's no going back. Think: CELLPHON...more
In 'Waldo,' Heinlein's story is set in a world reliant on "radiant power" - energy beamed through thin air. The power company hasn't ever bothered to check if this is harmful to humans (it is) and the technology is so enmeshed into society there's no going back. Think: CELLPHON...more
Sep 14, 2007
Tracey
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Heinlein fans and (at least "Magic, Inc.") possibly poli-sci majors
was in a re-reading mood, so got out my copy of Waldo & Magic, Inc. - two novellas combined into a slim paperback.
"Waldo" is supposedly the inspiration for waldoes - mechanical hands controlled remotely by gloves, found in medicine & industrial applications. The main character suffers from myasthenia gravis, a type of muscular atrophy, that renders him nearly helpless in any physical activity. He lives in his own space station, under zero gravity, and uses the eponymous equipment and h...more
"Waldo" is supposedly the inspiration for waldoes - mechanical hands controlled remotely by gloves, found in medicine & industrial applications. The main character suffers from myasthenia gravis, a type of muscular atrophy, that renders him nearly helpless in any physical activity. He lives in his own space station, under zero gravity, and uses the eponymous equipment and h...more
The earliest Heinlein you can find, written in 1940 and 1942. I don't remember Magic, Inc., but rarely do I use a mouse without thinking of Waldo. Not exactly the same concept, but humans get inside these big robot-like contraptions that allow them to move big objects with finger movements inside specially connected gloves. You can see similar machines in Avatar. The datedness of the SF shows in many ways, as I recall, but I'll take that as a feature rather than a bug.
Waldo, the world's greatest expert on building remote controlled manipulators, wants to know why things are malfunctioning. It seems to be a problem that happens at very small scales. So he takes his smallest manipulator, and uses that to build an even smaller manipulator. Then he uses that to build a smaller manipulator still. Then... well, you get the picture. Pretty soon, he's moving individual atoms around.
I read this story in the early 70s, and here's a question I'm surprised didn't occur t...more
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I read Magic, Inc. but not the other book in this duo. Heinlein is a very, very crisp storyteller and uses words well. It seemed to me that the story was going along nicely and then suddenly finished up lickety-split in five pages. Spencer thinks its because it was a short story that outgrew itself. I'm going to look up some of the books that Heinlein was more famous for, because I like the way he wrote.
Spesso nella fantascienza la scienza, quando è in primo piano ha solo due ruoli: il mezzo per arrivare alla soluzione oppure la causa del problema.
In questo breve (88 pagine) racconto, questa logica viene ribaltata e il super scienziato si unisce allo stregone, mantenendo sempre un rigido punto di vista scientifico, veramente particolare!
Per il resto ben scritto, breve ma simpatico, non straordinario.
In questo breve (88 pagine) racconto, questa logica viene ribaltata e il super scienziato si unisce allo stregone, mantenendo sempre un rigido punto di vista scientifico, veramente particolare!
Per il resto ben scritto, breve ma simpatico, non straordinario.
Your typical early space age Analog sci-fi: a few interesting ideas, cardboard characters (except for the titulary), loads of expo, gets duller as it moves to an ultimately unsatisfying end. Should have focused on Waldo and his eponymous mechanical solutions more, the metaphysical plotline too easily ex-machinas the dilemma that could have made him a great character. Not Heinlein's best.
Found this old book by Heinlein at a garage sale. Actually 2 completely different stories, one about science, one magic.
The science story was ok, I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and left some questions for me.
The magic story was better, sort of a mafia of magic story. Interesting application of an old idea.
The science story was ok, I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and left some questions for me.
The magic story was better, sort of a mafia of magic story. Interesting application of an old idea.
Two stories for the price of one, but they both revolve around the idea that magic is loose in the world and can be controlled and researched just like any other form of energy. Well written, well paced. It's Heinlein in his usual fine form, so you won't regret reading it.
"Imagine, if you please, a place where 'up' and 'down' were matters of opinion..."
--Robert A. Heinlein, "Magic, Inc." 1940, p. 184.
--Robert A. Heinlein, "Magic, Inc." 1940, p. 184.
A pair of entertaining, but not completely successful riffs on the idea that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
Feb 03, 2010
Ken Eveleigh
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-given-away
It was as fun read when I was a teenager, less so now. The dialogue is a bit old-fashioned but the story is okay.
I didn't like the characters very much in either novella. However, both stories were entertaining.
Sep 04, 2012
Alexander Fontana
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction
Like FM (Frequency Modulation) in electronics, nothing works unless you believe in it. Sometimes when it does work then it looks like magic to others.
2 short novellas, Waldo is sci-fi, Magic Inc is fantasy.
Interesting reads - well written -
flat characters, yet great sci-fi
Loved this one, too.
Finally got around to reading this classic novella from the master of SciFi, Robert Heinlein. Not sure why I've never read it before now, but I'm glad I finally got around to it. A very enjoyable novella length near-future story that with a number of twists and turns in it that I found to be a very enjoyable read. As always, Heinlein makes you think when you read his stories, and this one is no exception. Definitely on my recommended list.
Apr 03, 2012
Gabriel C.
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
among-others,
2012
Really quite bad.
"The deep jungles of Africa might be very different places---when there was no white man around to see! The strangely slippery laws of magic might still obtain."
I'd say this is pretty representative.
"The deep jungles of Africa might be very different places---when there was no white man around to see! The strangely slippery laws of magic might still obtain."
I'd say this is pretty representative.
I would not be surprised at all to find that JK Rowling read this when she was a kid. It is very much in the same train as the Harry Potter books, and lots of fun. Premise? "well, what if those mystical magician types had a small chunk of the truth, and there is another alternate dimension that can affect the one we're in under certain conditions?"
Feb 12, 2008
Little
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction-fantasy
Neither of these novellas was anything groundbreaking. Waldo maybe is trying to make the point that we are all essentially good, or that overcoming our weaknesses makes us good, or something. But mostly it's not that interesting. And Magic, Inc. is a none-too-engaging tale about the problems with mega-corporations.
Waldo - It freaked me out a bit, especially how the thoughts of people had the power to change the world. However, I loved to see Waldo change as a cruel, rude, self-absorbed genius to an over-all nice guy.
Magic Inc. - Great book. Another book report book.
Magic Inc. - Great book. Another book report book.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
One of the fascinating things about these two novellas (and perhaps why they are always bound together) is that Waldo is about the discipline of Magick, whereas Magic, Inc. is about the practice of politics.
Waldo is a genius with limbs so weak that he can hardly function. He is also obnoxious to almost everyone. But he gets problems solved.
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Robert Anson Heinlein was an American novelist and science fiction writer. Often called "the dean of science fiction writers", he is one of the most popular, influential, and controversial authors of "hard science fiction".
He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was the first SF writer to break into mainstre...more
More about Robert A. Heinlein...
He set a high standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of literary quality. He was the first SF writer to break into mainstre...more
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