Why Wizards Don't Rule Fantasy Land

Who wields the ultimate power in our world? Is it the banks? The government? The people? The church?The correct answer, is that any of the above can rule at a given point in human history, but that all of them do so only with the consent of the military. That's right, the military. Because as we see again and again in human history, sooner or later, a general will come along and take over.--But hold on, Peadar! Look at Egypt where the people have stood up to the army. Or Iran, where religion trumps the war machine. Or Europe, where bureaucrats cut military budgets while the generals bow down and kiss the wrinkly bottoms of their overlords...I Peadar, deny none of that. The thing about armies -- and Egypt is a great example -- is that they are made up of ordinary men and women whose loyalties can be fought for. Ideologies such as "democracy", "God" and "Communism" can win them over. Material goods and the promise of personal empowerment can do likewise. But ultimately, a sufficiently powerful crisis will come along, which a military commander can use for his personal gain. At least until the tables turn again and the general gets too old, or, some new ideology arises to force him back off-stage.However, fantasy lands are supposed to be different. In most of them, magical power trumps physical power. So why aren't the wizards in charge?OK, sometimes they are. And sometimes when they aren't it's because they're not always that powerful in the first place, or because their spells aren't very reliable. I like that. I like fantasy books that have very good reasons for the failure of magicians to capitalise on their dread strength.However, when I was growing up, I saw far too many stories where kingship rested on a bedrock of loyal wizardry and I was never able to understand why. I really didn't get why the biggest brains on the planet** allowed a bunch of inbred nincompoops boss them around. Would I bow before a dribbling mortal when I could crack the mantel of the earth with a single word? And unlike an army, a wizard  is not made up of individuals that can be subverted to another cause. A wizard need only look after his own interests.That's how I used to think about this vital issue, but recent events have started to bring me around to the fact that maybe, the kingdoms where Magicians did the bidding of others, were the more realistic ones after all. For what is a sorcerer if not the magical equivalent of a real-world geek? Years of lonely study by dribbling candles. Sudden excitement over the discovery of obscure references to pointless details. The company of imps or cats or computers.In the real world, these men and women work tirelessly for giant corporations. They invent software that makes others rich while they themselves can be fired at a moment's notice. They change our lives, but we rarely learn their names. One of them will discover a cure for cancer, but the credit and the cash will go to the pharmaceutical equivalent of Steve Jobs -- a modern day king.Nope, if wizards don't rule our world, why should Fantasyland be any different?And so I declare, vive la révolution! Vive la révolution magique!*Not all, by any means. I know that. Honestly.**Or Astral Plane.