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Magic Goes Away #2
The Magic May Return
Stories describe adventures in a world where mana, the power that makes magic possible, is running out
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1981
2 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Larry Niven
688 books3,315 followersLaurence van Cott Niven's best known work is Ringworld (Ringworld, #1) (1970), which received the Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards. His work is primarily hard science fiction, using big science concepts and theoretical physics. The creation of thoroughly worked-out alien species, which are very different from humans both physically and mentally, is recognized as one of Niven's main strengths.
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
Niven also often includes elements of detective fiction and adventure stories. His fantasy includes The Magic Goes Away series, which utilizes an exhaustible resource, called Mana, to make the magic a non-renewable resource.
Niven created an alien species, the Kzin, which were featured in a series of twelve collection books, the Man-Kzin Wars. He co-authored a number of novels with Jerry Pournelle. In fact, much of his writing since the 1970s has been in collaboration, particularly with Pournelle, Steven Barnes, Brenda Cooper, or Edward M. Lerner.
He briefly attended the California Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics (with a minor in psychology) from Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, in 1962. He did a year of graduate work in mathematics at the University of California at Los Angeles. He has since lived in Los Angeles suburbs, including Chatsworth and Tarzana, as a full-time writer. He married Marilyn Joyce "Fuzzy Pink" Wisowaty, herself a well-known science fiction and Regency literature fan, on September 6, 1969.
Niven won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story for Neutron Star in 1967. In 1972, for Inconstant Moon, and in 1975 for The Hole Man. In 1976, he won the Hugo Award for Best Novelette for The Borderland of Sol.
Niven has written scripts for various science fiction television shows, including the original Land of the Lost series and Star Trek: The Animated Series, for which he adapted his early Kzin story The Soft Weapon. He adapted his story Inconstant Moon for an episode of the television series The Outer Limits in 1996.
He has also written for the DC Comics character Green Lantern including in his stories hard science fiction concepts such as universal entropy and the redshift effect, which are unusual in comic books.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/larryn...
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
November 2, 2025
It's funny, but this 1981 book was made out to have been clamored for by the fans of Niven's THE MAGIC GOES AWAY novella.
I sincerely doubt that.
What's worse is, the response is to have the most minimal effort on part of the original author, Larry Niven, who contributes a serviceable short story to open the proceedings, then hands it all over to five other authors who provide four stories that are, for the most part, barely connected to anything to do with the first one, aside from the odd "the magic has gone/will go away" phrase.
The first two main stories, by Fred Saberhagen and Dean Ing. Saberhagen, at least, wrote other fantasy stuff, but Ing is pretty much a SF guy. Regardless, both stories are far too long, and unforgiveably forgettable.
The last two, by Steven Barnes and the team of Poul Anderson and Poul Anderson and Mildred Downey Broxon and, quite frankly, they save this sorry mess. Once again, Barnes' story is kind of tangentally connected, but he takes it into such a wild, different direction that the reader can't help but get caught up in it.
And while the Anderson/Broxon story brings us back to the standard world, this one feels so much more grounded. It doesn't play lip service to the fading of magic, it's now the absolute central theme and it drives the story.
Four stars for those last two, and absolutely zero stars for the rest.
And, while the art by Alicia Austin was lovely in this one, I will say I prefered the grittiness of the Esteban Maroto artwork from the first one.
Apparently there is at least one more book in this so-called "series"...it's not one I'll be seeking out.
It took me forty-four years to finally get to this book. It wasn't worth the wait.
I sincerely doubt that.
What's worse is, the response is to have the most minimal effort on part of the original author, Larry Niven, who contributes a serviceable short story to open the proceedings, then hands it all over to five other authors who provide four stories that are, for the most part, barely connected to anything to do with the first one, aside from the odd "the magic has gone/will go away" phrase.
The first two main stories, by Fred Saberhagen and Dean Ing. Saberhagen, at least, wrote other fantasy stuff, but Ing is pretty much a SF guy. Regardless, both stories are far too long, and unforgiveably forgettable.
The last two, by Steven Barnes and the team of Poul Anderson and Poul Anderson and Mildred Downey Broxon and, quite frankly, they save this sorry mess. Once again, Barnes' story is kind of tangentally connected, but he takes it into such a wild, different direction that the reader can't help but get caught up in it.
And while the Anderson/Broxon story brings us back to the standard world, this one feels so much more grounded. It doesn't play lip service to the fading of magic, it's now the absolute central theme and it drives the story.
Four stars for those last two, and absolutely zero stars for the rest.
And, while the art by Alicia Austin was lovely in this one, I will say I prefered the grittiness of the Esteban Maroto artwork from the first one.
Apparently there is at least one more book in this so-called "series"...it's not one I'll be seeking out.
It took me forty-four years to finally get to this book. It wasn't worth the wait.
September 23, 2017
In this first sequel to The Magic Goes Away, Niven invited other authors to explore his world of depleted resources. It includes Niven's first story about the Warlock, very nice and plentiful illustrations by Alicia Austin, and stories (in order of my preference) by Dean Ing, Steven Barnes, Poul Anderson with Mildred Downey Broxon, and Fred Saberhagen. Good stuff!
August 11, 2021
Some of the stories in this collection are a marked improvement although I prefer the illustration style of the previous book.
March 31, 2021
The magic may return is a collection so it's difficult to rate.
"Not long before the end" by Larry Niven was 5 stars for me though. Mixing science and magic against barbarians and demons, ha!with some allegorical reference to resource depletion, what's not to like.
"Earthshade" by Fred Saberhagen was okay I guess, started strong but only 3.5 stars for being a bit too fantastic for my taste. Nice twist but the magic battle of wills contained a tad too much whispy cloud for me.
"Manaspill" by Dean Ing is a wonderful mini-story reminiscent of a classic fairy tale replete with marvellous characters and a touch of humour. 4.5 stars.
“...But fear itself” by Steve Barnes is a rather gruesome mix of African folk tale and the magic of the earth’s spirit. Left me rather confused and appalled by the cruelty of man. 3 stars.
“Strength” by Poul Anderson and Mildred Downey Broxon is a haunting tale of a world sinking back from a civilisation based on an abundance of mana to a harsher less comfortable one of practical skills based on hard graft. As the ice returns a warlocks widow rescues a stranger whose arrival brings changes to her village. The parallels with mana and our science based economy based on finite resources are immediately apparent, 4 stars.
"Not long before the end" by Larry Niven was 5 stars for me though. Mixing science and magic against barbarians and demons, ha!with some allegorical reference to resource depletion, what's not to like.
"Earthshade" by Fred Saberhagen was okay I guess, started strong but only 3.5 stars for being a bit too fantastic for my taste. Nice twist but the magic battle of wills contained a tad too much whispy cloud for me.
"Manaspill" by Dean Ing is a wonderful mini-story reminiscent of a classic fairy tale replete with marvellous characters and a touch of humour. 4.5 stars.
“...But fear itself” by Steve Barnes is a rather gruesome mix of African folk tale and the magic of the earth’s spirit. Left me rather confused and appalled by the cruelty of man. 3 stars.
“Strength” by Poul Anderson and Mildred Downey Broxon is a haunting tale of a world sinking back from a civilisation based on an abundance of mana to a harsher less comfortable one of practical skills based on hard graft. As the ice returns a warlocks widow rescues a stranger whose arrival brings changes to her village. The parallels with mana and our science based economy based on finite resources are immediately apparent, 4 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2018
This is an anthology of stories set in Niven's Warlock fantasy setting. Niven contributes one of the first Warlock stories--a clever story of how the Warlock pragmatically deals with a demon-possessed barbarian. Saberhagen's story concerns mortals caught in a war between the gods. Ing's story is a tall tale about an unexpected "windfall" of manna in a village that is accustomed to waning magic. Barnes' story blends African mythology with Niven's mythology. Anderson and Broxon's story illustrates how the disappearance of manna and magic forces humans to adopt a near neolithic civilization. These are all competent stories, but the tone of most, the exceptions being Niven and Ing, have a serious tone, and lack the wild inventiveness of The Magic Goes Away.
April 23, 2021
There are a few neat ideas in this novel, but not enough to sate my hunger for good fantasy. I'm not sure why I care if the heroes accomplish anything. That's not accurate, I didn't and still don't care. There was no sense that their actions would bring about some greater good; thus nothing was at stake; thus... why did I read this?
February 15, 2025
Interesting short stories lightly connected in a shared world of fading magic.
June 20, 2018
While I was reading this short stories collection I was mostly disturbed. I kept thinking that perhaps I should've read the Larry Niven's book that inspired them but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I was certain that I wouldn't understand a thing. It's very complex to me personally and I thought I owed to myself to spare him the trouble.
October 9, 2009
Another book fair find-- I wasn't certain when picking it up if was entirely included in The Magic Goes Away: The Magic Goes Away The Magic May Return More Magic, but for under a dollar I was willing to risk it. Turns out it is, so go for the larger book; it's the one currently in print anyway. Notably this edition is illustrated, which was one nice counterbalance to picking up something I otherwise already had.
Sadly, this is probably the weak one of the Magic anthologies. Niven's "Not Long Before The End", which started the series, is as sharp as ever, and rereading it was certainly the high point of the book. Saberhagen's "Earthshade" is so forgettable that I wasn't sure if I'd read it before until I got to the other stories in the anthology. Ing's "Manaspill" plays some pretty tired tropes completely straight. Barnes's "...but fear itself" was a pleasant surprise; he's done some pretty successful collaborations with Niven, so the mesh may have been smoother. Anderson and Broxon's "Strength" isn't bad, and it does cover an interesting transition in the history; it's just a little heavy-handed.
Sadly, this is probably the weak one of the Magic anthologies. Niven's "Not Long Before The End", which started the series, is as sharp as ever, and rereading it was certainly the high point of the book. Saberhagen's "Earthshade" is so forgettable that I wasn't sure if I'd read it before until I got to the other stories in the anthology. Ing's "Manaspill" plays some pretty tired tropes completely straight. Barnes's "...but fear itself" was a pleasant surprise; he's done some pretty successful collaborations with Niven, so the mesh may have been smoother. Anderson and Broxon's "Strength" isn't bad, and it does cover an interesting transition in the history; it's just a little heavy-handed.
August 27, 2011
This short story anthology is a sequel to The Magic Goes Away. While a bit more enjoyable that the first book, it suffers from the same basic problem. The idea of magic as a dwindling resource is clever but wears out its welcome too quickly.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1052
http://www.books.rosboch.net/?p=1052
May 13, 2014
I was disappointed in this book. I have been a Science Fiction/Fantasy fan for a long time and I did finish this since it was short stories and handy to take places with me but I can't say I really "liked" any of the stories.
July 1, 2013
A book of short stories.
July 3, 2014
Trash stories.
August 6, 2017
Enthralling, and heartbreaking. The last gasps of an age of wonder and magic.
March 3, 2015
1983 grade C
Series book M2
Short stories
Series book M2
Short stories
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews