''The Flying Sorcerers'' is a humorous 1971
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
novel by American writers
David Gerrold
David Gerrold (born Jerrold David Friedman; January 24, 1944)Reginald, R. (September 12, 2010)''Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature, Volume 2'' Borgo Press p. 911. Archived at Google Books. Retrieved June 23, 2013. is an American science fic ...
and
Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are ''Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, ''The Mote in God's Eye'' ...
. It was originally serialized in 1970 as ''The Misspelled Magishun'' in ''
If'' magazine.
The book is about the efforts of a stranded astronaut to escape from a primitive world, showing how
sufficiently advanced technology could be perceived as magic by its natives.
Plot summary
The plot concerns the efforts of an
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
and
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...
/
anthropologist
An anthropologist is a person engaged in the practice of anthropology. Anthropology is the study of aspects of humans within past and present societies. Social anthropology, cultural anthropology and philosophical anthropology study the norms and ...
, known to the natives as "Purple", to escape from a primitive world on which he is stranded and return to his people. The events are seen from the perspective of Lant, one of the natives, who becomes, in the course of the novel, Speaker (chieftain) of his people.
The natives, a fur covered people, believe in magic and the book shows how
sufficiently advanced technology would be perceived by a
primitive society.
Purple lands in an egg-shaped vehicle. He casually disrupts the lives of Lant's people, and thoughtlessly demeans Shoogar, the village magician. Shoogar gets revenge by destroying Purple's vehicle, which results in an atomic explosion. Many of the villagers are dead or injured: the rest, including Lant and Shoogar, are forced to flee. Purple is presumed dead.
The villagers eventually wind up on a fertile peninsula, which, as the summer approaches, is rapidly becoming an island (thanks to the influence of the two suns, the shorelines on this world are somewhat variable). To the annoyance of the existing inhabitants of the area, the villagers contrive to be trapped in the verdant area by the rising seas. The villagers are less happy when they learn that Purple is here, serving ineffectively as local magician, having succeeded the incumbent, Dorthi, by killing him by landing on him in a fall from the sky in an impact suit.
Lant's people wish to flee, but have nowhere to go. Lant, who becomes Speaker of the villagers more or less by default, and the local Speaker persuade the two magicians to swear to a peace treaty.
Purple can call his mother ship to get him, but must return to the distant area of the old village to do so. Everyone is stranded on the island for a considerable length of time. Purple conceives the idea of fabricating a flying machine to return him to the area. He persuades his villagers (who are actually anxious to get rid of him) and Lant's, to join in the scheme.
The ship will have balloons, sails, and pedal-driven steering. A good part of the book deals with the tribulations of Purple in trying to create this work, beyond the technology of the local people. He creates 'aircloth' (a thin, airtight cloth), a rubber-equivalent, and splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. He is successful in building the ship.
But in so doing, he has changed the lives of the villagers forever. Not only do they have these new technologies, but he has created problems with crime, intoxication, the ecology, and has altered the relationship between the sexes. In addition, he has introduced money into the culture.
Purple, Shoogar, Lant, and Lant's adult two sons take off for the old village. They get there, and Purple is able to summon the mother ship and depart. There is a brief epilogue---after the return home, Lant notes that a new flying machine, much larger than the first, is to be built, thus continuing the industrial revolution started by Purple.
Reception
Lester del Rey
Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science ...
gave the novel a mixed review, finding the comedy of the novel's first segment incongruous with the more seriously played finish, concluding "It's not at all a bad book -- but it isn't all a good one."
James Nicoll
James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a
Usene ...
has described it as "dreadful
tosh
Tosh may refer to:
People
* Tosh (surname)
* Tosh (nickname)
* Tosh Townend (born 1985), professional skateboarder
* Tosh Van der Sande (born 1990), Belgian professional cyclist
Places
* Tosh, Himachal Pradesh, India; a village
* Kiryas To ...
",
[Soon Found Out I Was Losing My Mind]
by James Nicoll
James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a
Usene ...
, at James Nicoll Reviews; published April 7, 2017; retrieved May 30, 2017 and noted its "astoundingly horrible treatment of women".
[Exhibit A]
by James Nicoll
James Davis Nicoll (born March 18, 1961) is a Canadian freelance game and speculative fiction reviewer, former security guard and role-playing game store owner, and also works as a first reader for the Science Fiction Book Club. As a
Usene ...
, at James Nicoll Reviews, published May 29, 2016; retrieved May 30, 2017
Names
Most of the names in the book are jokes primarily dealing with the Science Fiction universe. This is known as
Tuckerization Tuckerization (or tuckerism) is the act of using a person's name (and sometimes other characteristics) in an original story as an in-joke. The term is derived from Wilson Tucker, a pioneering American science fiction writer, fan and fanzine editor ...
.
David Langford
David Rowland Langford (born 10 April 1953) is a British author, editor, and critic, largely active within the science fiction field. He publishes the science fiction fanzine and newsletter ''Ansible'', and holds the all-time record for most ...
says "Some sort of record for over-the-top Tuckerization was set by David Gerrold and Larry Niven in their very silly novel ''The Flying Sorcerers'' (1971)."
Suns
*Virn - The red-giant sun -
Jules Verne
Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...
.
[Post by Tennant Stuart on alt.books.larry-niven]
*Ouells - The bluish white-dwarf sun -
H.G. Wells.
Gods
*Blok ''god of violence'' -
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch (; April 5, 1917September 23, 1994) was an American fiction writer, primarily of crime, psychological horror and fantasy, much of which has been dramatized for radio, cinema and television. He also wrote a relatively small ...
, author of
Psycho.
*Brad ''god of the past'' -
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...
, for his
butterfly effect short story "
A Sound of Thunder
"A Sound of Thunder" is a science fiction short story by American writer Ray Bradbury, first published in '' Collier's'' magazine in the June 28, 1952, issue and later in Bradbury's collection ''The Golden Apples of the Sun'' in 1953.
Pl ...
".
*Caff ''god of dragons'' -
Anne McCaffrey
Anne Inez McCaffrey (1 April 1926 – 21 November 2011) was an American-Irish writer known for the ''Dragonriders of Pern'' science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, ''Weyr Search'', 19 ...
, known for her
Dragonriders of Pern
''Dragonriders of Pern'' is a science fantasy series written primarily by American author Anne McCaffrey, who initiated it in 1967. Beginning in 2003, her middle child Todd McCaffrey has written Pern novels, both solo and jointly with Anne. ...
series.
*Eccar the Man -
Forrest J. Ackerman
Forrest James Ackerman (November 24, 1916 – December 4, 2008) was an American magazine editor; science fiction writer and literary agent; a founder of science fiction fandom; a leading expert on science fiction, horror, and fantasy films; a pr ...
, "the man who served the gods so well that he was made a god himself" - a reference to Ackerman's vast involvement with science fiction fandom.
*Elcin ''god of thunder and lightning'' -
Harlan Ellison
Harlan Jay Ellison (May 27, 1934 – June 28, 2018) was an American writer, known for his prolific and influential work in New Wave speculative fiction and for his outspoken, combative personality. Robert Bloch, the author of '' Psycho'' ...
, known for a stormy personality, and short stature (the god is described as "tiny").
[
*Filfo-mar ''god of rivers'' - ]Philip José Farmer
Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories.
Obituary.
Farmer is best known for his sequences of novels, especially the ''World of Tiers ...
, known for his ''Riverworld
Riverworld is a fictional planet and the setting for a series of science fiction books written by Philip José Farmer (1918–2009). Riverworld is an artificial "Super-Earth" environment where all humans (and pre-humans) are reconstructed. The b ...
'' series.[
*Fineline ''god of engineers'' - ]Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...
, who was an aeronautical engineer.
*Fol ''god of distortion'' - Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satelli ...
; a teasing allusion to his extensive work as an editor.
*Furman ''god of "fasf"'' - Edward L. Ferman
Edward Lewis Ferman (born March 6, 1937) is an American science fiction and fantasy editor and magazine publisher, known best as the editor of ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction'' (F&SF).
Ferman is the son of Joseph W. Ferman, the publi ...
, longtime editor of ''The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction
''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' (usually referred to as ''F&SF'') is a U.S. fantasy and science fiction magazine first published in 1949 by Mystery House, a subsidiary of Lawrence Spivak's Mercury Press. Editors Anthony Boucher a ...
'' (often abbreviated as "F&SF").
*Hitch ''god of birds'' - Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...
, directed '' The Birds''.
*Klarther ''god of the skies & seas'' - Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host.
He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Spac ...
, who wrote many works dealing with space travel ("skies") and oceanic adventures ("seas")
*Kronk ''god of the future'' - Groff Conklin
Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904 – July 19, 1968) was an American science fiction anthologist. He edited 40 anthologies of science fiction, one of mystery stories (co-edited with physician Noah Fabricant), wrote books on home improvemen ...
, who edited forty science fiction anthologies.
*Leeb ''god of magic'' - Fritz Leiber
Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theater and films, playwright, and chess expert. With writers such as Robert ...
, for his sword-and-sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tal ...
stories.
*Musk-Watz ''wind god'' - Sam Moskowitz
Sam Moskowitz (June 30, 1920 – April 15, 1997) was an American writer, critic, and historian of science fiction.
Biography
As a child, Moskowitz greatly enjoyed reading science fiction pulp magazines. As a teenager, he organized a branch of ...
, known for his loud voice and long speeches.[Post by Gary Farber on rec.arts.sf.written]
*Rotn'bair ''god of sheep'' - Gene Roddenberry
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Sr. (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer, and creator of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'', its sequel spin-off series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series,'' and ''Sta ...
, creator of Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
.
** Lant mentions that ''Rotn'bair's sign'' is the horned box, i.e., a TV set with a rabbit-ears antenna on top.
*Nils'n ''god of mud creatures'' - Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
, arch-enemy of Rotn'bair (''Star Trek'' had poor ratings).
**Lant explains that the ''sign of Nils'n'' is '' a diagonal slash with an empty circle on either side'', i.e. "%".
*N'veen ''god of tides & map makers'' - Larry Niven
Laurence van Cott Niven (; born April 30, 1938) is an American science fiction writer. His best-known works are ''Ringworld'' (1970), which received Hugo, Locus, Ditmar, and Nebula awards, and, with Jerry Pournelle, ''The Mote in God's Eye'' ...
wrote about tides in "Neutron Star
A neutron star is the collapsed core of a massive supergiant star, which had a total mass of between 10 and 25 solar masses, possibly more if the star was especially metal-rich. Except for black holes and some hypothetical objects (e.g. white ...
" and maps in ''Ringworld
''Ringworld'' is a 1970 science fiction novel by Larry Niven, set in his Known Space universe and considered a classic of science fiction literature. ''Ringworld'' tells the story of Louis Wu and his companions on a mission to the Ringworld, a ...
''.
*Pull'nissen ''god of duels'' - Poul Anderson
Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until the 21st century. Anderson wrote also historical novels. His awards include seven Hugo Awards and ...
, a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism
The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) is an international living history group with the aim of studying and recreating mainly Medieval European cultures and their histories before the 17th century. A quip often used within the SCA describes ...
; he was a Knight of the SCA, therefore skilled in one-on-one combat.
*Po ''god of decay'' - Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
, for his morbid stories.
*Sp'nee ''ruler of slime'' - Norman Spinrad
Norman Richard Spinrad (born September 15, 1940) is an American science fiction author, essayist, and critic. His fiction has won the Prix Apollo and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Hugo Award and multiple Nebula Awards.
Pe ...
, for his controversial writing, and his giving of irritation and offense to many.
*Tis'turzhin ''god of love'' - Theodore Sturgeon
Theodore Sturgeon (; born Edward Hamilton Waldo, February 26, 1918 – May 8, 1985) was an American fiction author of primarily fantasy, science fiction and horror, as well as a critic. He wrote approximately 400 reviews and more than 120 sh ...
, who wrote many stories about variations of love and sex.
*Tukker ''god of names'' - Wilson "Bob" Tucker, who playfully used names of friends as some of the character names in his fiction.
*Yake ''god of what-if'' - Ejler Jakobsson
Ejler Jakobsson (December 6, 1911 – October 5, 1984) was a Finnish-born science fiction editor.
Jakobsson moved to the United States in 1926 and began a career as an author in the 1930s. He married Edith Kane (1915–1997) in 1935. He worked ...
, the penultimate editor of '' If'' magazine.
Characters and other inhabitants
*Purple - The literal translation of "as a mauve" (in full, this is "as a color, shade of purple-grey") - Isaac Asimov
yi, יצחק אזימאװ
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR
, spouse =
, relatives =
, children = 2
, death_date =
, death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
, nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
.
*Wilville and Orbur - Bicycle makers who build the first flying machine - Wright brothers.
*Dorthi - A wizard killed by Purple falling on him from the sky - A reference to Dorothy from the '' Wizard of Oz''.
Miscellaneous
*Cathawk - The first flying machine, recalling the Wright brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk.
*Smith's Son's Clearing - Where the Cathawk is on display - The Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
.
*filk-singer flute - Magical tool Shoogar's apprentices didn't pack - Science fiction fans do Filk Music
Filk music is a musical culture, genre, and community tied to science fiction, fantasy, and horror fandom and a type of fan labor. The genre has existed since the early 1950s and been played primarily since the mid-1970s.
Etymology and defin ...
Singing.
External links
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flying Sorcerers
American science fiction novels
1971 American novels
1971 science fiction novels
Collaborative novels
Novels by Larry Niven
Novels by David Gerrold
Comic science fiction novels
Ballantine Books books
Novels first published in serial form