Review: The Master of Five Magics

The Master of Five Magics is a science-fiction novel by Lyndon Hardy (first published in 1980), centering around the travails of Alodar as he studies the five arts of thaumaturgy, alchemy, magic, sorcery, and wizardry.

Yes, I said "science-fiction." No, that's not a spoiler for a plot twist involving Sufficiently Advanced Technology; it's a description of the narrative rather than the trappings. The Master of Five Magics is written very much in the style of classic SF rather than any flavor of fantasy.

While the five arts (I avoid saying "magics" due to the awkward name of the third art) are largely treated as sciences, laws and all — thaumaturges and alchemists especially are referred to, quite accurately, as "craftsmen" — this is only a small part of what makes it SF. Rather, it's the reactions of the characters to everything, and the peripheral details of the culture in which it's set.

It's very much the fantasy of the Age of Reason, in which humanity has set aside its fear of the unknown and hatred of the different. One demon notes "[y]ou mortals pride yourself on your logic." The closest thing to superstition there is in the world is an aversion to looking too long into flames lest a demon try to possess you — and this is in fact a totally valid warning; it forms the foundation of the fifth art, wizardry.

One of the more curious parts (for an alleged fantasy novel) is the complete atheism of the book. As mentioned, there are demons, but a slip of the will when dealing with them yields possession and torment in this world; there's no mention of an afterlife, and certainly no thought of a human being able to enter the demons' realm. Similarly, the concept of gods simply doesn't seem to exist at all, in sharp contrast to the fantasy novels of, say, Robert E. Howard ("By Crom!"), or J. R. R. Tolkien, or, probably, any fantasy author who's ever taken a course in anthropology or classical literature. (Or, alternately, played D&D.) The most common oath throughout the book is "By the laws," in context clearly meaning the laws of nature or of the arts (usually thaumaturgy) — which has more in common with, say, Isaac Asimov's Foundation Series' use of "Space!" or "Galaxy!" than with the preceding two.

Misclassification aside, it's a diverting read. On a scale of 1 to 1, it's easily a 1; despite its late publication date, I have no qualms recommending it to anyone else who enjoys the science fiction of the Atomic Age.