Magic Goes Away Universe

[EmperorClobbersaurus]

From what i can induce when the people from this universe gain the ability for interplanetary travel, or perhaps just to the Moon, they should also gain the ability for magic.
How much fun would that story be?
When the first humans to land on Mars, or maybe even the Moon (Armstorng and Aldrin's reactions!!!), strange things happen.
Especially when they utter an ancient/fossilized phrase left over from when magic abounded, like, "God bless this awful space food!" and then suddenly its a delicious real Terran meal with a roast bird, potatoes, etc.
Depending on whether extraterrestrials visited or orginated in somewhere throughout the Sol system, there should exist prodigious amounts of magic.
Would humans become eventually gods?
I wonder if those gods would work to prevent other humans from journeying into space.
Thoughts (and flames too, i guess) are welcome.
My first post, please be gentle

 

[Dave]

Write to Larry Niven, I think you have an idea for a new book there!

 

[Lensman]

Indeed, that sounds like a fascinating concept for a book!

In The Magic Goes Away, it seems all the gods are dead or dying. You bring up an interesting point: Why can't they get mana from Luna, Mars or any other heavenly body? As I recall, one of the gods reached up and grabbed the moon. In that case, he certainly should be able to get mana from it!

 

[RVM45]

.....I remember reading one of the short stories based on "The Magic Goes Away"; wherein a wizard created a spinning wheel that accelerated expotentially- thus quickly exhausting the magic in a given area(Its purpose was to snuff out magical creatures- kinda like pulling their plug).

.....Well okay, but what Niven described was a "Magic Motor". Logically, if magic can be transformed into angular momentum(a motor); angular momentum should be transformable into magic- a Magic Generator!

.....Gold and Silver are apparently magic insulators; God knows what a magic conductor would be(maybe Iron?); and just for fun, any sort of crystal is a magic storage device- or magic battery par excellance. That would explain the plethora of magic gems- and what is dirt largely? Tiny SiliconeDioxide crystals.

.....It would be up to Niven, just how many cranks of the handle it would take to get a usable amount of magic.

.....But let's imagine some hermit magician putting a donkey to turning a wheel 16 hours daily. Let's say that the donkey can create just enough magic to feed himself and the wizard; keep both of them in their prime; and have a wee bit left over. That wee bit might take decades to charge a small gem; but what the hell?

.....Eventually the wizard could buy more donkeys; put in a windmill or water wheel; whatever.

.....I would also suppose that although most of the magic would go to taking care of bussiness; some small amount would slip into; and revitalize the surrounding soil.

.....Thus, even into modern times, there could be areas of a few square miles, where centuries of magic generation had revitalized the ground; and where a wizard with a large arsenal of highly charged magical artifacts held court.

.....Anyway, it might make a good story.

.....RVM45