Waldo And Magic Inc

Waldo and Magic, Inc. (1986) by Robert A. Heinlein
Publisher: New English Library
ISBN: 9780450397301
Condition: Good
Sold by: Crappy Old Books

Science and magic have never enjoyed a particularly comfortable relationship. Scientists insist that everything must obey the laws of physics, while magicians tend to regard such laws as irritating suggestions intended for people lacking imagination. Robert A. Heinlein, never a man to let an interesting argument go unprovoked, decided to explore both possibilities in Waldo and Magic, Inc., a splendidly eccentric pairing of two novellas in which technology becomes distinctly peculiar and the supernatural develops an alarming interest in commercial enterprise.

First up is Waldo, the story of Waldo Farthingwaite-Jones, a brilliant, wealthy and spectacularly antisocial inventor whose physical disabilities have persuaded him that living among ordinary people is an entirely overrated experience. Instead, he resides in an orbiting space station, safely removed from Earth’s tiresome gravity and its even more tiresome inhabitants. There he manipulates the physical world through ingenious remotely controlled mechanical hands, devices that would eventually lend their name to real-world robotic manipulators.

Unfortunately, humanity’s dependence on sophisticated technology encounters an inconvenient problem when vital machinery begins mysteriously malfunctioning. Waldo is drawn into an investigation that challenges his understanding of physics, reality and the distinction between what is scientifically impossible and what scientists simply haven’t worked out yet. It is a tale of technological ingenuity, intellectual arrogance and the unsettling possibility that the universe has neglected to read its own instruction manual.

Then comes Magic, Inc., in which Heinlein turns his attention to that most terrifying of supernatural phenomena: organised business.

Archie Fraser, an ordinary businessman attempting to earn an honest living, discovers that magic is not merely real but increasingly subject to commercial exploitation. Unfortunately, certain enterprising individuals have decided that supernatural powers provide excellent opportunities for monopolies, racketeering and the sort of restrictive business practices that would make an insurance salesman blush.

Before long, witches, demons and magical operators become entangled with politicians, businessmen and organised crime. Archie finds himself confronting forces considerably more sinister than the usual problems of taxation, competition and customers who insist on paying invoices three months late. Heinlein gleefully demonstrates that even when humanity acquires access to extraordinary supernatural powers, somebody will inevitably attempt to corner the market and charge everyone else a subscription.

Together, these two stories display Heinlein’s remarkable ability to combine imaginative speculation with sharp social commentary. Whether examining the limits of scientific knowledge or the dangers of economic monopolies, he remains wonderfully suspicious of received wisdom, institutional authority and anyone claiming to know precisely how the world ought to operate.

Originally published separately during the 1940s, these adventures retain their wit, ingenuity and occasional gloriously old-fashioned eccentricity.

This 1986 New English Library edition is in Good condition and offered by Crappy Old Books, where we specialise in selling extraordinary ideas at perfectly ordinary prices. Sadly, supernatural delivery services remain unavailable, and our attempts to employ a demon in the packing department have encountered difficulties with employment legislation.

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