- Mass Market Paperback: 30 pages
- Publisher: Del Rey Books; Reissue edition (Oct 1994)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345330153
- ISBN-13: 978-0345330154
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 9.9 x 2.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,803,303 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
North Power-Air was in trouble. Their aircraft had begun to crash at an alarming rate, and no one could figure out what was going wrong. Desperate for an answer, they turned to Waldo, the crippled genius who lived in a zero-g home in orbit around Earth.
But Waldo had little reason to want to help the rest of humanity -- until he learned that the solution to their problems also held the key to his own...
Magic, Inc.
Under the guise of an agency for magicians, Magic, Inc. was systematically squeezing out the small independent magicians. Then one businessman stood firm. With the help of an Oxford-educated African shaman and a little old lady adept at black magic, he went straight to the demons of Hell to resolve the problem -- once and for all!
But Waldo had little reason to want to help the rest of humanity -- until he learned that the solution to their problems also held the key to his own...
Magic, Inc.
Under the guise of an agency for magicians, Magic, Inc. was systematically squeezing out the small independent magicians. Then one businessman stood firm. With the help of an Oxford-educated African shaman and a little old lady adept at black magic, he went straight to the demons of Hell to resolve the problem -- once and for all!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Heinlein takes an early detour into fantasy,
By Daniel Jolley "darkgenius" (Shelby, North Carolina USA) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Waldo and Magic, Inc. (Paperback)
Here's something a little different from Heinlein, two extended stories from the early 1940s which incorporate significant helpings of fantasy. "Waldo" is by far the better of the two selections. Waldo F. Jones is a brilliant engineer and all-around genius, but he doesn't get along well with people. Born with essentially no muscle control, he began inventing gadgets to help him perform common tasks as a child, and his inventions soon translated into commercial products. He considers his fellow men to be rather ignorant "apes" who rely on him to continue living out their frivolous existences; only one man, Grimes, the doctor who delivered him, has direct contact with him in his free-floating home in space. Away from the curse of gravity, Waldo is able to move around comfortably and make use of all sorts of gizmos of his own design to help him carry out his work. He is a problem-solver of last resort; he always gets results, but his cold manner and contemptible attitude make him a hard man to deal with. Power plant engineer James Stevens has little choice but to come to Waldo--the whole power supply of the country could fail at any time, and no one can figure out why the infallible power sources are failing. Grimes talks him into working on another problem in conjunction with the project-getting rid of radiated energy that he deems harmful to mankind. With a little help from a mysterious old man, Waldo discovers not only a solution to both problems but an entirely new way to understand reality. "Magic, Inc." is pure fantasy. Virtually all businesses rely on magic to some degree, but there is a mysterious effort afoot to form a magic regulatory council, one capable of monopolizing magic, running out of businesses any magicians who refuse to join and inflating the prices of magical services rendered. Archie finds his hardware store threatened and then trashed when he refuses to sign up for magical protection. Just as the citizens begin examining the danger posed by such regulation of magic, the government seeks to ratify the plan and make it the law of the land. Archie and his magically-inclined friend Jenson team up with an ancient, benign witch and an African witch doctor to put an end to the danger by exposing the reality behind its conception, even if it means going to hell to confront the very demon responsible for the trouble. Both stories fall below Heinlein's normal standards, but "Waldo" proves fairly fascinating up until the closing pages when magic is turned loose in the world. "Magic, Inc." is just rather uninspired. Still, it is interesting to see another side of Heinlein's work. Since both stories fall short of wowing the reader, I would recommend reading this book only after becoming acquainted with Heinlein's more famous, visionary, and enjoyable science fiction. This is fairly atypical, unimpressive storytelling from science fiction's greatest writer.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews) 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Then & Now,
By Tim Maxwell - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Waldo and Magic Inc (Mass Market Paperback)
Heinlein was in many ways ahead of his time. This book, actually two novels have finally come into their own in the first part of the 21st century. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised at some of the reader's comments as to the tepid nature of the Waldo story, and the "Fantasy" aspect of the latter Magic, Inc.
To begin it must be pointed out that one thing nobody mentioned is the term "Waldo", used to refer to those mechanical arms so prevalent in 50/60's science fiction. Today we see endless mechanical devices used in games, in television & movies, especially the Japanese Manga. On a serious note congress recently authorized millions in appropriations to fund development of remote manipulator robots for the modern battlefield... and lets not forget those little robots busily wandering the surface of mars, if they do find Life, you can bet that the entire effort at exploration will remain out of possible harms way, with the 21st century version of a Waldo. Now as to magic? Two words, Nano & Femto technology. These areas are currently cutting edge, and both will provide just such a "magical" backdrop for the commerce conducted in the 21st century. Doors that talk, devices that morph into other things, spoken commands, and the NECESSITY of a well trained group of "wizards" to control them, (when was the last time you really knew how that talking watch worked, did you really care? NO! It just worked) and to repair them when they stop working. Heinlein was correct when he penned stories with people (or Person with Disability, in Waldo's case) confronting, and overcoming difficulties. Real life is now catching up to him... and the situations, and personalities of the people involved are very much true to life. (The founder of the Independent Living Movement, Ed Roberts, was very much like Waldo) Good books... worth a read in these modern times. 4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
3 and 1/2 Stars,
By Bill R. Moore - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Waldo and Magic Inc (Mass Market Paperback)
Both of the stories in this book are a departure from Heinlein's usual work, and neither are entirely successful. Heinlein was never one for truly "hard" science fiction, but the two stories here are distinctly fantasy. The first, Waldo, is the better and far more imaginative of the two. The plot and premise is highly original, and the character of Waldo is an interesting one. However, this is one of Heinlein's earliest stories and the writing style present in it pales in comparison to later efforts, and may be disappointing to those who have read a significant portion of his later work. The same goes also for Magic Inc., although here the premise is less interesting. Not a bad book by any means, but Heinlein has better. Only hard-core fans need apply here, for the newcomer to RAH he has much better to offer.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fantasy for Heinlein Fans,
By Dave Deubler - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Waldo and Magic Inc (Mass Market Paperback)
Two of Heinlein's early foray's into fantasy are packaged together in this book. Of the two, "Waldo", with its unique blending of science fiction and fantasy, is much the stronger. The title character, Waldo Farthingwaite-Jones, is a misanthropic young genius who lives in an isolated, gravity-free environment, which he has specially designed to help him overcome his physical challenges. Heinlein makes Waldo's residence and the myriad gadgets in it both believable and fascinating. Almost as interesting is the development of Waldo's personality, as he changes from a rude, temperamental victim, to a strong, self-confident performer. All this by itself might have made for a first-rate science fiction story, but Heinlein has other ideas. His main plot device is a very typical science fiction ploy: Waldo has to fix a problem with some recalcitrant machinery. But the solution Waldo finds is supernatural rather than mechanical, and so the story strays into the realm of fantasy. Of course Heinlein has a very good reason for this; the whole point of his story is to dramatize one of his favorite themes, to wit, that when one's deepest-held convictions don't agree with the facts, one must have the courage to change those convictions. This might be referred to as the Engineer's Creed, and it shows up frequently in Heinlein's work, but this is one of few stories based on it specifically. In this instance, Waldo manages to accept that the impossible is true, and not only solve the technical problem, but solve his personal problems, too. Unfortunately, his answers are so easy that they counteract any emotional impact that the story might have had. From a conceptual standpoint, Heinlein's meld of science fiction and fantasy may have a valid purpose, but in practice, the average reader may find the story's resolution disappointing, while fans of hard science fiction may feel cheated by a problem that has no reasonable solution. "Magic, Inc." is less ambitious, being nothing more than a total fantasy. Heinlein describes a world where magic is a commonly used commodity, although still the province of specialists, and the no-nonsense businessman who narrates the tale gives a breezy reality to magic's various economic, legal, and political ramifications. Other than that, however, the story seems to have little enough to recommend it. Characters come and go with no real development, and many of them are so close to being ethnic and/or racial stereotypes that some of today's reader might take offense. Overall, both stories are pleasant little diversions, but fans of fantasy should not expect any great revelations, while science fiction fans will find relatively little substance. Fans of Heinlein's fantasy may like this one, but other readers aren't really missing much.
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