Mazirian the Magician-Jack Vance Chapter in the novel Mazirian the Magician

Mazirian the Magician-Jack Vance Chapter in the novel Mazirian the Magician

AKA: Mazirian the Magician, chapter 2

The Dying Earth, chapter 2

Tales of the Dying Earth, Book I, chapter 2

This is a 15 page chapter (#2) in the 1950 Jack Vance novel Mazirian the Magician. This novel is also known as The Dying Earth and Tales of the Dying Earth, Book I.  The chapter or excerpt Mazirian the Magician was first published in 1950 as chapter 2 of Jack Vance's novel.  It has subsequently appeared as an excerpt in many anthologies. This is a review of only Mazirian the Magician as a chapter.

We have no idea how far in the future this story takes place but it is on Earth in the very distant future, many thousands of years ahead, and the sun is red and dying.  Magic is accepted as an everyday event just as science is.  Most of the science and magic from the past has been forgotten or lost.  Only 100 magic spells are still known.  Many ancient ruins can be found but their history is mostly unknown.  There are only a few thousand people left living on Earth.  They all know that the Earth is dying because the sun is burning out, but there is no hint about how much longer the Earth will last.  It could be imminent or many years in the future.

Mazirian is a cruel magician who has captured Turjan of Miir, the wizard we met in the first story.  Mazirian reduced Turjan in size and imprisoned him.  He offers to release Turjan only if he will disclose the secrets he learned from Pandalume of how to create creatures that are infused with intelligence.  To pressure Turjan into disclosing his secrets Mazirian puts him in a box with a small dragon who chases him to try to eat him.  Turjan can run faster than the dragon but he is pursued and tormented whenever he is put into the box.  Turjan is afraid that if he does reveal his secrets he will not be released but will be immediately killed, so he does not give in to Mazirian's demands.  Meanwhile Mazirian becomes increasingly obsessed with a beautiful woman who rides a horse frequently near his garden.  Every effort he makes to lure her closer fails, so he finally arms himself with some spells and chases her with magic boots into the "forest of fable."  When he loses track of her he bribes a Twk-man to find out where she is.  Losing her again he then tortures a Deodand for information about her location.  Then he fights a demon named Thrang before locating the mystery woman once more and pursuing her.  He even uses a spell to be able to breathe under water and chases her into the Lake of Dreams.  We know what the cad Mazirian wants but what this mystery woman wants and who she is, makes for a fascinating story.  I’ve read this work numerous times and rated it a 4 “Really liked it.”

Published as chapter 2. in numerous editions of the novel The Dying Earth, AKA: Mazirian the Magician.

Published in the anthology The Spell of Seven, Pyramid Books, L Sprague de Camp, ed.(1965)

Published in the anthology Wizards, Signet, Isaac Asimov, ed. (1983)

Published in the anthology The Fantasy Hall of Fame, Arbor House, Robert Silverberg, ed. (1983)