Do you know of any book with a “wizard” that is actually just a crafty scientist?
Hi! I'm a fan of "hard" science fiction, but I'd like to know if there is some book where there is a "wizard" that is actually just a guy that is using "science" and engineering as his power?
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell includes flesh and blood characters based on the Arthurian legend, including a realistic Merlin and other characters.
Jamie-Keaton on
Try _Elder Race_ by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Note: I haven’t actually read it yet, but it’s on my TBR list…
> In Adrian Tchaikovsky’s _Elder Race_, a junior anthropologist on a distant planet must help the locals he has sworn to study to save a planet from an unbeatable foe.
>
> Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the queen, and always getting in the way.
>
> But a demon is terrorizing the land, and now she’s an adult (albeit barely) and although she still gets in the way, she understands that the only way to save her people is to invoke the pact between her family and the Elder sorcerer who has inhabited the local tower for as long as her people have lived here (though none in living memory has approached it).
>
> But Elder Nyr isn’t a sorcerer, and he is forbidden to help, for his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon…
>
> — https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50663055-elder-race | 4.11 stars out of 18,170 ratings
That_Jicama2024 on
“Off to be the wizard” was a neat book. Here’s the premise:
Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.
What could possibly go wrong?
An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.
Monty-675 on
*The Sword of the Spirits* trilogy (*The Prince in Waiting*; *Beyond the Burning Lands*; *The Sword of the Spirits*) by John Christopher features scientists who use technology to pretend to be seers who can communicate with spirits.
Also, the techno-mages from the *Babylon 5* media franchise fit the description. It’s mainly a television series, but there are tie-in novels (*The Techno-Mage Trilogy*).
BernardFerguson1944 on
*A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court* by Mark Twain.
RevolutionaryBug2915 on
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, by Mark Twain.
7 Comments
Well, the Wizard of Oz comes to mind
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell includes flesh and blood characters based on the Arthurian legend, including a realistic Merlin and other characters.
Try _Elder Race_ by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Note: I haven’t actually read it yet, but it’s on my TBR list…
> In Adrian Tchaikovsky’s _Elder Race_, a junior anthropologist on a distant planet must help the locals he has sworn to study to save a planet from an unbeatable foe.
>
> Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the queen, and always getting in the way.
>
> But a demon is terrorizing the land, and now she’s an adult (albeit barely) and although she still gets in the way, she understands that the only way to save her people is to invoke the pact between her family and the Elder sorcerer who has inhabited the local tower for as long as her people have lived here (though none in living memory has approached it).
>
> But Elder Nyr isn’t a sorcerer, and he is forbidden to help, for his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon…
>
> — https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50663055-elder-race | 4.11 stars out of 18,170 ratings
“Off to be the wizard” was a neat book. Here’s the premise:
Martin Banks is just a normal guy who has made an abnormal discovery: he can manipulate reality, thanks to reality being nothing more than a computer program. With every use of this ability, though, Martin finds his little “tweaks” have not escaped notice. Rather than face prosecution, he decides instead to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and pose as a wizard.
What could possibly go wrong?
An American hacker in King Arthur’s court, Martin must now train to become a full-fledged master of his powers, discover the truth behind the ancient wizard Merlin…and not, y’know, die or anything.
*The Sword of the Spirits* trilogy (*The Prince in Waiting*; *Beyond the Burning Lands*; *The Sword of the Spirits*) by John Christopher features scientists who use technology to pretend to be seers who can communicate with spirits.
Also, the techno-mages from the *Babylon 5* media franchise fit the description. It’s mainly a television series, but there are tie-in novels (*The Techno-Mage Trilogy*).
*A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court* by Mark Twain.
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, by Mark Twain.