Steve LaForest's Reviews > Not Long Before the End

My top favourite fantasy story. Larry Niven is primarily a science fiction author, but he really knocks it out of the park with this fantasy. The story of the Warlock is continued in "The Magic Goes Away". There is also an excellent story set later in this universe about Clubfoot.

See also stories by other authors, which are set in the same universe, in the collection "The Magic May Return"

Reread (for the umpteenth time) on Nov. 6, 2018.

An absolutely great fantasy story. Once again, Niven demonstrates his commitment to exploring the logical development of a concept. He never did do a lot of fantasy, and this one is his very best.

As a committed SF fan of more than a half-century, this story forces me to admit that fantasy can occasionally be as compelling as science fiction. I even remember back to the Before Times, when Hugo and Nebula Awards were reserved exclusively for science fiction. [With apologies to all of you fantasists out there.]

My rating system:
Since Goodreads only allows 1 to 5 stars (no half-stars), you have no option but to be ruthless. I reserve one star for a book that is a BOMB - or poor (equivalent to a letter grade of F, E, or at most D). Progressing upwards, 2 stars is equivalent to C (C -, C or C+), 3 stars (equals to B - or B), 4 stars (equals B+ or A -), and 5 stars (equals A or A+). As a result, I maximize my rating space for good books, and don't waste half or more of that rating space on books that are of marginal quality.