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unding vampires into premises that can stand the light of day。 The Count's ascerbic character and occult gifts are made all the more convincing by the strictly authentic settings （Victorian England； Renaissance Italy； contemporary America） through which he moves。 Furthermore； as an unforeseen player in sundry power games； the Count is an agent of rough justice and a witness to some higher law governing all creation。
Fact and fancy are plimentary categories for Saberhagen because； as indicated above； his art depends on disciplined exchanges between the two。 Since both possible and impossible worlds have their technologies； either applied science or practical magic； technological issues are prominent in Saberhagen's work。
His concern for making is matched by an enthusiasm for playing； perhaps because his personal hobbies include chess； karate； and puters。 Whether mental； physical； or cybernetic； games are a recurring device in Saberhagen's fiction。
His gaming principles can be deduced from the berserker series。 Indeed； the berserkers themselves were invented to serve as the antagonist that a games' theory ploy defeats （〃Fortress Ship〃/〃 Without a Thought；〃 1963）。 Although most of the battles are fought between puters （〃faithful slave of life against outlaw； neither caring； neither knowing〃）； one killer machine is undone by joining in a human recreational warsimulation game （〃The Game；〃 1977）。 Direct personal bat still retains its place … Berserker's Planet features a rigged tournament of duels to the death and dialectical clashes abound。 As the series expands； its military campaigns grow more plex； ranging across time as well as space and employing psychological and spiritual as well as physical strategems。 The initial struggle for survival gradually unfolds into a conflict of vast cosmic import。
No promise is possible between the opposing players。 The berserkers are 〃as near to absolute evil as anything material can be。〃 Resisting them requires total mobilization and eternal vigilance since no victory over them is ever quite perfect or plete。
The cause of Life turns enemies into allies but alliances change to emnities in the camp of Death。 Yet the contending sides are not homogeneous： humans use thinking machines and berserkers incorporate living tissue。 The cyborg hero of Berserker Man bees humanity's paladin without denying the machine side of his nature。 In the long run； Life may be more at risk from treachery by the living than from attack by the unliving。 The berserkers' 〃goodlife〃 servants are worse than their masters because they freely choose and bleakly enjoy their perversions。 These worshipers of destruction are but one particular expression of sentient beings bent toward sin。 Before the berserkers came to be； Evil was。
Turns of play proceed by ironic reversals of fortune。 The race is not always to the swift nor the battle to the strong。 Pawns have a way of being kings … and vice versa。 Unable to penetrate the councils of the light； darkness often falls into its own malicious snares。 Even when it wields planet…shattering weapons； Evil can be defeated by a child； an animal； or even a plant。 Eucatastrophe； the unexpected happy ending； is always possible when the game is bravely … and skillfully played。
The stakes could not be higher。 The very nature of the universe is being put to wager of battle。 Is existence a circular parade of ants？ （〃What did it all matter？〃 asks one villain。 〃Was it not a berserker universe already； everything determined by the random swirls of condensing gas； before the stars were born？〃） Or is it a march towards a glorious destination？ Defeating Death's legions vindicates the evolutionary potential latent in every bit of Life。
Likewise； human art； love； holiness； even humor and personal quirks can transcend the laws of probability that govern berserkers。 Machine intelligence cannot grasp why 〃the most dangerous life units of all sometimes acted in ways that seemed to contradict the known supremacy of the laws of physics and chance。〃 Capacity for growth and choice is humankind's passport to a paradoxical space…time region … and a boundless future … barred to its unliving foes。
Unto what purpose was the match held？ Perhaps to let Life win its laurels under fire。 Virtue untried by adversity is meaningless。 Moreover； the game does not end where it began。 Neither players nor field will ever be the same again。 Evil has only improved what it sought to annihilate。 The berserker wars are but one set among the contests being played out instant by instant until the end of time。 Yet whatever the odds in Death's favor； Saberhagen stubbornly proclaims that Life will wear the victor's crown。
The same ground rules obeyed in the berserker series reappear in all Saberhagen's fiction because they express his personal … and highly traditional values。 Length and continuity permit some especially engrossing refinements of play in The Empire of the East （1979）； the revised one…volume edition of a trilogy originally published as The Broken Lands （1968）； The Black Mountains （1971）； and Changeling Earth （1973）。
Ingenious though he is； Saberhagen has never been wildly innovative。 His strength as a writer lies in seeing old concepts from new angles and employing them with unswerving thoroughness。 Empire is a monument to these qualities。 It rests on that venerable fantasy premise； 〃a world where magic works。〃 In the version pioneered by L。 Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt in their Inplete Enchanter （1942）； magic totally replaces science。 However； in Larry Niven's The Magic Goes Away （1978）； magic is being supplanted by science。 Works like Poul Anderson's Operation Chaos （1971） and Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy series show the two kinds of knowledge co…existing unequally in realistic twentieth century settings； but series by Andre Norton （Witch World） and Marion Zimmer Bradley （Darkover） set them at odds in archaic alien societies。
Saberhagen's Empire takes place in a post…catastrophe North America whose culture is vaguely medieval。 Wizardry dominates this demon…ridden age while the rare bits of technology surviving from the Old World are objects of superstitious awe。 Sometimes Old and New can unite； as in the temperamental person of the djinn technologist； a being as maddeningly literalminded as a puter； who must be properly programmed to perform his magic feats。
The novelty of the situation is why magic has bee feasible。 There was no thaumaturgic breakthrough。 Instead； the very nature of physical reality has been fundamentally altered by the doomsday weapons used in a past global war。 The probability of occult phenomena occurring has increased enormously。 〃Since the Change it could scarcely be said that anything was lifeless； powers that before had only been potentialities now responded readily to the wish； the incantation； were motivated and controlled by the dream…like logic of the wizard's world。〃 Meanwhile； the likelihood of certain physical reactions and technical aptitude itself have correspondingly declined。 Or as the author himself remarks； 〃We are not justified in assuming that all physical laws are immutable through the whole