>Aye. Off the top of my head, I believe we find "instant-healing"
>caliber magic of one sort or another in Narnia (Lucy's cordial),
>Harry Potter, Octavia Butler's "Patternist" novels, and
>Turtledove's "Videssos" books. It's not something you find in every
>fantasy series, but it's not unheard of.
Although it's classed as psionics rather than magic (like there's a difference?), I believe some of the Comyn in Bradley's 'Darkover' series can also do it. There are rapid (if not instant) healing powers in Norton's Witch World too. Even in Tolkein, I recall that Lúthien uses magic to heal Beren a couple of times: it would fit the overall theme of Middle-Earth that the Eldar in the distant past could perform magical feats their descendants cannot.
Also, I suspect that insta-heal magic is rare in novels because it spoils the dramatic intent of the *story*, rather than because it doesn't fit into the mythology of the world. After all, if the protagonist can shrug off crippling injuries in moments it takes away the point of writing about them being injured at all.
Stephen
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