When i read a book which has a fresh and original magic system it makes the story so much more interesting for me personally, for example, the final empire by brandon sanderson has an amazing magic system. Oct 20, 2015 the magic in my book is actually a lot like that, with the beast he becomes thing. This seems to be the go to book for most specfic readers looking for unique magic systems. Unfortunately the names they are given are always the same. If someone in your book is magically transformed or uses magic, can you show us how it works or how it feels. Ever feel that books such as harry potter have taken all the good magic setups in.
For the next few weeks, ill be delighted to share short story ideas with you, and you have my full permission and encouragement to use them as you will. What if magic was energy from the sun that could be absorbed by the skin. My ranking of various magic systems from accross the fantasy genre. How to create a believable magic system atsikos chimney. Its more of the scientific than the spellcasting variety. Fantasy books with lots of magic use science fiction. Canoc, orrecs father frowned and thought a long time before he spoke. A character finds a magic sword, a cryptic book, a ring of invisibility, a lucky coin, etc. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers.
The death gate cycle by margaret weis and tracy hickman immediately popped in my head after reading this question. Taken from the top 15 entries on a reddit thread for the most interesting magic systems in literature and fiction, with a few additions and in the case of one tv show, one omission. As far as intricate, mathematical magic systems go, it doesnt get much better than the original mistborn trilogy. Magic is an incredibly broad term that is used to define a whole host of things, from the angelic magic used in lord of the rings, to the mismatched group of powers displayed in harry potter, to the more systematic and language. By far one of the more common magic systems, these wizards might draw energy from unseen sources, stones, power items, forests, music, blood and sacrifice, or some similar source. Furthermore, why dont we just vote on series, not series and the individual volumes. On magic systems in fantasy fiction the great raven. Fantasy books with the best magic systems show list info. This kind of mage works best in an ambient magic world, in which magical energies are available, though not necessarily accessible to ordinary humans. Any books that have hard magic systems that you would recommend. With that in mind, here are the top ten coolest magic systems in fantasy, by series title.
Every ten years the dragon takes a pretty young woman from the local villages for his own unexplained reasonsbut when he recognizes a magical gift in plain, stubborn agnieszka, hes forced to take her instead. Popular magic fantasy books meet your next favorite book. I know, you were all waiting for me to add this book to the list. Later, im going to do some indepth critiques of various magic systems, pointing out all the places things went right, and all the places they went wrong. You can have different kinds of magic, too, not just the system in the core book. In fact, all of sandersons books have unique, memorable magic systems. This week i read an interesting article that suggested asking yourself several questions about the magic. Yes, before we start, just in case, i do believe its possible to write fantasy without magic, i dont consider it an essential requirement of the genre, i dont think that any novel set in another world but not using magic is therefore historical, blah blah blah.
Its a magical academy novel, but with a style inspired by anime and japanese rpgs like final fantasy, the tales series, etc. Maybe youre a panster, and you only know the themes after youve written the book. Magic in discworld isnt exactly the wandwaving you might be used to. Some of the magic used in the final book did appear, well, arbitrary. I agree with all you say about fantasies and what elements should classify a book as a fantasy. Magic in fiction is the endowment of characters or objects in works of fiction with powers that do not naturally occur in the real world magic often serves as a plot device and has long been a component of fiction, from the days of homer and apuleius down through the tales of the holy grail and king arthur, to more contemporary authors such as j. Discworld is a high magic setting, but it is low fantasy. Creating magic systems for fantasy kindle edition by csernica, lillian. Jun 17, 2015 sandersons magic systems all follow a similar structure of net gain, net loss, and equilibrium, according to their own natural laws which are generally similar to environmental, scientific. This is the place to put any ideas you might have for magic systems that pop into your head. Learn about the many magic systems of brandon sanderson. This page contains links to all of my posts relating to the construction and analysis of magical systems in speculative fiction. Mar 22, 2006 hi, im looking for fantasy books that are good but also that have lots of magic use. In fact, because harry potter himself was learning magic in a systematic way, it may have made sense to present a more coherent magic system.
Aug 10, 2017 well, that is quite an allencompassing question. Like its inspiration, 1,001 arabian nights, the wrath and the dawn centers on the power of storytelling, and is the first book in a duology, with the second book being released in 2016. This kind of mage works best in an ambientmagic world, in which magical energies are available, though not necessarily accessible to ordinary humans. Recently, i have been attempting to plot out a long fantasy series, but i came stumped at what magic system to use, and how to make it truly unique. The study of magic systems this page contains links to all of my posts relating to the construction and analysis of magical systems in speculative fiction. Fantasy magic systems creative writing forums writing. A book i picked up from the strand is a great guide to this kind of geometrical draftingits called designa by wooden books, and it walks you through the history, drafting techniques, and mathematics behind different designs from all over the world. If they restrict their magic too much, then it wont be cool and interesting. Feb 11, 2015 often, magic is simply that which we cant explain.
With the beast thing picture a glowing, giant pit fiend in a color of a magic users color, with. I will be presenting information based on novels, stories, games, movies and other works of fiction including my own. You have to stick within the parameters of the world you set up, you have to maintain internal logic but if youre using magic, you dont have to explain the horsepower issue, or figure energy outputs from set quantities of fuel. Create a magic system and argue about it spacebattles forums. Your favorite fantasy novels, rated according to magical rigor. There are plenty of great fantasy adaptations out there right now.
I reserve the right to include posts about video game magic systems and real world magic systems. Use this list to create a spectacular magic system for your novel. Aug 08, 2016 in my conception of this magic system, this is where magic crosses over from being a computer program and reveals its ties directly to metaphysics. Recommended reading unique magic systems bookworm blues. This book really delves into at least one aspect of the worlds magic and i am at the point in the book where i am really working to lay that groundwork. To create this article, 26 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Berley kerrs top 5 favorite magic systems from novels. How to create a unique magic system for your book wikihow. Fantasy books with the best magic systems show list info taken from the top 15 entries on a reddit thread for the most interesting magic systems in literature and fiction, with a few additions and in the case of one tv show, one omission. Although im not sure id say that high fantasies never have any magic elements. On a late afternoon when most students and teachers have gone home our old friends sherman, tommy and justin decide to have some fun with their magic book. People have finished reading harry potter or lord of the rings or are simply just getting into fantasy and are looking for something interesting, asking for advice from the more experienced fantasy readers. The thing about using magic is that you posit the gimmick, and the gimmick works. Considering that the later books in the series trade songs for fires, mirror, and wings, and merlin has a lot of learning to do.
Mistborn, however, seems to be a good entry point for readers new to sanderson. Nov 10, 20 this book really delves into at least one aspect of the worlds magic and i am at the point in the book where i am really working to lay that groundwork. It very well may have been better if she built upon the magic used in the previous installments. And then to top it all off theres even backstory to the whole world, the gods shards and the cosmere adding more rules and mythos to the source of all the magic in mistborn. Tags are great, but a list of posts just seems so much simpler. If youre deadset on convincing me that this isnt true. Fantastic books and the magic system is intuitive to the reader.
But theyre there all along, and it can be much simpler to follow them if you know what they are in the first place. Can christian writers include magic in their fantasy. There were a couple of games, there are wikipedia links for those. Each book in the series builds on the last and has its own feel, and the world. A newer book on the list, the city of brass published at the end of 2017, and is the first book in chakrabortys daevabad trilogy. The links are mostly to goodreads series, with book links for standalones. Fantasy magic systems discussion in plot development started by shmoodle, mar, 2011. How to create a good magic system for fantasy books quora. In my literature related internet journeys ive seen the same scenario time and time again. Most magic systems in popular fantasy books fall somewhere between the spectrum of hard and soft magic. I am assuming that you already have an idea about the kind of magic you want, but are not sure how to develop it into a proper system. The lord of the rings is a low magic setting, but it is a high fantasy setting.
It seems like there are multiple magic systems with ninja battle sorcerer like guys, knights with magical armor that gives them super human abilities, magic fairy creatures that bestow power upon users, ancient gods and evil demons. Apr 11, 2018 a newer book on the list, the city of brass published at the end of 2017, and is the first book in chakrabortys daevabad trilogy. The essential point, though is that regardless of where your book is set, the magic you create for it should feel as much a part of the world as the food, the politics, the history, the landscape, etc. Creating a rational magic system allows you to add realism and depth to your world while still leaving room for new and interesting changes. Magic is just cool, and sometimes youve got to give credit where credit is due, even when a magic system is more creative than the story in which you discover it. Sep 29, 2015 like its inspiration, 1,001 arabian nights, the wrath and the dawn centers on the power of storytelling, and is the first book in a duology, with the second book being released in 2016. Magic systems vary from colorful bears with tummy badges to ritual blood sacrifices. Weis and hickman are best known for their dragonlance novels, but i believe this series is their best work. The book includes brandnew artwork inspired by mary blairs original art for the disney theme park attraction, its a small. When building a magic system, authors are faced with a balancing act. Oct 29, 2009 there are way too any ways to create magic systems for me to fill out every little nook and cranny of magicmaking theory.
The 50 best fantasy books of the 21st century so far paste. The uniqueness of the system is the same in each book so how is one more unique than the other. In this case, the magical system exists within one body. It was one of the main hooks to the storyline i thought. Magic in role playing games is far too powerful to use in a fantasy story. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the writers spellbook. If they use too much, then they slowly become a beast, or they are corrupted. The top ten coolest magic systems in fantasy geekus. Oct 05, 2019 wikihow is a wiki, similar to wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are cowritten by multiple authors. Offer imagery to help us visualize your magic in action.
In the hobbit, gandalph makes very minimal use of magic. Id classify lord of the rings as a high fantasy and it does, sort of. In a world with magic, magic will touch everything. Berley kerrs top 5 favorite magic systems from novels posted on january 8, 20 by berleykerr for any fantasy authorwriter worth their weight in salt knows that one of the key elements to a successful fantasy book isnt just a good magic system, but a great magic system that works.
Fantasy is my favorite genre fantasy with and without magical systems. Magic is power stored in natural locations, built up by the endless small changes and actions that take place. In a world with magic, magic is your gimme the one thing about which your reader will unquestioningly suspend disbelief so if you really want to tell a story that uses fasterthanlight spaceships, you need to drop the magic. Hard fantasy is similar to hard science fiction, from which it draws its name, and hard magic, in that they all aim to build their respective worlds in a. Lord of the rings sword of truth all in series sword of shanara first trilogy wheel of time all in series inheritance eragon and eldest. Magic and fantasy in fiction, as the name states, is about magic and fantasy in fiction, not the real world. There are just layers and layers to the magic system and the way theyre revealed in the books was great and it always works within the logic and rules of the world. Jul 31, 2014 i know, you were all waiting for me to add this book to the list. Sandersons magic systems all follow a similar structure of net gain, net loss, and equilibrium, according to their own natural laws which are generally similar to environmental, scientific. I think a good rule for magic is, the less the better.
The book includes brandnew artwork inspired by mary blairs original art for the disney theme park. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. This is especially effective if you want to keep magic use to a minimum, or are writing in a more modern setting where magic use is not prevalent to the majority of society. Discussion in plot development started by shmoodle. The green pearl books, but really any of this books have a wellthought out methodology to the magic and he still manages to make it fun and mysterious. Hard fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literature that strives to present stories set in and often centered on a rational and knowable world.
A great work of fantasy involves creating a complex magical world complete with its own detailed history and a governing set of rules. But its already earned a spot as one of the most memorable. A trope, sure, but its still a valid source of magic to include in your novel. The novels are centered around two main characters. Warlocks create contracts with unknown entities, such as fae, demons, and outer gods. Steve eriksons malazan book of the fallen, and unlike goodkind, brooks, jordan, and paolinis series, its actually not absolutely awful and has more magic.
It can be a long process to make sure you have all the rules and limitations in place, but it is essential to do it right. I had an idea for how to justify the trope of nearly naked women running around a battlefield. Sep 28, 2015 uprooted, by naomi novik not unlike numair and daine are the dragon, a fierce wizard living in a tower, and his reluctant pupil, agnieszka. Discussion in space battles main started by russianhydra, jan, 2017. Your fantasy world can have as much or as little magic as you desire. In manys way, its almost as if like your asking me to recommend you a bad fantasy novel, but i think we can overcome that. Can christian writers include magic in their fantasy novels. And if that is magic, its not new books about werewolves and vampires are not unique. I mean, the magic in mistborn doesnt change from book to book. Jan 08, 20 berley kerrs top 5 favorite magic systems from novels posted on january 8, 20 by berleykerr for any fantasy authorwriter worth their weight in salt knows that one of the key elements to a successful fantasy book isnt just a good magic system, but a great magic system that works. In my book dragonkin, only children of the elemental dragons can use magic. But the most fascinating part of the book is when ella gets what she should want, forcing her to find a loophole that allows her to set her fate on her own. Like a fractal, the pattern of the whole universe is expressed in miniature in the spell map, because magic is essentially a way to change the universe.
Thats why people fangirl so hard over series like harry. The best part is the interactions between the systems and how you know enough about each of them to know how things are going to go down. The three of them have a certain craving today, the craving for some teacher pussy. But that doesnt mean all magic systems work equally well for stories. From lavender fields in france, to the blue waters of the philippines, colors are all around.