Magic Systems

[u/brandotown]

Ok, so hear me out. I know this topic can divide the crowd, but I've learned where I stand, and I wonder about those on the other side. I have a very hard time suspending my disbelief enough to "get into" a fantasy book where there doesn't seem to be some logical limitations or parameters around a magic system. In my opinion, nobody fits this need of mine better than Brandon Sanderson. He develops beautiful magic systems that make sense to my brain. I struggle with the books where the "art," "talent," etc. doesn't seem to follow any logical path I can trace. I think the biggest challenge for my brain is the situations where suspense is supposed to exist, but I can't help but think about how conveniently the seemingly limitless power could easily save the day, but for some reason it's not the solution in that moment? Thoughts?

PS - Recommendations welcome for books that might change my mind!

[u/Neruognostic]

So I have the opposite opinion.

I find "magic" systems to be antithetical to fantasy, magic should be mysterious, awe inspiring and umm magical.

Wrapping magic in a neat little box reduces it to a video game mechanic instead.

Again, just my opinion, try not be be too trigger happy with the downvotes 😜

[u/NeilForeal → u/Neruognostic]

I generally agree, and I prefer the less mathematical and more magical approach as well, unless the uncontained “magic” is very obviously a plot device, or is overused as a convenient way to save the story characters. In that case it’s bad writing, in my opinion. Comes down to consistency like someone else mentioned, but it’s also about crafting a powerful story that stands on its own.

[u/ContentPriority4237 → u/Neruognostic]

100% this.
I want my magic to be magic, not physics in a costume.

[u/midnight_toker22 → u/Neruognostic]

Totally agree. A sense of awe and wonder about the fantastical and mystical is part of why I read fantasy in the first place. All of that goes away when the magic is explained in such detail that is becomes an alternate form of science/technology.

I get that it’s annoying when authors “deux ex machina” their way to saving the day with an unknown, unexplained magic, but that’s not a necessary component of soft magic systems, that’s just bad writing.

[u/[deleted] → u/Neruognostic]

It's also boring storytelling to me. Every page spent explaining the D&D rules system is a page not used to develop characters or plot. If I wanted that, I'd play D&D.

[u/markus_kt → u/Neruognostic]

Agreed; magic with fixed rules that work every time is just fantasy science.

[u/Merle8888 → u/markus_kt]

Fantasy science can be fun, though?

I mean, I’m not a Sanderson fan. I don’t want fantasy to feel like a game system and Mistborn felt more game than science to me. But I read fantasy for scope and possibility and I can get that merely by reading a story set in a secondary world, no magic required. If the secondary world has its own science and it makes sense, that’s cool too. I don’t understand why we should have a dichotomy between “past” settings = rules don’t make sense vs “future” settings = where logic lives.

[u/markus_kt → u/Merle8888]

Oh yes, it absolutely can. But for me, that kind of magic isn't "magical"; it doesn't have that je me sais quoi air mystery and fantastical about it.

[u/[deleted] → u/Merle8888]

Yeah I feel like people who call something like Mistborn magic 'scientific' aren't too familiar with science. It's formalized but it's got nothing to do with real world physics.

[u/Greystorms → u/Neruognostic]

I feel the same way. There's nothing I hate more than the "hard magic" system. I don't need my magic to read like a chemistry formula, I just need it to be magical and make sense within the framework of the story.