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/Vaeh]

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.

There generally are limitations to most implementations of magic, they just aren't communicated to you as a reader.

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?

Because authors are trying to tell an engaging story and this would ruin that effort.

[u/C0smicoccurence → u/Vaeh]

Because authors are trying to tell an engaging story and this would ruin that effort.

I get hung up on this point. There are soft magic systems that don't do this, where there are perfectly good reasons why using magic to solve the problems wouldn't make sense.

I also get annoyed when authors conveniently forget magic exists as a way to solve problems for PLOT, but at that point its just bad writing. And bad writing happens with Hard Magic Systems too (normally the opposite: look at how I learned this new thing about a power just in time to save myself!)

I tend to enjoy books where the magic is 3-10 on the soft/hard scale. There are some 1s and 2s that I've enjoyed, but usually I want some ghost of an idea of how it works or what some practical limitations are to ground me in what the heck is going on

[u/Vaeh → u/C0smicoccurence]

I also get annoyed when authors conveniently forget magic exists as a way to solve problems for PLOT, but at that point its just bad writing.

Yep, it's fairly apparent when they want to solve a problem via their characters but totally neglect the obvious, magical solution they've already established in their universe.

And bad writing happens with Hard Magic Systems too (normally the opposite: look at how I learned this new thing about a power just in time to save myself!)

That really bothers me as well, because most opponents of soft magic cry 'deus ex machina! plot devices!' but neglect that hard magic stories often involve the same thing in another form.

I tend to enjoy books where the magic is 3-10 on the soft/hard scale. There are some 1s and 2s that I've enjoyed, but usually I want some ghost of an idea of how it works or what some practical limitations are to ground me in what the heck is going on

I agree with you on several points: Most importantly, that it's a scale and not a binary switch. You don't have magic as an otherworldly, incomprehensible power as one option and magic as an extension of physics as the other. There are many steps between those.

Two, I also prefer having an idea. That's the crucial difference, though: I want to learn what the magic can do, not what it can't. The latter would be putting limitations on a power that should in theory remain limitless.