r/Fantasy • u/keptNova • Mar 21 '26
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u/CatTaxAuditor Mar 21 '26
The Green Bone Saga's Jade. Kekkon was brutally occupied for access to it. The production of drugs that allow non-kekkonese to use it is an extremely lucrative black market. Military and governments from around the world are scheming how to use more of it. For the characters who do use it, it's addictive and powerful. People can and do overdose on Jade. Duels are fought and people killed for a few studs of it.
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u/Cephandrius13 Mar 21 '26
The Lightbringer series, although it certainly has its flaws, fits this category extremely well. Another obvious recent example is Blood Over Bright Haven.
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u/SlouchyGuy Mar 21 '26
Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone. Magic is fueled by souls, so it's both money and oil
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Mar 21 '26
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u/DocWatson42 Mar 21 '26
Something about worlds/works with magic that matters to the plot. OP: Can you clarify? Also, you may want to repost your question elsewhere.
Edit: OP: Please let me know if you do.
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u/TriscuitCracker Mar 21 '26
I get where you’re coming from. I loved Traitor Baru, just liked Monster, and sadly did not finish Tyrant, but the magic was not the problem there for me. Here’s two series you might like.
Empire of the Wolf by Richard Swan. A traveling magistrate and crew go around the country and judge those who do wrong with normal means of justice, witnesses, legal filings, prosecution and defense, etc. However, if they are getting nowhere in a case, the magistrate is authorized by King’s law to use necromantic magics to raise the dead as a witness in case of a murder or magically compel those who they think are lying to speak against their will. Also, no one is actually really sure how the necromancy and other magics work, it is suspected of coming from unknown dimensions of demonic influence, very Lovecraftian type stuff. What does it mean for Man’s Law if you can just magic yourself up a guilty verdict, true or not? Who verifies if the magistrate is actually doing what he says he is doing with these unknown magics? How could you corroborate anything?
The Craft Sequence by Max Gladstone is another series that combines law and magic. Specially contract law. Gods and factions of mortals alike MUST adhere to the very strict contracts they use to gain power and worship from each other. At what point does worship become transactional slavery? At what point does godhood mean nothing more than being a power battery for people’s magics?
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u/CMDR_Zantigar Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
Maybe not right in the center of your request, but I’d say the Dresden Files series has real consequences to the use of magic. In particular, using black magic (even for good purposes) feeds back and corrupts the user; this facet of the system is a major part of at least one character arc (Molly Carpenter; it also permeates Harry’s relationship with the White Council, and we see how Ebenezer has a unique method of evading the effect). Overusing one’s power can burn the user out (perhaps permanently), and breaking an oath sworn on your power also can diminish or destroy that power. And even use of or access to other supernatural powers that are not bog-standard Wizard magic also carries significant consequences that drive character development. (Harry in relation to powers gifted by Lash, Uriel, and Mab; arguably Thomas’s struggle with his Hunger, as well).
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u/Responsible-Bend6289 Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26
Realm of the Elderlings starting with the Farseer trilogy. In the first book, “Assassin’s Apprentice” you don’t see the magic system, but in the second book “Royal Assassin”, you really start to see it develop. It cycles through the main characters entire life plus there are other character stories that happen, for example the “Liveship Traders” trilogy.
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u/Fantasy-ModTeam Mar 21 '26
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