Having a sense of mystery in your magic

[limyaael]

The “keeping magic mystical” rant. Since I’ve already done rants on understandable, rule-filled, kind-of-scientific systems of magic and the pitfalls I’ve seen with them, here’s some advice in the opposite direction.

Comments

[ursulav]

THANK YOU. This is one of my pet peeves, and one of the reasons that I find fantasy written by horror writers far more compelling than fantasy written by fantasy writers half the time--they understand the psychological power of things half-hidden, and don't generally feel the need to explain the magic system down to a set of handy D&D rules.

Probably on a related topic, it'd be nice sometimes to have just ONE of something. To use an example I've used before, you can't have the Big Bad Wolf anymore, the Ur-Wolf, the only wolf that ever needs to exist and who wants your giblets for lunch--you have to have a race of ancient telepathic shapeshifters demonized by an ignorant peasantry/controlling religion, who worship the great moon goddess of Blah and live in harmony with chickens. And while that can be done well, sometimes it'd be nice to have the Big Bad Wolf as an option

[limyaael]

The books I've found wildest and strangest in the past little while have all been by horror writers or writers who also write SF. I'm not sure why. I'd hate to think that fantasy has become provinicial and too inward-looking, given how wide a genre it can be, but sometimes it feels that way.

To use an example I've used before, you can't have the Big Bad Wolf anymore, the Ur-Wolf, the only wolf that ever needs to exist and who wants your giblets for lunch--you have to have a race of ancient telepathic shapeshifters demonized by an ignorant peasantry/controlling religion, who worship the great moon goddess of Blah and live in harmony with chickens.

*snicker* True. I'd add that I prefer to have the One be something that isn't the protagonist, having seen a few too many 'last survivor of a magical race' stories.

excellent rant :D :D :D

[___sasuka]

I recall you making a post about more unusual fantasy creatures (the black dog that follows people, something to do with not very nice unicorns) but unfortunately, I can't find it. Do you know the link?

Re: excellent rant :D :D :D

[limyaael]

This post is it, I think: the Other Species Equal-Time Day one.

Re: excellent rant :D :D :D

[___sasuka]

ah, thanks.

I added you. Could you add me back? :)

[fadethecat]

Hmm. Good example of magic done well: Bujold's Curse of Chalion and sequels. Magic isn't dripping all over the place, but when it shows up... well. It's freaky. Even "good" magic is freaky. And the family of gods hits a very nice blend between "Well, yes, that's the Mother, she does X" and "...so all these young men pledge themselves to the Daughter. Which makes sense, and yet..."

[limyaael]

I loved the magic in Curse, though more for the Bastard than the seasonal family. I still haven't finished Paladin of Souls because it seems to be repeating the first book's plot, and I've heard the newest one has king-and-the-land stuff. So right now I'm kind of lurking on Chalion.

[dwg]

3) Beckon the grotesque

Some of the best stuff I've read is no-holds-barred disgusting. It kinda helps that I prefer that style of writing, but honestly, after getting the fiftieth description about Some Heroine's glowing eyes when the Goddess has touched her and all the Wonder and Awe it inspires, it's nice to read something like Simon R. Green's Novels of the Nightside (not near as good as Jim Butcher, but still pretty good. I just wish they were longer) and in Something From The Nightside, when the hero is in a time-rift, he sees the future and there's nobody in existence except Razor Eddie - and that's because Razor Eddie made a deal with the Gods that he wouldn't ever die until he got his work done - so a bunch of pissed off bugs used Eddie as their host. Since he didn't die, they could lay eggs in him over and over again, and they'd hatch and crawl their way out of him. It was gross, but wonderful.

Douglas Clegg's You Come When I Call You is still one of the most disturbing books I've ever read, because it really holds

[limyaael]

Green's other fantasy is both imaginative and disgusting (I haven't read the Nightside novels). He's not the best writer out there, but he has this kind of boundless breathlessness; he's not content with inventing one monster and then using it over and over again.

I'll have to check out the other novels you recommend; they sound neat.

[dwg]

Likewise with some of the books you talk about. I know I've got my eye on The Autumn Castle and a couple of other Simon R. Green books (though, they're actually hard to find in my corner of the universe). Now, if only my "to be read" pile wasn't so damned big, I'd be set.

[wanderingbhikkh]

I just violated ponit 5.