[Dominus]

When most people hear the word fantasy, the word "magic" almost immediately pops into their heads.

If you've ever read even a little of a Harry Potter book, you would know that this is the basis of the book: Rowling uses every stereotypical thing about magic I've ever heard of i.e. magic wands, potions, broomsticks, incantations, parts of magical creatures, the works. She's basically taken everything people think of when they think of magic and put it in her book.

Now, this isn't about bashing Rowling(her books were actually pretty good, even if she did copy all of magical history, it was cool seeing things you'd read in fairy tale in the "real" world with wizards and such) it is about magic.

What I would like to know is other magic systems you've read in fantasy books that you've liked and how they basically work. I think magic is an important part of most fantasy(even if isn't, or called something different(which is most likely), I'd like to hear about it) so please, tell me about magic.

Part I in the "Duology of Magic"


[This message has been edited by Dominus (edited November 09, 2001).]

[Cauthon]

Katherine Kerr's Deverry Series.......
Dweomer is the magic there it is a unique interpretation.

[k4085]

In Jack Vance's "The Dying Earth" (1950), his first published novel, the magic system involves memorizing the spell. Once it is cast, the caster completely forgets the spell and has to memorize it. Does this sound familiar? This spell system is used in Dungeons and Dragons. Gary Gygax and his associates admits to being heavily influenced by Jack Vance's works. If anyone has played and finished Baldur's Gate, the ending credits mention Jack Vance (along with Fritz Leiber) as being a heavy influence.

[Dominus]

My friend has Baldur's Gate II, which I think uses the same rulebook as Baldur's Gate does. In that, sorcerers can't memorize spells from scrolls or such, they learn them when they level up. They can cast more spells, its just that once you choose them, you can't change them. Mages in the game though cast spells (less than sorcerers) and just sleep to recharge their casting ability, I don't think they forget them.

[Cardo]

The elven spellweavers, which are presented in Feists books sound quite interesting, even if they arenīt described very clearly.

[Vroomfondel]

I've always liked Ursula K. Guiness's interpretation of magic in her "Wizard of EarthSea" Trilogy myself. Very ordered, very structured. The magic is based on the old "Naming" thing (if you a thing's True Name then you can control it) and the law of cause and effect.

[Lady_Linda]

I love the way Zelazny presents magic in the Amber series, with the pattern (is it 'the pattern'? I've read the books in swedish) they have to go through and the logrus, and the way that the magic gets things and make things happen through taking the magican to the place where the thing he want to happen is reallity. The thing I don't like is that it is heditary, and that only the 'true' blood can get it.... This would be my personal favourite.

Also, I quite happen to like the way the magic is set up in the dragonlance books (Don't bite me, I know it is hardly original http://www.sffworld.com/ubb/wink.gif

And third, I like Donaldson's earth magic, but that is mainly because I like his world a lot. (It is almost *the* most beautiful I've read about in fantasy)

(That is a little alike the magic I am thinking about for part my own writing)

I don't like Kerr's deverry magic, absolutely not. Also here beacuse it is heditary, it is too easy and it is, well it isn't good. I don't like Eddings because it is way, way too easy....

Hmm, Duncan's idea about magical words beeing the key is interesting, but not quite to my taste.

~Linda~

[Shehzad]

Weis & Hickman's Darksword books

[Barbarossa]

Lady Linda are you sure you mean Kerr's Deverry series, and don't confuse it with Ketherine Kurtz Deyerni (sp?).
Where in Deverry does it say it's heditary (I use your spelling, though I'm sure it's wrong, but I don't know the proper spelling either)?

Also magic in Deverry insn't easy, but needs decades of training, and even then is fairly subdued in its effects, most of the time.

[Sammie]

Are you guys aiming for 'hereditary'?