On Writing Magic Well - Part II: Adding Depth

'The Magic Circle' by Waterhouse

In my first installment, I discussed a few pitfalls we, as writers, must avoid in our quest to create magic that feels truly magical--but success is not the same as simply avoiding failure. So, the question becomes: what can we do to inject a sense of wonder into our magic? How can we give our magic a substance, a texture, an enveloping quality that alters our entire world from within?

Reading classic texts, we can see that for earlier cultures and traditions, magic really was everywhere--it permeated all aspects of life, and people took it very seriously. It could inspire fear and hatred, it could be a source of respect or suspicion, it could produce conflict between different cultures--it often did all of those things at once. Magic was not merely physically powerful, but powerful as a cultural idea.

Suggested Readings in Fantasy

Into the Green by John Howe

As I have sometimes been heard to remark, I'm fond of the fantasy genre. As such, I am often asked by friends and followers of my reviews which fantasy books I would suggest they read, but I am wary of making such suggestions lightly. There are books I adore which are extremely long, complex, and idiomatic--not a good fit for everyone. It also seems my definition of 'fantasy' is considered aberrant by many fans. But to meet the demand, here is the list of my favorite fantasy books with brief explanations of why I liked them, and who I think might enjoy them, along with other books that disappointed me. There will be some difficult, complicated works, as well as some wild pulp adventures, which list I shall continually update as I digest new books. You might also check out my fantasy shelf on Goodreads.