Part of what makes the fantasy and science fiction genres so appealing is the chance to finally break out of the common, the mundane, and the blasé and escape into a new place, a new world, a new set of rules. After all, the tired cliché lets us know that rules are, after all, designed to be broken.
But what rules are we talking about when it comes to good fantasy? Magic is a useful tool within the genre, and a lot of authors feel differently about it (for a similar look at the same issue, check out Brandon Sanderson's opinions here). Looking at two broad beliefs about magic systems can help you decide what works for your own fantasy story. Each has its pros, cons, and similarities, but some might suit a particular story better than another. As the author, it’s up to you to decide where you fall.
Magic, Magic, Everywhere
Stones illuminate the homes and businesses of your world, powered by arcane energy. Mages, wizards, elves, fairies, dragons, and all sorts of fey creatures abound throughout the lands, and gods and men can mingle. Matter can transmute, physical rules can be bent, or outright broken. Teleportation, conservation of energy, and almost every limit that normal humanity can fathom is eschewed or replaced by the new rules that you write as you go along. In other words, magic can be the inexplicable lifeblood of an entire civilization, and no more explanation is needed other than: It’s magic. That’s why it does that.
The obvious pro to this approach is that it leaves plenty of room to maneuver. Hero can’t get to the girl in time to save her? Have him reverse time. Your lady protagonist is sacrificed on the altar of evil? Allow resurrection, maybe even an instinctual thing. Let her return to the living in another form. Simply put, you can easily escape whatever ails you.
The other advantage is that you can free the story from overly-technical explanations of why this world’s magic works, how it works, and what its costs are. This can allow more time for character development, action, romance, or whatever other goals you had in mind for your story.
One downside that you should keep in mind, however, is that some readers might find an ill- or undefined magic system as an “easy out” or a convenient catch-all. Also, inconsistencies are more likely, especially if a loose rule is provided at one point, and then inexplicably broken later on. Continuity, then, can hinge on your magic’s consistency.
Rules To Live By
Another approach is to give the magic system rules. Maybe your wizard can resurrect the dwarf, but, if he does, he’ll lose his magic—big results require big sacrifices. This can be applied throughout the world to provide a kind of consistency, and also allows for more creativity when the rules are broken.
You shouldn’t forget that a lot of the time, fantasy already requires a huge amount of suspension of disbelief, the willingness of the reader to say, “Okay, I know that elves don’t exist in real life, but, for the sake of the story, I’ll let you tell me about one.” Because of the huge amount of leeway that the reader is already giving you, sometimes a quick bit of “reality” about the magic system will help to anchor the story in a way that keeps the readers hooked. In this approach, your rules are cardinal, and it takes inventiveness to break them.
A notable disadvantage to this falls, interestingly, into the consistency category again. As your tale extends over the course of multiple pages, chapters, and even novels, you run into the possibility of, again, breaking your rules. Maybe you say that demons aren’t affected by fire in book 1, but by the time book 3 gets around, you’ve created a fire cage in which the demon lord is trapped. The problem is, if your world is based on rules, you have to invent a reasonable explanation as to why there’s inconsistency. Otherwise, you’ll turn off your readers.
Hopefully you will take these two extremes in magic systems and use them wisely, following or breaking the rules as you go along. After all, it is all made up anyway…so where do you draw the line?
Recommended reading:
Magic can inexplicably do anything: Sara Douglass’ The Wayfarer Redemption series.
Magic that has boundaries and reasons: Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series.
Magic that operates within rules and rarely: George R.R. Martin’s Ice and Fire series.
