Fantasy often attracts its readers because the possibilities are endless. These novels are full of wildly imaginative worlds and characters that can be, well, anything. And while not all fantasy novels have magic, there are many that do. For some of us, the magic is the best part.
All magic has a price, but not all magic systems are the same. Some have a much heavier cost than others. This is typically broken down into two camps: hard or soft magic. Hard magic comes with well-defined rules and limitations. Even if the reader doesn’t understand the mechanism of the magic, the people inside the world do … and if they fail to appreciate those mechanisms, consequences follow.
Worlds like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Mistborn, and most superhero stories all utilize hard magic. The sheer range of systems found throughout fantasy novels proves that rules don’t always have to be boring. In fact, sometimes, they make things far more interesting. Both of the novels below highlight how different those systems can be and how when you flesh out a hard magic system in a novel, it adds incredible depth to the story.
Books With Hard Magic
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Gideon the Ninth
The Emperor has invited the heirs of the nine Houses to compete in a deadly trial for immortality. Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and Necromancer, plans on winning. But to do that, she needs her swordsman. Gideon has had enough of being surrounded by the dead. She packs up her sword, her dirty magazines, and almost executes the perfect escape. Until Harrowhark tricks her into staying. Because without Gideon, Harrow will lose, and the Ninth house will die. But maybe some things should stay dead.
Despite having a magic system that isn’t ever really explained, there are clearly defined rules and limits to the necromancy. There are rituals that must be performed and even then, the power of a necromancer can only go so far. But the most fun is witnessing or anticipating the clear consequences that occur when things go awry.
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Shadow and Bone
In Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, Alina Starvok was never meant for anything. She isn’t big or brave like her best friend Mal. She doesn’t have powers like the Grisha. She shouldn’t be on the ship going through the Shadow Fold. And she definitely shouldn’t be able to save Mal when the monsters attack. But in that moment, Alina discovers a dormant power that saves their lives… one that might save her country. She’s quickly taken under the wing of the Darkling, where in the royal court, she is trained to be a member of the Grisha. But like Alina, nothing is exactly what it seems. And if she can’t learn to control her power, someone else will.
The magic system is broken down into neat sections named the Small Science. There are specific powers each Grisha has and there are also defined limitations for their use. Even someone like Alina isn’t above the rules, and as we learn, breaking them has devastating consequences for both the wielder and everyone around them.
Soft Magic
Then there’s soft magic. Soft magic is more lenient. There may not be an explanation for how the magic exists—it simply does. Often, the potential of its use is limitless and the consequences minor.
Worlds like Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings, and Game of Thrones all use soft magic systems. No one knows the exact mechanism of the Force, it just is. If Gandalf has a limit to his power, we have yet to see it. If rules can make a fantasy world richer, a lack of rules can make it more approachable. Both the novels below demonstrate how lush and enthralling soft magic systems can be, luring the reader deep into your world and captivating them entirely.
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
When Yeine Darr’s mother dies, the outcast woman is summoned to appear in the majestic city of Sky. The last thing she expects is to be named heiress to the king. But claiming the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms isn’t going to be easy. Yeine finds herself in a power struggle against cousins she never knew existed and the more she fights for her life, the closer she gets to discovering the truth of her mother’s death—and the violent legacy of her family.
True to soft magic systems, there isn’t a detailed explanation of how the magic in The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms works. Magic exists through the character’s lineage, within their relationships, and is influenced by their psychological and emotional states. And it can manifest in a variety of ways. But instead of being unsatisfying, the mystery only adds to the lush atmosphere of the world.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
In the year 1806, England is entrenched in a war with Napolean and magicians are a thing of the past. Except for one. Scholars of this magical history have discovered that reclusive Mr. Norrell, a magician who once thrilled the country with his vibrant displays, is still alive. He makes his way to London, delighting the English, and soon another magician emerges. The handsome and daring Jonathan Strange. In every way, the two are opposites. And as the two battle, their obsessions threaten to not just disrupt the power of either man, but overwhelm both countries at the same time.
Though there are magical scholars, the rules of how magic actually works aren’t really laid out in a practical way. They’re vague, relying more on historical practice than precise ritual. And as the only two magic practitioners in the story, the two approaches each man takes are wildly different yet still somehow effective.
Combining Hard and Soft Magic
But this is magic, so who says there can’t be both. It might seem at odds, but many of the fantasy worlds with magic have both hard and soft magic systems woven into their plot. The world built by J.R.R. Tolkien is a perfect example of this. While the magic in The Lord of the Rings is very soft, if you read The Silmarillion, you would discover that there are in fact a lot of rules and limitations of that magic. Sometimes this can be presented as an expansion of knowledge in other books, and other times it can be two different systems at play within the same novel.
The Name of the Wind
His name is Kvothe, and he’s lived an interesting life. It’s a story of survival. A life filled with love and sorrow, Gods and kings. But mostly, it’s one man’s attempt to find meaning in the life he lived. And how that search turned him into a legend. He has three days to tell his story in his own words. This is the first.
There are primarily two types of magic in The Name of the Wind: sympathy and naming. Sympathy is the heart of this world’s magic, with a complex and intricate set of rules that requires the user to have a strong will and an exact understanding of how two objects connect. Naming, on the other hand, lies in the ability to somehow know an object’s true name in order to gain control over it. This relies on what characters call the “sleeping mind" and is a great example of soft magic.
Featured image: Johannes Plenio / Unsplash
