Tag: magic systems
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Fantasy World-Building Fundamentals
A few weeks ago, I broke down some of the major trends in fantasy that might affect what elements of world-building a writer might want to focus on to ensure they had the details they needed to create an immersive world. (See: The 3 Tiers of Fantasy World-Building.) However, that was a general overview based off…
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Setting Study: Wings of Ebony and Hidden Worlds
To many fantasy readers, there is something alluring about the idea of a magical world hidden from view, the possibility that it could be ours to use if we just know how to pierce that veil of secrecy. You see it in the likes of Harry Potter, Three Dark Crowns (although that is actually high…
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15 Fantasy Books For The Curious Reader
Most of my regulars on the blog are presumably avid fantasy readers like myself, but my romance reading challenge has made me wonder what books I might recommend for those who aren’t. After all, fantasy can certainly be an intimidating genre to step into. It’s incredibly difficult to find standalone novels, or to find books…
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Setting Study: Mistborn’s The Final Empire
The second novel of Brandon Sanderson’s career, The Final Empire, is a high fantasy book taking place in the titular Final Empire, led by the tyrannous, immortal Lord Ruler. Rebellions of the past have always failed, but rebellions of the past never had Kelsier, Vin, or their team of Mistings and Mistborn. As usual, these…
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Five Branches of Magic Systems (Revisited)
Half a year ago, I wrote a blog post about different kinds of magic systems, hoping to be informative, not expecting it to continue garnering views in the way that it has. I certainly wouldn’t call it a throwaway post, but in the months since I’ve published it, I’ve come to realize that, although I…
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My Five Favorite Fantasy Magic Systems
Last week, I had the pleasure of doing a setting study about Wheel of Time’s magic system, and, knowing that many WoT fans claim it is one of the better systems of the fantasy genre, it got me thinking. I liked Wheel of Time. The complexities of channeling, the differences between saidin and saidar, the…
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Building a Magic System (WoT Setting Study #2)
Wheel of Time is known for many things, and for its readers, channeling is often touted as an impressive magic system. It is expansive, detailed, and well-thought-out. For those who are interested in a more present, harder magic system, the series offers as a template three major facets that differentiate channeling from other magic systems.…
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A Mole Named Talpa (Celebrating 100 Followers)
Hello, everyone! I am so excited to announce that our little corner of the internet has grown to include 100 followers. That may not seem like much to some, but it was only recently that I started to get more active on my blog, and I’m happy to see that it’s paid off, that the…
Katie Bachelder 