The Fantasy Genre Returns

So apparently my blog is very popular over this past week due to a post of mine called “A Little List of Lies about Leprechauns”. It’s gotten over 400 views, something I considered impossible for any of my posts. So with this in mind, I’ve decided to discuss the thing that birthed such creatures in the first place: the fantasy genre.

It seems like the fantasy genre is finally making a comeback. With shows like Game of Thrones, the Shannara Chronicles, and the recent success of The Hobbit, the general public is eating up fantasy as intensively as the upper class is eating lobster. But where does the booming interest in fantasy come from?

Magic Systems

blackwingedgabriel:

It’s 2am when I’m writing this and I can’t sleep, so allow me to tell you in detail about the magic system for my upcoming book Dark Soldier.

In Vaela, magic is a very tangible thing. The most common form of it is called crystal magic. In this form, one can actually buy magic by purchasing crystals. You can open up the locked magic inside by reciting phrases depending on the stone you buy. Also depending on the spell that you are in need of, magic can be very, very pricy… unless you are one of those crazy people who actually go to crystal sources to find them. That’s a bit of a risky operation, so most people don’t do that. Instead, the poor are just far less protected than the rich. Due to the fact that the rich are just generally more powerful, especially having powerful magical stones, there’s not much the poor can actually do about it. The stones are often color coded to define their specific trait. For instance, an air-based stone will be colored differently from a fire-based or protection-based stone. The more tumbled, polished and/or purified the stone, the more powerful it is. Thus, the bigger price for the bigger amount of work involved.

Now, there is another way to get magic in Vaela. This form is called beast magic. It means that the user does not actually need crystals to perform magic, but instead has magical energy inside their soul. It is generally more powerful than crystal magic. This type of magic is not very common, and those who have it won’t often use it due to its energy-draining nature. A very powerful spell could make the user lose consciousness, go into a coma-like state, or occasionally, depending on the power of the magic, even kill the magic user after they say the spell. This is not a coveted ability, especially since beast magic users have a hard time using crystal magic.

That’s all I’ll give away for now! Thanks for reading this long spiel and let me know what you think! Also, tell me the magic systems for your fantasy novel! I love to hear this kind of thing.

Magic Systems

It’s 2am when I’m writing this and I can’t sleep, so allow me to tell you in detail about the magic system for my upcoming book Dark Soldier.

In Vaela, magic is a very tangible thing. The most common form of it is called crystal magic. In this form, one can actually buy magic by purchasing crystals. You can open up the locked magic inside by reciting phrases depending on the stone you buy. Also depending on the spell that you are in need of, magic can be very, very pricy… unless you are one of those crazy people who actually go to crystal sources to find them. That’s a bit of a risky operation, so most people don’t do that. Instead, the poor are just far less protected than the rich. Due to the fact that the rich are just generally more powerful, especially having powerful magical stones, there’s not much the poor can actually do about it. The stones are often color coded to define their specific trait. For instance, an air-based stone will be colored differently from a fire-based or protection-based stone. The more tumbled, polished and/or purified the stone, the more powerful it is. Thus, the bigger price for the bigger amount of work involved.

Now, there is another way to get magic in Vaela. This form is called beast magic. It means that the user does not actually need crystals to perform magic, but instead has magical energy inside their soul. It is generally more powerful than crystal magic. This type of magic is not very common, and those who have it won’t often use it due to its energy-draining nature. A very powerful spell could make the user lose consciousness, go into a coma-like state, or occasionally, depending on the power of the magic, even kill the magic user after they say the spell. This is not a coveted ability, especially since beast magic users have a hard time using crystal magic.

That’s all I’ll give away for now! Thanks for reading this long spiel and let me know what you think! Also, tell me the magic systems for your fantasy novel! I love to hear this kind of thing.

As I try to get my computer fixed so I can continue writing/editing Dark Soldier, I’ve been thinking over the book as it is so far. I’ve been wondering, what is it that sets Dark Soldier apart from other books?
I would say that one of the main things I would like people to remember is that the protagonists are people. They’re not choir kids and they make mistakes and their bad decisions are not glossed over. Even the antagonists make good decisions and I don’t ignore the fact that they are people, too. I would like readers to really care when a character dies on either side. I want to stop the view that certain people are purely evil or good just because it’s more convenient for them to see them that way. And I want them to see that you don’t have to be a saint to save a life.
Anyway, I’m working on getting the book published by early 2016. Watch for Dark Soldier and follow me for more info!!

I’m currently writing a fantasy, however I’ve heard the term high fantasy a lot. So I was wondering what is the difference between high and non high fantasy? And what makes a great high fantasy novel.

nimblesnotebook:

A Song of Ice and Fire, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles or Narnia, and the Earthsea series are all examples of high fantasy, just to give you an idea of what it is.

High fantasy is characterized by the following:

• A setting in a fictional world (often pre-industrial) that is complex, detailed, and consistent. This setting may be entered through a portal.
• Fantasy elements like magic and mythical creatures which may or may not be a focus of the story.
• Epic characters and plots.
• Good vs evil in older books and a rise in gray morality in some of the more recent books.

How To Tell If You Are In A High Fantasy Novel

cheshirelibrary:

[via The Toast]

• The Elders would like a word with you.
• The Ritual is about to begin.
• Something that has not happened in a thousand years is happening.
• You are going to the City. There is only one City. It is only said
  with a capital C. No one needs to bother saying the name of the City. It
  is the City.
• Certain members of the Council are displeased with your family’s recent actions.
• A bard is providing occasional comic relief; no one hired or invited him and his method of earning a living is unclear.
• The High Priest is not to be trusted.
• Someone is eating an apple mockingly.
• There is one body of water. It is called the Sea. The Great Sea, if you are feeling fancy.
• You live in a region with no major exports, no centralized
  government, no banking system, a mysteriously maintained network of
  roads, and little to no job training for anyone who is not a farmer.
• You have red hair. You wear it in a braid. Your father was a simple
  man, and you don’t remember much about him – he died when you were so
  young – but you remember his strong hands, as he fished or carpentered
  or whatever it was that he used to do with them.
• You’re going to have to hurry, or you’re going to miss the Fair – and you never miss the Fair.
• There is trouble at the Citadel.
• Your full name has at least one apostrophe in it.
• It is the first page, and you are already late for something. Your
  mother affectionately chides you as you gulp down a few spoonfuls of
  porridge; she will be dead by page forty-two.
• There are two religions in your entire universe. One is a thinly
  veiled version of Islam. It is only practiced by villains. The other is
  “being a Viking.” You are a Viking.
• There are new ways in the land that threaten the Old Way. Your
  grandmother secretly practices the Old Way, as do all of the people of
  the hills.
• The real trouble began the day you arrived at court. Every last
  nobleman hides a viper in his smile. How you long for the purity of life
  in your village, which is currently on fire or something.

Truth.