The Magic of Fantasy

Anyone who's ever read a fantasy book, or even seen a movie adaption of one, is well aware that magic is a key component of the genre. Harry Potter has his wand; Gandalf has his staff; Rand al'Thor has saidin; and Jon Snow has ice zombies. It is known.

 

But while magic is a key component of the fantasy genre, and perhaps even its defining one, it still remains only a part of the setting. Certainly, it can influence the characters and the plot; it can become so ingrained in the reader's mind that it might seem like part of the story itself, inseparable from the work as a whole.

 

Much like many depictions of magic, however, this sense of importance is only an illusion. Magic is not the story; it's window dressing. It's part of the world map. It's part of the city diagram. It's part of the depths of the oceans and the heights of the mountains. It's material, but it's not essential.

 

No, the magic of the fantasy genre is not in the magic itself; it's in the characters. Arya Stark chasing her vengeance; Logen Ninefingers trying to leave his past behind; Matrim Cauthon just wanting to have some fun. These things are the true magic, not just in the fantasy genre, but in all fiction. It's the characters who tie us up and drag us to the finish line. It's the characters we love when the plot suffers and the prose loses its edge.

 

It's the characters who really matter to us, and it's my characters who really matter to me. I've done a lot of work on my world of Fulorn. There's different races, nations, religions, continents, and lore. There's a detailed history. There's a magic system with rules and limits. And there's a layered story behind it all.

 

I'm proud of it all, and I love it all. I really am, and I really do. But none of it would matter without the characters who live in that world, who wield that magic, who love and fight and kill and die one page at a time. The characters are what's essential. Without them, the magic would be false.