I’ve compiled a list of some fantasy books I’ve read and the nature of magic in those stories. Yay! Because I LOVE fantasy books and because I’m trying to get inspiration for my own concept of magic to use in a story I’m writing right now. I’ll try to list the types of magic from most complex to least complex. Most of the concepts are so complex that I’ll only be able to write a very simplified description.
Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan:
The Wheel of Time world is probably the most intricate, detailed fantasy world I’ve read about (and it doesn’t hurt that the author had fourteen 700+ page books in which to develop it). The True Source is the source of power for all magic that some people can tap into. It has two parts, saidin, the part that women can tap into, and saidar, the part that men can tap into. Using magic is called “channeling” or “weaving”. The person using magic weaves threads of one or more of the following elements: earth, fire, air, water and spirit. Among people who can channel, the magical strength can differ greatly, and different magic-users can have specialties in different elements. Some actions only require one element while others require multiple elements. Magical actions can range from lighting a candle to severing another magic-user’s connection to the True Source. There’s lots, lots more, but it would take a whole book to describe it all. In fact, there is a book called The World of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time which describes all of it.
Lightbringer Trilogy by Brent Weeks:
Magic-users are called drafters, and the act of using magic is called drafting. Drafting is based on light and colors. Drafters, depending on how they were born, will have the ability to absorb and therefore utilize certain colors of the light spectrum. Depending on whether they can utilize one, two, or more colors, they are called monochromes, bichromes or polychromes. After absorbing their color of light, drafters use it to create luxin, a physical substance. Each color creates a different kind of luxin and each kind of luxin has its own properties. For example, red luxin is very flammable and blue luxin is hard, smooth and good for building. Only a person called the Prism can split white light into any color light (other drafters are limited by the colors they can see), and there’s only supposed to be one Prism at a time.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson:
Allomancers’ magic is based on metals that they swallow and burn. Once they burn a metal, they can use its power. A mistborn can burn any of the 16 powerful metals. A misting can only burn on type of metal. Different metals give different powers. I know there’s a lot more detail, but I read the series a while ago and can’t remember much.
Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud:
This, along with Wheel of Time, is one of my favorite fantasy series ever, and the concept of magic is pretty unique. Magicians have the power to summon demons from the Other Place, using pentacle drawn on the floor, certain herbs and magic spells. Once the demon is summoned, it must stay in this world until the magician either dismisses it or dies. Demons are pretty much forced to do the magician’s will, but they hate magicians (obviously, since they’re practically enslaved by them) and try their hardest to foil the magicians and escape them. For example, the magician’s pentacle is supposed to keep him safe from the demons, but if the pentacle is not drawn perfectly, the demon can pass its borders and eat (yes, literally) or kill the magician. Also, demons hate being called demons. They’re actually spirits, and they have different names according to their level of power. The least powerful are imps, then come foliots, djinn, afrits, and most powerful are marids. The more powerful, the harder it is for a magician to control a spirit. Spirits can use magical spells, such as creating illusions or explosions. Also, there are different dimensions. Most people can only see the first dimension, which is what the world would normally look like to us. Other dimensions can reveal people’s “auras”, and spirits true forms show on higher dimensions, while on the first dimension, they can shapeshift and choose what they look like. Demons can see on higher dimensions, but humans need special spectacles to see on higher dimensions.
Lirael by Garth Nix:
I don’t remember this book too much either, but most mages use magic called Charter magic by using charter symbols to create their spells. Also, there are magical bells that can control the dead. There are seers who can foresee the future.
Eragon by Christopher Palolini:
Magic is used by saying spells in the Ancient Language (you can’t lie in the Ancient Language). Mages, riders and elves can use magic. They can also use magic with just their will, without speaking, but long ago someone bound magic to the Ancient Language to make using magic more controllable. Using magic takes the user’s energy unless the magic-users draws energy from other living things around him/her. Using too much energy can kill someone. You can also train your mind to be aware of others’ thoughts and/or train your mind to be closed to other prying minds. Dragons are magical creatures that hatch when in contact with their rider, someone who is pre-destined to be bound to them.
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling:
I know the world of Harry Potter is extremely complex and detailed, but if we focus on just the magic, it basically consists of waving a wand and reciting a spell. The things that magic can do become extremely complex, especially as the series progresses. Spells range from the simple (for example, lumos, which creates light on your wand) to the complicated, such as casting a spell on yourself that allows you to turn into an animal at will. Muggles, non-magical people, are ignorant about the world of magic. Anyways, if you don’t know all this already, go read Harry Potter. It’ll be considered a classic in a few decades, unless it already is considered a classic.
Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan:
This series is based on Greek mythology. People who have one god parent and one mortal parent are demigods and have some powers, depending on who their godly parent is. For example, children of Poseidon, god of the sea, can control water, and children of Aphrodite, goddess of beauty, may have magical powers of persuasion.
Children of the Lamp by P.B. Kerr:
There are djinn who can use magic. They choose their own personalized magic word, and they can use magic by saying this magic word.
Insert Your Own Poetic Name 