So, I've got this idea for a series of fantasy books. The world, though, contains no magic, elves, or anything of that sort. There are a couple of prophets who live for an extraordinarily long amount of time, but I don't really want magic to be a part of the plot. There's not much in the way of alternative creatures and dragons, either, though I could work those in, if I needed to. My question is, is it okay to write a fantasy novel without having magic in it? In all the fantasy books I've ever read, magic always seems to be there.
Question About Creating a World
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Angel_Of_The_Morning said:
Martin's first book in the Song of Ice & Fire had almost no magic. I'm reading the second book now, and it still has only a very light touch. It's very possible.
IMHO, write the story you want to tell and label it later. If dragons, unicorns, and wizards don't fit in your world, don't put them there just because they're "saleable". If they don't fit, the readers will know.
One of the major standbys of fantasy is the use of magic but I don't think it's essential. Anything that takes us beyond everyday earth can be considered a fantasy.
One of the major standbys of fantasy is the use of magic but I don't think it's essential. Anything that takes us beyond everyday earth can be considered a fantasy.
I agree that fantasy doesn't have to be defined by having the typical races or magic. Something not explainable by today's world should be there (immortal prophets work), but it doesn't need elves, dragons, or magic. TheIT is right about writing the story & labeling it later.
I've seen this discussion on other forums (I actually initiated it myself once). The consensus seems to be that there may be a terrific market for this rather "alternate fantasy," or as some of us have taken to calling it, "soft fantasy." Many of us are tired of the old fantasy conventions, and many of us never really liked them all that much to begin with. It hasn't helped that many authors abuse these conventions. We like to live for a time in a world that isn't necessarily bound by the same rules ours is, but it doesn't have to be a world with elves, dwarves, wizards, and magic -- and it may even be better off for being freshly imagined without all those things.
Here is part of the (slightly facetious) blurb I wrote about my (so-far unpublished) trilogy:
"Do you thirst for a book filled with invincible heroes, malevolent Dark Lords, puissant wizards, rapacious (or benevolent) dragons, and/or prophecies that must come true?
Sorry.
This trilogy is warranted to be free of ingredients known to be harmful to originality in post-Tolkien speculative fiction. It contains no magical swords, rings, orbs, torques, or analogous thingamajigs. Here are no elves, dwarfs, vampires, zombies, golems, genies, or bugbears. No orphans or mislaid children are the rightful heirs of kings. Nobody discovers hidden necromantic powers. People who die stay dead. And, above all, there is not one prophecy in sight.
There is, however, some politics, a good deal of adventure, a great deal of war, lots of mercenaries, a dash of magic, and a cute little fox."
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So I HOPE these things aren't needed any more.
"Do you thirst for a book filled with invincible heroes, malevolent Dark Lords, puissant wizards, rapacious (or benevolent) dragons, and/or prophecies that must come true?
Sorry.
This trilogy is warranted to be free of ingredients known to be harmful to originality in post-Tolkien speculative fiction. It contains no magical swords, rings, orbs, torques, or analogous thingamajigs. Here are no elves, dwarfs, vampires, zombies, golems, genies, or bugbears. No orphans or mislaid children are the rightful heirs of kings. Nobody discovers hidden necromantic powers. People who die stay dead. And, above all, there is not one prophecy in sight.
There is, however, some politics, a good deal of adventure, a great deal of war, lots of mercenaries, a dash of magic, and a cute little fox."
--------------------
So I HOPE these things aren't needed any more.
Thanks for the replies, everybody! I greatly appreciate it! I'm glad that my idea is viable, and that my work on it so far hasn't been wasted! I haven't written much of the actual idea yet, but I'm writing short stories/prequels to try to figure out more about the world that I've got this thing set up in and to practice writing in the fantasy vein, as it's something I'm not much experienced in as of yet. . . . Gosh, with all this planning and work I'm doing on it, it'll probably take forever! 
Not to mention that, in addition, I've got this other novel I'm working on as well as some occasional short stories. Oh, well. Hopefully, it'll be time well spent.
lol, Vomaxx, I like your blurb. My story does have prophecy, though. . . but, it's not really like written prophecy or anything. The prophet knows everything that'll happen in the world, and occasionally tells a character what he/she will do in the future. . . it's kind of hard to explain what I mean. There's one main prophet who roams around the country and acts as an adviser as well as prophesying occasionally, and the main prophet lives for hundreds of years. There are a few minor prophets who preach to mobs downtown in crowded streets. The concept of prophecy in my story idea is kind of complicated, I've got to get my head around it myself before I fully explain it. . . . but my idea doesn't have magic or creatures unique to that world or any of those other things that you mentioned. It does have politics and other things of that sort.
I'm rather daunted by this idea, I have, actually, . . . I'm not sure I have the imagination for it.
Not to mention that, in addition, I've got this other novel I'm working on as well as some occasional short stories. Oh, well. Hopefully, it'll be time well spent. lol, Vomaxx, I like your blurb. My story does have prophecy, though. . . but, it's not really like written prophecy or anything. The prophet knows everything that'll happen in the world, and occasionally tells a character what he/she will do in the future. . . it's kind of hard to explain what I mean. There's one main prophet who roams around the country and acts as an adviser as well as prophesying occasionally, and the main prophet lives for hundreds of years. There are a few minor prophets who preach to mobs downtown in crowded streets. The concept of prophecy in my story idea is kind of complicated, I've got to get my head around it myself before I fully explain it. . . . but my idea doesn't have magic or creatures unique to that world or any of those other things that you mentioned. It does have politics and other things of that sort.
I'm rather daunted by this idea, I have, actually, . . . I'm not sure I have the imagination for it.
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THE GORMENGHAST TRILOGY!!!
What I call "achievable fantasy" or "pseudo-reality". There's no magic or strange creatures or ancient wars or demons or anything like that. But there's no way it's not fantasy.
What I call "achievable fantasy" or "pseudo-reality". There's no magic or strange creatures or ancient wars or demons or anything like that. But there's no way it's not fantasy.
There's always magic, whatever you choose to call it. In our world, we call it Quantum Physics, and our wizards we call "scientists".
Writing is magic of the highest order. How else do you explain little black dots on white paper transporting us to other worlds?
Writing is magic of the highest order. How else do you explain little black dots on white paper transporting us to other worlds?
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