When Should the Magic in Fantasy appear?

[jpsorrow]

I'm currently writing a new fantasy novel and I just realized that I'm over 100 pages into the book . . . and there's been no magic at all. No fantasy creatures, no fireballs, nothing. It's definitely a fantasy, but the magic doesn't start appearing until now, and even now it's subtle. About halfway through there will be a HUGE magical event that pretty much changes everything in the book, and the last half of the book is packed with magic, but . . .

If you read fantasy, does it matter to you when the magic appears for the first time? If you know that it will be there eventually, are you willing to go through a section of "mundane" things set in a different world until it appears, or do you need that flash-bang of the magic right from the beginning?

[Nakhlasmoke]

magical realism?

If it's a good story i wouldn't notice the lack of magical stuff for a while, i think.

That might just be me, maybe you can stagger it so that we have some magicy bits first, and then flash back to the more mundane bits?

[rugcat]

I don't see it as any problem at all, but an editor might. I think it depends somewhat on how genre specific the book is. Maybe some foreshadowing of the upcoming magical events would work.

[Sassee]

If there's a hint it'll be there soon, I don't mind. But I'm not all that picky either...

[mscelina]

There's no magic for almost a hundred pages in my STBR novel. Why? Don't need it. Although magic plays a huge role as the story develops, it's not necessary at the beginning. Magic is discussed and accepted by the characters but there's no need to use it. Creating the socio-political conflicts is infiinitely more important. I don't think there's a set formula for the use of magic, and if there were I'd probably break it.

[Silverhand]

It is my opinion that magic is very hard to write well. I say this because, most authors (the ones I have read) make wizards / mages so powerful...and magic so beyond the scope of anything plausible, that it tends to hurt their story. Thus, I think its a good thing that magic has taken so long to come about in your book. And, with the big event....maybe now you have a good reason to flaunt it? :)

[dclary]

I'm pretty sure the first time magic is used in The Hobbit is when Bilbo uses his magic ring, and in around the Misty Mountains by Gandalf. That would all be about mid-point in the story.

[Britchik]

There's a trilogy written by Jennifer Fallon that was classified as fantasy, because her previous works were all fantasy. However, there is absolutely no magic anywhere in the trilogy.

If it's in a world that is unlike our own, even if magic doesn't show up until quite late (if at all), I'll generally consider it fantasy, and it won't bother me a bit.

[JohnDavidPaxton]

Well, I'm with you. I'm trying to write a realistic magical system myself and I certainly don't have the answers. But I do have my experience.

The first thing I did, and this was about two years before I started writing the story, was come up with a magic classification system. Boring? As hell. But it's helped me shape my universe.

So I came up with a system: First thing is how people get it. Well I decide that they get it by others in a magical system bringing it out in them. Everyone has it but only if it's sparked do you get the benefits.

There are endomorphic and exomorphic magic types, IE, Magic that manifests itself inside or outside the body. Internal? Well that would be something like a prophet or a mystic of some kind. External? Fireball.

Then you sequential versus consistent. IE: Is the magic constant or does it have a time range. An immortal lives forever riding on his magic, consistent. A woman peering into the future isn't constantly doing it, sequential.

Then it goes on and on, each of those four quadrants forming into other sub-quadrants and branching out.

I start off my book right off with the magic. How people use it, what they do with it, and then I pull it back. You don't really "see" the first fantasy creature until about 25,000 words in. The Protagonist doesn't start using his abilities until about 30,000 words and has no idea what they are until somewhere around 65,000.

A word of caution: My book isn't about magic, though. I actually rather hate sci-fi and fantasy. My book is about a man trying to stop his own death. Everything else is secondary. So I don't really have a focus on fighting or a need of magic except in a few corridors of the plot. So I highly doubt this would work for most contemporary fantasy. :D

Personally, from the sound of it, I'd MUCH rather read your book than most fantasy on shelves. The fact that you'll tell a story before introducing magic makes me think you don't need the magic.

The reason why I abhor most sci-fi and fantasy authors is because they are covering for their lack of imagination and skill and ability to weave a story by invoking magic.

Best of luck to you. :D

[Dominic]

Rule of thumb I was told is that the story must clearly be identifiable as fantasy by the end of the first or third page (depends on who I talked with.) Nothing in their comments mentioned magic specifically, so my take on it would be that if your story can stand up as a fantasy novel without the magic you should be fine.

Of course, Orson Scott Card also points out that in fantasy the author must give readers the rules of the world in a timely manner. This is because we are essentially creating a brand new world where anything could happen.

I would probably make some reference to the magic in dialogues. If magic is not in play yet, why is that bad? I don't know exactly where it begins in the first Wheel of Time book, but I know the first several chapters deal with Rand and his life as a farmer going to market. I would guess it is forty or fifty pages in before the first 'magic' is 'used' in that book. I know there are other examples as well.

If your story is sound, don't worry about keeping your mages in cages until later in the book. That's my opinion.

[MattW]

GRRM has a fantastic element in his prologue, just enough to tease, and then only the mention of magic for a few hundred pages.

[Simon Woodhouse]

I don't see it as any problem at all, but an editor might. I think it depends somewhat on how genre specific the book is. Maybe some foreshadowing of the upcoming magical events would work.

Subtle foreshadowing is very intriguing, it'll draw your readers in.

[DraperJC]

I agree with some of the others. Saving magic until halfway into the book can be a good thing. Be sure that you have prepped your reader with the information that magic does exist so they don't get blindsided by it and begin to doubt your credibility.

As for story structure, the halfway point is where there should be a fundamental change to the story. The stakes must be raised and the characters must realize they're involved in something much bigger than they originally thought. For example: They're no longer just trying to get to Alderaan, they have to save the princess and the known galaxy as well.

[Death Wizard]

I prefer series that have lots of magic, so what you're saying would bother me as a reader. But, as you can see from the other comments, I would probably be in the minority.

[MDSchafer]

I don't think magic is at all required for a fantasy novel. I know as a reader I don't expect it.

I would encourage you to walk a line though. If magic is the main plot line (ie. Restoring balance to the Force) and you don't mention it for the first 100 pages or so, then yeah I feel a little bit led on by the time I get to that. However, if magic is just a tool, force, or device that you're using and your story is really about character, plot and conflict, then I don't think it matters when, if ever, magic is introduced.

[Sage]

It probably comes down to the individual book. If the book is really good, even without a mention of the magic, it still would be fine. If magic is mentioned or even alluded to before it shows up, you'll definitely be okay. But in many cases, magic that just shows up 100 pages in with no clue that it's coming, may throw your readers off. That's the point where they start saying you got stuck so you just threw magic in there to bail yourself out. You don't want that. But of course, if you do it right, the appearance of magic will seem natural to the story.

[Oddsocks]

There are fantasy novels with no magic at all in, so not having magic in the early parts is not in itself a problem, and that alone probably won't put readers off.

As a reader, I love it when something weird is held off on for a long time. Weird things happen in books all the time, and we pretty much expect it in fantasy, but if you're 100 pages into the headspaces of the characters involved, and something happens that is weird from their perspectives, it can be really effective.

I'd just say to be careful that its introduction isn't one of those 'because there was no option from anything within the story, they can have magic now' moments, because then the reader will feel cheated.

[jpsorrow]

Hmm . . . all good comments. Things to think about.

Here are a few more details about the book, to perhaps clarify the situation: The book is set in the same world as the other books, so readers who'd read that would be prepped for magic. However, new readers wouldn't be. I make a reference to the magic in the first part of the book, but the new readers wouldn't pick up on it as being magic at first.

At the beginning, the main characters have landed on new lands, load up into wagons, and head out to explore, so they know nothing about the land. They know magic exists, but its mostly non-existent in their homeland, so doesn't get mentioned. As they explore, they start seeing strange things. Around page 175 they meet new races and strange creatures. Around page 200, they run into real magic and here's where the new readers would realize that the references earlier in the novel were magical in nature. By page 250, after escalating conflicts, the big magic event occurs and changes everything. After that, there are strange things, creatures, and magical events all over the place.

So I don't have absolutely no magic at all, and then tons of it. I feel the magic starts small and grows up to the big event. All of the action before the magic starts is building character and establishing the conflict between the good guy/bad guy.

[MattW]

There's a trilogy written by Jennifer Fallon that was classified as fantasy, because her previous works were all fantasy. However, there is absolutely no magic anywhere in the trilogy.

If it's in a world that is unlike our own, even if magic doesn't show up until quite late (if at all), I'll generally consider it fantasy, and it won't bother me a bit.That sounds very much like a story I wrote.

No magic at all, but in a world unconnected to our own. There are well developed superstitions and religious beliefs, but nothing is ever evident to ground them in fact.

If the setting were changed to Earth, I might call it an adventure story. But it can't be changed, so it's fantasy.

[Shweta]

At the beginning, the main characters have landed on new lands, load up into wagons, and head out to explore, so they know nothing about the land. They know magic exists, but its mostly non-existent in their homeland, so doesn't get mentioned.

Do they believe in it? Or do they think the natives are superstitious?

So I don't have absolutely no magic at all, and then tons of it. I feel the magic starts small and grows up to the big event. All of the action before the magic starts is building character and establishing the conflict between the good guy/bad guy.

Personally I think this is the important point. It doesn't matter if the story has magic or not, IMO; Ellen Kushner's wonderful novel Swordspoint is another example of a fantasy without magic.

However, given that your story does, crucially, have magic, I think it's the buildup that will make or break its late appearance.

Since you've thought about it and about the buildup, I bet it either works, or is close to working :)

[Saint Fool]

As long as it's not a my majic is pasted on, YAY! moment, and the characters' reactions are true to what you've written in the prior pages, I say go for it.

[farfromfearless]

From my perspective, magic is something that is either inherent in the world -- a natural part of its makeup -- or something unnatural. That being said, magic and its appearance comes down to how much a part of your world it truly is. Do your characters rely upon it for their everyday existence, or is magic something that is reserved for situations where there is no other choice but to employ it. When you're writing about your character's experiences, does magic factor as an overly important element in the story? Is it essential to the plot?

Charles De Lint and Terry Brooks had a very natural way of approaching magic in their novels. In Charles De Lint's books, it was understood that magic was inherent in the world. It was part of the natural makeup of the world and its appearance or use was almost common place. With Brooks (especially in his Word & Void series), magic was something significant rather than common place. Its appearance heralded conflict and its use came with heavy consequences. In his Shannara series, magic followed the same behaviour but it was accepted as common place along side elves and other fantastic creatures.

[Higgins]

I'm currently writing a new fantasy novel and I just realized that I'm over 100 pages into the book . . . and there's been no magic at all. No fantasy creatures, no fireballs, nothing. It's definitely a fantasy, but the magic doesn't start appearing until now, and even now it's subtle. About halfway through there will be a HUGE magical event that pretty much changes everything in the book, and the last half of the book is packed with magic, but . . .

If you read fantasy, does it matter to you when the magic appears for the first time? If you know that it will be there eventually, are you willing to go through a section of "mundane" things set in a different world until it appears, or do you need that flash-bang of the magic right from the beginning?

Lately, I've just had the magical stuff steadily build up so that by the time the MC and the reader say "hey...that has to be totally magical"...they have already seen so much of an extraordinary nature that the perception that some magical forces are at work and have some structure...is something of a relief. So that means there should be some sort of magic at work somehow from the first few pages of the book....but putting off anything that is absolutely magical for quite a while seems consistant with including things that might be magic from the first few pages.

[Monkey]

I found the beginning of The Wheel of Time somewhat boring. On the other hand, I liked the beginning of The Hobbit. The difference was in the characters, not the level of magic. The Hobbit had hobbits...yay, definitely fantasy! This novel may be a lot of things, but it will not be mundane. Just what I'm looking for! Wheel of Time starts with interesting characters, but they are human, and though their world isn't ours their society is close enough that they end up feeling pretty, well, mundane. I found myself thinking, "Surely this is all build-up and it'll get better". Pretty soon, the Trollocs came, and the story started. After that, I loved the story.

My second favorite genre is nonfiction. Basically, if I'm reading a novel it's simply for fun, and it should transport me, be a break from my regular existence. I read nonfiction to explore the world I live in. I don't have much patience for anything that falls in between (besides Quantum Physics :) ).

SOOO all this is the long way of saying:

Fantasy (IMO) should be very quickly identifiable as such. You could do it with magic, or with unusual races, or even subtly with legends or whatnot, but your reader should know that this roller-coaster is going to take them on a few loops very soon. Magic never has to appear if you can use other elements to fully transport your reader, but transport them you must, and fast.

[Monkey]

Oh, yeah...

The WORST time to introduce magic is when you are well into the story and it is desperately needed. Then it feels like you just wrote yourself into a hole and pulled the whole "then the day was saved by MAGIC" right out of the ol' backseat. I have yet to meet anyone who thought that was nifty-cool.

Even in the Harry Potter series, JK mentioned the spells that would become important well ahead of time. No matter how magic or non-magical your world is, previously unmentioned magic being used to save the day feels cheap.

[Haphazard]

As long as the characters know that there's magic in the story in some way, you should be fine, even if it's just as a very strong rumor.

Example: In a manga, a character is known to be a wizard, and actually introduces himself as such, but he says he gave up magic. You wait and wait and wait for him to use magic, damn it, because you know it's going ot happen. It finally happens in volume fourteen to save the character's asses, and then immediately tries to hush it up. You understand that he has his reasons for keeping the magic a secret, but you're not sure why, but you still want to throttle him for not using it earlier, in all of those other times when they could have used it.

Something like that. Now the writers have set the stage for explaining his reasons, especially after you've gotten past the history of a lot of the other characters, which really isn't a magical event.

If you make it clear that magic is there, it just hasn't had a reason to expose itself yet (or has had a reason not to expose itself), then there's no reason to use it. Just make sure your readers are prepared.