Magic In Fantasy: The Magic Next Door

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Well, I was going to focus on the magic of Halloween—but I have posted on that topic before, albeit a (relatively) Long Blogging Gal Ago: 

All Hallows Eve

Besides which, I figure there'll be very many mighty fine posts on the Halloween topic currently out there in the blogging wilds. Not to mention, that if anyone is looking for Books That Go Bump In The Night, right here on Supernatural Underground is a great place to start—so do check out the excellent authors and reads featured in the sidebar.

So I've decided to hone in on one of my favorite types of magic—'the magic next door', alternatively known as 'the magic of the everyday.' 

Of course, the real magic of this brand of fantasy lies in the juxtaposition of the magic with the everyday, usually in what is very recognizably our world. The juxtaposition lies at the heart of urban fantasy and its (almost identical) twin, paranormal fantasy, and is also a vital ingredient of magic realism.

Arguably, though, it can be found in almost every type of Fantasy, to a greater or lesser degree. So even the most famous secondary world fantasies may have a grounding in everyday or 'next door' magic. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, for example, begins (and ends) with the wardrobe—and the everyday realities of the four children in the strange house, and the game of hide and seek that leads Lucy to hide in the wardrobe, underlines the magic that follows.

Bag End

Similarly, in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, the magnitude of subsequent events are juxtaposed with the story's 'everyday' beginnings in the Shire, which is very much a society-next-door. The novel follows a transition, too: from the everyday to the epic; from the Shire to Bree. Much in the same way Lucy, and then her three siblings, transition through the wardrobe.

Today, though, I'm going to focus on three books where the magic is juxtaposed with an everyday that feels very like this world throughout, albeit always told 'slant.'

The Harry Potter Series: The Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling (1997)

I don't think it's possible to discuss the magic next door and its juxtaposition with the everyday, and not feature Harry Potter—particularly Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which is where the magic and the worldbuilding for the series are both established.

No world could be more ordinary than Privet Drive, but from the outset and the baby Harry's arrival there, readers know that far-from-everyday elements are in play. The initial glimpse of 'something more' is cemented with the gradual intrusion of magic into the young Harry's life, until his magical invitation to attend Hogwarts is confirmed—and Hagrid introduces him to the magical world juxtaposing the one we all know. 

This introduction begins with the wonders of Diagon Alley, from the Leaky Cauldon to Gringotts Goblin Bank, and shopping for back-to-school supplies that includes wands, cauldrons, and owls. And magical juxtapositions would have to go a long way to beat Platform 9 3/4, which while located in the very real King's Cross Station, is accessed by running fil tilt at a brick wall. 

En route to Platform 9 3/4

The juxtapositions of the real-world-as we-know-it and magic don't stop when Harry and his friends reach the magical Hogwarts School, but are cemented by the familiar school round of lessons, albeit on magical topics, being sorted into school houses, and sports teams—the very magical quidditch, played on broomsticks.

You already know all this, of course, but since Harry Potter is the quintessence of "the magic next door", it absolutely must be part of this post. :-)

Sunshine by Robin McKinley (2003)

Sunshine is a vampire novel, set in what is recognizably this world—only it's a post-apocalyptic this-world in which, following the Voodoo Wars,  humanity must contend with vampires and demons, and where sorcery has become part of everyday life. 

Enter Rae Seddon, aka Sunshine, who works as a baker and is distinguished chiefly for her cinnamon-scrolls-of-awesome—until the evening she is kidnapped by vampires and clearly intended to be the dinner for a powerful, and very hungry, captive vampire: Constantine.

Yet Sunshine survives the night and subsequently escapes with Constantine, an event that opens the door onto her own unique power, which centers on channeling sunlight, i.e her nickname is a clue. It also highlights that Constantine is more than just your average vampire. 

The story evolves from that point, centered on the cafe, Sunshine's home, and the way the forces aligning against Constantine—and now Sunshine—intrude into both, with her allies including a biker wizard, SOF (Special Other Forces) officers with demon powers, and a mentor who is also a powerful medium.

In short, the supernatural is everywhere but it is Sunshine herself who has shut awareness of it out of her life—and therein lies the unfolding of the tale...

The River Midnight by Lilian Nattel (1998)

In July, I discussed the magic realism of Joanne Harris's Chocolat—and Lilian Nattel's The River Midnight occupies a similar space in the Fantasy spectrum. The magic is a delicate presence, but one that enchants the reader as much as the story's characters and historical setting.

The River Midnight is set in a shetl, a small town with a large, or predominantly Jewish population, in 1890s Poland. The foreground of the story comprises the intertwined lives of its inhabitants, particularly four women who were childhood friends, but have grown apart.

Although containing multiple point-of-view threads, the story centers on Misha, the shetl's midwife and a free and independent spirit. Yet beneath the everyday surface of this particular shetl (the imaginary Blaszka), the reader encounters angels and demons, chiefly in the form of the enigmatic Director and the Traveler. And then there's Misha's own maternal heritage of witchcraft...

If this is the warp of The River Midnight 's magic, the weft is Blaszka's everyday encounters with the supernatural, from ghosts to secret transformations into creatures as seemingly odd as tree frogs—and the life of the village itself, with its flaws, richness of characters and traditions, and warmth of community.

The century is turning, change the juggernaut striding in its wake, and time is a trickster. Yet there's enough magical presence in the story to give destiny a nudge: in short, the telling thereof is magical and mysterious, as well as real.

~*~

Previous Posts In The “Magic In Fantasy” Year:

January 1: Happy New Year – Ushering In A Year of Friends, Fellow Authors, & Magic Systems

January 5: An Interview with AK Wilder – Talking Magic In Her New-Out Crown Of Bones (AMASSIA #1)

February 1: An Interview with T Frohock – Talking Magic In A Song With Teeth & The LOS NEFILIM Series

March 1: An Interview with Courtney Schafer – Talking Magic In The "Shattered Sigil" Series

April 1: An Interview with Kristin Cashore –Talking Magic In Winterkeep & The "Graceling Realm" Series
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May 1: An Interview With Lee Murray – Talking Magic, the Supernatural & Horror

June 1: An Interview With Amanda Arista – Talking Magic In the MERCI LANARD & DIARIES OF AN URBAN PANTHER Series

July 1: The Magic of Magic In Fantasy -- & A Solstice Shift

August 1: More Magic In Fantasy: Lighting The Spark

September 1: Drawing On Fairytale, Folklore, and Myth
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October 1: The Magic of SF-nal Worlds

~*~
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About The Author:

Helen Lowe's first  novel, Thornspell (Knopf), was published to critical praise in 2008. The second,The Heir of Night (The Wall Of Night Series, Book One) won the Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012, and the sequel, The Gathering Of The Lost, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Legend Award in 2013. Daughter Of Blood (Book Three), was published in 2016 and Helen is currently completing the final novel in the series. She posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we

Love in the Time of Pandemics

Emere Necromancer by Iga Oliwiak on Art Station

Fantasy Fiction fulfils a variety of purposes. It can entertain and inspire us, stimulate and awaken us. It can also teach, offering examples of how we, as a species, respond to life-threatening conflict and challenges.

It's best not to let the elements of fantasy fool you. Most writers of this genre are constantly exploreing real-world issues in contemporary ways.

Take pandemics, for example.

In the current state of the world, it's a good time to look at SF/Fantasy stories with contagions at their core. I'm particularly interested today in books that explore how disease influences our core relationships. Here are a few favorite examples.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

In this novel, zombie boy meets rebel girl and the very act awakens the cure. Here 'zombies' are those afflicted with a disease, one that threatens the entire human population.

First as his (zombie boy's) captive, then his reluctant guest, Julie (rebel girl) is a blast of living color in R’s gray landscape, and something inside him begins to bloom. He doesn't want to eat this girl—although she looks delicious—he wants to protect her. But their unlikely bond will cause ripples they can’t imagine, and their hopeless world won’t change without a fight. 

This book is a great read that doesn't shy away from a unique combination of humor, horror and human behavior in a time of dystopia.

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

In David Arnold's The Electric Kingdom, the world is toast. It's not clear right away why, but the story hints toward a lab, a spill, a terrible mistake. 

This full-blown dystopia is on my 'must read' list. I loved the voices, the storytelling, the weaving of the different POVs... Two were in 3rd person and one in 1st. Very clever. 

The environment and stress of survival make for a grim backdrop -- the pandemic has basically won after all -- but there are these kids, with big hearts and so much hope. It shows how much that, no matter what happens, we reset and keep on living. 

While we can...

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

There are few obvious elements of fantasy in this novel but I included it for variety, and excellent storytelling. The mystery had me guessing right up to the end!

Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisoned—and every death was accompanied by a mysterious note.

You might also like Kang's Toxic for a stronger Fantasy perspective.

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

This story is thought-provoking, getting inside your head and staying there long after you put it down.

Set in the days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.

If you want to experience the death throes of a civilization on the brink, and still feel the warmth and resistance of love, this is it.

Bird Box by Josh Malerman

This book is creepy, on the edge of horror for sure, with a story that centres on an epidemic that forces a severe social distancing... one more extreme than ever imagined.  

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remains, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. . . but the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children's trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. Something is following them all the while, but is it man, animal, or monster?

Netflix has turned this into a series and Malerman's Bird Box #2 came out in 2020. 

Now it's your turn. What's your favorite pandemic novel. I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

xxKim

* * *

Kim Falconer, writing YA Fantasy as A K Wilder, is the author of Crown of Bones, book #1 in the Amassia Series. The sequel, Curse of Shadows, is due for release in June 2022.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

You can Throw the Bones, read your monthly horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site or just drop a comment to chat. See you there!

Magic In Fantasy: The Magic Of SF-nal Worlds

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Hello October! The month in which our northern hemisphere peeps are definitely in autumn and looking forward to Halloween, while here in the south the new green of spring is everywhere and the days are definitely longer, but there’s still snow on the mountains.
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All in all it sounds rather magical, whether looking forward to the eeriness of Samhein or the bonfires of Beltane—which brings me to my theme of magic in fantasy fiction.
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The unifying theme of this month’s trio is the Magic of Fantasies that take place in worlds that are SF-nal in premise. Enjoy! J

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Magic In Fantasy: The Magic Of SF-nal Worlds

I like to start with an older book, so first off the blocks is a 1989 Locus nominee for Best First Novel:

The Gate Of Ivory by Doris Egan

The Gate of Ivory is one of those wonderful works where the premise of the worldbuilding is SF-nal, but the tale itself is pure fantasy.
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The heroine, Theo (Theodora), finds herself stranded on the planet called Ivory, where magic is real and assassination a fact of everyday life. Her fortunes become entangled with that of sorcerer, Ran Cormallon, and the internal and external struggles of the Cormallon clan. As you may suspect from the synopsis, The Gate of Ivory is fantasy with romantic elements.
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I have always loved Theo’s “voice” and her character, who is smart, stubborn, and definitely not a
pushover. Her entry into the magic of Ivory is through the tarot, but the in addition to fully fledged sorcery, magic ranges from touchstones that capture memories, to formal, sorcerous duels.
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There is also a great backstory, involving space travel and genetic manipulation, as to why Ivory is the only known world where magic is real, and a logical rationale to how its magic works.
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Above all, though, it’s a fun and adventurous, as well as a magical fantasy, and one that I believe still reads well in 2021, thirty-two years after first publication. J 

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Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

Rebecca Roanhorse’s Trail of Lightning also has a SF-nal setting, in this case a post-climate change world in which Dinétah, the Diné or Navajo nation, has survived but is now, by an act of traditional magic, walled off from the rest of the USA. Within its walls, the traditional gods, but also the monsters of the Diné have woken to life.
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The protagonist, Maggie Hoskie, is a monster hunter, with the ability to draw on family powers that enhance her ability to go toe-to-toe with monsters and demons. As well as her trusty double-barrel shotgun  and seven-inch Böker knife, Maggie must also use traditional magic to overcome her mythic and supernatural opponents.

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Maggie is feisty, savvy, and tough enough to punch well above her weight, especially when fighting monsters involves negotiating the machinations of gods such as Coyote and Neizgháni, the Monster Slayer. She also has a worldweariness that I felt was a really believable characteristic with someone whose dayjob is not only fighting monsters, but dealing with the consequences of their rampages.
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The story is imbued with the magic and medicine, as well as the monsters, of Diné legend, as well as being tale-spinning in the tradition of both Buffy and Mad Max’s Furiosa.
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Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Last year, I discussed the worldbuilding in Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth, which was published as “space fantasy.” Effectively, the world is one of an interplanetary empire spanning a 10,000-year period, but the story is not only one swashbuckling fantasy, in which cavaliers duel with rapiers and broadswords, but imbued by its magic system, which is entirely necromancy.
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Harrow the Ninth, published 2020, is the second instalment and follows the necromancer, Harrow (Harrowhark) who has ascended to lyctorhood. Although the story takes place in space, rather than on Gideon’s ruined planet, it’s still fantasy and necromancy is still the raison d’être of the story.
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Where Gideon was extroverted, Harrow is an introvert par excellence, a natural circumstance compounded by necromantic plots-within-plots. The magic of Harrow the Ninth also delves into dream magic and the alternate realm of The River, which is both an astral plane and afterlife, inhabited by ghosts. The ghosts include the dead from Gideon and also revenant spirits of necromantically destroyed planets, bent on a vengeance quest…
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Harrow the Ninth, perhaps reflecting the character of Harrow, is more complex and arcane than Gideon, but if you love bones and skeletons, corpses and ghosts, and the magic of the tomb, whether locked or unlocked, you’ll still be hooked.
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~*~

Previous Posts In The “Magic In Fantasy” Year:

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January 1: Happy New Year – Ushering In A Year of Friends, Fellow Authors, & Magic Systems

January 5: An Interview with AK Wilder – Talking Magic In Her New-Out Crown Of Bones (AMASSIA #1)

February 1: An Interview with T Frohock – Talking Magic In A Song With Teeth & The LOS NEFILIM Series

March 1: An Interview with Courtney Schafer – Talking Magic In The "Shattered Sigil" Series

April 1: An Interview with Kristin Cashore –Talking Magic In Winterkeep & The "Graceling Realm" Series
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May 1: An Interview With Lee Murray – Talking Magic, the Supernatural & Horror

June 1: An Interview With Amanda Arista – Talking Magic In the MERCI LANARD & DIARIES OF AN URBAN PANTHER Series

July 1: The Magic of Magic In Fantasy -- & A Solstice Shift

August 1: More Magic In Fantasy: Lighting The Spark

September 1:  Drawing On Fairytale, Folklore, and Myth

~*~
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About The Author:

Helen Lowe's first  novel, Thornspell (Knopf), was published to critical praise in 2008. The second,The Heir of Night (The Wall Of Night Series, Book One) won the Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012, and the sequel, The Gathering Of The Lost, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Legend Award in 2013. Daughter Of Blood (Book Three), was published in 2016 and Helen is currently completing the final novel in the series. She posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we

Spread the Magic - Fantasy Novels to RPGs

The Witcher 3 RPG

Fantasy novels have been fuel for the gaming industry for many decades, but sometimes the popularity of the story explodes exponentially when translated to the board or PC. Take Wiedmin, for example. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski's novels and short stories, The Witcher has 100,000 concurrent players a day. The Netflix series has contributed to the resurgence, yes, but the game has always been wildly popular.

Bloodborne based on HP Lovecraft literature

Bloodborne and Edge of Nowhere are two more examples of a highly successful game based on Fantasy/SF novels. These titles are influenced by H P Lovecraft's particular brand of Horror - especially his tentacled, mind-zapping Great Old Ones and other recognizable monsters. Both games received universal acclaim from critics and are lauded for the true-to-Lovecraft vivid and visceral horror elements.

Assassin's Creed based on Vladamir Bartol's Alamut.

The Assassin's Creed RPG game is credited for its historical accuracy, sans the SF/Fantasy elements. The novel was set in Alamut, a Persian fortress 60 miles from modern-day Tehran. In the 11th Century, the fortress was controlled by a missionary - Hassan-i Sabbah and his loyal assassins. The adaptation from novel to the game held firmly to all the intricate and correct details before layering in the Fantasy elements. It's an incredible story!

Hogwarts Legacy based on the Harry Potter Series by J K Rowling

Popular games are not only based on male Fantasy writers. J K Rowling's Harry Potter Series translates beautifully into open-world RPG games that have seen wild success.

And what does the future hold? Who knows, but maybe, with a bit of luck, we'll see games based on other new Fantasy Series.

The world of Amassia would translate beautifully into and
open-world RPG game.

Do you have a favorite game based on a book? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

* * * 

Kim Falconer, writing YA Fantasy as A K Wilder, is the author of Crown of Bones, book #1 in the Amassia Series. The sequel, Curse of Shadows, is due for release in June 2022.

Kim can be found on  AKWilder Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

You can Throw the Bones, read your monthly horoscopes or Raise Your Phantom on the AKWilder.com site or just drop a comment to chat. See you there!

New look, New Giveaway, same old Violet!

2021: Forced Introspection of your 20' something self

Just taking a break to let you know that the cat is back! After four years in purgatory, I am happy to release for your reading pleasure Diaries of an Urban Panther! Now available in a pretty new Ebook and Paperback format, you can relive Violet Jordan's adventures in Dallas as she learns about her intertwined destiny with a demon rising. 

Now this story might not be a new one to our avid blog readers, but it was very interesting to go back and look at this book from my 40 something eyes at what my 20 something thought was the worst thing in the world. If this book is any indication, I was very into boys, coffee, and building families. 

Which is pretty close to who I am now. Still completely boy crazy (just with a new boy, hello Charlie Cox). I still love coffee. And I still love my blood family and my chosen family as much as I ever have. 

And what is amazing about this book and this blog, is that I have learned a million things since then, and I've tried to document them here on this blog. Things about life and love, and writing. Mostly writing. 

So you could say that these blog posts over the past 11 years have been by own Diaries of an Urban Amanda. 

If you still haven't, you can buy a copy now at any online retailer. Follow this Books2read link to find your favorite vendor.

GOODREADS GIVEAWAY!

And if you are so inclined, you can also enter to win 10 signed copies with a special Violet- approved gift pack! Register on Goodreads (US applicants only 😒) Ends Sept 7th. 

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/330883-diaries-of-an-urban-panther

And if you want a little sneak peek:

Claws and Effect comes out Sept 28th. Pre-Order Here through Books2Read!

Nine Lives of an Urban Panther comes out Oct 26th. Pre-Order HERE through Books2Read!

(and please let me know if those links done work- its a cool new universal link service). 

Until next time, Keep Calm and Drink Coffee. 

Amanda Arista

Author and Human

www.amandaarista.com

Magic In Fantasy: Drawing On Fairytale, Folklore, and Myth

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Introduction

Here we are on 1 September—and absolutely time for a little more magic in Fantasy!

Currently, I’m sharing three books each month where the magic and/or magic systems have spun my reading wheels.

The element today’s books have in common, besides my liking their magical vibe, is that they all draw on myth, fairytale, or folklore to spin their reading spell. Arguably all Fantasy does so, but these are works where that particular aspect really caught my attention.

Consistent with previous posts, I’ll begin with an older publication and move forward to something more recent. I *believe* they’re all YA, too, but if not published as such, they certainly have that ‘feel’ to the storytelling.
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Magic In Fantasy: Drawing On Fairytale, Folklore, and Myth

The Godmother by Elizabeth Ann Scarborough

In The Godmother, author Elizabeth Ann Scarborough takes a number of classic fairytales, such as Snow White (only in this case it’s Seven Vietman Vets on a sweatlodge retreat rather than seven dwarfs), Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Puss In Boots, and weaves them into one story, set in contemporary Seattle. The Godmother premise includes a secret order of fairy godmothers, or godmothers with magical power at least, who endeavor to undo harms and right wrongs. The godmother on the case in Seattle is Felicity Fortune, with a magical budget to work within and a great many dilemmas to set right.

Although it’s been a while since first reading, I remember my fairytale lover’s delight at recognizing the interwoven fairytales in this book, and also my admiration for the author’s deftness in stringing them together into a seamless whole. Like fairytales themselves, The Godmother has its dark side, but it also has a great deal of humor and a light touch that I really enjoyed. I found it quite magical, in fact. J

Another two books were published subsequently: The Godmother’s Apprentice, for those of you who like your fairytales and folklore with an Irish twist, and The Godmother’s Web set in the American Southwest and drawing on Navajo and Hopi folklore.
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Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey

Transitioning from 1994 to 2009, and not only from the Northern hemisphere to the Southern, or even to New Zealand, but right to my home city of Christchurch, I come to Karen Healey’s Guardian of the Dead.

Guardian of the Dead is an intriguing mix of urban fantasy brought together with Maori* legends of the patupaiarehe (fairies) and taniwha (think a cross between demons and dragons, that can be either malign or benign), as well as the myth of Hine-nui-te-Po, the Great Woman of the Night and goddess of death.

There’s also an element of Greek myth woven into the story, which makes for a fun read, magic-wise.

*Maori are New Zealand’s tangata whenua (literally ‘people of the land’, or first people).
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The Library Of The Dead by T.L. Huchu

The Library Of The Dead is a 2021 publication, set in a dystopian, not-too-distant future Edinburgh where the heroine, Ropa, is a licensed medium-cum-psychopomp. Her main work, or “dayjob” is carrying messages from the dead to the living (for a fee, of course), although she also casts out spirits and learns magic from her grandmother, who is from Zimbabwe.

Ropa’s power, in dealing with the dead, draws on her grandmother’s teaching, and she uses the music of the mbira, aka an African thumb piano, to communicate with the ghosts. Yet the magical beings she must deal with are also drawn from Scottish folklore, such as “brounies”, as well as an underground society of magicians, based in the Library of the Dead.

Sounds like fun?—I thought so, not least for the storytelling’s dynamic blend of magics. 

~*~
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Previous Posts In The "Magic In Fantasy" Series: 

January 1: Happy New Year – Ushering In A Year of Friends, Fellow Authors, & Magic Systems

January 5: An Interview with AK Wilder – Talking Magic In Her New-Out Crown Of Bones (AMASSIA #1) 

February 1: An Interview with T Frohock – Talking Magic In A Song With Teeth & The LOS NEFILIM Series

March 1:  An Interview with Courtney Schafer – Talking Magic In The "Shattered Sigil" Series

April 1:  An Interview with Kristin Cashore –Talking Magic In Winterkeep & The "Graceling Realm" Series

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May 1: An Interview With Lee Murray – Talking Magic, the Supernatural & Horror

June 1: An Interview With Amanda Arista – Talking Magic In the MERCI LANARD & DIARIES OF AN URBAN PANTHER Series

 

July 1: The Magic of Magic In Fantasy -- & A Solstice Shift

August 1: More Magic In Fantasy: Lighting The Spark

~*~

About The Author:

Helen Lowe's first  novel, Thornspell (Knopf), was published to critical praise in 2008. The second,The Heir of Night (The Wall Of Night Series, Book One) won the Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012, and the sequel, The Gathering Of The Lost, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Legend Award in 2013. Daughter Of Blood (Book Three), was published in 2016 and Helen is currently completing the final novel in the series. She posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural Underground, and tweets @helenl0we