"The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
If you like fantasy at all, READ IT.
It's...odd when you've had an idea for a while, sitting in the back of your mind partially formed so that you take it out and play with it and refine it every so often, only to have it come back to you from someone you've never met. It's odder when it comes back not as the half formed idea in your head but as a fully fleshed out and elegant system, complete with rules and consequences that just WORK.
That's how I felt when reading The Name of the Wind.
You see, I've always had a problem with the concept of "magic" in fantasy novels. The magus/wizard/eldar/warlock/etc concentrates and through a combination of arcane knowledge, magic words, gestures, and force of will commands powerful forces.
Where does the energy come from?
Usually, we're told that it's simply a matter of strength of will or a redirection of forces that are already there. When I encounter such things I generally chuckle something about conservation of energy and plow through the rest of the novel. I always leaves me just a bit unsatisfied. Like a beautifully plated meal that lacks flavor.
Imagine my surprise when I encountered the concept of "sympathy". Not "Sympathy" but "sympathy" in much the same way it's "physics" instead of "Physics" It's simply another branch of study in Rothfuss' world. Things are bound to each other through the will of the practcioner but the links behave in sensible ways and energy is lost over each binding. You can't just pull energy from your "will" or some personal "mana store" and you can't convert energy in nonsensical ways. You need to find real sources of what you need and put things together in clever ways.
I find it very satisfying.
It creates a problem for me though. In the unlikely event that I ever find the time and energy to write a novel, I'll inevitably find myself comparing it (unfavorably) to The Name of the Wind.
Ah, well. Such is life. :-)
One request: Please don't post spoilers in the comments. I haven't finished reading it yet. :-)
It's...odd when you've had an idea for a while, sitting in the back of your mind partially formed so that you take it out and play with it and refine it every so often, only to have it come back to you from someone you've never met. It's odder when it comes back not as the half formed idea in your head but as a fully fleshed out and elegant system, complete with rules and consequences that just WORK.
That's how I felt when reading The Name of the Wind.
You see, I've always had a problem with the concept of "magic" in fantasy novels. The magus/wizard/eldar/warlock/etc concentrates and through a combination of arcane knowledge, magic words, gestures, and force of will commands powerful forces.
Where does the energy come from?
Usually, we're told that it's simply a matter of strength of will or a redirection of forces that are already there. When I encounter such things I generally chuckle something about conservation of energy and plow through the rest of the novel. I always leaves me just a bit unsatisfied. Like a beautifully plated meal that lacks flavor.
Imagine my surprise when I encountered the concept of "sympathy". Not "Sympathy" but "sympathy" in much the same way it's "physics" instead of "Physics" It's simply another branch of study in Rothfuss' world. Things are bound to each other through the will of the practcioner but the links behave in sensible ways and energy is lost over each binding. You can't just pull energy from your "will" or some personal "mana store" and you can't convert energy in nonsensical ways. You need to find real sources of what you need and put things together in clever ways.
I find it very satisfying.
It creates a problem for me though. In the unlikely event that I ever find the time and energy to write a novel, I'll inevitably find myself comparing it (unfavorably) to The Name of the Wind.
Ah, well. Such is life. :-)
One request: Please don't post spoilers in the comments. I haven't finished reading it yet. :-)