Tag: van helsing
Magic Systems (and an excerpt from Warbreaker)
by morgan on Jun.12, 2009, under Brandon Sanderson
I like magic with wonder and mystery. I don’t necessarily want to know why or how it works, but I absolutely want to know what characters are capable of doing with it. Tell me early in a story, so I’m not surprised whenever a wizard pulls a new trick out of his hat. If a character solves a problem by using a previously undisclosed magical power, then it feels like cheating.
My favorite example of doing it well is Dracula. Early in the novel, Van Helsing tells us the vampire’s capability. He is stronger, does not die, can command the elements and beasts and vanish from sight. For the rest of the novel, Stoker plays by those rules, but the character remains mysterious, magical and frightening.
On a side note, attached is a link to an excerpt from Brandon’s Warbreaker: http://www.borders.com/online/store/ArticleView_warbreaker.
