What books describe a good magical world?

[Khanedur]

When I read that the players in WotC Greg's (sorry, I couldn't find the last name) game didn't raise an NPC "because it would cheapen the story" I got pretty annoyed.

But while that's the reason I'm posting that's not what I want to have this thread be about. I've seen many cases where people have a problem with various spells (divination, teleportation, resurrection) because they break the world, or make it hard on the DM.

But then I remember reading Altered Carbon and I realize that even though it was a sci-fi book. It was a book about a world where everyone had access to raise dead, and they had no trouble making death significant or threats real {the book actually feels more like a hard-boiled detective novel than sci-fi}.

I think that a lot of the issues people have with such magic would go away if they had seen examples of how to handle it. Such as a movie or a novel.

I can think of a few novels that deal with power that would be magic in D&D, and make the world and the story work without arbitrarily limiting them. But what I'd really like to see if how many other books everyone else can think of.

For how to deal with teleportation, I'd recommend The stars are my destination by Alfred Bester.

For a world with telepathy the Demolished Man, also by Bester.

For resurrection, Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan, as stated above.

Any other ideas for stories that make good use of magic turned everyday?

Just because magic is ordinary doesn't mean that it is less amazing (see electricity, flight, computers). And it sure doesn't have to "cheapen" the story you are telling just because it can do amazing things..

 

[mach1.9pants]

I have always found amusing that most DnD novels massively reduce the level of magic compared to what is in the game. Spells and spellcasters are rarer and used less often because it is hard to write a compelling story with the uber power of (for example) a 13th level wizard and 13th level cleric 3E....
As a DM I find it really hard to make a compelling story when there are so many ways for clever high level PCs to circumvent my plans. I can make things up on the spot to stop them, but it always seems lame and the players see through it. So. we rarely go much beyond 12th or so level in 3E and I cannot see myself playing epic tier 4E, have to see about paragon.
But thanks for the examples, I'll see if I can dig them out.. it may help me DMing more powerful games

 

[WyzardWhately]

Umm, maybe Anthony's (?) Incarnations of Immortality series. On a Pale Horse, Bearing an Hourglass, etc. The writing annoyed the piss out of me, but they're pretty highly supernatural, as I recall. In the Dresden Files, the main character and nearly all of the bad guys have access to magic, so that might help a little, too.

It's hard to find fantasy stuff where coming back from the dead is dirt common, so, yeah, you might be better off with post/transhuman scifi, there.

Oooh! Oooh! It's an anime, but Bastard! might be good. Also, it's just plain cool.

 

[withak]

Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age. Nanotechnology permeates all levels of society, to the point where "matter compilers" can make anything you want.

 

[hong]

I think that a lot of the issues people have with such magic would go away if they had seen examples of how to handle it. Such as a movie or a novel.

No, not really.

 

[Pale Jackal]

I have read Altered Carbon (and the next novel in the setting, Broken Angels) but it's been a while: how did they make death feel intimidating in AC?

I recall that you lost the knowledge between one upload and the next, so death could certainly be a set back. Though I don't see how this is [significantly] different from any other "death causes you to fail your objective" scenario.

Feel free to refresh my memory, if you like, though I'm firmly in the "I hate high magic in my fantasy" (though I enjoyed Steven Brust's early Taltos novels) but that's 'cuz I'm a "gritty" (setting-wise) kinda guy.

 

[Gloombunny]

The Taltos novels, by Steven Brust. (I don't think the series actually has an official name. The first book is called Jhereg.) D&D-esque low-tech fantasy, but telepathy, teleportation, and resurrection (limited in similar ways to D&D's raise dead spell) are all commonplace, as well as other works of sorcery. The protagonist is an assassin, which is fun.

edit: Damn, I took too long posting and Jackal beat me to the mention.

 

[VannATLC]

While a very good book, Altered Carbon doesn't actually come too close to dealing with the consequences.

1) It, like dnd, is hideously expensive, and most people have to wait years to get re-sleaved.

2) As amply demonstrated by the protagonist, its very easy to ensure somebody cannot come back from the dead. Real backups are expensive, and if you blow somebody's core (I can't remember what the term was) then they are more than likely 'really' dead.

Achieving a similiar level of molecular devestation to a corpse in 3e is hard, without taking bits with you.

 

[Andor]

Nitpick: It's "The Stars my Destination" no 'are'. Although I prefer the British title of "Tyger, Tyger". Excellent book at any rate, perhaps my favorite of Besters.

The 'Jehreg' series by Steven Brust is a very High Magic world. It's based on a D&D game, and teleportation and raise dead are actually more common than in the run of the mill D&D world. In the first book the protagonist actually kills someone just to prove he's serious then says "Now drag him out and raise him."

Lois BuJolds Vorkosigan series has high enough tech that a corpse in good condition can be raised if you prep it quickly and properly. This was the central theme of one of the books. They also have a lot of other 'magic' level medical tech that frequently drives plots. "Falling Free" for example.

Feist's Midkemia books are very D&Dish, but he tends to concentrate the powerful magic in a few key plot central figures. The general populace lacks access to magic.

Niven's known space books feature commonplace teleportation leading to the 'flatlander' culture.

 

[Celebrim]

I tend to run low magic games, but very much within the sphere of high fantasy. I'm most attracted to settings where high magic coexists with the mundane.

As works of fiction, the series had alot of flaws, but the most influence on magic from a book in my games was probably Tom De Haven's 'Chronicles of the King's Tramp'.

The best realized non-Christian (well mostly) cosmology is without a doubt Lois McMaster Bujold's 'Chalion' universe, although the drop in quality of the novels has been almost as severe as in the aforementioned trilogy (quite unusual for Bujold). This is an excellent take on divine magic, though the God's are somewhat more reticent in using thier powers than in D&D.

Gene Wolfe's 'Book of the New Sun' features ubiquitous magic including teleportation and resurection in the midst of a setting that is often as gritty as anything that's been written. (And, everyone should read it. If you haven't go to your library this weekend.)

Frankly, I think 'The Princess Bride' a good story/movie/book despite the ressurection scene.

And I never really complained about an NPC coming back from the dead in 'The Lord of the Rings'. And though it was a PC, it wasn't unwelcome in 'Harry Potter' either.

And I don't feel the resurrection scene in the synpotic Gospels cheapened the story either.

So I really don't see the fuss. You can write a perfectly good story with even ubiquitous resurrection.