What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I'm looking for books with really interesting and innovative magic systems. I'm thinking along the lines of the magic in any of Brandon Sanderson's books, especially Mistborn, The Way of Kings, and Warbreaker. The book doesn't have to be like Sanderson's work in any other way. Any age group and any genre are acceptable. I also like it when the way the magic works is explained in detail. Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Kristen wrote: "I'm looking for books with really interesting and innovative magic systems. I'm thinking along the lines of the magic in any of Brandon Sanderson's books, especially Mistborn, The Way of Kings, and..."

I would suggest trying to post this to reader's advisory for all as well, I always get great suggestions there. :)

Try Brent Weeks' The Black Prism.

This explains the magic system - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blac...

Katie, thank you for the tip. The group looks great and I plan on joining! Kim, the Black Prism sounds cool! On my to-read list it goes.

How about The Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff?

Thanks for your recommendation, Kate!

I always thought the magic system in Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy was really interesting. The first book is Sabriel.

Thank you!

Well, you could always try Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It's pretty urban-gritty but I'm loving it. Don't rely on the description of the book, there's a whole magical element it totally skips.

If you like sarcastic, funny kind of writing definitely try the Artemis Fowl books. I LOVED them.

Hmm, The Alchemyst wasn't my favorite in general but it meets your standards and you might like it, who knows.

I don't know about innovative, but here is my list of books with interesting and, if memory serves, detailed magic systems; enjoy:
, , , , , , , , .

There's also the Spellsinger books by Alan Dean Foster

Natalie wrote: "Well, you could always try Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It's pretty urban-gritty but I'm loving it. Don't rely on the description of the book, there's a whole magical element it totally..."

I definitely plan on reading Neverwhere, but I've tried Artemis Fowl and the Alchemyst and didn't much care for them. Thank you for your suggestions!

Kim wrote: "There's also the Spellsinger books by Alan Dean Foster"

I have always liked magic that uses instruments. I've read a few books that have done so and quite liked them. Thank you!

Bryan457 wrote: "I don't know about innovative, but here is my list of books with interesting and, if memory serves, detailed magic systems; enjoy:
, [bookcover:Wizard's..."

So many suggestions! Thank you!

Rhianna wrote: "Obernewtyn loved it :)"

Already on my to-read list ;) Thanks, though!

I don't read enough magic-centric fantasy to say innovative, but I really enjoyed the use of magic in Witch Week. The styles used are really informed by the characters who possess magical ability (particularly by their personalities/psychologies), and are therefore are just as rainbow-y idiosyncratic.

Kaion wrote: "I don't read enough magic-centric fantasy to say innovative, but I really enjoyed the use of magic in Witch Week. The styles used are really informed by the characters who possess magi..."

You know, I consider myself a fan of Diana Wynne Jones and I've never read any of the Chrestomanci series. I'll have to give it a shot. Thank you, Kaion!

Kristen wrote: "Natalie wrote: "Well, you could always try Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It's pretty urban-gritty but I'm loving it. Don't rely on the description of the book, there's a whole magical el..."

Glad I helped! :)

Yeah, I wasn't much of an Alchemyst fan, and Artemis Fowl isn't for everyone.

* Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
* Waldo and Magic, Incby Robert A. Heinlein
* Green Knowe books by L. M. Boston
* The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
* Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder -- series of three!
* The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz

Kate wrote: "* Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
* Waldo and Magic, Incby Robert A. Heinlein
* Green Knowe books by L. M. Boston
* [book:T..."
I loved Poison Study, and the other books that you suggested sound interesting. Thank you!

How about The Vineart War? The basic conceit is that magic comes from distilling special wines. (and the type of "spellwine" depends on the particular grape, and some grapes only grow in particular regions, etc. etc.)

Emil wrote: "How about The Vineart War? The basic conceit is that magic comes from distilling special wines. (and the type of "spellwine" depends on the particular grape, and some grapes only grow in particular..."

Now THAT sounds unique. Thank you, I'll look around for it.

Chiming in late on this one, but I recommend the Ethshar books by Lawrence Watt Evans. It's a fantasy world that has many different types of magic, including Wizardry, Sorcery, Witchcraft, Warlockry, Theurgy and Demonology, all of which have their own advantages and limitations. The books deal with almost all of the magical systems in at least some depth, but in a way that makes the information part of the story rather than feeling like you're reading a textbook.

The catch is, I have no idea how many are still in print. For some reason they never caught on as well as they should have, at least in my opinion. Wikipedia lists them all here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_...

I'd start with the first one, The Misenchanted Sword, if you can find it. It doesn't really matter what order you read them in - most of them, at least - but that's one of the best. With A Single Spell is also a great read, and contains plot elements that come up briefly in several later books.

Thank you for your suggestion! I appreciate any help, no matter how late :)

I don't know if anyone mentioned Jayne Castle. She has a number of series set on worlds with definite magic rules, talents and accommodations.

After Dark

Jayne Castle is another name for Jayne Ann Krentz and Amanda Quick. She has one series of three books where each of Jayne's personae wrote one of the books. The magic system went through centures, so the author who wrote in a particular time frame wrote the magic novel set in that time. Wonderful series!
Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz

Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick
Midnight Crystal by Jayne Castle

Thank you for your help!

I might suggest Tamora Pierce? There's also traditional magic in all of her books, but there are two series that I think you might enjoy about characters who have a different sort of magic from most of the others in their worlds.

Wild Magic, the first book in The Immortals series, is about a girl who can talk to animals in a world where most everybody else has regular magic. There's a lot of detail about it because she herself is trying to learn how it works.

The other series is the Circle of Magic series. There is traditional magic in the world, but there is also non-traditional magic that works with using the magic already present in things, like a girl whose affinity is thread, or a boy who uses the magic in plants.

These are both YA/Teen series, which I'm assuming is a little young for you considering you like Sanderson (who, by the way, was my first thought when I saw the title of this post), but it's sometimes fun to get a little break from the heavier stuff ;)

Also, I should hope you read Alcatraz too! Very different from Sanderson's other stuff but sooo much fun!!

One book that's also fantasy but much different from the swords-and-quests fantasy of Sanderson and my other two is Shades of Milk and Honey, by Mary Robinette Kowal. It's like Pride and Prejudice, but people have glamour magic.

The Spiritwalker Trilogy by Kate Elliott
The Darkborn Trilogy by Alison Sinclair
Books of the Raksura series by Martha Wells
River of Souls series by Beth Bernobich
Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara West
Lifelode
Tooth and Claw
King's Blades series by David Drake

Carolyn wrote: "The Spiritwalker Trilogy by Kate Elliott
The Darkborn Trilogy by Alison Sinclair
Books of the Raksura series by Martha Wells
River of Souls series by Beth Bernobich
Chronicles of Elantra by Michell..."

Thanks quite a few suggestions! Thanks a bunch!

Natalie wrote: "I might suggest Tamora Pierce? There's also traditional magic in all of her books, but there are two series that I think you might enjoy about characters who have a different sort of magic from mos..."

Actually I'm a big fan of Tamora Pierce! I've already read all of her books and loved them. Shades of Milk and Honey sounds pretty interesting, though. Thank you!

The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear have a really interesting system that involves truly understanding the nature of things and then manipulating.
On top that, it's a fascinating story.

I already have it on my to-read list :) Thanks!

And if all of these wonderful suggestions have not expanded your to-read-shelf completely out of control, there is a whopper of a Listopia list called, "Most Interesting Magic System," that has nearly 600 entries.

Oooo, neat! This will come in handy.

There's The Outstretched Shadow http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...

It has two separate magic systems both unique, though the Wild Magic is kind of cool.

Wizard of the Winds has an interest magic system: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...

I also second Sabriel

as well as Feast of Souls its the first in the trilogy
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14...

Thank you both for your suggestions!

Ooh! How about Cashore's Grace Realm series? They're all fantastic, two books in the series and a prequel.
The first book's Graceling, following with Fire (the prequel) and Bitterblue.

Also check out The Looking Glass Wars, which is very steampunk but a good read.

I loved Graceling! I really liked the idea of "talents". I've also read The Looking Glass Wars. Thanks for the suggestions, though!

I would also recommend Mercedes Lackey as she has different kinds of magic in her novel Arrows of the Queen
as well as Garth Nix Sabriel
I would also recommend Assassin's Apprentice Assassin's Apprentice.

Oh, speaking of Garth Nix, his Keys to the Kingdom series is pretty good, beginning with Mister Monday

There is a serie by Piers Anthony called Apprentice Adept. Each mage in the books uses a different way to cast his spells. The first book is called Split Infinity.

Thank you Erin and Victor for your suggestions!

Kristin Cashore's Seven Kingdoms trilogy has one of the most fascinating and innovative approaches to magic and fantasy tropes that I've ever read:

Graceling, Fire, Bitterblue

I love Brandon Sanderson's approach to magic. He gives you just enough clues so that, if you're quick, you can put it all together before he does.

This novella isn't for everyone, but The God Engines by John Scalzi builds up an interesting magic system. I think, if I had to pick one book that handled magic in the same systematic way as Brandon, this would be it.

This book doesn't exactly have a magic system, because Jasper Fforde tends to straddle the line between SF and Fantasy, but Shades of Grey (not to be confused with FIFTY Shades of Grey, thank you) is certainly not something you've ever come across before. In some distant future (so distant, in fact, that it can't even be called post-apocalyptic because they barely remember that an apocalypse happened) society is stratified. Your rank depends on what colors you can see, and to what degree you can see them (purple is best, haha). Illnesses are treated by showing people carefully-calculated, concentrated doses of colors. Also, everyone knows that the top threats to human life are ball lightning and megafauna attacks.

Mayer Alan Brenner has an interesting series Catastrophe's Spell is the first one in the series.

Randell Garrett has an interesting magic world too in his Lord Darcy books. Too Many Magicians is the first book in the series.

I really enjoyed Chalice by Robin McKinley. It's also rare to find a magic novel that is a stand-alone. I don't remember how much depth it goes into, but I remember finding it unique.

Randall Garrett has an interesting magic world too in his Lord Darcy books. Too Many Magicians is the first book in the series.

It's a little misleading to put it that way. Too Many Magicians is the only full-length novel in the series. The rest of the corpus is short stories, collected in Murder and Magic and Lord Darcy Investigates.

I'm sure some of these are on that listopia list, but I'll put them here again just because they're favorites of mine:

anything by Sarah Addison Allen - her stuff has a lot to do with everyday magics, such as the magic of good food or a great haircut, mixed with other things like folk lore magic, superstition, etc. It's very subtle but very unique and I just couldn't get enough. I love all her books.

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent - first in a trilogy that I haven't finished yet

Sebastian and Belladonna

City of Bones and the rest of The Mortal Instruments series

City of Dark Magic

Rhapsody: Child of Blood - this is the first in a series of about 5, I believe. The first three are the best.

The Native Star and The Hidden Goddess

The Dark Lord of Derkholm

The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage

His Dark Materials

Anything by Sharon Shinn, but particularly these:
Mystic and Rider - first in a series of 5
Troubled Waters - first in a brand new series, the second is due out this year
Summers at Castle Auburn - this book has a magical race as somewhat minor characters, but interesting nevertheless

The Bartimaeus Trilogy Boxed Set

Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Days of Blood & Starlight

I have something perfect for you!

Mirror Dreams by Catherine Webb and her other series Waywalkers. Both have really interesting magic going on—both combine science with magic and explain physics as a very useful way to augment powers.

They are YA/children's books, but I read them at around 17 and loved them!

If you don't mind YA, Half Magic and the rest of the series by Edward Eager.