(Other Book Appreciation Posts can be found on The Reading Corner)
Unique magic systems are something I’m drawn to when looking for new fantasy books to read.
To be clear, I’ll read a fantasy book that doesn’t, strictly speaking, have a unique magic system that sets it apart from other stories in the genre. (I’d argue that all magic systems are unique, so long as the storyteller didn’t copy-and-paste it from another storyteller’s book.)
But when I find a magic system that I haven’t read about in other books… ah. It’s a real treat because the author has come up with something beyond the ordinary (if that word can even be used with magic), and that’s simply extraordinary.
I recently read one such book by the incredibly talented Charlie N. Holmberg: The Paper Magician. It’s not a new book, but it was new to me, and man, was it a blast.
Set in a fantastical version of our world, this first book in the series explores the start of a young woman’s apprenticeship to a paper magician and the lengths to which she’ll go to protect the ones she loves from dark forces practicing forbidden magics in the wide, wide world.
The story itself is extremely entertaining, and filled with heart, but as I said, what I especially admired about The Paper Magician is the unique magic system that Ms. Holmberg created for it.
Magicians bond to a single, man-made material that they can manipulate. They can only work magic through that material with which they’ve bonded, which forces the magician to be clever in how they use it, especially if they’re using it to fight back against dark forces…
I think that’s what I especially appreciate about unique magic systems in general—they stick to the rules made by the storyteller, and that limits what can be done with the magic, but it also creates some really clever uses of magic itself for the characters.
In the case of this story, paper magic involves precisely folding paper into shapes, similar to origami, for the objects to animate, or for the magic to take effect. I love that.
All in all, The Paper Magician was an absolute delight to read. If you’re looking for a fantasy story with a excellently unique magic system, bravery in the face of fear and darkness, and a clever protagonist with a heart filled with courage and love, look no further.
Until next time,
Al
