I'm in a new piece that's growing within me. It's more Fantasy than anything I've written in the past. I've written other pieces that looked like Fantasy, but were really Science Fiction in disguise (think Anne McCaffrey's Pern novels or MZB's Darkover novels). I'm much more comfortable with Bussard ramjets than with spells and hexes. This piece isn't that. Not at all. It's an urban fantasy piece with magic that is really magic and otherworldly beings that are truly come up out of the mists of the forest and heath. The magic I am employing is very "soft" for lack of a better term. No wizarding schools. No magic wands. No faux Latin incantations. This is magic that could happen in front of mortal eyes. Jeans and tee shirt magic. Would you find this kind of fantasy story too pragmatic, too close to realism to be enjoyed as fantasy? Now add to this that the story is set against real world events, like a second layer of history that happens along with, but behind the history that is known so well. Does your answer remain the same? If beings of myth and legend look like ordinary people, get a coffee and donut like ordinary people and go clubbing like ordinary people, are they too ordinary for you? Discuss.
I'll stick in my two cents though I'm probably not the right person to answer this, as I like anything different. Why wouldn't it be enjoyed? - isn't this how subgenres start, someone wanting to bring something fresh to the table. Gothic romance, cyber sci-fi, dystopian. You probably won't have every fantasy reader interested but you will find an audience. Not that I haven't been worried about this question myself - my first novel included what you're talking about a real world setting with weird goings on ( I was inspired by David Lynch. ) The villain was into magic and was able to twist the mc's reality merging dream logic with the real world. Objects would appear and disappear, past would merge with present. That sort of thing. I think if you're excited and invest in your story - you can't lose. It sounds like easy advice but really a lot of people get excited about ideas but never carry them out. The investing in it shows that you believe in it. Half the battle won right there. The main battle would be in trying to attract an agents interest. And as far as I'm concerned that's more a matter of how you sell the idea than the idea itself.
Blade starts like this and has elements that persist like this. And then goes overboard on the bullshit but hey, at least the vampires don't sparkle in sunlight, amiright? Did you see Chronicle? I realise the "superpower" genesis is probably different, but there's a very common "plain person discovers power" trope through many stories. That particular story tends towards the YA market / story arc, but the underlying normalcy of the characters and the unwieldy (vs omnipotent) power use appealed to me. I'm reminded of TV series Heroes also. Based on the info you have provided, I'd say yes, although an example or two of magic that could happen in front of mortal eyes could help confirm this.
Sounds to me like you are writing a superhero universe. Funny how this sounds as I am watching "X-men: First Class" right now. You get that feeling they can be normal people just like you or I, but they have that something extra that makes them unique. So given how successful superhero movies have been recently, I don't think your idea is too far fetched.
Ever read Charles de Lint? This reminds me of the style of some of his work (his Newford books, for example).
I'm following links now that I have the name. Yeah, this is the feel I'm after. The setting is very real (Berlin, DE), not contrived like Bordertown, but this is the general idea. Thanks, man.
You've read some of it. You gave me a crit recently on a rough opening for this story. (Very rough. It's already changed dramatically)
de Lint is quite a good writer. I really like that sort of story, so I think you've got a great idea in hand and it is certainly something I'd read.
Ah ok. If it's unlimited and has no effect on the user, it becomes omnipotent. For me personally, that use needs to be balanced with the cost it exacts on the user. Whether that's life shortening, backfiring, tiring, what have you. Just something to make it "fair".
