Words of Power: 8 Fantasy Books With Word-Based or Book-Based Magic Systems

Swords & Spaceships Newsletter

Sign up to Swords & Spaceships to receive quality and recommendations from the satellite of subject fabrication and fantasy.

Look, I’ll support gushing implicit Babel for years to come. It conscionable came retired and is easy 1 of my all-time favourite phantasy books, and it conscionable happens to person 1 of the astir unsocial word-based magic systems I’ve read. That’s due to the fact that Babel’s magic comes from the enactment of translation. You person these metallic bars inscribed with 2 oregon much translations of 1 word. So erstwhile a idiosyncratic fluent successful some languages says the words, magic comes to life.

The communicative follows a lad named Robin, who is whisked distant from Canton by an English prof and taken to Oxford’s Institute of Translation. There, Robin and his cohort go tools of colonization for the empire. Unhappy with however Britain uses foreigners to grow their power, Robin joins the Hermes Society, which is dedicated to thwarting the empire’s metallic industry.

Remember erstwhile I said immoderate magic systems impact knowing the existent names of things? Well, that’s the lawsuit with A Wizard of Earthsea! In Le Guin’s book, sorcerers indispensable larn the connection of dragons successful bid to formed magic. This is known arsenic the “language of the making” and it tells you idiosyncratic oregon something’s existent name.

The communicative follows a young mage named Ged. In his youth, helium exhibited large powerfulness truthful helium joined a schoolhouse of wizardry. Turns out, his hunger for powerfulness gets the amended of him. While trying to outwit his top world rival, Ged unwittingly unleashes a large shadiness upon the land. The publication besides follows him years aboriginal arsenic helium tries to close his incorrect and reconstruct equilibrium to the satellite *wink wink*.

The First Binding has a somewhat trickier word-based magic strategy truthful carnivore with maine arsenic I effort to explicate it. The magic successful this publication comes from the user’s caput and willpower. Magic users indispensable really believe successful thing successful bid to manifest it. But astatine the aforesaid time, they usage these “bindings” oregon circumstantial words/phrases of powerfulness — which tin past impact their environment. 

The communicative follows a antheral named Ari. In existent Kingkiller fashion, helium is (or was) a legend. But present he’s a storyteller astatine The Three Tales Tavern. There, helium meets a vocalist named Eloine and proceeds to archer her his full beingness story. Including the clip helium buried the colony of Ampur, killed their deity — and released the archetypal evil. But adjacent successful the present, Ari’s communicative and his quest are acold from over.

Alix E. Harrow’s archetypal caller is simply a unsocial portal phantasy that is decidedly based astir books/words. While the publication featured successful the communicative isn’t magical by itself, it tells a fantastic communicative that is decidedly progressive with the magical facet of the story. But that’s not wherefore it’s connected this list. The magic successful The Ten Thousand Doors of January lets users crook world and unfastened doors done the written word.

The communicative follows the titular January, a funny young pistillate who lives successful a large mansion with her strict guardian. When she was younger she stumbled upon a bluish doorway that led to different satellite — but her guardian Cornelius went to large pains to person her it wasn’t real. Now, January stumbles upon a mysterious publication afloat of escapade that talks astir doors that pb to different worlds. She believes it to beryllium fabrication astatine first, but soon January realizes the extent of Cornelius’ lies.

Okay truthful for this publication we’re mixing things up a little. The magical facet of The Book Eaters does travel from books. But they’re not utilized to formed spells oregon larn magic. Instead, the characters successful this publication virtually feed connected stories. It’s a beauteous large portion of the crippled excessively — truthful that’s wherefore it counts arsenic a book-based magic strategy and deserves to beryllium connected this list.

The communicative follows a pistillate named Devon, who belongs to an aged clan of publication eaters. She was raised connected a strict fare of fairy tales and cautionary stories — which is the family’s mode of controlling and shaping however their women think. But Devon’s beingness is turned upside down erstwhile her lad is born. His sanction is Cai, and helium has a unsafe appetite. Instead of feeding connected stories, Cai feeds connected minds. To prevention his life, Devon escapes with Cai. But their state comes astatine an unspeakable terms that they mightiness not beryllium capable to pay.

Last but not least, we’re closing this database with a communicative that has a much classical attack to book-based magic systems. Of people I’m talking astir grimoires! In this book, sorcerers usage those magical spellbooks successful bid to formed their magic — but they are considered to beryllium tools of evil.

Sorcery of Thorns follows Elisabeth. She was raised successful 1 of the Great Libraries that defender these magical grimoires — and 1 time hopes to go their warden. But everything goes disconnected the rails erstwhile idiosyncratic releases the astir unsafe tome successful the library. Elisabeth is implicated and successful bid to flight punishment, she strikes a woody with a sorcerer named Nathaniel. Slowly but surely, the 2 commencement to bond. Which makes Elisabeth question everything she’s been taught astir sorcery.