Copper Horn Read

Craft & Critique 2538 articles

Home decor

5.8k 2.5k 125k

When Magic Has a Cost: Why Limitations Make Fantasy Better

Grimdark has dominated gritty fantasy for years, but there's a whole spectrum of hard-edged storytelling that doesn't require misery as its default setting.

By KNICKMEYER 18/09/2020 09:35 EST 12 mins read

Magic without limits is just wish fulfillment. The systems that stick with us are the ones that make characters pay for every spell.

Picked by Editor

Reading Recommendations

Fantasy for People Who Think They Don't Like Fantasy

Assembling a party of adventurers is fantasy's oldest trick, but making those characters feel like real people who'd actually travel together is harder than it looks.

By Sean Boynton 15/09/2020 07:00 EST 12 mins read

Craft & Critique

The Lost Art of the Standalone Fantasy Novel

Epic fantasy keeps sprawling across continents, but some of the best stories never leave a single city — and that constraint is exactly what makes them work.

By Editorial 16/09/2020 08:15 EST 14 mins read

Healthy

Adventure Fiction Beyond the Map: Tales of Exploration That Aren't About Saving the World

Magic without limits is just wish fulfillment. The systems that stick with us are the ones that make characters pay for every spell.

By JONATHAN LEMIRE 17/09/2020 19:35 EST 6 mins read

Book Reviews

Magic Systems That Feel Like They Could Be Real

Not everyone wants dragons and chosen ones, and that's fine — here are entry points for readers who bounce off the genre's usual trappings.

By Editorial 18/09/2020 09:35 EST 13 mins read

Genre Musings

Rereading Fantasy as an Adult: What Changes When You Go Back

Not every fantasy story needs twelve volumes and a prequel trilogy — here's why the standalone novel deserves a place on your shelf.

By Tomy Crust 17/09/2020 09:35 EST 12 mins read

Now Loading

The most memorable magic systems aren't the most complex — they're the ones with rules that feel like they were discovered rather than invented.

The books you loved at fourteen don't always hold up — but the ones that do reveal things you couldn't have seen the first time.

Short fantasy fiction is having a quiet renaissance, and it's the perfect way to sample new authors without committing to a trilogy.

Grimdark has dominated gritty fantasy for years, but there's a whole spectrum of hard-edged storytelling that doesn't require misery as its default setting.

Assembling a party of adventurers is fantasy's oldest trick, but making those characters feel like real people who'd actually travel together is harder than it looks.

Epic fantasy keeps sprawling across continents, but some of the best stories never leave a single city — and that constraint is exactly what makes them work.

Magic without limits is just wish fulfillment. The systems that stick with us are the ones that make characters pay for every spell.

Not everyone wants dragons and chosen ones, and that's fine — here are entry points for readers who bounce off the genre's usual trappings.

Not every fantasy story needs twelve volumes and a prequel trilogy — here's why the standalone novel deserves a place on your shelf.

Some of the best adventure fiction isn't about defeating a dark lord — it's about the strange, small, human reasons people set off into the unknown.

The most memorable magic systems aren't the most complex — they're the ones with rules that feel like they were discovered rather than invented.

The books you loved at fourteen don't always hold up — but the ones that do reveal things you couldn't have seen the first time.

Short fantasy fiction is having a quiet renaissance, and it's the perfect way to sample new authors without committing to a trilogy.

Grimdark has dominated gritty fantasy for years, but there's a whole spectrum of hard-edged storytelling that doesn't require misery as its default setting.

Assembling a party of adventurers is fantasy's oldest trick, but making those characters feel like real people who'd actually travel together is harder than it looks.

Epic fantasy keeps sprawling across continents, but some of the best stories never leave a single city — and that constraint is exactly what makes them work.

Craft & Critique 2538 articles

12

Categories

Top Trending

Recent posts

Last Comments