#pagesunbound — Public Fediverse posts

Fantasy with Friends: Technology in Fantasy

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

What role do you think technology should play in fantasy? Some authors try to avoid it (ex. worlds set in an imagined past before modernization or worlds like HP where wizards simply do not use telephones or television even though they have been invented). Yet other authors try to imagine what a world with both technology and magic would look like (ex. The Legend of Korra, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series). Can magic and technology work well together? What questions does an author have to address to make it work?

A very long time ago, I read something that basically said science and magic are two sides of the same coin. Magic and science are, essentially, the same thing and perform the same functions, just in different genres. I’m sure it’s a lot more nuanced than that, but that’s usually what rings in my head when I hear about technology and magic coexisting.

I think it all depends on the world the author has created and the rules that go along with it. If the rules allow, I don’t see why they can’t coexist. But if a fantasy novel is set in, say, the Middle or Medieval Ages, the technology we know today wouldn’t even be on the characters’ radars. TVs and computers would be completely foreign, and would probably look a lot like magic, which would probably have someone screaming something about pagans and witchcraft. I imagine it might have been very difficult to be an inventor during all the witch hunting years.

Personally, I love seeing how the two can get along. I feel a little done with Medieval Europe fantasy, anyways. And what about subgenres like paranormal fantasy where magic exists in our world? Clearly magic and technology have to exist on the same plane. I love when that happens because it can create some fun chaos and so many different avenues an author can run down. I think they’re far from mutually exclusive. We can still have teleportation and vehicles, telepathy can work anywhere, I’d say gardeners have a touch of Earth magic (but that might be because I have a brown thumb and am envious of anyone who can get things to grow. It must be magic), elemental magic doesn’t rely on the lack of technology, transmutation can be fun because I think my son would love to turn his online math homework into a lot of frogs (well, maybe not live frogs. That would be a little too overwhelming. Actually, dead frogs are probably worse. Let’s say plastic frogs. We are in modern times, right?).

It all just comes down to what the author has created. I’m sure there are times when it just doesn’t make sense, but, if it does, I’d love to see it more often. Magic and technology can create fun puzzles for each other, and having to navigate both is always interesting to see. Then again, if the book is set in some ancient past, I think it might be interesting if some witches and wizards devised a telephone thing to communicate and plot and plan. Mirrors are pretty popular, and, thanks to things like video chat, we have that magic, too!

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Fantasy with Friends: Technology in Fantasy

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

What role do you think technology should play in fantasy? Some authors try to avoid it (ex. worlds set in an imagined past before modernization or worlds like HP where wizards simply do not use telephones or television even though they have been invented). Yet other authors try to imagine what a world with both technology and magic would look like (ex. The Legend of Korra, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series). Can magic and technology work well together? What questions does an author have to address to make it work?

A very long time ago, I read something that basically said science and magic are two sides of the same coin. Magic and science are, essentially, the same thing and perform the same functions, just in different genres. I’m sure it’s a lot more nuanced than that, but that’s usually what rings in my head when I hear about technology and magic coexisting.

I think it all depends on the world the author has created and the rules that go along with it. If the rules allow, I don’t see why they can’t coexist. But if a fantasy novel is set in, say, the Middle or Medieval Ages, the technology we know today wouldn’t even be on the characters’ radars. TVs and computers would be completely foreign, and would probably look a lot like magic, which would probably have someone screaming something about pagans and witchcraft. I imagine it might have been very difficult to be an inventor during all the witch hunting years.

Personally, I love seeing how the two can get along. I feel a little done with Medieval Europe fantasy, anyways. And what about subgenres like paranormal fantasy where magic exists in our world? Clearly magic and technology have to exist on the same plane. I love when that happens because it can create some fun chaos and so many different avenues an author can run down. I think they’re far from mutually exclusive. We can still have teleportation and vehicles, telepathy can work anywhere, I’d say gardeners have a touch of Earth magic (but that might be because I have a brown thumb and am envious of anyone who can get things to grow. It must be magic), elemental magic doesn’t rely on the lack of technology, transmutation can be fun because I think my son would love to turn his online math homework into a lot of frogs (well, maybe not live frogs. That would be a little too overwhelming. Actually, dead frogs are probably worse. Let’s say plastic frogs. We are in modern times, right?).

It all just comes down to what the author has created. I’m sure there are times when it just doesn’t make sense, but, if it does, I’d love to see it more often. Magic and technology can create fun puzzles for each other, and having to navigate both is always interesting to see. Then again, if the book is set in some ancient past, I think it might be interesting if some witches and wizards devised a telephone thing to communicate and plot and plan. Mirrors are pretty popular, and, thanks to things like video chat, we have that magic, too!

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Fantasy with Friends: Technology in Fantasy

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

What role do you think technology should play in fantasy? Some authors try to avoid it (ex. worlds set in an imagined past before modernization or worlds like HP where wizards simply do not use telephones or television even though they have been invented). Yet other authors try to imagine what a world with both technology and magic would look like (ex. The Legend of Korra, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series). Can magic and technology work well together? What questions does an author have to address to make it work?

A very long time ago, I read something that basically said science and magic are two sides of the same coin. Magic and science are, essentially, the same thing and perform the same functions, just in different genres. I’m sure it’s a lot more nuanced than that, but that’s usually what rings in my head when I hear about technology and magic coexisting.

I think it all depends on the world the author has created and the rules that go along with it. If the rules allow, I don’t see why they can’t coexist. But if a fantasy novel is set in, say, the Middle or Medieval Ages, the technology we know today wouldn’t even be on the characters’ radars. TVs and computers would be completely foreign, and would probably look a lot like magic, which would probably have someone screaming something about pagans and witchcraft. I imagine it might have been very difficult to be an inventor during all the witch hunting years.

Personally, I love seeing how the two can get along. I feel a little done with Medieval Europe fantasy, anyways. And what about subgenres like paranormal fantasy where magic exists in our world? Clearly magic and technology have to exist on the same plane. I love when that happens because it can create some fun chaos and so many different avenues an author can run down. I think they’re far from mutually exclusive. We can still have teleportation and vehicles, telepathy can work anywhere, I’d say gardeners have a touch of Earth magic (but that might be because I have a brown thumb and am envious of anyone who can get things to grow. It must be magic), elemental magic doesn’t rely on the lack of technology, transmutation can be fun because I think my son would love to turn his online math homework into a lot of frogs (well, maybe not live frogs. That would be a little too overwhelming. Actually, dead frogs are probably worse. Let’s say plastic frogs. We are in modern times, right?).

It all just comes down to what the author has created. I’m sure there are times when it just doesn’t make sense, but, if it does, I’d love to see it more often. Magic and technology can create fun puzzles for each other, and having to navigate both is always interesting to see. Then again, if the book is set in some ancient past, I think it might be interesting if some witches and wizards devised a telephone thing to communicate and plot and plan. Mirrors are pretty popular, and, thanks to things like video chat, we have that magic, too!

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Fantasy with Friends: Technology in Fantasy

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

What role do you think technology should play in fantasy? Some authors try to avoid it (ex. worlds set in an imagined past before modernization or worlds like HP where wizards simply do not use telephones or television even though they have been invented). Yet other authors try to imagine what a world with both technology and magic would look like (ex. The Legend of Korra, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series). Can magic and technology work well together? What questions does an author have to address to make it work?

A very long time ago, I read something that basically said science and magic are two sides of the same coin. Magic and science are, essentially, the same thing and perform the same functions, just in different genres. I’m sure it’s a lot more nuanced than that, but that’s usually what rings in my head when I hear about technology and magic coexisting.

I think it all depends on the world the author has created and the rules that go along with it. If the rules allow, I don’t see why they can’t coexist. But if a fantasy novel is set in, say, the Middle or Medieval Ages, the technology we know today wouldn’t even be on the characters’ radars. TVs and computers would be completely foreign, and would probably look a lot like magic, which would probably have someone screaming something about pagans and witchcraft. I imagine it might have been very difficult to be an inventor during all the witch hunting years.

Personally, I love seeing how the two can get along. I feel a little done with Medieval Europe fantasy, anyways. And what about subgenres like paranormal fantasy where magic exists in our world? Clearly magic and technology have to exist on the same plane. I love when that happens because it can create some fun chaos and so many different avenues an author can run down. I think they’re far from mutually exclusive. We can still have teleportation and vehicles, telepathy can work anywhere, I’d say gardeners have a touch of Earth magic (but that might be because I have a brown thumb and am envious of anyone who can get things to grow. It must be magic), elemental magic doesn’t rely on the lack of technology, transmutation can be fun because I think my son would love to turn his online math homework into a lot of frogs (well, maybe not live frogs. That would be a little too overwhelming. Actually, dead frogs are probably worse. Let’s say plastic frogs. We are in modern times, right?).

It all just comes down to what the author has created. I’m sure there are times when it just doesn’t make sense, but, if it does, I’d love to see it more often. Magic and technology can create fun puzzles for each other, and having to navigate both is always interesting to see. Then again, if the book is set in some ancient past, I think it might be interesting if some witches and wizards devised a telephone thing to communicate and plot and plan. Mirrors are pretty popular, and, thanks to things like video chat, we have that magic, too!

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Fantasy with Friends: Technology in Fantasy

Briana and Krysta at Pages Unbound are hosting a fantasy discussion meme this year called Fantasy with Friends. Since fantasy is my favorite genre, I thought it would be fun to take part. This week, their question is:

What role do you think technology should play in fantasy? Some authors try to avoid it (ex. worlds set in an imagined past before modernization or worlds like HP where wizards simply do not use telephones or television even though they have been invented). Yet other authors try to imagine what a world with both technology and magic would look like (ex. The Legend of Korra, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series). Can magic and technology work well together? What questions does an author have to address to make it work?

A very long time ago, I read something that basically said science and magic are two sides of the same coin. Magic and science are, essentially, the same thing and perform the same functions, just in different genres. I’m sure it’s a lot more nuanced than that, but that’s usually what rings in my head when I hear about technology and magic coexisting.

I think it all depends on the world the author has created and the rules that go along with it. If the rules allow, I don’t see why they can’t coexist. But if a fantasy novel is set in, say, the Middle or Medieval Ages, the technology we know today wouldn’t even be on the characters’ radars. TVs and computers would be completely foreign, and would probably look a lot like magic, which would probably have someone screaming something about pagans and witchcraft. I imagine it might have been very difficult to be an inventor during all the witch hunting years.

Personally, I love seeing how the two can get along. I feel a little done with Medieval Europe fantasy, anyways. And what about subgenres like paranormal fantasy where magic exists in our world? Clearly magic and technology have to exist on the same plane. I love when that happens because it can create some fun chaos and so many different avenues an author can run down. I think they’re far from mutually exclusive. We can still have teleportation and vehicles, telepathy can work anywhere, I’d say gardeners have a touch of Earth magic (but that might be because I have a brown thumb and am envious of anyone who can get things to grow. It must be magic), elemental magic doesn’t rely on the lack of technology, transmutation can be fun because I think my son would love to turn his online math homework into a lot of frogs (well, maybe not live frogs. That would be a little too overwhelming. Actually, dead frogs are probably worse. Let’s say plastic frogs. We are in modern times, right?).

It all just comes down to what the author has created. I’m sure there are times when it just doesn’t make sense, but, if it does, I’d love to see it more often. Magic and technology can create fun puzzles for each other, and having to navigate both is always interesting to see. Then again, if the book is set in some ancient past, I think it might be interesting if some witches and wizards devised a telephone thing to communicate and plot and plan. Mirrors are pretty popular, and, thanks to things like video chat, we have that magic, too!

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:
Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook