The Price

The ‘price of magic’ is a phrase and idea that shows up with some regularity in fantasy literature. Its exact meaning varies considerably. In my main fantasy sequence, the stories that make up the Annals of Izan, there are two primary ‘prices.’

First, magic is hard work. It wearies the practitioner to control the forces involved. Enough so to be hazardous to one health. Magicians sometimes push too hard and very much pay that price. On the other hand, the judicious use of the art is not a drain and the only price is the need for a little extra rest.

The second, and more dangerous, price is involved with the very process of magic. That is, connecting to other worlds — the infinite worlds of existence. For the untrained, it is all too easy to become ‘lost’ in those worlds, to go mad, hearing voices and seeing things one does not understand. The trained practitioner learns ways of dealing with other worlds ever impinging on their consciousness yet they, too, can and all too often are, driven mad. Lord Radal, the antagonist of my Donzalo’s Destiny novels, was the original example of this.

That, essentially, is it. A fairly straightforward explanation of the dangers and price of magic. It has worked fine for me in a number of novels and I take care to stick to its rules.