The Whole "No-Magic" Thing
First, More Exile Reviews:
-And check out Karen's (one of my favorites) & Courtney's on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142417394/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yarr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0142417394
Now Moving On . . . At last
I promised in an earlier blog post, to tackle the topic of why there is no magic in Aurelia. Or her entire series, for that matter.
You see, it isn't that I don't love magic.
We are talking a huge Neverland-Fantasia-Tortall-Oz fan here.
It's just that, in this case, magic would be cheating.
It is very important that Aurelia deals with her problems herself. (OK, I'm leaving out someone pretty important here, but ultimately you see what I mean, right?)
And that the danger she deals with is real.
She can't just . . . use a sword.
Which, again, is not to say that I don't love female warriors.
To me, Aurelia is totally a warrior.
But not in a masculine or magical sense.
She was raised as a young woman. And she has to deal with all the implications that come with that. And all the limits.
Her gifts are the kinds of gifts anyone could have. Intelligence. Passion. An open mind.
And stubbornness.
Which isn't just a weakness. It's something she needs.
Aurelia isn't "superior" just because she was born a princess. The danger she faces is real. And no matter how "good" she is, she can't defeat overwhelming odds just because I would like her to. She has to face that danger head-on. And she has to grow and learn and fight.
And sometimes lose.
Because that's why there's a story.
And it's not the kind of story that changes with pixie dust.
-The Story Siren: http://www.thestorysiren.com/2011/04/exile-by-anne-osterlund.html
-The Merry Genre Go Round Reviews: http://harstan.wordpress.com/2011/04/30/exile-anne-osterlund/-And check out Karen's (one of my favorites) & Courtney's on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142417394/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=yarr-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0142417394
Now Moving On . . . At last
I promised in an earlier blog post, to tackle the topic of why there is no magic in Aurelia. Or her entire series, for that matter.
You see, it isn't that I don't love magic.
We are talking a huge Neverland-Fantasia-Tortall-Oz fan here.
It's just that, in this case, magic would be cheating.
It is very important that Aurelia deals with her problems herself. (OK, I'm leaving out someone pretty important here, but ultimately you see what I mean, right?)
And that the danger she deals with is real.
She can't just . . . use a sword.
Which, again, is not to say that I don't love female warriors.
To me, Aurelia is totally a warrior.
But not in a masculine or magical sense.
She was raised as a young woman. And she has to deal with all the implications that come with that. And all the limits.
Her gifts are the kinds of gifts anyone could have. Intelligence. Passion. An open mind.
And stubbornness.
Which isn't just a weakness. It's something she needs.
Aurelia isn't "superior" just because she was born a princess. The danger she faces is real. And no matter how "good" she is, she can't defeat overwhelming odds just because I would like her to. She has to face that danger head-on. And she has to grow and learn and fight.
And sometimes lose.
Because that's why there's a story.
And it's not the kind of story that changes with pixie dust.
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message 1:
by
Karen
(new)
May 15, 2011 06:52AM
I totally understand. I feel like Aurelia's story wouldn't be the same at all with magic, even though I also love books with magic.
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Magic can be awesome, no doubt about it. But in this case, the beauty of Aurelia is that lack of magic. She's "real." I can relate to her strengths and vulnerabilities. Even though the story itself would be classified as "fantasy" by many, Aurelia is a character that may reflect the qualities of someone in my life. For me, that is true magic.
