Benedict Jacka's Blog, page 85

Encyclopaedia Arcana #9: Chance Magic

Chance magic is also called luck or fortune magic, and just like divination it's a type of universal magic.  A mage who can use it is called a chance mage, a luck mage, or sometimes (especially if the mage is female) a witch.

Chance magic affects luck and probability.  A chance mage can affect physical reality, but not in the direct ways that an elemental or a living mage can.  She can't conjure an orb of light or throw a fireball or transport herself through space.  Instead she nudges things slightly so that events turn out a different way.

Prediction and Control

Chance magic can only affect the random element in any series of events.  The more static and predictable a system, the harder it is for chance magic to affect it.  For a normal person, knocking over a chair is easy but getting a set of dice to come up all sixes is hard.  For a chance mage using their magic, it's the other way around.

Why is a set of dice easier to affect than a chair?  It's not because the chair's heavier, it's because the dice are moving.  When a human being throws a die, there are thousands of tiny factors affecting which way it rolls:  the person's conscious decision, their subconscious actions, their reflexes, the way the die slips in their hand, the air resistance, the angle at which it bounces off the table and any obstacles . . . all of those factors add up to a result that's completely unpredictable.  But for a chance mage, those thousands of factors are exactly what their magic needs.  The more unpredictable an event, the easier it is for a chance mage to control.

A big advantage of chance magic is that since it only works on what's already there, it's almost impossible for normal people to realise that it's being used.  In fact, most of the time chance magic doesn't look like magic at all – things work out so smoothly that no-one notices it until it's over.  Even when they do notice, random chance is so much a part of the world that very few people indeed ever figure out that something's causing it.

Good Luck, Bad Luck

Being able to affect random events is useful enough on its own – you can make a killing at casinos, and that's just the start of it.  But a chance mage can also string together whole chains of coincidences, and that's where it becomes really powerful.

As long as they have time to use their magic chance mages never have to worry about accidents – random misfortunes will always just miss them.  They can hex anything electronic into uselessness, causing it to suffer from short circuits and compounded errors until it locks up.  And if they need help with something, they can arrange for random circumstances and odd bits of good luck to stack the odds in their favour until the most difficult task becomes easy.  Chance magic can't teach you a skill, but it can often substitute for it – more than one chance mage has 'accidentally' guessed exactly the right sequence of commands to type into a computer, or picked up a rifle and hit the bullseye on the first try.

But chance magic also has a dark side – just as chance mages can bring good luck to themselves and their friends, they can bring bad luck to their enemies.  This is the witch's curse of legend, dooming the victim to misfortune.  Sometimes the curse names a specific fate, but just as often it's general, making the target a magnet for bad luck of every conceivable sort.  Even weak curses are dangerous if the victim happens to be doing something risky, while powerful curses can easily cause death through a series of unlikely events.  Such curses are notoriously difficult to counter, and often the only thing to be done is just to let them run their course.

Mages and Adepts

Chance mages tend to use their power in a more intuitive way than other mages.  While an elemental mage will visualise in his mind exactly what he wants a spell to do, a chance mage's spells are more likely to be vague and general.  In personality chance mages tend to be quick and impulsive – they rarely plan ahead, trusting to their magic and intuition to get them out of trouble.

Like the other types of universal magic, true chance mages are rare.  However, chance adepts are disproportionately common.  They typically have one particular way in which they can bring good or bad luck, or one situation in which they've learnt to apply it.  Chance adepts have an advantage over other adepts in that their magic is almost impossible for normals to detect, which makes it relatively easy for them to blend into mundane society.  In fact, their magic is so hard to detect that often the adepts themselves don't realise they're using it.  From their perspective they're just born lucky, and in a way it's true.

Review & Interview at The Qwillery

Some of you might remember that I did a guest blog for the Qwillery a few weeks back.  Well, the owner of the site (who goes by the name Qwill, appropriately enough) has very kindly followed that up with an interview with me, as well as a great review:

The world building (magic world in plain sight) is exceptional . . . There will be inevitable comparisons to The Dresden Files, but Alex Verus does not pale by the comparison. Fated is the start of a wonderful new Urban Fantasy series. It is well written, well-paced and a thoroughly engaging read. I'm hooked.

The Qwillery's a busy site and a good place to learn about other SF/F novels – worth checking out!

Jim Butcher/Benedict Jacka email exchange!

An email exchange between me and Jim Butcher is now online at the Barnes and Noble website!  (I've been itching to post about this for weeks but I've held off until B&N published it.)  In it Jim Butcher talks about the world-building of the Dresden Files,  the makeup of Harry Dresden, and even a few hints for what's going to be coming next in the series.  (Oh, and I talk about Fated too.)

I got introduced to the Dresden Files many years ago, back when they weren't particularly well-known in the UK – actually, the girl who put me on to them was an American gaming friend.  I absolutely loved them and I've been reading every one of them ever since.  I was already happy when I found out that my American editor, Anne Sowards, was also the editor for Jim Butcher – getting to chat with Jim properly was amazing!  Many thanks to Jim for taking the time to do it and for being so kind, and also to the people at Ace for arranging it!

On top of that, as a part of the same article Paul Allen has reviewed Fated with the tagline "Benedict Jacka Is The Next Coming of Jim Butcher!".  Which given how much I love Jim Butcher's work is one of the best compliments I could get, but really makes me feel self-conscious.

Fans of Butcher's Dresden Files – and fans of paranormal fantasy in general – will find Jacka's fusion of contemporary fantasy and mythic fiction simply irresistible . . . The hype behind this release is more than justified – an exceptionally entertaining read and an impressive start to what should be a wildly successful series. 

It's been a pretty good week!

Encyclopaedia Arcana #8: Divination Magic (Part Two)

The first part of this entry explained that divination magic allows its user to see the probability of future events.  This second part will take a look at what that means in practice.

A Hundred and One Uses for Seeing the Future

For a start diviners don't get surprised much, at least not in the short term.  A diviner can see the next few seconds of his own immediate future very clearly and trying to give them a surprise (pleasant or unpleasant) rarely works unless the diviner is asleep at the wheel.

Divination magic is also great for finding your way around.  A diviner can move in pitch darkness as fast as a normal person can in full daylight.  He can't actually see, but he knows which futures lead to him bumping into something or tripping over and he can choose different ones.  He can also quickly pick out a route through an unfamiliar location by taking a second to find out where a path leads and whether there are obstacles on it.

Divination is a powerful defence as well.  Diviners are very good at dodging and with a bit of practice can quite literally dodge bullets.  It's not that they're fast – they're no quicker than a normal man – but no matter how swift the attack they're just not there when it lands.  They can look through the futures, find the ones in which they're not hit, and take the necessary actions to lead to them, often without seeming to make any particular effort.  There are limits and they can't dodge things that simply can't be dodged, but trying to hit an alert diviner is frustratingly difficult.

Finally, although it's rarely used in this way, divination magic can be surprisingly effective as a means of attack.  Most mages tend to assume diviners have no offensive ability, and in a way it's true – divination magic is completely useless for directly hurting someone.  But there's nothing stopping a diviner from picking up a weapon and an attack from someone who knows exactly how to get through your defences and where to hit to do the most damage can be very nasty indeed.  They don't have the brute force that an elemental mage does, but their knowledge gives them powerful leverage.

Secrets and Shadows

Although the tricks above can help diviners deal with short-term problems, it's not what they specialise in.  A diviner's real power lies in information.

Other mages tend to assume that diviners can find out the answer to any question by thinking about it.  This is both right and wrong.  Diviners can't simply ask a question and get an answer – the universe doesn't run a question-and-answer hotline (or if it does, diviners don't know the number).  However, diviners can look into possible futures.  They can find out what would happen in conversations if they introduced a certain subject, see what would be visible to their eyes if they moved a certain way, discover what's behind a door or inside a private room . . .

What this adds up to is a lot of information.  Most of it's useless, but odd bits aren't.  And while diviners usually don't know what they're going to get, they have a lot of practice at putting pieces together and they can nearly always find out far more than other people would like them to.

Which doesn't necessarily make them many friends.

No-One Likes A Know-It-All

Other mages have very mixed feelings about diviners.  Almost every type of magic has more direct ability to influence the physical world than divination does, and for all their tricks diviners are no match for a battle-mage.  What this means is that practically any mage who looks at a diviner knows that he could beat him up without much effort.

On the other hand that mage also knows that said diviner, given time and motivation, could find out every one of the mage's most private, embarrassing, and dangerous secrets.  And mages – especially ones who play the deadly political games of the Light Council and the Dark cabals – have a lot of secrets.  Mages like the idea of diviners working for them, but they most definitely don't like the idea of diviners working against them, and they're never quite sure which one a diviner is doing.

As a result mages tend to prefer to keep diviners at a distance, and the feeling's often mutual.  Diviners know how other mages see them and are keenly aware of exactly how easily a battle-mage could crush them in a direct conflict.  It's usually much safer for a diviner to stay on the edges of magical society, out of sight.

UK Fated Release Day!

And it's finally here!  Today Fated gets its home release!

It's been a long, long trip, but at last the first book of the Alex Verus series is out in the UK.  It's only the beginning, but it's a good beginning!

We've got a busy few days coming up – there's an interview or two scheduled, as well as more reviews and (of course) the regular Friday Arcana article.  There's also something special involving another author – it's been planned for a while, so I won't give away the surprise just yet!

Like all of the Alex Verus series, Fated is coming out in both print and ebook form, and here are the links to buy a copy:

Text links: Amazon (print) | Amazon (ebook)

And finally, don't forget that if you like Fated, you won't have long to wait for the sequel – Cursed is coming out in June!

Matt Johnson liked this post

Fated out in US!

Fated is released in the US today!

When I started writing Fated it was 2008 and I'd yet to sign on with Orbit, much less Ace – I'd never had a book published in the US at all.  It's been a long, long journey from then to now and now that the first Alex Verus novel is out in stores (with two more to come in the next six months) the waiting is finally over.  Thanks to everyone who's helped along the way, and here's to many more!

You can read more about Fated (including the first chapter) here!  Or buy it from one of these links:

  

Text links: Indiebound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Matt Johnson, Matt Pritchard liked this post

More Reviews, & US Fated tomorrow!

Another very nice review, this time from Whatchamacallit:

. . . when you have Jim Butcher endorse an urban fantasy, you can bet it's going to be a good book. And in the case of Fated, it darn well is . . . Actually, to be honest Fated is better than just darn good, it's outstanding. Fated takes no time diving into the meat of the story, as readers are introduced into the magic and action within the first few pages. The concept of having a diviner as a protagonist is unique and really makes for some interesting situations. Further the fact that he has to rely on his wits and constantly be looking at the future to make sure he isn't attacked or threatened, since he has no real powers besides divination, really adds something to the intrigue of the story . . . 

And another one from Candace's Book Blog!

Fabulous world building, a terrific setting, a complex and unique main character, Fated is the fabulous start to a brand new series . . . On the cover Jim Butcher says that Harry Dresden would like Alex Verus.  I haven't read the Harry Dresden books yet (shame on me!) but have the first seven or so.  I'm quite certain that it's a series I'll adore.  But I can't compare the two.  I do know that Jim Butcher is suppose to be a fabulous author though and his little blurb gave me some confidence in the book.  But I gotta say, this book should be able to stand on it's own without any big time author telling us it's good, cause honestly it's downright fabulous!

And tomorrow Fated will be getting its US release!  Full post then.

Aline Eden, Matt Johnson liked this post

Video for Fated, BookThing!, and EasterCon

BookThing! have done a very flattering review of Fated:

It's always a treat to come across an author that raises the bar with his imagination and ability . . . Benedict Jacka has created a brilliant protagonist in the probability mage, Alex Verus.  It might not sound as exciting as a mage who can call fire or disintegrate with a single lash of power but Alex can look into the future and see what options are open to him to get the outcome he needs.  Whether that is to dodge the incoming flames or just not be standing where the lash of power is going to hit; sometimes it's useful just to get an annoying customer out of the way so he can see deal with something more important.  It can be dizzying the way he can map things out but it's intricate, unique and very well realised.  I love his personality as well, he can be snarky but has a heart of gold.

Orbit have also put up a video for Fated!  First time I've ever had someone do that for my writing, which is very cool.

A few people have been asking if I can make it to EasterCon – the answer is, hopefully!  I've tried emailing them but it seems fairly hard to get in touch for whatever reason (I'm guessing they're busy) and unfortunately the one email I've gotten back so far has said they don't have any panels available.  I would like to go, though, so if you hear of any free slots, drop me an email!

Encyclopaedia Arcana #7: Divination Magic (Part One)

The first type of magic this Encyclopaedia will look at is divination, a type of universal magic.  A mage who can use divination magic is called a diviner, a seer, a probability mage, or (if you want to annoy them) a fortune teller.

Divination is one of the most limited of all magics.  It does one thing and one thing only:  it allows its user to see the probability of future events.  It can't change those probabilities, it can't change those events, and it can't affect the material world in any way.  All it can do is provide information.

How Divination Works

A regular person introduced to a new situation doesn't know what's going to happen.  When you're faced with a machine you don't know how to use, you don't know what pressing any of the buttons does.  Over time, you start to learn how the thing works.  Eventually, you might even learn why it works.  And once you know the how and the why, you can figure out what's going to happen whenever you mess with the thing, subject to the vagaries of chance and a certain amount of legwork.

A diviner gets to shortcut that.  When he looks at a situation, he sees possible outcomes:  he knows the what without understanding the how or the why.  Every diviner develops his own sensory code for this, but most do it visually, 'seeing' the potential futures unfold.  In general a diviner's visions are limited to his own senses:  he can only see the outcomes that he would be able to perceive were he to actually live through them.

Learning Curves

For a novice diviner still unfamiliar with his powers, divination is strange and terrifying.  His visions come in random unpredictable flashes, sometimes showing him nothing at all and sometimes overwhelming him with an insane rush of information as he experiences dozens of futures at once.  All apprentice diviners have at least a few episodes where they quite simply go batshit crazy.  Over time they learn to master and control their visions, ordering them to their will, and as a result nearly all experienced diviners develop a high level of mental discipline.  The ones who can't manage that give up their power or go insane.

Once they've learned the basics of control, novice diviners start learning to direct their visions, exploring the consequences of simple actions:  what happens if I press this button?  How about if I turn this card?  What if I jump off this bridge?  (They quickly learn not to look too closely at the last one.)  Over time they learn to explore more complicated futures, comparing multiple courses of action against each other and picking a single future out of many.

The Two Limits

Divination magic can predict anything that can be predicted.  The two things it can't fully predict are chance and free will.

Chance is the simpler of the two – some things are just random, although at a human scale truly random events are actually much rarer than most people think.  More common is a sort of emergent unpredictability, where the cumulative effect of millions of tiny events adds up to something that isn't completely random but is chaotic enough that long-term prediction is impossible.  Diviners can't predict pure chance but they can analyse it in terms of probability, interpreting it in an ordered framework.

Free will is more complex.  Philosophers argue over whether free will exists but diviners know it does, even if they don't understand exactly what it is.  If someone genuinely hasn't made a choice, diviners can't see beyond it.  The most they can do is see the most likely choices, and the consequences.

Aside from those two limitations divination magic can predict just about anything, subject to the skill of the diviner.  Part 2 of this entry will explore what that means.

Back from Forbidden Planet

And home.  Signing was lots of fun.  Got to meet a whole bunch of people who came to buy books, chat with Kate Griffin, and then meet up with Paul Cornell, Jon Courtenay Grimwood, Darren Nash, and lots more guests who'd migrated from a SF panel to the nearby pub.  Thanks to everyone who came and bought copies – hope you enjoy them!

One week until the official UK release of Fated!