Fantasy, Mythical & Magic

A fantasy world is a type of fictional universe in which magic or other similar powers work. more...

The world may be a parallel realm or dimension tenuously connected to our world via mystic gates (like Narnia and the Dreamlands); somewhere in our mythical past (like Middle-earth and the Hyborian Age of Conan the Barbarian) or future (Earthdawn, Dying Earth, Zothique); or the story may have no reference to our reality at all.

World-Building

Despite the use of magic or other fantastic elements such as dragons, the world is normally presented as one that would work, one in which people could actually live, making economic, historical, ecological, etc. sense; it is considered a flaw to have pirates living in lands far from trade routes, or to give prices such that a night's stay in an inn would logically be equal to several years' income for a farmer. (Although it is not unknown for a counterobjection to be made to such complaints of inconsistency, such as lack of heavy industry to sustain the economy, that such elements would not be visible to, or noticed by, the charcters.) Furthermore, the fantastic elements operate according to self-consistent rules of their own; if wizards' spells sap their strength, a wizard who does not appear to suffer this must either be putting up a facade, or have an alternative explanation. This distinguishes fantasy worlds from surrealism and even from such dream worlds such as are found in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.

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