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non-existent fiction
Jun. 29th, 2012 10:40 amI've recently realised what story I really want from fiction - and that I'm never going to find it unless I write it myself.
My problem is:
- I really like murder mysteries. (ala Agatha Christie, or Castle)
- I really like modern settings which include magic.
- I really don't like stories in which magic is a big deal. (like the Dresden Files)
And the stories I can get are:
a) murder mysteries that do not include magic at all (like Castle)
b) mysteries which are ALL ABOUT THE MAGIC, and the entire story is about "What kind of magic did they use, and how can we defeat it?"
c) mysteries which are ALL ABOUT THE MAGIC, and the entire story is about "Given that we know this definitely was magic, how can we defeat the evil wizard without the muggles finding out about it?"
I really don't like the "must keep magic secret from the muggles" thing. It's silly and annoying. And I don't like stories in which magic plays a major part.
What I want is a story in which the options for theft include picking locks, bribing guards, walking-through-walls spells, and smashing windows. And the detectives have to figure out how the theft was done - and it could have been any of the above, but probably not an Intangibility Ring, because those cost several thousand dollars each, and why would you use one for petty theft when you could be busy stealing the Mona Lisa?
Or a story in which they know the murderer used the confusion potion they found hidden in the kitchen, and have to use patient detective work to figure out which member of the family owned the potion in the first place.
Or the rookie detective suggests using a "detect guilt" spell on all the suspects, and the team's mage rolls her eyes and says sarcastically "Why don't I just cast a 'solve the case' spell, and then we can all go home early!"
That's the story I've been after for about a decade. And... I'm really going to have to write it myself, aren't I?
My problem is:
- I really like murder mysteries. (ala Agatha Christie, or Castle)
- I really like modern settings which include magic.
- I really don't like stories in which magic is a big deal. (like the Dresden Files)
And the stories I can get are:
a) murder mysteries that do not include magic at all (like Castle)
b) mysteries which are ALL ABOUT THE MAGIC, and the entire story is about "What kind of magic did they use, and how can we defeat it?"
c) mysteries which are ALL ABOUT THE MAGIC, and the entire story is about "Given that we know this definitely was magic, how can we defeat the evil wizard without the muggles finding out about it?"
I really don't like the "must keep magic secret from the muggles" thing. It's silly and annoying. And I don't like stories in which magic plays a major part.
What I want is a story in which the options for theft include picking locks, bribing guards, walking-through-walls spells, and smashing windows. And the detectives have to figure out how the theft was done - and it could have been any of the above, but probably not an Intangibility Ring, because those cost several thousand dollars each, and why would you use one for petty theft when you could be busy stealing the Mona Lisa?
Or a story in which they know the murderer used the confusion potion they found hidden in the kitchen, and have to use patient detective work to figure out which member of the family owned the potion in the first place.
Or the rookie detective suggests using a "detect guilt" spell on all the suspects, and the team's mage rolls her eyes and says sarcastically "Why don't I just cast a 'solve the case' spell, and then we can all go home early!"
That's the story I've been after for about a decade. And... I'm really going to have to write it myself, aren't I?