I find myself conflicted on the use of magic in the urban setting in Shadowshaper. It is a much different, more subtle type of magic than I am used to in other fantasy and high-fantasy novels. The first time we are exposed to magic in Shadowshaper occurs when Sierra observes a decrepit mural in her neighborhood; “The glistening painted tear trembled and slid out of the old man’s eye and down his face,” (4). While the idea of a sentient mural that is slowly losing its life is imaginative, how Sierra and the audience see the scenario play out seems more like a optical illusion than magic we’ve seen in other novels. There are also less magical instances in the first 10 chapters than in other novels. It makes it harder for me to get lost in the magical world as it was in other novels, especially novels that we were quickly exposed to other magical figures such as elves, goblins, or faeries. It makes me wonder whether urban fantasy requires special emphasis on magic than when magic is used in ways audiences are familiar with.
Magic in an Urban Setting
16 responses to “Magic in an Urban Setting”
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You make an interesting point, and I think it’s definitely true that Shadowshaper doesn’t focus much on the magic at least in the first half, however it doesn’t necessarily reflect all urban fantasy. Personally I like stories that take place in real life or are rooted in the real world but also have a magic system. It makes it easier to fall into the magical/supernatural world if it is already part of our own, however in Shadowshaper it probably could have benefitted to explain the process of shadowshaping and it’s significance in the shapers lives rather than focusing on Sierra’s mundane life for the first half of the book. That being said Sierra as a main character is important so maybe this is something the sequel could solve by expanding the magical elements. Also because the dialogue is so different in this book it takes away attention from the descriptions of magic and art that make the book fantasy.
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I think the focus on Sierra and not on magic did make it hard to categorize this novel as fantasy in the beginning half, and I agree that my opinion on Shadowshapers (1st half) shouldn’t reflect the entire genre of urban fantasy. I also wonder if the fact that I haven’t had that much experience in cities plays into my difficulties falling into the world of urban fantasy.
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Thinking about Shadowshapers in relation to Valiant, I believe the type of urban fantasy that we, the readers, are presented differs greatly. Although there is still some drug use in Shadowshapers, it is not as explicit as in Valiant. Each protagonist’s introduction to magic is quite different as well. Sierra’s is fueled by discovering family secrets compared to Val’s running away from home and befriending strangers. Although both novels fall under urban fantasy, I think of them as very different books. Do you have any ideas or clues to why that might be? What are your interpretations of how these two pieces work together?
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As we discussed in class, Valiant seemed like a darker book meant for a specific type of reader. I think the tone of the book played a huge role into the differences between the two books. However, Valiant also played into the very developed world of fairies, goblins, and fae, and Shadowshapers attempts to create a whole new genre of fantasy-folk.
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What I thought was interesting about the magic in Shadowshaper, in comparison to anything else we’ve read, is that the magic has to be given to you/ you have to be inducted to access it. Sure, it draws upon natural talent like a majority of magic-based realms do, but this story takes it a step farther, purposely locking people out of magic use (like how Sierra is supposed to be) by not inducting them. You can draw a parallel between this and Akata Witch, but Sunny still was magical before her “induction” ceremony (she still was able to do magic); Sierra, on the other hand, was totally “mundane” before her induction by her grandmother.
I wonder what the greater implications of this induction-style magic will be, after we finish it, and how it may have manipulated the plot.
p.s. I definitely see a comparison between Sierra/her grandmother and Danny/Dreadnought from the next novel, but we’re not there yet so I won’t give spoilers. I just needed to share.
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This induction-style magic is very interesting and I wonder if this type of magic will be a popular in future novels! It definitely occurred in Dreadnought, and I wonder if the authors had similar inspirations with this specific sort of power-transfer!
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I wonder if the urban setting makes the life of the characters more relatable because they can have similar problems. What does it say about the modern teen that they need more relatable characters than in the past?
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I think most of the novels have similar problems to modern day readers (relationships, stress, huge epic journeys to defeat evil (lol), etc) but would agree that some of the issues are more specific to problems that occur with modern technology and institutions. I’m not sure modern teens need more relatable characters than in the past, it just depends on what type of novel/experience the reader is looking for.
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I wonder if one reason why the magic in Shadowshaper feels so different from other books is because the origins/type of magic is different? In many of the books we’ve read, I believe the magic is based off of more European models of magic, like Irish fairytales. In contrast, Shadowshaper seems to be using more of an ancestral-based magic which contrasts with the more Eurocentric magic we’ve read in the past (excluding Akata Witch). I’m definitely not well-educated on the different types of magic, however, and I don’t know if Shadowshaper’s magic has many elements drawn from real-world ancestral magic traditions, or if the majority of it is completely invented.
I also honestly really liked the ratio of realism to fantastical elements – this book felt more realistic than other comparable books we’ve read (like Valiant). Although we’re certainly not “getting lost” in the magical world, I think readers can still find entertainment and education from the real-world setting, and magic is just a small element that’s integrated into the story to draw emphasis to art, ancestors, community, etc.
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Yes I definitely feel like my opinion is shaped by Eurocentric focus in a majority of fantasy elements growing up, and it’s just interesting to note the influence that media has on perception.
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I thought that this book was easier for me to really get into. Specifically the magical element of the book was easier to get into because the author spends the first few chapters really building up the background of the story. This may be because I enjoy stories without a lot of fantastical elements, but I can see how people who enjoy these elements may enjoy other stories we have read in class.
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I definitely thought the fantastical elements we were exposed to were novel and different, I just didn’t fall into the book like I have in other novels.
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I agree with you that this book was conflicting. I too struggled to get lost in the magical world. But, i did like its subtler attempts at magic. It reminded me a tad of Dream Thieves where they act so casually about magic and it seems a lot less fantstical.
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I agree that the characters acting casual when it comes to magic is very interesting to read, as the magic itself becomes more casual and therefore more plausible in our own reality.
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Like some other commenters, I thought that the magic in “Shadowshaper” felt different from the magic in other novels we have read. I agree with Erin in that maybe the reason it felt different was that it isn’t the Eurocentric magic we’re used to reading. I did enjoy that the magic was subtler and that the excitement of magic didn’t overshadow the characters and their development.
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I thought magic was more understated in Shadowshapers because we were being asked to consider the other ways magic might exist. For example, the actual instances of visible magic were few and often far between, but the city Sierra navigates is shown again and again to be an almost sentient, or living, structure that was magic in and of itself. It moves, lives, it breathes, it dies, all the time, all around her (81).
Family, connection, and memory also possess degrees of magic. The shadowshaper practice is based in these things, and they are what attract the spirit Lucera and make shadowshapers able to see and interact with spirits: they recognize everything is connected, they remember the dead, they generally have open minds and a willingness to imagine and accept possibilities others are closed off to. Don’t know if you’ve ever been to Bed Stuy or Brooklyn, but murals, public art, community – those are all so important there. And, in a way, they’re a type of magic that transforms the cold buildings like the Tower into something capable of sustaining life; they infuse brick with the signs of their presence, histories, memories, the ugly and the beautiful, all in a manner that returns life to the dead and awakens the life within the city. Also, so much of the living Older portrays is proliferated with ritual, a requirement of most magical systems: stoop sitting every night. Cookouts. Hair braiding and dinner with bio- and chosen-family. Building something, somewhere, even when there are those who don’t understand your ecosystem and want to tear it down in favor of something they value over you.
Anyway. Just my take!
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