Advice for a Gaslamp Fantasy World

[Raglan]

I watched the old BBC series Fall of Eagles, about the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian imperial dynasties from 1848 to 1918, and while I'm a little embarrassed to discuss my writing ideas, I have an idea for a story involving a royal family in a Gaslamp Fantasy series.

The setting would likely have to be low fantasy, but how "low" would the fantasy have to be to result in Fantasy Europe turning into Victorian Europe? At the moment, I don't think there will be no non-human races. Could my idea work?

 

[pmmg]

Yes, the idea can work.

And....You get to decide what shapes the world and what does not. If you take our world, go back to a period of time, and add new factors, we cannot have the same world we have today. But mileage may vary. How changed and how much the same can only be speculated at. If you have no things that would just change everything, it would not be crazy to say something like Victorian Europe evolved anyway.

But, if I want to, I could probably take even a small change and show how that could disrupt everything.


Make the fantasy low enough, and it probably just some type of historical fiction.

 

[Raglan]

Yes, the idea can work.

And....You get to decide what shapes the world and what does not. If you take our world, go back to a period of time, and add new factors, we cannot have the same world we have today. But mileage may vary. How changed and how much the same can only be speculated at. If you have no things that would just change everything, it would not be crazy to say something like Victorian Europe evolved anyway.

But, if I want to, I could probably take even a small change and show how that could disrupt everything.


Make the fantasy low enough, and it probably just some type of historical fiction.

The good news in that regard is that this is not our world per se, but rather a fictional world clearly based on our world in the 1800s.

 

[skip.knox]

Well, that setting has been done quite a bit, so you can be confident about reception. Most, however, have been resolutely English. Choosing somewhere in eastern or even central Europe would at once make it seem exotic to most American and English readers.

How low the fantasy? Some simple magics of limited effect. You could also posit magic on the retreat in the face of urbanization and technological advances (another frequent theme). That would let you sprinkle in as much as you like while also arbitrarily limiting it. I think Gaslamp has a restricted time period, since it comes prior to electrification but after (or alongside of) steam. The 19thc saw such radical change in every aspect, you'll want to pay some attention to the era you choose. Here again, shifting the geography can give you some flexibility.

 

[Prince of Spires]

Any idea can work. It's the execution of the idea that matters, not the idea itself. There are plenty of Gaslamp fantasy stories, so go for it.

As for how to get there, does it actually matter? You could just start with the world as you want it to be. Plenty of stories don't describe how the world came to be the way it is. They just accept that it is and move on from there. So start with your Victorian era Gaslamp world, and handwave how it came to be. If it's important for the story to know some history, then work on that specifically.

As for the amount of magic you place in your world, that's all up to you. One thing to consider is that in some gaslamp or steampunk worlds technology takes the place of magic. As in, there isn't any specific magic as such, but rather the technology does things which aren't actually possible or have existed in the real world. As in, the technology itself is "magical".

You can of course still have magic in one form or another (Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo comes to mind here), but it is by no means necessary.

 

[Raglan]

Any idea can work. It's the execution of the idea that matters, not the idea itself. There are plenty of Gaslamp fantasy stories, so go for it.

As for how to get there, does it actually matter? You could just start with the world as you want it to be. Plenty of stories don't describe how the world came to be the way it is. They just accept that it is and move on from there. So start with your Victorian era Gaslamp world, and handwave how it came to be. If it's important for the story to know some history, then work on that specifically.

As for the amount of magic you place in your world, that's all up to you. One thing to consider is that in some gaslamp or steampunk worlds technology takes the place of magic. As in, there isn't any specific magic as such, but rather the technology does things which aren't actually possible or have existed in the real world. As in, the technology itself is "magical".

You can of course still have magic in one form or another (Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo comes to mind here), but it is by no means necessary.

You raise some good points, but I'm also concerned with things having at least some sort of internal logic to them. Would a society with magic users even need to industrialize, if they can use magic to fix the problem?

 

[CupofJoe]

Work out what magic can't do and cost [time money resources, education etc.] of what it can.
It could easily be that the manual/mundane cost of doing X is cheaper than the magic costs.
Are there societal taboos to using magic [pro and con]?
Do people think made-by-hand is better/worse than made-by-magic?
As a RL example...In the late Victorian age in Great Britain there was an Arts And Craft movement that distained the use of industrially produced goods and preferred the hand crafted artisanal work. okay this was hand vs machine and not hand vs magic, but the ideal is there.

 

[Finchbearer]

I watched the old BBC series Fall of Eagles, about the German, Austro-Hungarian, and Russian imperial dynasties from 1848 to 1918, and while I'm a little embarrassed to discuss my writing ideas, I have an idea for a story involving a royal family in a Gaslamp Fantasy series.

The setting would likely have to be low fantasy, but how "low" would the fantasy have to be to result in Fantasy Europe turning into Victorian Europe? At the moment, I don't think there will be no non-human races. Could my idea work?

Have you read or watched Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrel by Susanna Clarke? I mean reading it would make more sense because she has adopted a 19C vernacular for her writing style, and the story is also probably considered low fantasy.

I’ve read quite a few low fantasy books that are set in the 19C and it’s probably one of my favourite fantasy genres, so don’t be afraid to just go ahead and write what you have in mind. Gas lamp fantasy series? Sign me up!

 

[Prince of Spires]

You raise some good points, but I'm also concerned with things having at least some sort of internal logic to them. Would a society with magic users even need to industrialize, if they can use magic to fix the problem?

That very much depends on your magic system. If each time you use magic someone you love dies, then that world very much needs to industrialize. If it's basically raining unicorns and you can handwave whatever you want, then maybe not.

A couple of things to consider.

The first is that while you might want to know how your world ended up in its current state, most readers don't. In general people simply accept the setting as a given and take it from there. If the story demands that the origin makes sense and it plays a role in the story, then you need to have it make sense. However, if not, then you can just completely ignore the topic of how the world came to be and just start with your gaslamp setting as it is and move forward from there.

The other thing is that people are naturally curious. If they have time left over, they will start investigating the world. When humans first discovered electricity, it was just a curiosity. It had no practical application. And those inventors certainly couldn't have predicted the impact it would have on the world. And yet, they still researched it, simply to see what it was and did.

So even if they have no need to industrialize, they could still discover all the elements needed to industrialize. And they could come to realize that having technology working together with magic would be better than having only magic.

 

[Dankolisic]

Not a bad idea, similar to Castlevania: nocturnal

So, you are thinking about a world that looked like ours, but in a different timeline, where non-humans devised the same civilization and civilization points to get where they are ( rome, the fall of rome, the invention of the wheel) or similar history? Maybe they don't need the same timeline of events but still the world changed to get where it is. That means someone produces candles, ship sails, blacksmiths, ropes, designing clothes, glass etc.

How about some more specification? What is the primary trade source in the world?

 

[Finchbearer]

How about some more specification? What is the primary trade source in the world?

Ooh, this reminds of another great story, Babel by RF Kuang, where she kept the world as we know it but silver is commodity that is traded, and holds magical properties.

 

[Dankolisic]

Ooh, this reminds of another great story, Babel by RF Kuang, where she kept the world as we know it but silver is commodity that is traded, and holds magical properties.

Just changing one trade source for a world similar to ours can shift a whole civilization. A really fun idea to play when writing lore.

 

[Raglan]

Not a bad idea, similar to Castlevania: nocturnal

So, you are thinking about a world that looked like ours, but in a different timeline, where non-humans devised the same civilization and civilization points to get where they are ( rome, the fall of rome, the invention of the wheel) or similar history? Maybe they don't need the same timeline of events but still the world changed to get where it is. That means someone produces candles, ship sails, blacksmiths, ropes, designing clothes, glass etc.

How about some more specification? What is the primary trade source in the world?

Yes, though I think I'll only have humans in this world. I don't have a problem with the standard fantasy races by any means, I just can't think of anything interesting to do with them.

The plot would center around a character based on the Greek Revolution and Prince Otto of Bavaria, who was chosen to become the Greek king. The protagonist would be a young member of a minor royal family chosen to become king of a new nation which he is a stranger to.

 

[Dankolisic]

Yes, though I think I'll only have humans in this world. I don't have a problem with the standard fantasy races by any means, I just can't think of anything interesting to do with them.

The plot would center around a character based on the Greek Revolution and Prince Otto of Bavaria, who was chosen to become the Greek king. The protagonist would be a young member of a minor royal family chosen to become king of a new nation which he is a stranger to.

So, it's basically everything the same? The whole world, names, countries, events but with non-humans?

 

[Raglan]

So, it's basically everything the same? The whole world, names, countries, events but with non-humans?

No, the opposite - only humans exist in this world, and while their history has similarities to that of Earth, it is not the same.

 

[Dankolisic]

No, the opposite - only humans exist in this world, and while their history has similarities to that of Earth, it is not the same.

Oh, I understand now. Sorry took me a while
Well I think the fantasy must not intercept much with the rest of the world ( because in the event of finding out publicly there is magic everyone would try to exploit it ) and in the opposite if only the govermental few know about magic they can keep it hidden because they fear a revolt.

Can I ask what is the thing that makes this world different from ours? Is it something that came not so long ago so the world progressed to victorian times?

 

[Rexenm]

I am wondering what jobs you would have.

That means someone produces candles, ship sails, blacksmiths, ropes, designing clothes, glass etc.

In that time of the Industrial Revolution it was basically the salesman. The story goes into magical heights, so maybe scaling it back would work also. Since it is land locked there would be no pirates, so maybe some land sharks or such?

 

[Raglan]

Oh, I understand now. Sorry took me a while
Well I think the fantasy must not intercept much with the rest of the world ( because in the event of finding out publicly there is magic everyone would try to exploit it ) and in the opposite if only the govermental few know about magic they can keep it hidden because they fear a revolt.

Can I ask what is the thing that makes this world different from ours? Is it something that came not so long ago so the world progressed to victorian times?

One suggestion I've received is to make magic so difficult to use that only a few can use it with any expectation of success. As far as how this world is different from our own, the differences are not that extreme. If that's boring, you aren't wrong. However, I'm more interested in the politics of the world than the fantastic elements.

I am wondering what jobs you would have.

In that time of the Industrial Revolution it was basically the salesman. The story goes into magical heights, so maybe scaling it back would work also. Since it is land locked there would be no pirates, so maybe some land sharks or such?

I'm a bit confused, what is landlocked?

 

[Rexenm]

I'm a bit confused, what is landlocked?

Mosquitos, but no fish.

 

[Dankolisic]

One suggestion I've received is to make magic so difficult to use that only a few can use it with any expectation of success. As far as how this world is different from our own, the differences are not that extreme. If that's boring, you aren't wrong. However, I'm more interested in the politics of the world than the fantastic elements.

I'm a bit confused, what is landlocked?

No, it does not sound boring.
Okay, so magic is difficult and only few can wield. Is magic popular? Is it known throughout the world?