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Author Topic: The Elements of Spellcrafting by Jason Miller  (Read 2371 times)

Jenett

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The Elements of Spellcrafting by Jason Miller
« on: March 05, 2018, 05:21:49 pm »
Elsethread, I mentioned that I was in the middle of reading this. This isn't a review yet, since I'm not done with it,  but a little commentary.

If you like Jason's other work, you'll like this, very much - it's distilled down principles of things he's tested and taught, broken down into brief chapters with key concepts.

It is, however, a book likely to be a bit baffling to beginners, because while the principles are explained in a pretty straightforward way, a lot of the examples he gives are not explained. Most of them will be pretty familiar to people if you've been reading his blog or his other books, or are comfortable with a bit of search engine puttering, though.  They're not essential to understanding the points he's actually making - but you'll get a lot more if you get some of the examples.

As always, though, I really like his practicality, and especially the emphasis on making a life where magical work has a reasonable chance of success and room to maneuver.

Other people reading it? Thoughts? Comments?
« Last Edit: March 06, 2018, 07:53:07 am by Jenett »
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Re: The Elements of Spellcrafting by Jason Mille
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2018, 11:58:42 pm »
If you like Jason's other work, you'll like this, very much

I do. This is going on the to-buy list!

Eastling

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Re: The Elements of Spellcrafting by Jason Miller
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2018, 11:56:42 pm »
Other people reading it? Thoughts? Comments?

I started reading this last night and I wish I'd read it earlier. It's a really good framework for the not-quite-beginner, I think: someone who's past the "is magic real? What can it do?" phase and wants to get into the details of how.
"The peacock can show its whole tail at once, but I can only tell you a story."
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Re: The Elements of Spellcrafting by Jason Miller
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2018, 12:03:15 am »
If you like Jason's other work, you'll like this, very much - it's distilled down principles of things he's tested and taught, broken down into brief chapters with key concepts.

It's on top of my read list but I'm trying not to buy books I'm not going to read immediately (*cough*) so I'm waiting. But I like Miller a lot and I'm looking forward to it.
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Re: The Elements of Spellcrafting by Jason Miller
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2018, 11:30:11 pm »
It's on top of my read list but I'm trying not to buy books I'm not going to read immediately (*cough*) so I'm waiting. But I like Miller a lot and I'm looking forward to it.
Okay listening to people talk about this has moved it up enough that I bought it. Nice job.

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Re: The Elements of Spellcrafting by Jason Miller
« Reply #5 on: March 15, 2018, 12:22:26 am »
I started reading this last night and I wish I'd read it earlier. It's a really good framework for the not-quite-beginner, I think: someone who's past the "is magic real? What can it do?" phase and wants to get into the details of how.

I'm a couple chapters away from the end now and I still think it's a really solid book on practical application of magical theory. I'd recommend it to any intermediate magician looking to step back and get a grip on how their practice works or doesn't work.

One thing worth mentioning is that Miller's magic is heavily reliant on calling upon spirits and/or Powers. That mostly works for me, but I don't know if it would for everyone.
"The peacock can show its whole tail at once, but I can only tell you a story."
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Re: The Elements of Spellcrafting by Jason Miller
« Reply #6 on: March 18, 2018, 11:26:08 pm »
I'm a couple chapters away from the end now and I still think it's a really solid book on practical application of magical theory. I'd recommend it to any intermediate magician looking to step back and get a grip on how their practice works or doesn't work.

One thing worth mentioning is that Miller's magic is heavily reliant on calling upon spirits and/or Powers. That mostly works for me, but I don't know if it would for everyone.

Hmm... Mine's a blend of calling on Powers/Spirits/Deities but also a bit of elemental work. Definitely will need to put this on my list.
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
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