Where Science Meets Spellcraft: Building Worlds on the Edge of Magic and Math

“Magic’s just science that we don’t understand yet.” — Arthur C. Clarke, paraphrased.

Science is a crucial element in science fiction stories, but for me, a creative, geeky, STEM girl, it’s crucial in the telling of great fantasy as well. The concept of “science as magic” was pretty much embedded in my creative process at an early age.

Raised by a Star Trek/Star Wars-loving architect father and a creative, dramatic, art teacher mother, my sense of wonder and curiosity was fanned from the start, leading to a university science degree with a minor in fine arts. I even pencileda few issues for DC comics during that time!

I’m a full-time writer now, and weaving science into the fantastical worlds I build is second nature. Curiosity leads me as I research different science streams to create unique ecosystems, magic systems, political systems and more. From music to string theory, water cycle to zoology, I love combining science with imagination, and for me, that makes the writing of fantasy immersive, grounded and rich.

For example, the world in Ship of Spells is a circumbinary system, meaning it has two suns. Of course I was inspired by Star Wars’ Tatooine, so I had to dig into the types of planetary orbits. I mean, I had to! Did this planet orbit one sun as they both orbited the second, or did the planet orbit both suns as they orbited each other? Which types of orbits are the most stable? How might that affect the weather?

This planet also has three moons, which, being a water planet, has huge meteorological implications for tides and water cycles. I spent weeks in rabbit-hole after rabbit-hole, happily building a semi-stable world for Honor Renn, Gavriel Thanavar and the crew of the Touchstone, because as dry as that sounds, it has huge story ramifications as well.

You see, in this world, the two empires (Oversea and Nethersea) are separated at the equator by a massive wall of water. This Dreadwall rushes upwards to the skies, contradicting the laws of physics and gravity, but, because of the three moons, the gravitational swell is enormous, giving this elemental marvel some plausibility.

It also creates the setting and the conflict, as the Nethersea empire has found a way to breach this wall and attack Oversea ships and ports alike. This is responsible for the inciting incident (the sinking of the Dawn Watch) and triggers all of the events afterward.

Also, in this world, there is not only political strife because of this Dreadwall, but also religious tensions because of the suns and the moons. Some factions worship Forge, the greater of the two suns; some worship Ember, the smaller and paler, and others worship the Sister Moons. While this religious tension doesn’t directly affect the plot, it is a part of societal world-building, fleshing out who does what and why.

Now, when it comes to zoology, I use my understanding to create fascinating creatures. I wrote my book, Dragon of Ash & Stars, as an autobiography (yes, from the dragon’s point of view!) and I drew on my work with predators in the Edinburgh Zoological Gardens as support.

From big cats to big birds (raptors) and a polar bear or two, I was able to write Stormfall as an apex predator, not a magical creature, and explore what a world might really be like if dragons roamed the skies. In Ship of Spells, I created sailfins and jellyheads, winter hawks and massive, unnamed shelled creatures that consume schools of squid the way whales swallow fish.

In the same way, genetics plays a role in my world-building. In my Rise of the Upper Kingdom series, the main characters are genetically altered people whose DNA has been fused with that of lions, tigers, wolves and bears, etc., giving them adaptations to help them in a post-apocalyptic world.

In Ship of Spells, I harnessed that same fascination for anthropomorphic peoples by way of fauns and harpies, minotaurs and cyclopes. Considered in our world to be creatures of Greek mythology, they inhabit the continents of Oversea along with Tolkien-inspired dworghs (dwarves), elves ( the enemy Rhi’Ahr) and humans. This is a part of the magic that makes the crew of the Touchstone so perfectly relatable.

Magic systems are often one of the most important features in any fantasy story, and in this world, it’s loosely based on two science streams: one quantum and the other artistic. It is music meets string theory.

From the stars in the sky to the clothes on one’s back, everything in this world is connected in “the Worldrune,” a celestial web of energy and matter. To pluck one “string” is to cause a vibration that can affect another string in an entirely different way. If you play the runes in correct succession, you make a pattern and “cast a spell.”

If you’re particularly skilled, you can cast a symphony. If you’re malicious or careless, you can destroy everything. And if you have access to “chimeric,” the ancient alchemical powder that is the source of all magic, you are powerful and dangerous beyond belief.

That’s what happens to Honor Renn, the protagonist of Ship of Spells, and that’s where our story begins.

So, I hope you’ll join me on this exploration of science-based fantasy, or fantastical science, or whatever combination of the two that most pleases you! It’s a swift-moving story sailing on riptides, crosscurrents and stiff sharp winds, so grab your spyglass and your boots, swabbie. I hope to see you on deck!

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