Even outside of fantasy stories, magic has many flavors. Magic was how our remote ancestors explained things they didn’t understand. As we learned more about how the world around us worked, magic fell in and out of favor.
In Europe, magic had a public relations problem until the mid 20th century. Africa has a long and varied history with magic and mysticism. Islam also distrusted magic, although belief in Djinn and forces beyond human control were widely accepted. Asia has as many different beliefs in magic as there are different people across the continent.
Australia, and the many islands of the Pacific also viewed magic as a real part of life. The Americas incorporated magical beliefs into everyday life, with different stories and traditions. The modern world views magic as an fossil from our collective history. As people learn more about science, technology, and engineering, magic fades away until there is nothing left.
My book, Fantastic America, explores how the 21st century might react to the sudden reappearance of magic. Would people embrace a power they don’t understand, would they study it to learn more, or might they reject it outright? Religion and magic have often been at odds, especially Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. How would a more secular society react to manifestations of powers and events with no obvious explanation? The Magic Unleashed series will try to answer these questions, and more.