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One of the elements of this story is the use of magic. How do you think it affects the story? Could it have a bigger part or role to play as we get deeper into the series? HAve an opinion?

Mr. Nelson's excellent use of magic adds to the story by creating more mystery and it gives him free reign to make unbelieveable and unexplainable events happen. I don't know why but when I think of the word magic, it is harmless but when I hear sorcery it is evil. So I'm thinking as the story goes on, maybe a more spiritual magic vs. sorcery will occur.

Magic serves many purposes in the series: 1. Magic takes the place of acts of violence to destroy people. The illustrations of the deceased father Marin and the prostitute show trauma (fatal) but I do not have images of guns or razors in my mind because they died by "magic"-instead I have an image of a spider or some huge bug. The use of magic in works of fiction is socially acceptable in todays' war-torn society. 2. Magic takes the place of action sequences so car or foot chases do not have to be described-magic positions characters in the necessary places. 3. Magic increases the tension in the storyline due to the fact that the Church denounces the use of magic yet the Church employs magic to rid society of unsavory characters. I feel that Mr. Nelson will continue to utilize magic in limited quantities in the series so that the images and the presence of limited words allow the reader let their imagination soar in order to understand the plot which equals great fiction. Question: Why do some adults have difficulty and are even insulted when works of fiction contain magic? :blink:

Shouldn't that be " Why do SOME adults have difficulty and are even insulted when works of fiction contain magic?

I am not insulted, or have difficulty when works of fiction contain magic. I think every author is entitled to use any strategy they need to in order to create the ambiance they need to enable the plot to succeed. It is not a get out but a strategy to help promote the plot.

I am insulted if an author uses magic as a cheap get out when it has not previously been an integral part of the plot/storyline. Or if they misuse a specific aspect of what they perceive to be magic.

Good points Macktheknife-and my question probably comes from my position as a high school instructor when I used a graphic novel with magic to teach a concept-several instructors were insulted even terribly irritated that I would utilize such a genre-will edit question-but I never got much of a response but a roll of the eyes. B)

Nurseanne8 I understand that situation as I used to teach and found that if I did anything that went away from the trite and ordinary some colleagues looked askance at it. I once used Bram Stoker's Dracula to teach a whole terms work of history, geography, different genres and one or two other things - it worked with the pupils. In fact it was magic as some of them became interested in subjects that would other wise have bored them. One aspect of the magic in RM is that it works on so many levels - as education should but rarely does!

Macktheknife I agree- also factor in the reality that the internet provides stiff competition in the quest to open the world of books to students- educators need to develop an awareness of what will catch the interest of students and also provide the required instruction. Mr. Nelson's fantastic website provides the "hook" to interest students and the graphic novel series would be a great way to embark upon a "real" study of the events pre WW2-for application the students could create their own graphic works containing historical facts-the possibilities are endless if educators would take a risk and give it a try. :)

NurseAnne? Me thinks you should be a History teacher. You have a willingness about you and a curiosity about finding what could help the student embrace a subject like History that can easily be boring and dry.

The use of magic in the story, for me, is merely part of the genre. We're already in a fictional/fantasy/sci-fi setting, so the magic is all part of that setting. Of course it adds to the plot so I find it fascinating. On the question of why SOME adults fear magic in stories, look at the whole Harry Potter series. When that first novel came out, some teachers were barred from reading it aloud to their classes due to the "wizadry" component. Look at how that series has opened up reading to more kids, as well as the similar types of fantasy books i.e. Eragon, etc. I think that "magic" has now become more acceptable to adults since they've seen the impact these novels have had on their children. Plus, look at the whole LOTR trilogy-----filled with magic. There's something about it, the unknown, that is highly appealing.

As for using different types of stories in education, at least in my area, that has been happening for quite some time. Having said that, high school students especially also need to be aware of the "classics" from the past that also tie into their lives and history as well. You will always have those that will smirk at certain novels, but from my experience, most educators are open to new ideas and strategies to reach kids. So before we generalize to a whole group of dedicated and excellent teachers, please keep that in mind. I'll get off my soapbox now. :ph43r:

Can I ask what age range high school students are please?

I agree with you, Herestoyou. Sadly in England there is a thing called the National Curriculum which is very prescriptive and in some subjects repressive.

I also agree that the Harry Potter books opened up a whole new world of reading and books to some children and adults, as did the LOTR trilogy. I think the appeal was the sense of the unknown and the sense of wonder we can experience when seeing something that we cannot explain. I feel that the magic will get deeper as the stories progress - I am not sure if it will be for good or bad.

I read somewhere that when 'magic' is used it had to go somewhere and that there is only a certain amount of 'magic' available at any one time. Just pondering if RM is going to have a limited amount of magic.

In my area, high school refers to grades 9-12, ages 14-18 approximately.

I understand this completely MtKnife-----in our country it's No Child Left Behind. When I look at the activities I used to do with my students 13 years ago, compared to what I can do today, it saddens me. I am trying to work within the system, but sometimes it's very difficult. I won't get started on all of the politics of it here since this isn't the thread topic, but would be willing to discuss it with you if you want to PM me. :)

I did not mean to attack educators as I feel they are generally unappreciated-possibly the problem is that the lawmakers who decide what policies like no child left behind have no idea what is going on in today's classroom and should be required to revisit before policies become attached to funding for education. This is not the place for this discussion and I feel most educators are doing the best they can within the confines of standarized testing. Magic in fiction in the classics and in graphic novels is what motivates me to read-one can also find "magic" in a well written piece of nonfiction. B)

How true-my daughter read the nonfiction book 102 Minutes about the 9-11 tragedy which tied into American History-------she was enthralled. Yes, one can find "magic" ,literally and figuratively,(sorry for this reference) in all forms of literature. OK-I'm sticking to Rex Mundi now. :)

Agreed! :shistle

Agreed!

I see we have an accord! :captainjack

Sorry mates, couldn't help meself. lol

Cute Karen!! B)

Nice one Karen! We'll keep to the code in future!