Antonio del Drago (a fellow writer on the fantasy writing group on G+ asked the questions) 1.

How do you feel about magic systems in fantasy fiction? 2. Should authors spend the time to develop a detailed, fleshed-out magic system? 3. Or would that time be better spent writing, and leaving the magic mysterious and unexplained?

It depends. If the world you are developing depends strongly on the use and interactions of magic and its ability to affect the world, then it may make sense to at least define the six circumstances: The Five Ws, Five Ws and one H, or the Six Ws are questions whose answers are considered basic in information-gathering. They are often mentioned in journalism (cf. news style), research, and police investigations. They constitute a formula for getting the complete story on a subject. According to the principle of the Five Ws, a report can only be considered complete if it answers these questions starting with an interrogative word: WHO: Who uses magic, who teaches it, can you learn it naturally? Was it a gift of the gods or only possible through demonic sacrifice? WHAT: What happens to magic users as a consequences of using magic? Do they tire, weaken, age, mutate, or even die every time they use magical energies? Can they use magic to modify things normally outside of the realms of mortal man such as time, life force, major natural environmental issues. Can mages use their magic to avoid or slow aging, destroy continents with earthquakes or alter reality on a temporary or permanent basis? WHEN: When did magic start working, when did it stop, were there circumstance where magic didn't work or places it worked best. When is the best time or worst time to use magic? For that matter, are there times when magic is able to be used with greater (or lesser) potency or effect (full moon, new moon, high tide, low tide, planetary alignments, astrological signs in ascendency) WHERE: Where was magic discovered, where is magic welcome or shunned, where does magic have dominance, has magic replaced part or all of technological development in some cultures? Did a lost culture or rediscovered lore (dragons, fey, Nyarlethotep, Necronomicon) bring magic into the new age as a prominent force? Were people happy about this? WHY: Why is there magic at all? Rupture in space-time, ley lines, collective force scattered throughout the universe. Could it be mistaken for psychic or psionic ability instead (mental powers pretending to be magical ones, not using magic but tapping personal energy instead.

If you don't see magical interactions happening or don't have a world where magic is a dominant force, then you can skip the previous list and keep your magic so mysterious even the reader can barely tell you are using it.
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Think Lord of the Rings. Gandalf has the Elven ring of Fire and barely uses it. He conjures some fireworks, makes dramatic lighting and maybe used it to kill a Balrog, maybe not, the jury is still out... No. You don't need to do any of this. You can write and just let your imagination do the heavy lifting. But the longer your series goes and the more magic you show, the more likely discontinuities will creep into your work. I find when I work out the limitations, the boundaries of magic are where my best stories crop up.

These are works with systematic magic systems and by no means is this an all inclusive list, just a few series I enjoyed and think the magic is well defined, well structured, integral to the story without overpowering it.

L.E. Modesitt, Jr - The Saga of Recluce Series and The Imager Portfolio are both series where magic is both systematically defined and excellently written. In my opinion, these are two series where the definition of how well the magic systems are defined lent themselves to making the stories as compelling as they are.

Roger Zelazny - The Chronicles of Amber series was built around an integrated magical/science fiction fusion which was well-developed and lent itself to developing the boundaries of his world. He used magic based in a Tarot-card like system called Trumps, spell casting and psychic powers. The first five books are the best in my opinion, but the second five take a different and more direct approach to magic use.

Raymond Feist - The Riftwar Saga, rumored to have been developed at least partially from roleplaying games he and his friends played when they were younger. The scale of the magic in these books ranges from barely magical to reality alteration. The first five books and the three written with Janny Wurts are the best examples of systematic magics.

James Clemens - The Banned and the Banished is a series where magic is inherent in everything and nearly everyone we follow through the course of the story. Sometimes overt, other times hidden but it is the sense of structure in the magic system which helps keep the story from going off the rails. The magic is both powerful and limited, amazing and yet believable.

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