A Manifesto for Magicians: Cyborgism in V.E. Schwab's Fantasy Novels
INTRODUCTION There are generally two schools of thought when the term cyborg appears in a conversation. The first school of thought is of those who most likely picture a Terminator-like character that combines technology with the human body; this would be the traditional sense of cyborgism prominent in science fiction. The second school of thought goes beyond the traditional definition towards the seminal work of Donna Haraway –– "A Manifesto for Cyborgs" –– which focuses on the social implications of blurring lines of technology and man as well as fiction and reality, among others. These two definitions of cyborg can coexist and even enhance one another as they're applied to speculative works. In particular, V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic and Threads of Power series are perfect demonstrations of both definitions of cyborg coexisting to enhance the worlds of the novels.
MAGIC AND POWER While the world is full of wonders, there is one particular fantastical experience it is sorely lacking: magic. But what if this world was one of four, each of the others brimming with it? That is the main premise of V.E. Schwab's two fantasy series Shades of Magic (which will be abbreviated simply to Magic)1 and Threads of Power (which will be abbreviated simply to Power)2: there are four parallel worlds connected by a shared city –– London. Each of these parallel Londons –– where the majority of the story in the novels take place since only rarely is the world beyond the city seen –– is characterized by how much magic it possesses and has been given corresponding colors: there's Black London, which has been overtaken by magic and has lost all living creatures; White London, which struggles to find magic in its dying and cruel world; Red London, which is the main stage for each book, has the most prominent magic; and finally, Grey London, which emulates the real world's lack of magic as well as historically places the series in the early 1800s by the presence of King George III. Within the world of these books, magic is defined as a force that resides in everything and everyone (veschwab). In this way, magic is almost like the Force from the Star Wars franchise; it is something possessed by every living being, but only a select few have enough in themselves to wield its power.
There are multiple ways these various levels of magic emerge throughout the story. There are magical objects with the ability to perform very specific actions that are dictated by the spells forged into them, such as swords that burn strangers' hands when touched or a coat enchanted to have multiple sides when turned inside-out. There are general magicians with control over the elements. These elemental magicians can usually only control one element, but there are a few known to have the ability to control one or two; one of the main characters in Magic and Power, Alucard Emery3, can control three elements (water, earth, and air). There are also two known people among all of the Londons known to be able to see magic: Tesali Ranek, who sees magic like threads and can thus manipulate magic even though she doesn't have control over any elements, and Alucard Emery, who just sees magic as a color-coordinated aura around people. And finally, there are the Antari –– the most powerful magicians who don't necessarily need standard spells or devices to use their magic or control elements, though they do have specific spells only they can use that are activated by their blood. The majority of the main characters in the novels are Antari: Kell Maresh, from Red London (Magic, Power); Delilah "Lila" Bard, from Grey London (Magic, Power); Holland Vosijk, from White London (Magic); and Kosika, from White London (Power).
What results from the combination of magical characters and multiple Londons is a multidimensional story detailing the rise and fall of man's quest for power and the greed it may breed when one seeks power all for themselves. This power and magic are integral not just for the sake of the plot but to truly understand the characters. The integration of magic with the human characters of Magic and Power results in the presence of cyborgs in each of these parallel Londons; but what, exactly, does this mean for these novels? There are two co-existing cyborg paths to follow to discover this impact: traditional, technological-driven cyborgism and the cyborg associated with Donna Haraway's "Manifesto".
TRADITIONAL CYBORGISM The first path of discovery pertains to the idea of science fiction's typical cyborg: the traditional definition of the cyborg paints a picture of a half-man, half-machine creature whose abilities extend further than those of regular humans (OED "cyborg"). Within this definition is the understanding that machine refers to some form of technology, since the prefix cyb- comes from the term cybernetic, which concerns itself with the integration of technological devices in an organic being (OED "cybernetic"). The combination of these cybernetic and cyborg definitions would fit perfectly well in a conversation about Darth Vader4 or Bucky Barnes5 because these two characters, among others, are the epitome of the melding of technology and humanity. This definition in the context of these two examples, however, still relies heavily on the idea of technology being something mechanical or electric; there is a physical presence of the nonorganic thing that helps define cyborgism.
Before discussing this traditional form of cyborgism in context with a series of magical fantasy novels, I first need to expand the idea of the traditional cyborg. The main components can still be man and technology, but what constitutes technology needs to be more encompassing and not so narrowly defined as the popular use of the word (which tends to limit technology to something electronic such as phones and computers). For this wider view of technology, new media scholar Marshall McCluhan, known for his impactful article "The Medium is the Message", has termed technology as anything whose purpose is "the change of scale or pace or pattern that [is] introduce[d] into human affairs" (1). It is not what, exactly, technology may do that is important but rather the fact that it exists simply to expand or extend human capabilities. This very well could mean smartphones and computers, but it also extends technology to mean things such as the act of writing or the invention of human language. This expanded definition of technology results in the inclusion of magic as an example of technology.
Magic aligns perfectly with McCluhan's definition of technology because it exists entirely to aid humans in the worlds of Shades of Magic and Threads of Power. While magic allows Antari to travel between the parallel Londons6 and stop the power-hungry personification of magic7, there are also a lot of practical applications of magic and spells seen throughout both series. One of the most common uses of spells in Red London is magical wards. These spells are meant to give people a sense of security and to protect them from outside dangers. While things such as knives and fists could theoretically help with this protection, spells that literally don't allow uninvited guests into the space are vastly more effective than human intimidation could ever be because it gives humans more space to do other tasks while still feeling secure and protected. There is a scene in The Fragile Threads of Power in which an unnamed thief turns to actual ash when crossing one of these protection wards trying to escape with their stolen goods, thus allowing the goods to be recovered when the humans are all busy almost bleeding to death (54); this is, quite literally, magic expanding human capabilities by letting the owners of the warding multitask in order to thwart the efforts of the thieves aiming to rob them of a dangerous magical artifact8. To relate this back to McCluhan's definition of technology, it changed the scale of people's lives by making it smaller (no one can go in or out of the wards without permission, meaning they would effectively be trapped on either side) while also interrupting the pace of lives (people literally died).
Other mundane uses of magic demonstrated in Red London include a spelled pitcher so that water always comes out hot as well as scrying boards that can be used for announcements or to talk face-to-face to other board users regardless of where they may be in the city (Darker 251). These two specific examples mimic technology present in the real world (or future Grey London): hot water heaters warm water for use while phones and other screened electronics allow for easier communication (things like phone calls, texting, and video calls) and information dissemination (things such as social media or the news). The fact that magical spells are so easily able to emulate items typically deemed as technology in the real world also helps to further prove that magic itself is technology; these real-world examples are perfectly attuned to McCluhan's definition of technology since they change the scale (communication across thousands of miles via video calls or texting), pace (notifications keep people up-to-date but they can always use social media to find the information after something has happened), and pattern (no longer having to wait for water to boil over a stove to get hot water for baths or cooking) of human lives. So, if the real-world equivalents of these magical objects are considered technology, why wouldn't the magical objects themselves when they contribute the exact same societal changes?
There are, of course, examples of more grand uses of magic. There is one highly notable instance of magic accomplishing what human beings could not9: the scene in A Darker Shade of Magic in which Rhy Maresh10 dies and gets resurrected minutes later. Utilizing a black stone that is essentially magic incarnate, Kell brings his brother back to life and ties their lives together using a soul seal, something that can't be broken, unlike a normal spell. Now, if Kell gets hurt, so does Rhy, and Rhy will no longer die unless Kell dies first. Kell himself acknowledges this feat isn't supposed to be possible: "'But this . . . this is . . . Impossible,' said Kell. 'This kind of magic, it doesn't exist'" (Darker 320). The characters themselves acknowledge the impossibility; magic quite literally changed the scale, pace, and pattern of life at that moment. Rhy's life was interrupted by a brief stint of dying, impacting the pace of his life by ending with him unable to die or be killed in future books (he is referred to as the Unkillable King in Fragile). The mere fact that Rhy was brought back to life also calls into question the scale of human mortality; if he can't die, how long will he live naturally? That question is entirely dependent on how long Kell lives, which could very well be an obviously long time as an Antari. The action of reviving Rhy upsets the very balance of life that magic is meant to uphold, but magic itself was used to break that pattern of life and death. This just reestablishes the already-held belief of Red London that magic is a technology of life.
From everyday uses to grand, life-altering gestures, magic is a technology because it expands the capabilities of humans in ways that align with McCluhan's definition of technology. With this new fantastical addition to technology, the elements of the traditional definition of cyborg are fulfilled: the magicians of Shades of Magic and Threads of Power are cyborgs because they are humans with a heavy, integral reliance on technology via their use of magic. But to truly discover how magic is as important to the lives of these magicians, it would be helpful to discuss what life is like without access to their magic. Kell's powers were broken during the final battle with Osaron in A Conjuring of Light when Kell was caught in the disintegration of Osaron's magic; he had expected his magic to heal on its own like a broken bone or cut may heal naturally, but the issue never resolved itself. Kell had then tried to intervene in this recovery over the course of the next seven years in the books by forcing himself to use his powers despite the pain he felt, but it never worked. Kell losing his powers poses two main struggles for him. First, he can no longer change the world to benefit himself; he no longer has access to the technology that makes him a cyborg. Forced to contend a life without this freedom his powers afforded, Kell had to learn to do things the hard way by doing it for himself: "For years, if he felt so much as a chill, he could conjure flame into his hands, or warm the air against his skin, the gesture as natural as breathing. Effortless. Simple. But nothing was simple anymore" (Fragile 85). Kell is forced to contend with the life his brother11 has, one without magic and the extra capabilities it allows; he can no longer put his will upon the world when he needs it to change for him and instead must take things as they are12 (if the water pitcher isn't spelled to pour hot water, he can't warm up its cold contents anymore). The second struggle is the identity crisis Kell experiences as his core is stolen from him. This demonstrates just how integral magic was in Kell's life and truly speaks to the idea of magicians as cyborgs since Kell's sense of self is so tied to the idea of having magic and being a magician. He was forced to acknowledge that the thing that had made him special –– being an Antari –– was no longer an integral part of himself since he couldn't use his magic: "Who was he without magic? What was he worth? . . . He couldn't stop, not until the magic spoke to him again. Not until it remembered who and what he was" (Fragile 96). Kell's entire life was dictated by being a cyborg; ever since he was a child, Kell had ample access to power to accomplish whatever his little heart desired. A lot of these were small acts such as healing small wounds or traveling around Red London using the Antari travel spell; basically, his powers gave him the ability to change whatever circumstances he wished to be changed and he grew to rely on that ability. When he loses those abilities and can no longer influence the world as readily as he was once able, Kell's powers no longer fit the definition of technology; therefore, Kell can no longer be considered a cyborg since he is more man than magic. While Kell may no longer be considered a cyborg by the traditional definition, he still helps to fulfill some key roles of cyborgism as defined by Donna Haraway.
HARAWAY CYBORGISM The traditional definition of a cyborg discusses a creature that blurs the lines between man and technology. Donna Haraway's definition expands on this to encompass fiction and lived experience; she defines a cyborg as a creature of both created and natural worlds that can demonstrate "fiction mapping [of] our social and bodily reality and as an imaginative resource" (8). In essence, Haraway seeks to step beyond the physical nature of cyborgs to discuss their social and political implications. If the boundaries between man and machine can be rewritten and disrupted by cyborgs, what other lines could their existence blur? Haraway chooses to focus her argument for these possibilities on identity and the breaking of binaries and boundaries surrounding them.
The first boundary Haraway contests that the cyborg is capable of breaking is that of gender identity. In particular, she argues that the idea of womanhood doesn't really exist and that the gender binary is ". . . itself a highly complex category constructed in contested sexual scientific discourses and other social practices" (Haraway 14). Admittedly, there isn't much by way of magic that rectifies this identity discourse in Shades of Magic and Threads of Power13. The author provides the general sense that, in Red London, social identity doesn't matter so much as power does; each time a character gets berated or mocked, it isn't due to gender or sexuality but a perceived lack of magic. The Fragile Threads of Power highlights this focus on physical, magical power rather than connotations of social power from gender through the use of Nadiya Loreni, who married Rhy solely to utilize the social power of royalty to invent spells and enchanted objects. Her gender plays no part in any of the characters' perceptions of the queen, since she is treated solely as a brilliant inventor due to her engineering skills as well as her ability to control fire; Nadiya's proficiency in firework also stands in stark contrast to Rhy, whose minimal magical capabilities consist of the slightest hint at control over fire (Fragile 189; Darker 67). Essentially, this shows how one gender can't purport to be more powerful when magic is assigned randomly, with each gender being assumed to have been given an equal chance to move the elements. The very existence of the cyborgs in Magic and Power speaks directly to what Haraway contended the cyborg was capable of: the physical attributes that are afforded in the real world to have contributed to societal expectations and standards for men and women would be rendered fairly useless when anyone could use a spell or an element to complete the task. The equitable nature of man and woman in Red London is further reflected by the fact that both genders have equal opportunity to participate in the Essen Tasch, an Olympics-style magic game where the best magicians in the world compete to be the champion (Shadows 159). The equalized treatment of men and women is further demonstrated in Magic as Lila thinks back to her home of Grey London and all of the discrimination she faced as a woman; she recounts to Kell the two times men have attempted to sexually assault her purely because she was a woman and they felt like they could (Darker 68; 250). Lila grew up in a world very similar to real life: no magic and all of the societal trappings that come with it. That imbalance of genders results in Lila being seen as nothing more than a pound of flesh to be used14, despite the magic she would find herself to have in Red London15, which doesn't have the same societal standards in terms of gender identity.
Another boundary Haraway discusses briefly is sexuality. Specifically, she discusses heterosexuality and the way its expectations create rigidity for sexual identity when there should be fluidity to people's expression (Haraway 16). Within Shades and Power, this boundary gets broken similarly to the deemphasis of the gender binary. There never seems to be judgment for a character's sexuality; people are simply allowed to love who they like without much social repercussions16. While there aren't many instances in which characters discuss their sexuality on the pages, there are multiple scenes throughout the series referencing Rhy Maresh's bisexuality (Darker 50). Additionally, there is one instance in Fragile that makes this prioritization of power (magical and political) clear: Alucard's brother Berras berates Alucard for being the king's consort, but it's treated more as anger at the loss of the family's political power and Berras's jealousy over Alucard's mastery of three elements since Berras doesn't really have any magic (Fragile 369). Aside from Berras's disdain for Alucard's life choices, none of the moments of sexuality are dwelled on or fussed over by any other characters17; as such, it can reasonably be assumed that other people in these worlds of magic would feel similarly to the characters since most people are more concerned with magic and power than they are with who is bedding whom18. This notion is also directly reflected by Nadiya Loreni, the queer queen whose sexual identity –– which can be interpreted as homosexuality or belonging somewhere on the asexual spectrum19 –– has no impact on the respect for her royal title nor on the awe her magic inspires through her inventions (Fragile 189). Any social power dynamics that would govern the othering of queer people are rendered inane by the presence of magic. If a society chooses to build itself around physical power rather than imagined power structures, there is no reason for sexual identities to be problematized or stigmatized.
Additionally, the point of physical magic as a greater influence over perception and judgment is important to Fragile since the primary conflict comes from a band of rebels seeking to kill King Rhy for not having any magic; they don't care about any of his social identities –– they just think he's killing the magic of the world and thus needs to die (157; 364). The rise of violent rebellion in response to a magicless king speaks more to how the citizens in Red London don't necessarily think solely of identity in their perception of power, since there is a clear emphasis on magic while social identities are never alluded to20. While the cyborgs themselves (the magicians) aren't actively fighting gender and sexuality boundaries, the high presence of cyborg individuals in the society of Red London has rendered many of the boundaries Haraway is concerned with useless. There isn't much need for Red Londoners to concern themselves with how others choose to identify. As such, magic gives society a tangible thing to grab onto for social power, rather than placing its energy on stigmatizing trivial aspects of identity.
REAL-WORLD CYBORGISM In a world without magic, however, the social imbalance between identities is highly publicized. What should be personal preference meant only for the benefit of oneself has become something for the public to consume. Judgements abound based on perception and the ways one may fulfill common stereotypes associated with specific identities –– expressing as a woman may make someone subject to sexist jokes about cleaning while wearing a rainbow may receive snide remarks about being gay. These responses to ostracize and discriminate against the "other" are directly related to a lack of tangible measures of legitimate power; without physical measures of cyborgism, such as magic, to focus on, emphasis is put on individualized expression of identity, whether it be one's gender or sexuality. It is a persistent problem that only benefits those at the top of the hierarchy; those without the ostracized labels are able to thrive socially and technologically as they focus their time and effort on things that help their own lives while simultaneously worsening conditions for those they continually push down.
This hyperawareness of identity and expression also lends itself to technological innovation being pointed at the ways in which these expressions can be controlled or demonized. Improving lives for the greater of humanity isn't the main purpose of innovation; rather, so many technologies –– from laws and rules to medicine and electronics –– have been tailored to target and restrict certain people of specific identities. These moves are meant to worsen the social imbalance, pushing those already targeted further down the social hierarchy for fighting against asinine boundaries.
The widening gap between the people in power and the social identities they've opted to target as unacceptable is exactly what Haraway believes cyborgs are capable of disrupting. Even without the magic of Schwab's cyborgs to give tangibility to the breaking of binaries, repurposing the energy of present-day technology from the punishment of identity expression (which only benefits the few) to instead finding ways to help all of humanity (regardless of identity) is a necessary step in turning the social solidarity of cyborg fiction into reality (even if there isn't magic or cybernetic implants).
CONCLUSION There are many benefits to magic. There are mundane uses that render cold pitchers of water warm and allow for easier transportation across cities. There are world-breaking gestures such as soul seals and the literal personification of magic. Either way, magic is a tool and a technology that expands human capabilities to reshape the pace, scale, and pattern of lives. This results in magicians being no different than the machine-clad cyborgs of science fiction as magic meets man in the Shades of Magic and Threads of Power trilogies. The presence of these magician-cyborgs allows for the deconstruction of social power structures pertaining to gender and sexuality, as originally argued by Donna Haraway, by shifting the focus of power from social identities to the tangible magic on which the world runs; in other words, a society of cyborgs allows for identities of the self to be explored as a personal issue rather than as a public matter to be exploited. This shifted focus allows for this fictional society to put more time and effort into the use of magic to strengthen humans' quality of life like technology is meant to; in the real world, the continual lack of quality-of-life driven technological innovation has proven to be detrimental to similar societal growth as it pertains to social identity and personal expression.
The Shades of Magic trilogy consists of the following books: A Darker Shade of Magic (2015), A Gathering of Shadows (2016), and A Conjuring of Light (2017). Should they be discussed, any shortening of the titles will focus on the noun portion of the title (Shadows, Light); the exception is the first book since its title is very similar to that of the series, so it will be referred to as Darker instead.
Threads of Power is a new, ongoing sequel series so any points made about that series come from its first book The Fragile Threads of Power (2023). Because the series title is nearly identical to that of the book, the book will be referred to as Fragile in its abbreviated form. The two abbreviation terms may be used interchangeably at some points due to the fact that Fragile is the only book from this series currently released, but, for the most part, the series will be discussed vaguely at the same time as Magic for generalized discussions while Fragile will be used for examples and specific analytical moments.
He really is out here being the next-special thing he can be (the only people more powerful than him are the Antari, who have control over every element in addition to using blood spells).
Darth Vader is literally half machine since he possesses no organic limbs during the Original Trilogy after having them all chopped off during Revenge of the Sith, which also shows the process of Vader's cyborgization.
Bucky Barnes lost his arm falling off a train in Captain America: The First Avenger and was given a robotic replacement by Hydra, as seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
This is one of the aforementioned blood spells specific to Antari. For the record, the spell is As Travars (to travel). A list of other Antari spells can be found in the glossary in A Conjuring of Light's appendix.
This personification of magic is named Osaron and they were the main antagonist for the Shades of Magic trilogy. Their main goal was to corrupt other Londons with magic the way they ruined Black London. It took the combined power of all three Antari that were present in the original Shades of Magic trilogy to stop Osaron.
This artifact is also an amazing example of magic expanding human capabilities. The peralis is a doormaker that allows its users to open a door between two points in the same world that will stay open so long as the spell is activated. Because of this, the theft of the persalis is the inflicting incident in The Fragile Threads of Power since it could, theoretically, be used to break into the palace and murder the royal family. During the escape, however, it gets broken; Tesali Ranek uses her magic thread-seeing powers to fix the persalis and winds up making a device that can traverse worlds (she winds up in a White London alley after leaving her Red London shop), not just city blocks.
This isn't including the final magical battle from A Conjuring of Light in which Holland, Kell, and Lila work together to destroy Osaron from ruining Red London.
Rhy Maresh (pronounced like the bread, rye) is Kell's brother and the prince of Arnes, the country of which Red London is the capital. Rhy got stabbed by the power-hungry villain trying to steal the Maresh throne and bled out.
Rhy Maresh has very minimal magical abilities, being able to fractionally conjure flame on a matchstick. He is the only one of the Maresh family without true power.
Unless Lila is around to help him. She usually doesn't though because she came from a world without magic and doesn't understand why it would be a big deal not to have it (though she does love being an Antari and the powers it affords her).
The true breaking of gender boundaries, however, comes in the form of Lila Bard, who is often described as cross-dressing since her primary outfits consisted of heavy jackets and men's trousers, with one character in particular stating that there "must be a girl's body under there somewhere" (Darker 62; 68; 287). While a woman wearing a man's clothes while still using she/her pronouns might not necessarily speak to the true breaking of gender boundaries to the extent in which Haraway seems to aim, the author of Shades of Magic has gone on to confirm that Lila is "gender fluid to the extent that someone in 1819 would intuitively be" (veschwab).
Her dad sold his daughter to pay a debt (Darker 250). Years later, when she's unable to fully pay rent for her room aboard a ship, the captain attempts to sexually assault Lila when he deems that she's "more trouble than [she's] worth" (Darker 68).
Lila had always been an Antari. But because she was born in Grey London (the one without magic), her powers didn't manifest until she crossed worlds.
The only instance that seems to take issue with any sort of sexuality that isn't of the hetero kind comes in The Fragile Threads of Power when Alucard insists that Rhy has to marry a woman to produce an heir for the throne. Even then, Alucard's reasoning is so that the Maresh family keeps its political power (Fragile 198). Otherwise, no one seems to take issue with Rhy's bisexuality.
Alucard acknowledges that the uneasiness seen in the reactions of other characters to his place at Rhy's side primarily stems from the political dynamics: "If they had been common lovers, he and Rhy, few people would have cared. If Alucard have not been born to a rival royal house" (Fragile 165).
Except, of course, all of the characters who were waiting for Kell and Lila to admit their feelings for one another during Shades of Magic.
It's noted in Fragile that the queen "showed no desire to share the king's chamber, aside from the task of conceiving the princess, and even that she'd approached with less passion than focused intent" (183). What, exactly, this means is never specified and mostly left up for interpretation by readers. Personally, I read this to mean that Nadiya landed somewhere on the asexuality spectrum, since I found connection between an implied distaste for sex with her explicit aromanticism.
While explaining the social aspects of Red London to Lila when she first crosses worlds, Kell explicitly mentions that "'In mine, the lack of [magic] is just as strange. And those without gifts are often looked down upon as unworthy of them, and treated as less for it. The people here believe that magic chooses its path. That it judges, and so can they'" (256).
A Manifesto for Magicians: Cyborgism in V.E. Schwab's Fantasy Novels
INTRODUCTION There are generally two schools of thought when the term cyborg appears in a conversation. The first school of thought is of those who most likely picture a Terminator-like character that combines technology with the human body; this would be the traditional sense of cyborgism prominent in science fiction. The second school of thought goes beyond the traditional definition towards the seminal work of Donna Haraway –– "A Manifesto for Cyborgs" –– which focuses on the social implications of blurring lines of technology and man as well as fiction and reality, among others. These two definitions of cyborg can coexist and even enhance one another as they're applied to speculative works. In particular, V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic and Threads of Power series are perfect demonstrations of both definitions of cyborg coexisting to enhance the worlds of the novels.
MAGIC AND POWER While the world is full of wonders, there is one particular fantastical experience it is sorely lacking: magic. But what if this world was one of four, each of the others brimming with it? That is the main premise of V.E. Schwab's two fantasy series Shades of Magic (which will be abbreviated simply to Magic)1 and Threads of Power (which will be abbreviated simply to Power)2: there are four parallel worlds connected by a shared city –– London. Each of these parallel Londons –– where the majority of the story in the novels take place since only rarely is the world beyond the city seen –– is characterized by how much magic it possesses and has been given corresponding colors: there's Black London, which has been overtaken by magic and has lost all living creatures; White London, which struggles to find magic in its dying and cruel world; Red London, which is the main stage for each book, has the most prominent magic; and finally, Grey London, which emulates the real world's lack of magic as well as historically places the series in the early 1800s by the presence of King George III. Within the world of these books, magic is defined as a force that resides in everything and everyone (veschwab). In this way, magic is almost like the Force from the Star Wars franchise; it is something possessed by every living being, but only a select few have enough in themselves to wield its power.
There are multiple ways these various levels of magic emerge throughout the story. There are magical objects with the ability to perform very specific actions that are dictated by the spells forged into them, such as swords that burn strangers' hands when touched or a coat enchanted to have multiple sides when turned inside-out. There are general magicians with control over the elements. These elemental magicians can usually only control one element, but there are a few known to have the ability to control one or two; one of the main characters in Magic and Power, Alucard Emery3, can control three elements (water, earth, and air). There are also two known people among all of the Londons known to be able to see magic: Tesali Ranek, who sees magic like threads and can thus manipulate magic even though she doesn't have control over any elements, and Alucard Emery, who just sees magic as a color-coordinated aura around people. And finally, there are the Antari –– the most powerful magicians who don't necessarily need standard spells or devices to use their magic or control elements, though they do have specific spells only they can use that are activated by their blood. The majority of the main characters in the novels are Antari: Kell Maresh, from Red London (Magic, Power); Delilah "Lila" Bard, from Grey London (Magic, Power); Holland Vosijk, from White London (Magic); and Kosika, from White London (Power).
What results from the combination of magical characters and multiple Londons is a multidimensional story detailing the rise and fall of man's quest for power and the greed it may breed when one seeks power all for themselves. This power and magic are integral not just for the sake of the plot but to truly understand the characters. The integration of magic with the human characters of Magic and Power results in the presence of cyborgs in each of these parallel Londons; but what, exactly, does this mean for these novels? There are two co-existing cyborg paths to follow to discover this impact: traditional, technological-driven cyborgism and the cyborg associated with Donna Haraway's "Manifesto".
TRADITIONAL CYBORGISM The first path of discovery pertains to the idea of science fiction's typical cyborg: the traditional definition of the cyborg paints a picture of a half-man, half-machine creature whose abilities extend further than those of regular humans (OED "cyborg"). Within this definition is the understanding that machine refers to some form of technology, since the prefix cyb- comes from the term cybernetic, which concerns itself with the integration of technological devices in an organic being (OED "cybernetic"). The combination of these cybernetic and cyborg definitions would fit perfectly well in a conversation about Darth Vader4 or Bucky Barnes5 because these two characters, among others, are the epitome of the melding of technology and humanity. This definition in the context of these two examples, however, still relies heavily on the idea of technology being something mechanical or electric; there is a physical presence of the nonorganic thing that helps define cyborgism.
Before discussing this traditional form of cyborgism in context with a series of magical fantasy novels, I first need to expand the idea of the traditional cyborg. The main components can still be man and technology, but what constitutes technology needs to be more encompassing and not so narrowly defined as the popular use of the word (which tends to limit technology to something electronic such as phones and computers). For this wider view of technology, new media scholar Marshall McCluhan, known for his impactful article "The Medium is the Message", has termed technology as anything whose purpose is "the change of scale or pace or pattern that [is] introduce[d] into human affairs" (1). It is not what, exactly, technology may do that is important but rather the fact that it exists simply to expand or extend human capabilities. This very well could mean smartphones and computers, but it also extends technology to mean things such as the act of writing or the invention of human language. This expanded definition of technology results in the inclusion of magic as an example of technology.
Magic aligns perfectly with McCluhan's definition of technology because it exists entirely to aid humans in the worlds of Shades of Magic and Threads of Power. While magic allows Antari to travel between the parallel Londons6 and stop the power-hungry personification of magic7, there are also a lot of practical applications of magic and spells seen throughout both series. One of the most common uses of spells in Red London is magical wards. These spells are meant to give people a sense of security and to protect them from outside dangers. While things such as knives and fists could theoretically help with this protection, spells that literally don't allow uninvited guests into the space are vastly more effective than human intimidation could ever be because it gives humans more space to do other tasks while still feeling secure and protected. There is a scene in The Fragile Threads of Power in which an unnamed thief turns to actual ash when crossing one of these protection wards trying to escape with their stolen goods, thus allowing the goods to be recovered when the humans are all busy almost bleeding to death (54); this is, quite literally, magic expanding human capabilities by letting the owners of the warding multitask in order to thwart the efforts of the thieves aiming to rob them of a dangerous magical artifact8. To relate this back to McCluhan's definition of technology, it changed the scale of people's lives by making it smaller (no one can go in or out of the wards without permission, meaning they would effectively be trapped on either side) while also interrupting the pace of lives (people literally died).
Other mundane uses of magic demonstrated in Red London include a spelled pitcher so that water always comes out hot as well as scrying boards that can be used for announcements or to talk face-to-face to other board users regardless of where they may be in the city (Darker 251). These two specific examples mimic technology present in the real world (or future Grey London): hot water heaters warm water for use while phones and other screened electronics allow for easier communication (things like phone calls, texting, and video calls) and information dissemination (things such as social media or the news). The fact that magical spells are so easily able to emulate items typically deemed as technology in the real world also helps to further prove that magic itself is technology; these real-world examples are perfectly attuned to McCluhan's definition of technology since they change the scale (communication across thousands of miles via video calls or texting), pace (notifications keep people up-to-date but they can always use social media to find the information after something has happened), and pattern (no longer having to wait for water to boil over a stove to get hot water for baths or cooking) of human lives. So, if the real-world equivalents of these magical objects are considered technology, why wouldn't the magical objects themselves when they contribute the exact same societal changes?
There are, of course, examples of more grand uses of magic. There is one highly notable instance of magic accomplishing what human beings could not9: the scene in A Darker Shade of Magic in which Rhy Maresh10 dies and gets resurrected minutes later. Utilizing a black stone that is essentially magic incarnate, Kell brings his brother back to life and ties their lives together using a soul seal, something that can't be broken, unlike a normal spell. Now, if Kell gets hurt, so does Rhy, and Rhy will no longer die unless Kell dies first. Kell himself acknowledges this feat isn't supposed to be possible: "'But this . . . this is . . . Impossible,' said Kell. 'This kind of magic, it doesn't exist'" (Darker 320). The characters themselves acknowledge the impossibility; magic quite literally changed the scale, pace, and pattern of life at that moment. Rhy's life was interrupted by a brief stint of dying, impacting the pace of his life by ending with him unable to die or be killed in future books (he is referred to as the Unkillable King in Fragile). The mere fact that Rhy was brought back to life also calls into question the scale of human mortality; if he can't die, how long will he live naturally? That question is entirely dependent on how long Kell lives, which could very well be an obviously long time as an Antari. The action of reviving Rhy upsets the very balance of life that magic is meant to uphold, but magic itself was used to break that pattern of life and death. This just reestablishes the already-held belief of Red London that magic is a technology of life.
From everyday uses to grand, life-altering gestures, magic is a technology because it expands the capabilities of humans in ways that align with McCluhan's definition of technology. With this new fantastical addition to technology, the elements of the traditional definition of cyborg are fulfilled: the magicians of Shades of Magic and Threads of Power are cyborgs because they are humans with a heavy, integral reliance on technology via their use of magic. But to truly discover how magic is as important to the lives of these magicians, it would be helpful to discuss what life is like without access to their magic. Kell's powers were broken during the final battle with Osaron in A Conjuring of Light when Kell was caught in the disintegration of Osaron's magic; he had expected his magic to heal on its own like a broken bone or cut may heal naturally, but the issue never resolved itself. Kell had then tried to intervene in this recovery over the course of the next seven years in the books by forcing himself to use his powers despite the pain he felt, but it never worked. Kell losing his powers poses two main struggles for him. First, he can no longer change the world to benefit himself; he no longer has access to the technology that makes him a cyborg. Forced to contend a life without this freedom his powers afforded, Kell had to learn to do things the hard way by doing it for himself: "For years, if he felt so much as a chill, he could conjure flame into his hands, or warm the air against his skin, the gesture as natural as breathing. Effortless. Simple. But nothing was simple anymore" (Fragile 85). Kell is forced to contend with the life his brother11 has, one without magic and the extra capabilities it allows; he can no longer put his will upon the world when he needs it to change for him and instead must take things as they are12 (if the water pitcher isn't spelled to pour hot water, he can't warm up its cold contents anymore). The second struggle is the identity crisis Kell experiences as his core is stolen from him. This demonstrates just how integral magic was in Kell's life and truly speaks to the idea of magicians as cyborgs since Kell's sense of self is so tied to the idea of having magic and being a magician. He was forced to acknowledge that the thing that had made him special –– being an Antari –– was no longer an integral part of himself since he couldn't use his magic: "Who was he without magic? What was he worth? . . . He couldn't stop, not until the magic spoke to him again. Not until it remembered who and what he was" (Fragile 96). Kell's entire life was dictated by being a cyborg; ever since he was a child, Kell had ample access to power to accomplish whatever his little heart desired. A lot of these were small acts such as healing small wounds or traveling around Red London using the Antari travel spell; basically, his powers gave him the ability to change whatever circumstances he wished to be changed and he grew to rely on that ability. When he loses those abilities and can no longer influence the world as readily as he was once able, Kell's powers no longer fit the definition of technology; therefore, Kell can no longer be considered a cyborg since he is more man than magic. While Kell may no longer be considered a cyborg by the traditional definition, he still helps to fulfill some key roles of cyborgism as defined by Donna Haraway.
HARAWAY CYBORGISM The traditional definition of a cyborg discusses a creature that blurs the lines between man and technology. Donna Haraway's definition expands on this to encompass fiction and lived experience; she defines a cyborg as a creature of both created and natural worlds that can demonstrate "fiction mapping [of] our social and bodily reality and as an imaginative resource" (8). In essence, Haraway seeks to step beyond the physical nature of cyborgs to discuss their social and political implications. If the boundaries between man and machine can be rewritten and disrupted by cyborgs, what other lines could their existence blur? Haraway chooses to focus her argument for these possibilities on identity and the breaking of binaries and boundaries surrounding them.
The first boundary Haraway contests that the cyborg is capable of breaking is that of gender identity. In particular, she argues that the idea of womanhood doesn't really exist and that the gender binary is ". . . itself a highly complex category constructed in contested sexual scientific discourses and other social practices" (Haraway 14). Admittedly, there isn't much by way of magic that rectifies this identity discourse in Shades of Magic and Threads of Power13. The author provides the general sense that, in Red London, social identity doesn't matter so much as power does; each time a character gets berated or mocked, it isn't due to gender or sexuality but a perceived lack of magic. The Fragile Threads of Power highlights this focus on physical, magical power rather than connotations of social power from gender through the use of Nadiya Loreni, who married Rhy solely to utilize the social power of royalty to invent spells and enchanted objects. Her gender plays no part in any of the characters' perceptions of the queen, since she is treated solely as a brilliant inventor due to her engineering skills as well as her ability to control fire; Nadiya's proficiency in firework also stands in stark contrast to Rhy, whose minimal magical capabilities consist of the slightest hint at control over fire (Fragile 189; Darker 67). Essentially, this shows how one gender can't purport to be more powerful when magic is assigned randomly, with each gender being assumed to have been given an equal chance to move the elements. The very existence of the cyborgs in Magic and Power speaks directly to what Haraway contended the cyborg was capable of: the physical attributes that are afforded in the real world to have contributed to societal expectations and standards for men and women would be rendered fairly useless when anyone could use a spell or an element to complete the task. The equitable nature of man and woman in Red London is further reflected by the fact that both genders have equal opportunity to participate in the Essen Tasch, an Olympics-style magic game where the best magicians in the world compete to be the champion (Shadows 159). The equalized treatment of men and women is further demonstrated in Magic as Lila thinks back to her home of Grey London and all of the discrimination she faced as a woman; she recounts to Kell the two times men have attempted to sexually assault her purely because she was a woman and they felt like they could (Darker 68; 250). Lila grew up in a world very similar to real life: no magic and all of the societal trappings that come with it. That imbalance of genders results in Lila being seen as nothing more than a pound of flesh to be used14, despite the magic she would find herself to have in Red London15, which doesn't have the same societal standards in terms of gender identity.
Another boundary Haraway discusses briefly is sexuality. Specifically, she discusses heterosexuality and the way its expectations create rigidity for sexual identity when there should be fluidity to people's expression (Haraway 16). Within Shades and Power, this boundary gets broken similarly to the deemphasis of the gender binary. There never seems to be judgment for a character's sexuality; people are simply allowed to love who they like without much social repercussions16. While there aren't many instances in which characters discuss their sexuality on the pages, there are multiple scenes throughout the series referencing Rhy Maresh's bisexuality (Darker 50). Additionally, there is one instance in Fragile that makes this prioritization of power (magical and political) clear: Alucard's brother Berras berates Alucard for being the king's consort, but it's treated more as anger at the loss of the family's political power and Berras's jealousy over Alucard's mastery of three elements since Berras doesn't really have any magic (Fragile 369). Aside from Berras's disdain for Alucard's life choices, none of the moments of sexuality are dwelled on or fussed over by any other characters17; as such, it can reasonably be assumed that other people in these worlds of magic would feel similarly to the characters since most people are more concerned with magic and power than they are with who is bedding whom18. This notion is also directly reflected by Nadiya Loreni, the queer queen whose sexual identity –– which can be interpreted as homosexuality or belonging somewhere on the asexual spectrum19 –– has no impact on the respect for her royal title nor on the awe her magic inspires through her inventions (Fragile 189). Any social power dynamics that would govern the othering of queer people are rendered inane by the presence of magic. If a society chooses to build itself around physical power rather than imagined power structures, there is no reason for sexual identities to be problematized or stigmatized.
Additionally, the point of physical magic as a greater influence over perception and judgment is important to Fragile since the primary conflict comes from a band of rebels seeking to kill King Rhy for not having any magic; they don't care about any of his social identities –– they just think he's killing the magic of the world and thus needs to die (157; 364). The rise of violent rebellion in response to a magicless king speaks more to how the citizens in Red London don't necessarily think solely of identity in their perception of power, since there is a clear emphasis on magic while social identities are never alluded to20. While the cyborgs themselves (the magicians) aren't actively fighting gender and sexuality boundaries, the high presence of cyborg individuals in the society of Red London has rendered many of the boundaries Haraway is concerned with useless. There isn't much need for Red Londoners to concern themselves with how others choose to identify. As such, magic gives society a tangible thing to grab onto for social power, rather than placing its energy on stigmatizing trivial aspects of identity.
REAL-WORLD CYBORGISM In a world without magic, however, the social imbalance between identities is highly publicized. What should be personal preference meant only for the benefit of oneself has become something for the public to consume. Judgements abound based on perception and the ways one may fulfill common stereotypes associated with specific identities –– expressing as a woman may make someone subject to sexist jokes about cleaning while wearing a rainbow may receive snide remarks about being gay. These responses to ostracize and discriminate against the "other" are directly related to a lack of tangible measures of legitimate power; without physical measures of cyborgism, such as magic, to focus on, emphasis is put on individualized expression of identity, whether it be one's gender or sexuality. It is a persistent problem that only benefits those at the top of the hierarchy; those without the ostracized labels are able to thrive socially and technologically as they focus their time and effort on things that help their own lives while simultaneously worsening conditions for those they continually push down.
This hyperawareness of identity and expression also lends itself to technological innovation being pointed at the ways in which these expressions can be controlled or demonized. Improving lives for the greater of humanity isn't the main purpose of innovation; rather, so many technologies –– from laws and rules to medicine and electronics –– have been tailored to target and restrict certain people of specific identities. These moves are meant to worsen the social imbalance, pushing those already targeted further down the social hierarchy for fighting against asinine boundaries.
The widening gap between the people in power and the social identities they've opted to target as unacceptable is exactly what Haraway believes cyborgs are capable of disrupting. Even without the magic of Schwab's cyborgs to give tangibility to the breaking of binaries, repurposing the energy of present-day technology from the punishment of identity expression (which only benefits the few) to instead finding ways to help all of humanity (regardless of identity) is a necessary step in turning the social solidarity of cyborg fiction into reality (even if there isn't magic or cybernetic implants).
CONCLUSION There are many benefits to magic. There are mundane uses that render cold pitchers of water warm and allow for easier transportation across cities. There are world-breaking gestures such as soul seals and the literal personification of magic. Either way, magic is a tool and a technology that expands human capabilities to reshape the pace, scale, and pattern of lives. This results in magicians being no different than the machine-clad cyborgs of science fiction as magic meets man in the Shades of Magic and Threads of Power trilogies. The presence of these magician-cyborgs allows for the deconstruction of social power structures pertaining to gender and sexuality, as originally argued by Donna Haraway, by shifting the focus of power from social identities to the tangible magic on which the world runs; in other words, a society of cyborgs allows for identities of the self to be explored as a personal issue rather than as a public matter to be exploited. This shifted focus allows for this fictional society to put more time and effort into the use of magic to strengthen humans' quality of life like technology is meant to; in the real world, the continual lack of quality-of-life driven technological innovation has proven to be detrimental to similar societal growth as it pertains to social identity and personal expression.
The Shades of Magic trilogy consists of the following books: A Darker Shade of Magic (2015), A Gathering of Shadows (2016), and A Conjuring of Light (2017). Should they be discussed, any shortening of the titles will focus on the noun portion of the title (Shadows, Light); the exception is the first book since its title is very similar to that of the series, so it will be referred to as Darker instead.
Threads of Power is a new, ongoing sequel series so any points made about that series come from its first book The Fragile Threads of Power (2023). Because the series title is nearly identical to that of the book, the book will be referred to as Fragile in its abbreviated form. The two abbreviation terms may be used interchangeably at some points due to the fact that Fragile is the only book from this series currently released, but, for the most part, the series will be discussed vaguely at the same time as Magic for generalized discussions while Fragile will be used for examples and specific analytical moments.
He really is out here being the next-special thing he can be (the only people more powerful than him are the Antari, who have control over every element in addition to using blood spells).
Darth Vader is literally half machine since he possesses no organic limbs during the Original Trilogy after having them all chopped off during Revenge of the Sith, which also shows the process of Vader's cyborgization.
Bucky Barnes lost his arm falling off a train in Captain America: The First Avenger and was given a robotic replacement by Hydra, as seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
This is one of the aforementioned blood spells specific to Antari. For the record, the spell is As Travars (to travel). A list of other Antari spells can be found in the glossary in A Conjuring of Light's appendix.
This personification of magic is named Osaron and they were the main antagonist for the Shades of Magic trilogy. Their main goal was to corrupt other Londons with magic the way they ruined Black London. It took the combined power of all three Antari that were present in the original Shades of Magic trilogy to stop Osaron.
This artifact is also an amazing example of magic expanding human capabilities. The peralis is a doormaker that allows its users to open a door between two points in the same world that will stay open so long as the spell is activated. Because of this, the theft of the persalis is the inflicting incident in The Fragile Threads of Power since it could, theoretically, be used to break into the palace and murder the royal family. During the escape, however, it gets broken; Tesali Ranek uses her magic thread-seeing powers to fix the persalis and winds up making a device that can traverse worlds (she winds up in a White London alley after leaving her Red London shop), not just city blocks.
This isn't including the final magical battle from A Conjuring of Light in which Holland, Kell, and Lila work together to destroy Osaron from ruining Red London.
Rhy Maresh (pronounced like the bread, rye) is Kell's brother and the prince of Arnes, the country of which Red London is the capital. Rhy got stabbed by the power-hungry villain trying to steal the Maresh throne and bled out.
Rhy Maresh has very minimal magical abilities, being able to fractionally conjure flame on a matchstick. He is the only one of the Maresh family without true power.
Unless Lila is around to help him. She usually doesn't though because she came from a world without magic and doesn't understand why it would be a big deal not to have it (though she does love being an Antari and the powers it affords her).
The true breaking of gender boundaries, however, comes in the form of Lila Bard, who is often described as cross-dressing since her primary outfits consisted of heavy jackets and men's trousers, with one character in particular stating that there "must be a girl's body under there somewhere" (Darker 62; 68; 287). While a woman wearing a man's clothes while still using she/her pronouns might not necessarily speak to the true breaking of gender boundaries to the extent in which Haraway seems to aim, the author of Shades of Magic has gone on to confirm that Lila is "gender fluid to the extent that someone in 1819 would intuitively be" (veschwab).
Her dad sold his daughter to pay a debt (Darker 250). Years later, when she's unable to fully pay rent for her room aboard a ship, the captain attempts to sexually assault Lila when he deems that she's "more trouble than [she's] worth" (Darker 68).
Lila had always been an Antari. But because she was born in Grey London (the one without magic), her powers didn't manifest until she crossed worlds.
The only instance that seems to take issue with any sort of sexuality that isn't of the hetero kind comes in The Fragile Threads of Power when Alucard insists that Rhy has to marry a woman to produce an heir for the throne. Even then, Alucard's reasoning is so that the Maresh family keeps its political power (Fragile 198). Otherwise, no one seems to take issue with Rhy's bisexuality.
Alucard acknowledges that the uneasiness seen in the reactions of other characters to his place at Rhy's side primarily stems from the political dynamics: "If they had been common lovers, he and Rhy, few people would have cared. If Alucard have not been born to a rival royal house" (Fragile 165).
Except, of course, all of the characters who were waiting for Kell and Lila to admit their feelings for one another during Shades of Magic.
It's noted in Fragile that the queen "showed no desire to share the king's chamber, aside from the task of conceiving the princess, and even that she'd approached with less passion than focused intent" (183). What, exactly, this means is never specified and mostly left up for interpretation by readers. Personally, I read this to mean that Nadiya landed somewhere on the asexuality spectrum, since I found connection between an implied distaste for sex with her explicit aromanticism.
While explaining the social aspects of Red London to Lila when she first crosses worlds, Kell explicitly mentions that "'In mine, the lack of [magic] is just as strange. And those without gifts are often looked down upon as unworthy of them, and treated as less for it. The people here believe that magic chooses its path. That it judges, and so can they'" (256).
A Manifesto for Magicians: Cyborgism in V.E. Schwab's Fantasy Novels
INTRODUCTION There are generally two schools of thought when the term cyborg appears in a conversation. The first school of thought is of those who most likely picture a Terminator-like character that combines technology with the human body; this would be the traditional sense of cyborgism prominent in science fiction. The second school of thought goes beyond the traditional definition towards the seminal work of Donna Haraway –– "A Manifesto for Cyborgs" –– which focuses on the social implications of blurring lines of technology and man as well as fiction and reality, among others. These two definitions of cyborg can coexist and even enhance one another as they're applied to speculative works. In particular, V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic and Threads of Power series are perfect demonstrations of both definitions of cyborg coexisting to enhance the worlds of the novels.
MAGIC AND POWER While the world is full of wonders, there is one particular fantastical experience it is sorely lacking: magic. But what if this world was one of four, each of the others brimming with it? That is the main premise of V.E. Schwab's two fantasy series Shades of Magic (which will be abbreviated simply to Magic)1 and Threads of Power (which will be abbreviated simply to Power)2: there are four parallel worlds connected by a shared city –– London. Each of these parallel Londons –– where the majority of the story in the novels take place since only rarely is the world beyond the city seen –– is characterized by how much magic it possesses and has been given corresponding colors: there's Black London, which has been overtaken by magic and has lost all living creatures; White London, which struggles to find magic in its dying and cruel world; Red London, which is the main stage for each book, has the most prominent magic; and finally, Grey London, which emulates the real world's lack of magic as well as historically places the series in the early 1800s by the presence of King George III. Within the world of these books, magic is defined as a force that resides in everything and everyone (veschwab). In this way, magic is almost like the Force from the Star Wars franchise; it is something possessed by every living being, but only a select few have enough in themselves to wield its power.
There are multiple ways these various levels of magic emerge throughout the story. There are magical objects with the ability to perform very specific actions that are dictated by the spells forged into them, such as swords that burn strangers' hands when touched or a coat enchanted to have multiple sides when turned inside-out. There are general magicians with control over the elements. These elemental magicians can usually only control one element, but there are a few known to have the ability to control one or two; one of the main characters in Magic and Power, Alucard Emery3, can control three elements (water, earth, and air). There are also two known people among all of the Londons known to be able to see magic: Tesali Ranek, who sees magic like threads and can thus manipulate magic even though she doesn't have control over any elements, and Alucard Emery, who just sees magic as a color-coordinated aura around people. And finally, there are the Antari –– the most powerful magicians who don't necessarily need standard spells or devices to use their magic or control elements, though they do have specific spells only they can use that are activated by their blood. The majority of the main characters in the novels are Antari: Kell Maresh, from Red London (Magic, Power); Delilah "Lila" Bard, from Grey London (Magic, Power); Holland Vosijk, from White London (Magic); and Kosika, from White London (Power).
What results from the combination of magical characters and multiple Londons is a multidimensional story detailing the rise and fall of man's quest for power and the greed it may breed when one seeks power all for themselves. This power and magic are integral not just for the sake of the plot but to truly understand the characters. The integration of magic with the human characters of Magic and Power results in the presence of cyborgs in each of these parallel Londons; but what, exactly, does this mean for these novels? There are two co-existing cyborg paths to follow to discover this impact: traditional, technological-driven cyborgism and the cyborg associated with Donna Haraway's "Manifesto".
TRADITIONAL CYBORGISM The first path of discovery pertains to the idea of science fiction's typical cyborg: the traditional definition of the cyborg paints a picture of a half-man, half-machine creature whose abilities extend further than those of regular humans (OED "cyborg"). Within this definition is the understanding that machine refers to some form of technology, since the prefix cyb- comes from the term cybernetic, which concerns itself with the integration of technological devices in an organic being (OED "cybernetic"). The combination of these cybernetic and cyborg definitions would fit perfectly well in a conversation about Darth Vader4 or Bucky Barnes5 because these two characters, among others, are the epitome of the melding of technology and humanity. This definition in the context of these two examples, however, still relies heavily on the idea of technology being something mechanical or electric; there is a physical presence of the nonorganic thing that helps define cyborgism.
Before discussing this traditional form of cyborgism in context with a series of magical fantasy novels, I first need to expand the idea of the traditional cyborg. The main components can still be man and technology, but what constitutes technology needs to be more encompassing and not so narrowly defined as the popular use of the word (which tends to limit technology to something electronic such as phones and computers). For this wider view of technology, new media scholar Marshall McCluhan, known for his impactful article "The Medium is the Message", has termed technology as anything whose purpose is "the change of scale or pace or pattern that [is] introduce[d] into human affairs" (1). It is not what, exactly, technology may do that is important but rather the fact that it exists simply to expand or extend human capabilities. This very well could mean smartphones and computers, but it also extends technology to mean things such as the act of writing or the invention of human language. This expanded definition of technology results in the inclusion of magic as an example of technology.
Magic aligns perfectly with McCluhan's definition of technology because it exists entirely to aid humans in the worlds of Shades of Magic and Threads of Power. While magic allows Antari to travel between the parallel Londons6 and stop the power-hungry personification of magic7, there are also a lot of practical applications of magic and spells seen throughout both series. One of the most common uses of spells in Red London is magical wards. These spells are meant to give people a sense of security and to protect them from outside dangers. While things such as knives and fists could theoretically help with this protection, spells that literally don't allow uninvited guests into the space are vastly more effective than human intimidation could ever be because it gives humans more space to do other tasks while still feeling secure and protected. There is a scene in The Fragile Threads of Power in which an unnamed thief turns to actual ash when crossing one of these protection wards trying to escape with their stolen goods, thus allowing the goods to be recovered when the humans are all busy almost bleeding to death (54); this is, quite literally, magic expanding human capabilities by letting the owners of the warding multitask in order to thwart the efforts of the thieves aiming to rob them of a dangerous magical artifact8. To relate this back to McCluhan's definition of technology, it changed the scale of people's lives by making it smaller (no one can go in or out of the wards without permission, meaning they would effectively be trapped on either side) while also interrupting the pace of lives (people literally died).
Other mundane uses of magic demonstrated in Red London include a spelled pitcher so that water always comes out hot as well as scrying boards that can be used for announcements or to talk face-to-face to other board users regardless of where they may be in the city (Darker 251). These two specific examples mimic technology present in the real world (or future Grey London): hot water heaters warm water for use while phones and other screened electronics allow for easier communication (things like phone calls, texting, and video calls) and information dissemination (things such as social media or the news). The fact that magical spells are so easily able to emulate items typically deemed as technology in the real world also helps to further prove that magic itself is technology; these real-world examples are perfectly attuned to McCluhan's definition of technology since they change the scale (communication across thousands of miles via video calls or texting), pace (notifications keep people up-to-date but they can always use social media to find the information after something has happened), and pattern (no longer having to wait for water to boil over a stove to get hot water for baths or cooking) of human lives. So, if the real-world equivalents of these magical objects are considered technology, why wouldn't the magical objects themselves when they contribute the exact same societal changes?
There are, of course, examples of more grand uses of magic. There is one highly notable instance of magic accomplishing what human beings could not9: the scene in A Darker Shade of Magic in which Rhy Maresh10 dies and gets resurrected minutes later. Utilizing a black stone that is essentially magic incarnate, Kell brings his brother back to life and ties their lives together using a soul seal, something that can't be broken, unlike a normal spell. Now, if Kell gets hurt, so does Rhy, and Rhy will no longer die unless Kell dies first. Kell himself acknowledges this feat isn't supposed to be possible: "'But this . . . this is . . . Impossible,' said Kell. 'This kind of magic, it doesn't exist'" (Darker 320). The characters themselves acknowledge the impossibility; magic quite literally changed the scale, pace, and pattern of life at that moment. Rhy's life was interrupted by a brief stint of dying, impacting the pace of his life by ending with him unable to die or be killed in future books (he is referred to as the Unkillable King in Fragile). The mere fact that Rhy was brought back to life also calls into question the scale of human mortality; if he can't die, how long will he live naturally? That question is entirely dependent on how long Kell lives, which could very well be an obviously long time as an Antari. The action of reviving Rhy upsets the very balance of life that magic is meant to uphold, but magic itself was used to break that pattern of life and death. This just reestablishes the already-held belief of Red London that magic is a technology of life.
From everyday uses to grand, life-altering gestures, magic is a technology because it expands the capabilities of humans in ways that align with McCluhan's definition of technology. With this new fantastical addition to technology, the elements of the traditional definition of cyborg are fulfilled: the magicians of Shades of Magic and Threads of Power are cyborgs because they are humans with a heavy, integral reliance on technology via their use of magic. But to truly discover how magic is as important to the lives of these magicians, it would be helpful to discuss what life is like without access to their magic. Kell's powers were broken during the final battle with Osaron in A Conjuring of Light when Kell was caught in the disintegration of Osaron's magic; he had expected his magic to heal on its own like a broken bone or cut may heal naturally, but the issue never resolved itself. Kell had then tried to intervene in this recovery over the course of the next seven years in the books by forcing himself to use his powers despite the pain he felt, but it never worked. Kell losing his powers poses two main struggles for him. First, he can no longer change the world to benefit himself; he no longer has access to the technology that makes him a cyborg. Forced to contend a life without this freedom his powers afforded, Kell had to learn to do things the hard way by doing it for himself: "For years, if he felt so much as a chill, he could conjure flame into his hands, or warm the air against his skin, the gesture as natural as breathing. Effortless. Simple. But nothing was simple anymore" (Fragile 85). Kell is forced to contend with the life his brother11 has, one without magic and the extra capabilities it allows; he can no longer put his will upon the world when he needs it to change for him and instead must take things as they are12 (if the water pitcher isn't spelled to pour hot water, he can't warm up its cold contents anymore). The second struggle is the identity crisis Kell experiences as his core is stolen from him. This demonstrates just how integral magic was in Kell's life and truly speaks to the idea of magicians as cyborgs since Kell's sense of self is so tied to the idea of having magic and being a magician. He was forced to acknowledge that the thing that had made him special –– being an Antari –– was no longer an integral part of himself since he couldn't use his magic: "Who was he without magic? What was he worth? . . . He couldn't stop, not until the magic spoke to him again. Not until it remembered who and what he was" (Fragile 96). Kell's entire life was dictated by being a cyborg; ever since he was a child, Kell had ample access to power to accomplish whatever his little heart desired. A lot of these were small acts such as healing small wounds or traveling around Red London using the Antari travel spell; basically, his powers gave him the ability to change whatever circumstances he wished to be changed and he grew to rely on that ability. When he loses those abilities and can no longer influence the world as readily as he was once able, Kell's powers no longer fit the definition of technology; therefore, Kell can no longer be considered a cyborg since he is more man than magic. While Kell may no longer be considered a cyborg by the traditional definition, he still helps to fulfill some key roles of cyborgism as defined by Donna Haraway.
HARAWAY CYBORGISM The traditional definition of a cyborg discusses a creature that blurs the lines between man and technology. Donna Haraway's definition expands on this to encompass fiction and lived experience; she defines a cyborg as a creature of both created and natural worlds that can demonstrate "fiction mapping [of] our social and bodily reality and as an imaginative resource" (8). In essence, Haraway seeks to step beyond the physical nature of cyborgs to discuss their social and political implications. If the boundaries between man and machine can be rewritten and disrupted by cyborgs, what other lines could their existence blur? Haraway chooses to focus her argument for these possibilities on identity and the breaking of binaries and boundaries surrounding them.
The first boundary Haraway contests that the cyborg is capable of breaking is that of gender identity. In particular, she argues that the idea of womanhood doesn't really exist and that the gender binary is ". . . itself a highly complex category constructed in contested sexual scientific discourses and other social practices" (Haraway 14). Admittedly, there isn't much by way of magic that rectifies this identity discourse in Shades of Magic and Threads of Power13. The author provides the general sense that, in Red London, social identity doesn't matter so much as power does; each time a character gets berated or mocked, it isn't due to gender or sexuality but a perceived lack of magic. The Fragile Threads of Power highlights this focus on physical, magical power rather than connotations of social power from gender through the use of Nadiya Loreni, who married Rhy solely to utilize the social power of royalty to invent spells and enchanted objects. Her gender plays no part in any of the characters' perceptions of the queen, since she is treated solely as a brilliant inventor due to her engineering skills as well as her ability to control fire; Nadiya's proficiency in firework also stands in stark contrast to Rhy, whose minimal magical capabilities consist of the slightest hint at control over fire (Fragile 189; Darker 67). Essentially, this shows how one gender can't purport to be more powerful when magic is assigned randomly, with each gender being assumed to have been given an equal chance to move the elements. The very existence of the cyborgs in Magic and Power speaks directly to what Haraway contended the cyborg was capable of: the physical attributes that are afforded in the real world to have contributed to societal expectations and standards for men and women would be rendered fairly useless when anyone could use a spell or an element to complete the task. The equitable nature of man and woman in Red London is further reflected by the fact that both genders have equal opportunity to participate in the Essen Tasch, an Olympics-style magic game where the best magicians in the world compete to be the champion (Shadows 159). The equalized treatment of men and women is further demonstrated in Magic as Lila thinks back to her home of Grey London and all of the discrimination she faced as a woman; she recounts to Kell the two times men have attempted to sexually assault her purely because she was a woman and they felt like they could (Darker 68; 250). Lila grew up in a world very similar to real life: no magic and all of the societal trappings that come with it. That imbalance of genders results in Lila being seen as nothing more than a pound of flesh to be used14, despite the magic she would find herself to have in Red London15, which doesn't have the same societal standards in terms of gender identity.
Another boundary Haraway discusses briefly is sexuality. Specifically, she discusses heterosexuality and the way its expectations create rigidity for sexual identity when there should be fluidity to people's expression (Haraway 16). Within Shades and Power, this boundary gets broken similarly to the deemphasis of the gender binary. There never seems to be judgment for a character's sexuality; people are simply allowed to love who they like without much social repercussions16. While there aren't many instances in which characters discuss their sexuality on the pages, there are multiple scenes throughout the series referencing Rhy Maresh's bisexuality (Darker 50). Additionally, there is one instance in Fragile that makes this prioritization of power (magical and political) clear: Alucard's brother Berras berates Alucard for being the king's consort, but it's treated more as anger at the loss of the family's political power and Berras's jealousy over Alucard's mastery of three elements since Berras doesn't really have any magic (Fragile 369). Aside from Berras's disdain for Alucard's life choices, none of the moments of sexuality are dwelled on or fussed over by any other characters17; as such, it can reasonably be assumed that other people in these worlds of magic would feel similarly to the characters since most people are more concerned with magic and power than they are with who is bedding whom18. This notion is also directly reflected by Nadiya Loreni, the queer queen whose sexual identity –– which can be interpreted as homosexuality or belonging somewhere on the asexual spectrum19 –– has no impact on the respect for her royal title nor on the awe her magic inspires through her inventions (Fragile 189). Any social power dynamics that would govern the othering of queer people are rendered inane by the presence of magic. If a society chooses to build itself around physical power rather than imagined power structures, there is no reason for sexual identities to be problematized or stigmatized.
Additionally, the point of physical magic as a greater influence over perception and judgment is important to Fragile since the primary conflict comes from a band of rebels seeking to kill King Rhy for not having any magic; they don't care about any of his social identities –– they just think he's killing the magic of the world and thus needs to die (157; 364). The rise of violent rebellion in response to a magicless king speaks more to how the citizens in Red London don't necessarily think solely of identity in their perception of power, since there is a clear emphasis on magic while social identities are never alluded to20. While the cyborgs themselves (the magicians) aren't actively fighting gender and sexuality boundaries, the high presence of cyborg individuals in the society of Red London has rendered many of the boundaries Haraway is concerned with useless. There isn't much need for Red Londoners to concern themselves with how others choose to identify. As such, magic gives society a tangible thing to grab onto for social power, rather than placing its energy on stigmatizing trivial aspects of identity.
REAL-WORLD CYBORGISM In a world without magic, however, the social imbalance between identities is highly publicized. What should be personal preference meant only for the benefit of oneself has become something for the public to consume. Judgements abound based on perception and the ways one may fulfill common stereotypes associated with specific identities –– expressing as a woman may make someone subject to sexist jokes about cleaning while wearing a rainbow may receive snide remarks about being gay. These responses to ostracize and discriminate against the "other" are directly related to a lack of tangible measures of legitimate power; without physical measures of cyborgism, such as magic, to focus on, emphasis is put on individualized expression of identity, whether it be one's gender or sexuality. It is a persistent problem that only benefits those at the top of the hierarchy; those without the ostracized labels are able to thrive socially and technologically as they focus their time and effort on things that help their own lives while simultaneously worsening conditions for those they continually push down.
This hyperawareness of identity and expression also lends itself to technological innovation being pointed at the ways in which these expressions can be controlled or demonized. Improving lives for the greater of humanity isn't the main purpose of innovation; rather, so many technologies –– from laws and rules to medicine and electronics –– have been tailored to target and restrict certain people of specific identities. These moves are meant to worsen the social imbalance, pushing those already targeted further down the social hierarchy for fighting against asinine boundaries.
The widening gap between the people in power and the social identities they've opted to target as unacceptable is exactly what Haraway believes cyborgs are capable of disrupting. Even without the magic of Schwab's cyborgs to give tangibility to the breaking of binaries, repurposing the energy of present-day technology from the punishment of identity expression (which only benefits the few) to instead finding ways to help all of humanity (regardless of identity) is a necessary step in turning the social solidarity of cyborg fiction into reality (even if there isn't magic or cybernetic implants).
CONCLUSION There are many benefits to magic. There are mundane uses that render cold pitchers of water warm and allow for easier transportation across cities. There are world-breaking gestures such as soul seals and the literal personification of magic. Either way, magic is a tool and a technology that expands human capabilities to reshape the pace, scale, and pattern of lives. This results in magicians being no different than the machine-clad cyborgs of science fiction as magic meets man in the Shades of Magic and Threads of Power trilogies. The presence of these magician-cyborgs allows for the deconstruction of social power structures pertaining to gender and sexuality, as originally argued by Donna Haraway, by shifting the focus of power from social identities to the tangible magic on which the world runs; in other words, a society of cyborgs allows for identities of the self to be explored as a personal issue rather than as a public matter to be exploited. This shifted focus allows for this fictional society to put more time and effort into the use of magic to strengthen humans' quality of life like technology is meant to; in the real world, the continual lack of quality-of-life driven technological innovation has proven to be detrimental to similar societal growth as it pertains to social identity and personal expression.
The Shades of Magic trilogy consists of the following books: A Darker Shade of Magic (2015), A Gathering of Shadows (2016), and A Conjuring of Light (2017). Should they be discussed, any shortening of the titles will focus on the noun portion of the title (Shadows, Light); the exception is the first book since its title is very similar to that of the series, so it will be referred to as Darker instead.
Threads of Power is a new, ongoing sequel series so any points made about that series come from its first book The Fragile Threads of Power (2023). Because the series title is nearly identical to that of the book, the book will be referred to as Fragile in its abbreviated form. The two abbreviation terms may be used interchangeably at some points due to the fact that Fragile is the only book from this series currently released, but, for the most part, the series will be discussed vaguely at the same time as Magic for generalized discussions while Fragile will be used for examples and specific analytical moments.
He really is out here being the next-special thing he can be (the only people more powerful than him are the Antari, who have control over every element in addition to using blood spells).
Darth Vader is literally half machine since he possesses no organic limbs during the Original Trilogy after having them all chopped off during Revenge of the Sith, which also shows the process of Vader's cyborgization.
Bucky Barnes lost his arm falling off a train in Captain America: The First Avenger and was given a robotic replacement by Hydra, as seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
This is one of the aforementioned blood spells specific to Antari. For the record, the spell is As Travars (to travel). A list of other Antari spells can be found in the glossary in A Conjuring of Light's appendix.
This personification of magic is named Osaron and they were the main antagonist for the Shades of Magic trilogy. Their main goal was to corrupt other Londons with magic the way they ruined Black London. It took the combined power of all three Antari that were present in the original Shades of Magic trilogy to stop Osaron.
This artifact is also an amazing example of magic expanding human capabilities. The peralis is a doormaker that allows its users to open a door between two points in the same world that will stay open so long as the spell is activated. Because of this, the theft of the persalis is the inflicting incident in The Fragile Threads of Power since it could, theoretically, be used to break into the palace and murder the royal family. During the escape, however, it gets broken; Tesali Ranek uses her magic thread-seeing powers to fix the persalis and winds up making a device that can traverse worlds (she winds up in a White London alley after leaving her Red London shop), not just city blocks.
This isn't including the final magical battle from A Conjuring of Light in which Holland, Kell, and Lila work together to destroy Osaron from ruining Red London.
Rhy Maresh (pronounced like the bread, rye) is Kell's brother and the prince of Arnes, the country of which Red London is the capital. Rhy got stabbed by the power-hungry villain trying to steal the Maresh throne and bled out.
Rhy Maresh has very minimal magical abilities, being able to fractionally conjure flame on a matchstick. He is the only one of the Maresh family without true power.
Unless Lila is around to help him. She usually doesn't though because she came from a world without magic and doesn't understand why it would be a big deal not to have it (though she does love being an Antari and the powers it affords her).
The true breaking of gender boundaries, however, comes in the form of Lila Bard, who is often described as cross-dressing since her primary outfits consisted of heavy jackets and men's trousers, with one character in particular stating that there "must be a girl's body under there somewhere" (Darker 62; 68; 287). While a woman wearing a man's clothes while still using she/her pronouns might not necessarily speak to the true breaking of gender boundaries to the extent in which Haraway seems to aim, the author of Shades of Magic has gone on to confirm that Lila is "gender fluid to the extent that someone in 1819 would intuitively be" (veschwab).
Her dad sold his daughter to pay a debt (Darker 250). Years later, when she's unable to fully pay rent for her room aboard a ship, the captain attempts to sexually assault Lila when he deems that she's "more trouble than [she's] worth" (Darker 68).
Lila had always been an Antari. But because she was born in Grey London (the one without magic), her powers didn't manifest until she crossed worlds.
The only instance that seems to take issue with any sort of sexuality that isn't of the hetero kind comes in The Fragile Threads of Power when Alucard insists that Rhy has to marry a woman to produce an heir for the throne. Even then, Alucard's reasoning is so that the Maresh family keeps its political power (Fragile 198). Otherwise, no one seems to take issue with Rhy's bisexuality.
Alucard acknowledges that the uneasiness seen in the reactions of other characters to his place at Rhy's side primarily stems from the political dynamics: "If they had been common lovers, he and Rhy, few people would have cared. If Alucard have not been born to a rival royal house" (Fragile 165).
Except, of course, all of the characters who were waiting for Kell and Lila to admit their feelings for one another during Shades of Magic.
It's noted in Fragile that the queen "showed no desire to share the king's chamber, aside from the task of conceiving the princess, and even that she'd approached with less passion than focused intent" (183). What, exactly, this means is never specified and mostly left up for interpretation by readers. Personally, I read this to mean that Nadiya landed somewhere on the asexuality spectrum, since I found connection between an implied distaste for sex with her explicit aromanticism.
While explaining the social aspects of Red London to Lila when she first crosses worlds, Kell explicitly mentions that "'In mine, the lack of [magic] is just as strange. And those without gifts are often looked down upon as unworthy of them, and treated as less for it. The people here believe that magic chooses its path. That it judges, and so can they'" (256).
janainaart
theartofmadeline
blakekathryn
titsay
jbbartram-illu
izzy806
stormborns