Neognomancy

May 22, 2007

Neognomancy

So I’m spending most of my hours now in coffee shops dreaming up semi-mysterious ideas that might fit into a book two.

Only 5k words of the manuscript presently exist, so obviously it might take a totally different path…but as of right now I’m guessing that much of the story will revolve around the idea of “neognomancy”.

Let’s go ahead and define that:

Neognomancy: a semi-magically process that allows one to think thoughts that were previously unthinkable.

In Nicodemus’ world, neognomancers are spellwrights capable of crafting texts that once cast on a mind allow it to think incomprehensible thoughts. It follows then that these neognomatic spells allow one to understand more of the universe and correspondingly perceive more of the universe. The obscure is revealed; indecipherable texts become readable. In Nicodemus’ world, neognomancy was an often practiced art on the ancient continent but was lost during the Exodus to the new. Neognomantic texts may be written in any telepathic language. Once a neognomantic text is removed, the new knowledge returns to unthinkability and memories of those thoughts become inaccessible. However, one might remember knowing a fact or a relationship but not the fact or relationship itself.

This might sound like some mighty strange and mysterious magic. And that’s just what I want. But consider it for a while and you’ll see that actually it’s not mysterious at all.

For example studying geometry allows us to think thoughts about spatial relationship that previously were unthinkable. In effect, a geometry textbook is a neognomantic text. And we can not read this text without other neognomatic texts about arithmetic and algebra. Most of us remove the neognomancy of geometry from our minds after high school or college. We remember having those geometric thoughts, but we cannot have them again (without reacquainting ourselves with a neognomantic textbook).

Junior year of high school I jumped up into an honors geometry course and was terrified of failing. So I studied my butt off for a test on congruent triangles. I began to see congruent triangles in everything from bathroom tiles to broken windows. I remember having those thoughts, but I can’t have them any more. If you showed me a simple geometry problem asking for proof that two triangles were congruent, I’d sputter something about side-angle-side or side-angle-angle and then give up. The neognomatic property of geometry has left my mind. I could regain it quickly enough. But I’d need the “re-cast” the text book about my mind.

And neognomancy is not confined to math and science. Studying sociology provides one with neognomatic thoughts about cultures. It allows one to perceive more of a culture. Studying history allows one to think neognomatic thoughts when listening to the daily news. Reading Jane Austin (perhaps in conjunction with studying history and sociology) gives one neognomatic insight and feelings about love, responsibility, and relationships.

So it’s a common experience, this neognomancy. But that makes it no less magical. As we go through life we rarely recognize the semi-magical nature of how our minds expand. Who really knows how we learn to think the previously unthinkable? Who will ever know?

This is why I’m so excited about Spellbound. Neognomancy seems mysterious enough that (hopefully) it will allow readers to read the book as a story about imaginary magic, if that’s what they want. However, I hope there’ll be more underneath–an unsettling analogy to other adventures, other realities, more of this universe.

So what then will be the neognomatic spells in book two? What incomprehensible thoughts will Nicodemus & Co. think?

Well…I can’t describe them, can I? You can’t think about them until you’ve had right spell cast about your mind.

But fortunately–and pardon my lack of humility in this moment of early-project enthusiasm–the necessary neognomatic text will go on sale in summer 2009. It’ll be in hardback from Tor Books and have my name on the spine ;)

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