Thoughts on the beginning of Death's End
I'm talking about the fall of Constantinople. This part of the series was unexpected but really cool. It kept a sort of sci-fi vibe I thought, even though it took place in the ancient past and could also be categorized as fantasy or historical fiction. We go from all this futuristic technology to a scene entirely different, but the technology that is present is still given respect and projects power - as it describes the monstrous bombards battering the walls of Constantinople, walls continually reinforced since the fifth century that had allowed the Byzantine court to survive many powerful enemies, etc etc. I would imagine the parallel is intentional and it was a cool thing for the author to do.
The "magic" is truly mysterious and we aren't given a real explanation until much later in the book. Until then it remains as arcane to us as it must appear to the other characters in the story, and are only given a slight hint when we are told it was the result of a "dimensional fragment" intersecting earth (whatever that means!!!). This only serves to make things more mysterious and spur curiosity. It makes you wonder and provides a new perspective on how the universe could be, as great sci-fi does, but does it within a new context. I really like this approach to magic systems, in the sense that it isn't like most hard magic systems where you are given in-depth explanation of how things work, yet at the same time it doesn't seem as hand-wavy as soft magic systems can be. If anyone knows of fantasy books that give this vibe or follow this style, let me know!