Right now my first epic fantasy novel, a standalone titled Twice Against the Dragon, is in a Storybundle called Sorcery and Steam.

Thinking about that novel has me thinking about magic items in fantasy fiction.

Now, I realize that with the modern trends driving a lot of people’s ideas of fantasy these days, magic items might be out of vogue. Between the “grimdark” work of writers like Joe Abercrombie and the ubiquitous popularity of A Song of Ice and Fire, low-magic (or lower magic) fantasy is what’s hot.

But that’s not what I grew up with.

My first fantasy novels were The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné series. Not only the One Ring, but Sting, Glamdring the Foe-Hammer, Orcrist the Goblin Cleaver, Andúril, Stormbringer and Mournblade.

Oh, and let us not forget – I started playing Dungeons and Dragons when I was six. So I was exposed to not just the +X swords that you find in all editions, but the named swords of the old days. Flametongue, Frost Brand, the Holy Avenger, and artifacts like the Sword of Kas and the Mace of Cuthbert.

And that incomplete list only includes weapons. Bring in the potions, wands, staves, rings and more from the novels and games of my youth, and just listing them alone would take books.

In short, there was no way my first full fantasy novel could fail to have a magic item front and center in it. But the main character isn’t a warrior. He’s a wizard.

Coming up with the perfect magic item for a wizard was a little tricky. Larek, the wizard in question, isn’t some world-shaking sorcerer like a Gandalf or a Merlin. And he’s not the kind of wizard would have a wand for all occasions, like a Harry Potter.

Larek is a failure. Or at least that’s how he sees himself after he battled a dragon … and lost.

So a wizard like Larek wouldn’t have some rare and special weapon. But he would have a tool. Something practical. Something he would use on a daily basis. Something that took a great deal of work to put together, but would become such a part of his life that he forgets just what an accomplishment it is.

And so, Larek has an enchanted jug, that perpetually fills itself from the icy, clean waters of a great waterfall. He carries with him an endless supply of clean, delicious water that takes little space on his person and a negligible carrying weight.

And while this jug is hardly the key to defeating the great dragon Blackflame, it has two or three key moments in the story’s spotlight. In fact, it saves Larek’s life at least once (and not just by giving him a drink).

And that’s just the main one he carries on his person. A couple of other magical items play key roles in the story for Larek. But not one of them is a weapon. They’re tools. And they’re so full of wonder that even now, I smile when I think back on them.

Because for me, that’s part of the joy of writing fantasy. Finding ways to remind us all that magic is a source of wonder, not just a form of artillery.

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As I mentioned above, right now Twice Against the Dragon is part of a Storybundle, and what a bundle it is. There are five books exclusive to the bundle (and two of those from New York Times Bestselling authors). You can’t get them anywhere else, but you can get those and all the others for one low price.

Honestly, whether you like your fantasy with or without clockwork, you’d be doing yourself a favor to check out this bundle.

Plus, you’d be supporting a great cause, because a portion of every sale goes to support the charity AbleGamers.