Ring Of Lightning

Though physical buildings often play their part in magic-based strategy games, they rarely make it into novels. An exception is Jane S. Fancher’s Ring Dancers series, where powerful leylines device continents, and a structurelooms over them. In this series, magic is less of a privilege and more of a necessity. It provides a sort of electricity that all utilize to survive. The tower contains giant rings that power Rhomatum city and beyond, but their tyrannical keeper is dying. Without someone to control the rings, power would fail, and warring neighbors would take advantage. As a result, the keeper must name an heir, and her three great-grandchildren vie for her approval. Fancher spins a tale driven by politics and character rather than action; one with telepathy and mythical creatures, yet a tangible link between magic and technology.For that alone, it deserves a place on the list.