Fantasia

I'm not going to comment, for the moment, on my evil twin's ideas regarding the UN, the War or the Plame affair (Treasongate? How original). But on the subject of Fantasy, he's spot on:

Here's a helpful hint to anyone writing fantasy. When it comes time to design a magic system, assuming you use one, please bear in mind the concepts of "balance" and "restrictions". There are times, and settings, for uber-powerful magic and mages, but for the most part magic shouldn't be the fantasy deus ex machina.

Aye! Some authors get so caught up in designing a system that they forget to write fiction about the interplay between characters. Fantasy novels are novels. Let them aspire to be such, or not bother.