Final Fantasy 6 Trivia Time!

[Weltall]

I definitely prefer to have an explanation for magic in a story, unless, for story purposes, it is essential that I remain ignorant (and even then, revelation is usually somewhere down the line anyway). By having an idea of how it works, my mind's eye can better visualize the action. Jordan explains in exquisite detail how 'magic' in his story works (Note that in WoT, the use of the One Power is never referred to as 'magic', because it is understood so well by those who practice it). In fact, for WoT, understanding how the Power operates is very essential to understanding many facets of the story, as there are two sides to the Power, and one of them until recently has been tainted, in such a way that those who tap its power inexorably descend into madness. There are many, many other facets of the One Power that exist, such as the Ways, The Land of Dreams, Ogier Groves, and the entire complex and sordid past and present of the Aes Sedai. I think that Jordan can really overdo character expositions (to an extent unrivalled by any other author I've read), but you can't fault him for lacking detail: He obviously was very meticulate when he created his universe. Feist doesn't do this so much. He explains some of how his magic works, but everyone still calls it magic, and none but the best have any real idea how it works.