IN FANTASY, there is usually magic in the world, but authors take various approaches to establish how pervasive the wizardry is and who knows about it. In epic fantasy, paranormal power might be a regular part of the characters' daily lives such as found in Lois McMaster Bujold's world of the Five Gods, revisited this month in Penric and the Shaman. Other stories pivot on secret supernatural knowledge, including those influenced by the ever-popular mythos created by H.P. Lovecraft, two examples of which we get with Caitlín R. Kiernan's Agents of Dreamland and Ruthanna Emrys's Winter Tide.
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