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Sometimes when you look into writing you find a lot of information that can be hard to wade through. Some genres can be easily defined like biographies, but Science Fiction and Fantasy cover a lot of ground. Beyond being a broad set of genres, how they are viewed can vary wildly from person to person. Through all of this confusion this book can help provide some direction.
Designed as a reference to help writers this book is broken into four distinct sections. The first section covers the how to of topics like world-building, storytelling, tropes, etc. Next is a state of the genre looking at how science fiction and fantasy have been changing with the changing views of the populace and how new leaps in self publishing online have changed things. Third is a section devoted entirely to Steampunk, as a growing area in the genre with rules of it’s own this is much needed information. Finally the book closes out with a large collection of information on cultures, economics, races, religions, and other useful world-building information.
Orson Scott Card opens the book providing insight into the multitude of rules, and exceptions of the genre. Starting out with trying to find a definition of Science Fiction and Fantasy. For a lot of the ideas of a definition he is able to point out exceptions. Finally landing on the genre as being about that which has not or could not happen. This casts a net so wide as to pick up from outside of traditional Science Fiction and Fantasy, but ensures none are excluded. After defining the genre as best as possible Card dives into setting rules for your world. Readers will accept a lot of strangeness as long as it feels consistent. After you build your world you have to build the story, or do it the other way around. For the story building he takes the reader through the types of stories and pitfalls to avoid. Finally Card closes with a discussion on writing style and how to help it feel more natural to a reader.
Philip Athans is responsible for the section on the state of the genre. This section focuses on not only the avenues of publishing, but also how well Science Fiction and Fantasy is doing in comparison to other genres. One of the biggest takeaways for me in this section is just how much of the readership comes from the young adult age group. This can best be seen in the sales difference between the Game of Thrones series vs the Harry Potter series. Not only discussed is just the sales, and age ranges for novels, but also the state of online and in print magazines that publish short stories. Overall the view is that while there has been a large expansion in authors of both good and questionable quality there is still room for newcomers.
Jay Lake provides the section on Steampunk. I felt like this section looked out of place in the table of contents, but feels important once you read it. While Steampunk is firmly in the Science Fiction and Fantasy genre it has it’s own set of unique rules and tropes an author must be aware of. This sections walks you through that information so that you can build a better story. As Steampunk continues to grow this information can prove invaluable to authors that want to expand their readership.
Finally the editors of Writer’s Digest provide a large section packed full of appendix like information. This section can be read like the others, but feels almost encyclopedic in style. The information provided can help an author to better ground their world. A piece of information from the first section that this builds on is that you the author needs to know not just the what about the current state of your world, but the why’s for how it got there. Information on economies, clothing, religion, races, and cultures can help with filling in those why’s and help the reader feel like there is a depth to your world that extends beyond just what is in your writing.
Overall I can’t recommend this book enough for anyone looking to get into writing Science Fiction of Fantasy. Not only are these great tips and tricks, they come from knowledgeable authors who use other greats in the genre as examples. This information may not guarantee your next foray into the genre produces a best seller, but it will definitely put you on the right path.