The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Vol. 1: Alchemy with Words (The Compete Guide Series) [Paperback]

Darin Park (Editor), Tom Dullemond (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1896944094 | ISBN-13: 978-1896944098 | Publication Date: January 1, 2006 | Edition: 1

Written by new and established voices of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Alchemy With Words offers something for writers at all levels. Its sage advice will help you avoid many amateur mistakes. Explore World Building, Religions, Food, Fighting & Weaponry and much more, to craft an exceptional story.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Comprehensive, with much advice on historical settings, weapons, combat, world building and such, and fantasy writers can profit by it."

- Piers Anthony, Author of the Xanth Series -

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: Dragon Moon Press; 1 edition (January 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1896944094
• ISBN-13: 978-1896944098
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,094 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

141 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Background Material, October 2, 2003

By 

Moira Allen (Columbia, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Vol. 1: Alchemy with Words (The Compete Guide Series) (Paperback)

I've picked up many "genre" writing books that have proved a huge disappointment -- maybe a chapter or two of genre info followed by the usual "how to type a manuscript" stuff. This book is a refreshing change! For anyone seeking to build a "realistic" fantasy world, it's a compendium of expert advice -- covering food, clothing, weapons, warfare, religion, even a fantastic (no pun intended) section on diseases. There have been criticisms of this book based on the fact that many of the contributors aren't "established" fantasy authors. What they ARE is experts in the fields upon which they are contributing, whether that field is medicine, weaponry, or what-have-you. In short, if you were going to look up "experts" to talk to about some aspect of the world you're building, these are the people you'd ask. This book will stay on my shelf! --...

57 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great resource, October 5, 2003

By 

Sheri L. McGathy "Author, http://www.sherimcg... (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Vol. 1: Alchemy with Words (The Compete Guide Series) (Paperback)

The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy is a great reference guide for the aspiring fantasy author who is bubbling over with all the "How do I" questions. It is also a wonderful resource for those who have been writing in the genre for some time, but maybe need to understand one aspect of the genre more than another.

I personally found the sections on medieval food, medieval clothing and the sections on armor and combat very helpful.

You can't go wrong with this on your bookshelf.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very useful, but..., January 9, 2007

By 

Heather - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Vol. 1: Alchemy with Words (The Compete Guide Series) (Paperback)

This book is a great resource for fantasy writers. It draws attention to details that could easily be overlooked by a writer in this genre; details that would make a story richer for their inclusion. It stimulates the imagination as one considers how information from each chapter might work in the world/story he or she has created.

However, it has been poorly edited and is full of typos, spelling mistakes and poor grammar. One occasionally stumbles upon a sentence so poorly constructed that it requires a struggle to understand the author's meaning, and one chapter is so disjointed and full of errors that it is very difficult to follow. This inattention to detail would make me leery of accepting the information on medieval customs as fact, and I would be careful to check any of the information from this novel against another source before using it (though some would say that's a good idea with any research).

Aside from that caveat, I still highly recommend this book to beginning fantasy writers, as it may open your eyes to avenues of world and character creation you never considered before.