Alchemy with Words: The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy vol 1 (The Compete Guide Series) (Paperback)

~ Darin Park (Editor), Tom Dullemond (Editor)
Key Phrases: semantic mapping, high fantasy, supernatural villain, Middle Ages, Science Fiction, The Lord of the Rings (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Complete Guide lives up to its name and goes beyond the ordinary. -- Jeanine Berry, FictionFactor.com, author of Dayspring Dawning and Daysprint Destiny

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 -

See all Editorial Reviews

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: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,776 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #42 in

  Books > Reference > Writing > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

122 of 126 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Moira Allen (Chantilly, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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! --...

52 of 56 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.sherilmc... (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

21 of 21 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 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.