Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy

Leading authors in the field discuss the principles of storytelling, the mechanics of building imaginary worlds, and the business of writing

This how-to book is divided into four parts: "Storytelling," "Ideas and Foundations," and two sections on mechanics, markets, and dealing with editors. Issac Asimov wades in rather superficially on "Plotting," "Dialog," and "Revisions," but Poul Anderson's almost technical essay on preparing a scientifically valid world couldn't be better, and Hal Clement's piece on peopling such a world is just as good. Norman Spinrad uses the techniques of futurists to model how space colonization could occur and provides graphs for the beginner. The tilt here is toward "hard" science fiction, but Jane Yolen's meditation on fantasy, "Turtles All the Way Down," is lyrical and even moving in its reverence for the past. Connie Willis writes about comedy and Stanley Schmidt, amusingly, about cliches. The market listings are exhaustive, including little magazines you won't find elsewhere. Valuable both for the beginner and the pro.
- John Mort, Kansas City P.L., Mo.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.