What do you think?
Rate this book
New Worlds #1
New Worlds, Year One: A Writer's Guide to the Art of Worldbuilding
Step into a world of your own making . . .
Worldbuilding is one of the great pleasures of writing science fiction and fantasy -- and also one of its greatest challenges. Award-winning fantasy author Marie Brennan draws on her academic training in anthropology to peel back the layers of a setting, going past the surface details to explore questions many authors never think to answer. She invites you to consider the endless variety of real-world cultures -- from climate to counterfeiting, from sumptuary laws to slang --and the equally endless possibilities speculative fiction has to offer.
This volume collects essays from the first year of the New Worlds Patreon.
Worldbuilding is one of the great pleasures of writing science fiction and fantasy -- and also one of its greatest challenges. Award-winning fantasy author Marie Brennan draws on her academic training in anthropology to peel back the layers of a setting, going past the surface details to explore questions many authors never think to answer. She invites you to consider the endless variety of real-world cultures -- from climate to counterfeiting, from sumptuary laws to slang --and the equally endless possibilities speculative fiction has to offer.
This volume collects essays from the first year of the New Worlds Patreon.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2018
31 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
Marie Brennan
173 books3,268 followersMarie Brennan a.k.a. M.A. Carrick
Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist who shamelessly pillages her academic fields for material. She recently misapplied her professors' hard work to Turning Darkness Into Light, a sequel to the Hugo Award-nominated series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. As half of M.A. Carrick, she is also the author of The Mask of Mirrors, first in the Rook and Rose trilogy. For more information, visit swantower.com, Twitter @swan_tower, or her Patreon.
Marie Brennan is a former anthropologist and folklorist who shamelessly pillages her academic fields for material. She recently misapplied her professors' hard work to Turning Darkness Into Light, a sequel to the Hugo Award-nominated series The Memoirs of Lady Trent. As half of M.A. Carrick, she is also the author of The Mask of Mirrors, first in the Rook and Rose trilogy. For more information, visit swantower.com, Twitter @swan_tower, or her Patreon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
May 25, 2018
Pros: lots of great information, short chapters
Cons: usefulness will depend on how much you already know about worldbuilding
This is a book of essays Brennan wrote for her Patreon backers. It consists of 51 short (1-3 page) essays on a range of topics useful for worldbuilding. As an anthropologist with an undergraduate degree in archaeology and folklore and several fantasy novels under he belt, she’s uniquely qualified to write this. And this book covers a wide variety, from the basics of the world (mountains, rivers, deserts), to food (including where it comes from and where it’s prepared), names, folk magic, stages of life, money and more. She’s also written an introduction and conclusion to tie the book together.
The essays are designed to get you to think outside the box by first showing you the box is there. She often asks questions about why we do things a certain way and points out that people in other cultures and periods do/did things differently. Some of what she mentions is obvious in hindsight, but you often need things like this pointed out if you’ve only got one frame of reference. I learned several fascinating tidbits and it was interesting to see the examples from other cultures she used.
The essays are quite short making it easy to get through the book and get back to writing. If you’re commuting and want something short, this is perfect. I read it as a novel, but it’s equally easy to read just the segments you need at a given time.
This is a great resource if you’re new to worldbuilding or haven’t learned to question why people act they way they do in all aspects of life. The essays are varied and, though short, contain a lot of information. If you want your secondary world to feel real, there’s a lot of good pointers here.
Cons: usefulness will depend on how much you already know about worldbuilding
This is a book of essays Brennan wrote for her Patreon backers. It consists of 51 short (1-3 page) essays on a range of topics useful for worldbuilding. As an anthropologist with an undergraduate degree in archaeology and folklore and several fantasy novels under he belt, she’s uniquely qualified to write this. And this book covers a wide variety, from the basics of the world (mountains, rivers, deserts), to food (including where it comes from and where it’s prepared), names, folk magic, stages of life, money and more. She’s also written an introduction and conclusion to tie the book together.
The essays are designed to get you to think outside the box by first showing you the box is there. She often asks questions about why we do things a certain way and points out that people in other cultures and periods do/did things differently. Some of what she mentions is obvious in hindsight, but you often need things like this pointed out if you’ve only got one frame of reference. I learned several fascinating tidbits and it was interesting to see the examples from other cultures she used.
The essays are quite short making it easy to get through the book and get back to writing. If you’re commuting and want something short, this is perfect. I read it as a novel, but it’s equally easy to read just the segments you need at a given time.
This is a great resource if you’re new to worldbuilding or haven’t learned to question why people act they way they do in all aspects of life. The essays are varied and, though short, contain a lot of information. If you want your secondary world to feel real, there’s a lot of good pointers here.
November 15, 2018
This book contains a collection of essays on creating believable, solid wordbuilding for speculative fiction. This book basically covers all parts of wordbuilding from the shape of the universe, how it works to naming characters to their ettiquette, and others.
This book has short chapters that are really helpful, readers (or aspiring writers) can ponder and take notes without worrying of forgetting something important from the chapter. Also, the conversational writing style makes it more enjoyable. Some books and movies are also mentioned as references or for further reading. A very informative and enjoyable read.
I recommend this book to aspiring writers who want create solid worldbuilding.
I voluntarily read and review a free copy of this book provided via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
This book has short chapters that are really helpful, readers (or aspiring writers) can ponder and take notes without worrying of forgetting something important from the chapter. Also, the conversational writing style makes it more enjoyable. Some books and movies are also mentioned as references or for further reading. A very informative and enjoyable read.
I recommend this book to aspiring writers who want create solid worldbuilding.
I voluntarily read and review a free copy of this book provided via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
April 6, 2021
Großartige Denkanstöße, die immer sensibel mit kritischen Themen umgeht und Wege zeigt, wie man Stereotype und -ismen umgehen kann!
August 19, 2020
A really good collection of essays that made me consider aspects of worldbuilding that aren't as obvious. In some essays I wished for more detail, but I will still use this as a reference in the future!
October 4, 2023
Very fun!
May 19, 2018
Brilliant, Informative Gem!
This is a brilliant book, informative and entertaining all at the same time. Written in a conversational style, I couldn't put it down, except to make notes. I learned quite a bit and I think I've worked out a wrinkle in my plot as well !
This is a brilliant book, informative and entertaining all at the same time. Written in a conversational style, I couldn't put it down, except to make notes. I learned quite a bit and I think I've worked out a wrinkle in my plot as well !
September 17, 2021
This was so much better than I expected it to be, non-fiction can be a tough one.
I have my own blog now, so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)
──────────────────
It's been years since I read a non-fiction book I wasn't forced to read and it went by pretty smoothly, albeit it taking me a bit longer than I expected to get through it. I'm mainly a fantasy reader who's sole reason to read anything is entertainment, and given that I rarely enjoy non-fiction, it wasn't something I expected to ever willingly pick up. Enter, r/fantasy's annual Book Bingo where one of the prompts to this year's bingo was SFF-Related Nonfiction.
This is only my second year joining the event, and I will damn sure be joining it every year unless I'm entirely incapable. The reason I'm adamant is because it allow me the chance to expand my horizons a little bit and try out books that I, otherwise, might not have ever tried to attempt on my own. This book, falls under that category, but I read it and I enjoyed it a lot.
Marie Brennan is one of my favourite authors, so the choice to read her take on how world-building should work was an easy one. I love this aspect of her series so much, and reading this book showed me why exactly. I will preface this by saying that this is my first read of a book in its category, so I don't have another frame of reference to really gauge how well it serves its purpose other than what I read in it.
The book is written in an essay format that details different aspects of a world, and a big focus on culture as well; like names, marriages, natural disasters, curses, magic, swear words, languages and dining customs, to name a few of the 50+ topics she discussed in Year One. The best thing about it, in my humble opinion, is that it's written in a very short 1-2 pages, and is easily digested by someone like me, who happens to be a novice in all things writing.
I don't believe that I'm the only fantasy reader who ever dreamed of writing their own story one day, and my biggest hurdle whenever I started out was world building, so this was enlightening in a way.
I also really enjoyed the inclusion of real life cultures and how inspiration should affect how a story is written when it comes to the inspired cultures in any book, which I appreciated a lot more than I expected to. Moreover, she also mentions other books while talking about some of the topics regardless of it being her own (the thought process when she was writing The Memoirs of Lady Trent for instance) or someone else's, like The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan who she mentioned more than once.
Kind of like who did it well, and who didn't which I thought was interesting and is something, I expect any writer of this kind of book to actively include or discuss.
Pretty entertaining book, easily digestible for beginners and is very informative. I plan to read them all at some point, but not going to jump immediately on it for the sole reason that this book made me want to reread The Memoirs of Lady Trent and I can't stand the temptation with the amount of books and series I want to get through in the near future.
I have my own blog now, so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)
──────────────────
It's been years since I read a non-fiction book I wasn't forced to read and it went by pretty smoothly, albeit it taking me a bit longer than I expected to get through it. I'm mainly a fantasy reader who's sole reason to read anything is entertainment, and given that I rarely enjoy non-fiction, it wasn't something I expected to ever willingly pick up. Enter, r/fantasy's annual Book Bingo where one of the prompts to this year's bingo was SFF-Related Nonfiction.
This is only my second year joining the event, and I will damn sure be joining it every year unless I'm entirely incapable. The reason I'm adamant is because it allow me the chance to expand my horizons a little bit and try out books that I, otherwise, might not have ever tried to attempt on my own. This book, falls under that category, but I read it and I enjoyed it a lot.
Marie Brennan is one of my favourite authors, so the choice to read her take on how world-building should work was an easy one. I love this aspect of her series so much, and reading this book showed me why exactly. I will preface this by saying that this is my first read of a book in its category, so I don't have another frame of reference to really gauge how well it serves its purpose other than what I read in it.
The book is written in an essay format that details different aspects of a world, and a big focus on culture as well; like names, marriages, natural disasters, curses, magic, swear words, languages and dining customs, to name a few of the 50+ topics she discussed in Year One. The best thing about it, in my humble opinion, is that it's written in a very short 1-2 pages, and is easily digested by someone like me, who happens to be a novice in all things writing.
I don't believe that I'm the only fantasy reader who ever dreamed of writing their own story one day, and my biggest hurdle whenever I started out was world building, so this was enlightening in a way.
I also really enjoyed the inclusion of real life cultures and how inspiration should affect how a story is written when it comes to the inspired cultures in any book, which I appreciated a lot more than I expected to. Moreover, she also mentions other books while talking about some of the topics regardless of it being her own (the thought process when she was writing The Memoirs of Lady Trent for instance) or someone else's, like The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan who she mentioned more than once.
Kind of like who did it well, and who didn't which I thought was interesting and is something, I expect any writer of this kind of book to actively include or discuss.
Pretty entertaining book, easily digestible for beginners and is very informative. I plan to read them all at some point, but not going to jump immediately on it for the sole reason that this book made me want to reread The Memoirs of Lady Trent and I can't stand the temptation with the amount of books and series I want to get through in the near future.
April 11, 2020
This book is not just an excellent overview of what factors to consider when worldbuilding, it also really deserves the title 'veritable treasure trove' when it comes to fascinating facts and titillating trivia. Marie Brennan has put together a very accessible and enjoyable series of essays discussing such matters as sumptuary laws, funerary rites, marriage customs, the value of money, and plate tectonics, to name but a few. There is one error in the phonology section - which I'm professionally able to judge - but it's so often repeated by people in the field, it's understandable she signs up to it. Despite that, her advice is (ahem) sound: it's orthography that counts, and treading the line between exotic and incomprehensible. As Marie Brennan says at the end, the range of topics can seem daunting, and it's important not to let the worldbuilding get in the way of the actual storytelling, but if you needed a few pointers on how to mine culture for plot-drivers, this is it. On to year 2!
July 5, 2024
Very well written and informative but something bothered me quite a bit :
The book references Europe and East Asia so much, with the occasional reference to South America and South Asia; but almost never South East Asia, North America (as in its First People) or Central Asia and even more rarely Africa as a whole (especially sub-Saharan), which is a shame in my opinion. I understand that the author might be specialised in some areas (i.e. England and Japan from my understanding) more than others, but she has an anthropology degree, and she seems aware of colonial and racist biases. So I don't get why she would reference some parts of the world so little when I think it would contribute greatly to the discussion. I think it's a missed opportunity in a lot of subjects and I hope they will get covered more in the next entries. But I still put 4/5 stars bc I think it's worth reading anyway, it's very very good.
The book references Europe and East Asia so much, with the occasional reference to South America and South Asia; but almost never South East Asia, North America (as in its First People) or Central Asia and even more rarely Africa as a whole (especially sub-Saharan), which is a shame in my opinion. I understand that the author might be specialised in some areas (i.e. England and Japan from my understanding) more than others, but she has an anthropology degree, and she seems aware of colonial and racist biases. So I don't get why she would reference some parts of the world so little when I think it would contribute greatly to the discussion. I think it's a missed opportunity in a lot of subjects and I hope they will get covered more in the next entries. But I still put 4/5 stars bc I think it's worth reading anyway, it's very very good.
June 14, 2023
I really enjoyed this. I liked that each section was short, but packed with information. I like how the author's writing style took some rather "dry" topics and made them fun without feeling like she was trying to be "too witty" or silly.
I found this book looking for a book on creating RPG worlds, but really this is more for people writing novels. The level of detail could definitely be added to an RPG world, but I think most DM's don't worry about this kind of stuff (though they should if they want to really make their world seem realistic).
I found this book looking for a book on creating RPG worlds, but really this is more for people writing novels. The level of detail could definitely be added to an RPG world, but I think most DM's don't worry about this kind of stuff (though they should if they want to really make their world seem realistic).
August 9, 2020
Such a useful and easy to read book!
Doesn't bother with overly long examples (like some books in this realm do...) but instead gives the reader more than enough information and things to latch on to to allow one to delve deeper into each topic if one is so inclined. The sheer range of topics is astounding for such a short book!
Can heartily recommend it to anyone who is building some kind of world (for whatever purpose).
Doesn't bother with overly long examples (like some books in this realm do...) but instead gives the reader more than enough information and things to latch on to to allow one to delve deeper into each topic if one is so inclined. The sheer range of topics is astounding for such a short book!
Can heartily recommend it to anyone who is building some kind of world (for whatever purpose).
May 18, 2018
This is an amazing resource for writers of speculative fiction. It's much more of a reference book than something I'd just sit down and read through for the hell of it, but it is an invaluable collection of the author's knowledge in folklore and anthropology.
August 1, 2019
I'm only a handful of chapters in, but each essay is incredibly thoughtful and well written. Marie is leading me to consider things I'd never considered before, it's truly amazing to see all the ways a world can be built, and what might effect characters in it. VERY interesting read.
July 27, 2021
Really good, these short essays are enough to introduce a reader to topics they would otherwise not consider. Made me think, and my future reads will try to consider aspects introduced by this book.
August 30, 2020
Best book on worldbuilding I've found!
September 16, 2020
Very interesting little book with lots of essays about topics I never considered about the world. Looking forward to read Year two.
March 9, 2021
I'm a newby to non-fiction. But this gave me lot to think about and not necessarily in the ways I was expecting. I'm definitely going to keep reading the next ones.
November 12, 2021
A treasure trove of writing insights and world building info.
October 25, 2022
New Worlds, Year One: A Writer's Guide to Worldbuilding - Marie Brennan
Rating: ★★★★
A former anthropologist and folklorist with an interest in history, foreign cultures and mythology, Marie Brennan is the author of many fantasy novels, including The Memoirs of Lady Trent series. This book collects 51 short essays about worldbuilding she wrote for the New Worlds Patreon between March 2017 and February 2018.
I love this author’s approach to worldbuilding, encouraging the aspiring writer to explore new ideas and their ramifications across all spheres of a society while recognizing that worldbuilding might be a tool of procrastination for many. Each essay contained at least a few contrasting examples (either from real-world cultures or from fictional worlds), with a convenient blank space after each one to write my own. Due to the nature of the project, there are obvious gaps in some areas (talking about rivers but not lakes, for example), which will eventually (hopefully) be filled by subsequent volumes. If I had to recommend a single essay, it would be Bricolage, which covers the ever-important topic of cultural appropriation.
PS: I loved that Tooth and Claw was mentioned in the essay Cannibalism (as it should!)
Reading Journal Index: 2019-148
Rating: ★★★★
A former anthropologist and folklorist with an interest in history, foreign cultures and mythology, Marie Brennan is the author of many fantasy novels, including The Memoirs of Lady Trent series. This book collects 51 short essays about worldbuilding she wrote for the New Worlds Patreon between March 2017 and February 2018.
“[Worldbuilding] is a habit of thought. The more you make yourself aware of the building blocks that make up human culture, the more likely you are to notice when there’s an opportunity to do something interesting with one, either in passing or as a major plot point.”
- Worldbuilding as a Habit of Thought
I love this author’s approach to worldbuilding, encouraging the aspiring writer to explore new ideas and their ramifications across all spheres of a society while recognizing that worldbuilding might be a tool of procrastination for many. Each essay contained at least a few contrasting examples (either from real-world cultures or from fictional worlds), with a convenient blank space after each one to write my own. Due to the nature of the project, there are obvious gaps in some areas (talking about rivers but not lakes, for example), which will eventually (hopefully) be filled by subsequent volumes. If I had to recommend a single essay, it would be Bricolage, which covers the ever-important topic of cultural appropriation.
PS: I loved that Tooth and Claw was mentioned in the essay Cannibalism (as it should!)
Reading Journal Index: 2019-148
November 28, 2019
This is a fantastic resource for writers and creators of all kinds of worlds. There is a lot of information about how to build out various elements of societies and worlds, but it was also really fascinating for the descriptions of various human societies and how their surroundings and beliefs shaped various aspects of their culture. Humans are a lot weirder than we give ourselves credit for, and I would enjoy a lot more stories if they decided to explore some of the diversity of societies that humans have created over time, let alone build one from complete imagination.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews