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837 ratings | 579 reviews | avg rating:4.95

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9,507 books | 444 friends

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Philip Athans

Goodreads Author

Born

in Rochester, NY, The United States

Website

http://fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com/

Twitter

PhilAthans

Genre

Science Fiction & Fantasy, Horror, Literature & Fiction

Influences

Harlan Ellison, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Iain M. Banks, ...more

Member Since

January 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/philathans

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I 100% support AUTHORS AGAINST BOOK BANS
https://www.authorsagainstbookbans.com

I give every book 5 stars in protest against the concept of star ratings in general and the ever-unfolding algorithm dystopia!

Philip Athans, an anti-AI, anti-book bans liberal, is the founding partner of Athans & Associates Creative Consulting (www.athansassociates.com), and the New York Times best-selling author of Annihilation and more than a dozen other fantasy and horror books including The Best of Fantasy Authors Handbook Vol. I 2009-2013, The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Writing Monsters. Born in Rochester, New York he grew up in suburban Chicago, where he published the literary magazine Alternative Fiction & Poetry. His blog, Fantasy Auth ...more

819 posts
Philip Athans's Blog

AM I READING TOO MANY BOOKS AT ONCE?

It’s been a while since I posted here about my “reading scheme,” so, quickly recapping…

This is my own personal reading, for my own enjoyment, education, enlightenment… all the good things.

And that said, I know it sounds weird to a lot of people that somehow “for my own enjoyment” comes with a “scheme.” I guess that’s a part of the way my brain works. A deadline? Done! A to do list? Items checked o

Combine Editions
Philip Athans’s books

Average rating: 3.87 · 19,212 ratings · 739 reviews · 54 distinct works • Similar authors

	Annihilation (Forgotten Realms: War of the Spider Queen, #5) 4.11 avg rating — 8,257 ratings — published 2004 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Reader's Guide to R.A. Salvatore's The Legend of Drizzt 4.45 avg rating — 1,600 ratings — published 2008 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Baldur's Gate (Forgotten Realms: Baldur's Gate, #1) 2.71 avg rating — 1,375 ratings — published 1998 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Guide to Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction: 6 Steps to Writing and Publishing Your Bestseller! by Philip Athans (Goodreads Author), R.A. Salvatore 3.89 avg rating — 733 ratings — published 2010 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Realms of the Dragons (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #9) by Philip Athans (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Jess Lebow (Contributor), R.A. Salvatore (Contributor) 3.80 avg rating — 553 ratings — published 2004 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Realms of Mystery (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #6) by Philip Athans (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Mary H. Herbert (Contributor), Stan Brown (Contributor) 3.63 avg rating — 540 ratings — published 1998 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Realms of the Elves (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #11) 3.84 avg rating — 479 ratings — published 2006 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn (Forgotten Realms: Baldur's Gate, #2) 2.71 avg rating — 623 ratings — published 2000 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Writing Monsters: How to Craft Believably Terrifying Creatures to Enhance Your Horror, Fantasy, and Science Fiction by Philip Athans (Goodreads Author), The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society (Foreword) 3.97 avg rating — 395 ratings — published 2014 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Realms of the Deep (Forgotten Realms: Anthologies, #7) 3.50 avg rating — 323 ratings — published 1999 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Philip Athans…

Series by Philip Athans

Dungeons & Dragons (1 book)
by

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

4.11 avg rating — 8,257 ratings

Forgotten Realms: Baldur's Gate (3 books)
by

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

2.77 avg rating — 2,478 ratings

Forgotten Realms: Watercourse (3 books)
by

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

3.55 avg rating — 645 ratings

The Fathomless Abyss (5 books)
by

Philip Athans (Goodreads Author)

3.58 avg rating — 19 ratings

Philip is Currently Reading

Philip Athans is currently reading

Outpost Mars

by C.M. Kornbluth

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Oct 03, 2026 10:16AM

Philip Athans is currently reading

Dinner on Monster Island: Essays

by Tania De Rozario (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Oct 03, 2026 10:12AM

Philip Athans rated a book it was amazing

The Collected Poems

by Sylvia Plath

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 29, 2026 01:17PM

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Philip’s Recent Updates

Philip Athans is on page 119 of 384 of The Collected Poems The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4 hours, 19 min ago · like · see status
Philip Athans is on page 28 of 180 of Dinner on Monster Island: “One Size Fits Small” is heartbreaking. Dinner on Monster Island: Essays by Tania De Rozario (Goodreads Author) progress:	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4 hours, 21 min ago · like · see status · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dinner on Monster Island by Tania De Rozario. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dinner on Monster Island by Tania De Rozario <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philip Athans made a comment in the group Fantasy Author's Handbook — FAH: The Blog topic " It’s been a while since I posted here about my “reading scheme,” so, quickly recapping… This is my own personal reading, for my own enjoyment, educatio ...more "
23 hours, 45 min ago
Philip Athans started reading Outpost Mars by C.M. Kornbluth	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 03, 2026 10:16AM · like
Philip Athans is currently reading Dinner on Monster Island: Essays by Tania De Rozario (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Oct 03, 2026 10:12AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dinner on Monster Island by Tania De Rozario. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dinner on Monster Island by Tania De Rozario <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philip Athans made a comment in the group Fantasy Author's Handbook — November 2026 Group Read Nominations OPEN! topic " Once more into the breech! Don't suffer over the fact that you missed out on last month's fantastic read, instead, channel that energy into nominating ...more "
Oct 01, 2026 09:14AM
Philip Athans entered a giveaway Ursula K. Le Guin: Conversations on Writing by Ursula K. Le Guin 50 copies available, ends on October 30, 2026 Enter to win »
Oct 01, 2026 05:52AM · like · see giveaway · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Ursula K. Le Guin by Ursula K. Le Guin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Ursula K. Le Guin by Ursula K. Le Guin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philip Athans rated a book it was amazing The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 29, 2026 01:26PM · like
Philip Athans rated a book it was amazing 1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A fantastic book for every writer at every stage of their writing career. Read as the September 2026 Fantasy Author's Handbook group read. https://fantasyhandbook.wordpress.com... ...more
Sep 29, 2026 01:18PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — 1000 Words by Jami Attenberg <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Philip Athans rated a book it was amazing The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 29, 2026 01:16PM · like

More of Philip's books…

Quotes by Philip Athans (?)

“Upon the one thing every writer absolutely must have, and that is intellectual curiosity.”
― Phillip Athans, R.A. Salvatore's War of the Spider Queen, Volume II: Extinction, Annihilation, Resurrection

tags: adivce, curiosity, intellect, writers, writing-advice

5 likes

“Stupid foes were easy to defeat and angry foes even easier. Mix the two together, though, and you’re in for a fight.”
― Philip Athans, Annihilation

2 likes

“A religion without followers is just a weird guy with strange ideas.”
― Philip Athans, How to Start Your Own Religion: Form a Church, Gain Followers, Become Tax-Exempt, and Sway the Minds of Millions in Five Easy Steps

2 likes

See all Philip Athans's quotes »

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Riyria Revela...: Fantasy Writers Helping Victims of Hurricane Sandy	2	18	Jan 12, 2013 07:27AM
Fantasy Book Club: Triumph Over Tragedy - an anthology to benefit the victims of Hurricane Sandy	2	22	Jan 12, 2013 07:29AM
The Sword and Laser: Fantasy Writers Helping Victims of Hurricane Sandy	1	32	Jan 12, 2013 07:54AM
The Riyria Revela...: New Release: Triumph Over Tragedy to Benefit Hurricane Sandy Victims	3	26	Jan 13, 2013 08:08AM
Retro Chapter Chi...: Stay Bookish: Everything & Anything Bookish or Historical 2024	20	15	Sep 04, 2024 07:04AM

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Philip’s Quotes

“You only go around once, but if you play your cards right, once is enough.”
― Frank Sinatra

50 likes

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

tags: attributed-no-source, books, simile, soul

136241 likes

Philip’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-4) post a comment »

date

newest »

message 4: by Philip

Oct 07, 2011 08:27AM

Elaina wrote: "Thanks for accepting my friend request! As an aspiring fantasy author, I try to learn from other fantasy authors and their writings =]"

ME TOO!

reply | flag

message 3: by Elaina

Jul 15, 2011 08:19AM

Thanks for accepting my friend request! As an aspiring fantasy author, I try to learn from other fantasy authors and their writings =]

reply | flag

message 2: by Philip

Mar 02, 2011 05:51PM

Kevin wrote: "Hey I just got The Collected Stories of Drizzt, can't wait to read it, not as much as the third book in Neverwind Trilogy, Icewind, hope it is going to be good."

ENJOY!

reply | flag

message 1: by Kevin

Mar 02, 2011 04:48PM

Hey I just got The Collected Stories of Drizzt, can't wait to read it, not as much as the third book in Neverwind Trilogy, Icewind, hope it is going to be good.

reply | flag

Philip Athans’s Followers (247)

Philip Athans

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