[.ca] The Writers Complete Fantasy Reference (ISBN 1582970262)

Perfect addition to my library:
I honestly can't believe some of the detractors of this book who go on and on about it not having enough detail to suit them. This book covers more than it's fair share of topics. I think the nay sayers are simply confused about it's purpose. "The Writers Complete Fantasy Reference: An Indispensable Compendium of Myth and Magic" isn't meant to be academic text simply because it's title has the word "complete" in it. I'm amazed that any fantasy writer would take things so literally. Instead, this book is meant as a concise writer's reference, an overview or compendium of various bits of knowledge for those who are just looking for a fast fact or a short reference on something interesting that they can further research themselves. It's more a book for ideas and a brief explaination of topics than anything else, but that doesn't make it any less valuable. In fact, much like "Everyday Life in the Middle Ages: The British Isles, 500 to 1500" -- another book I've reviewed that seems to get confused with indepth works of academia -- not having to search through mounds of college level text just to find a small bit of knowledge makes it that much more valuable to some of us. I'm a writer of a dark fantasy series based in a feudal society and I've found this book not only invaluably helpful but also extremely easy to handle. Let's face it, there are just times we writers want a quick fact about etiquette, dress, manner, magic, etc and not an entire lecture. That's when I pick up this book, page to the correct section, and 9/10 times will instantly find what I'm looking for. It sure beats scanning mountains of academic text to find a simple fact or two. The introduction by Terry Brooks explains most of this. The book is easy to handle and extremely easy to use with chapters written by various fantasy authors covering everything from fantastic creatures, dress, weapons, armor and armies, magic, witchcraft, castles, world cultures, various traditional fantasy cultures, and so much more! There's something for everyone and that's a rare find in fantasy reference books for writers today. I didn't expect, nor did I want, each chapter to go into excruciating detail on every topic presented. One or two pages of explaination are enough for me. After all, I'm a big girl. If I find something of interest I'm perfectly capable of researching it further on my own. I don't expect the authors to do my work for me, they've already helped me too much the way it is. Besides, if you're like me, then it'd take the fun out of writing because one of the reasons I write fantasy is to discover new facets about my world as I go. I LIKE to research, because that's when I learn. "Complete Fantasy Reference" is really the perfect starter (primer) for those just beginning or considering the possiblities of a series set in a magical Medieval society; or, like me, for those of us who are already in the midst of their series and just looking for a touch of realism or a new idea to explore. I always have it close by when I'm writing. I honestly don't know what I'd do without it now. Highly recommend.

Cash-Grubbing Schlock, or, Why 4 Stars Are Meaningless:
Anyone who allowed this book to go to press should be ashamed! (They should also try reading some fantasy.) This book is so obviously hastily and carelessly thrown together, before you have finished the first chapter you will want your money back. The best you can say about this book if you are an aspiring fantasy writer is, "I wish I had written it." In a very specific market where demand far exceeds supply, this book will continue to sell copies for years, and the editor will be invited on a never-ending speaking tour/convention circuit listed as "an expert in the realm of fantasy and ground-breaking author." And the only thing more hastily produced and included in this book was Terry Brooks' shameful introduction to the book. I don't know if he was friends with the editor, his/her agent, or the publisher, or if he just needed money for summer vacation. That introduction is one of the worst pieces of writing I have seen since I gave up on teaching high-school. If you already read fantasy avidly enough to try your hand at writing in the genre, this book will do nothing for you. At best, it is like a pocket thesaurus for fantasists, where a real thesaurus was quickly cannablized and all the other words simply deleted. If for some reason, you have never read fantasy and want don't want to dive into it unprepared, you could read this book so that the terminology would look familiar to you when you encountered it; however, the terminology would not be in any way CLARIFIED, as this is a thesaurus, not a dictionary, as previously stated. I do not go into specifics to complain about this work (and if I did, it would be to include quotations of Terry Brooks stretching to put a good face on this book in his night-before-the-deadline submission) because that was done so well by a previous reviewer...Also, I was shocked to see this listed at 4 stars, which prompted me to write a review, something I have done only 3 times to date. Then again, when I try to read fantasy novels that are also rated at 4 stars, I can begin to understand how these things happen: 4 stars for a fantasy novel is about as low a rating as a fantasy book can receive from the fiercely loyal fantasy fanbase, of which I am one--despite a degree in Literature from the same place that Dennis L. McKiernan and Margaret Weis are from, fantasy is all I read. And if you don't believe me about the 4 stars "worst rating", try to look up some of the worst fantasy books you have ever read (with a major author or publisher or even cover artist) and peruse their ratings. I believe this is why Amazon does not allow for "0 Star" ratings, because if 0.1% of a book's fans log on to give 5 star reviews, or even 4 star reviews, they will far outweigh the votes given by the 0.1% of the dissenters who take the time to give their 1 Star. Loyal fans will always outnumber the apathetic critics like myself who rarely want to spend an hour of their time to talk about a book they hated. A book which receives as many 5's (Enraptured with the book) as 1's (Disgusted with the book and burned it) will end up with a THREE STAR RATING. And a book with twice as many fans logging on as critics will end up with a 3.67 Star rating, which rounds to FOUR STARS. That is to say, 4 stars for a book that ONE-THIRD of the readership hated. Don't buy books with less than a 4.5 star rating!

When "Complete" isn't...:
There are plenty of desperate people out there, but perhaps none are more desperate than writers seeking their first big hit. With this in mind, a book like "The Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference" comes along and hits average fan fiction writers right where they live. And that's a shame because plenty of writers out there will think a book like this will be helpful. Truth is, it is anything but. The word "Complete" in the title is about as hopeful as hopeful can be. Consider this: the book ends with a single paragraph describing a trebuchet, a very important piece of medieval weaponry. One lowly paragraph. How would anyone writing fantasy in that time period get anything from one paragraph? Just 276 pages in a trade paperback size does not a complete reference make on even one of the many topics addressed here. I wrote a paper in college on medieval weaponry that put this book's section on that topic to shame. This is true for almost any topic. Werewolves? Half a page. The Incas? Two and a half pages. The Holy Roman Empire? Three quarters of a page. By trying to be all things, this book gives no writer any reference worth using. This book is cobbled together from several sources, so its flow is stilted. Illustrations are sparse and not from a single illustrator, so there is no uniformity. The chapters are written by various authors and the topics covered include: *Traditional Fantasy Cultures *World Cultures *Magic *Witchcraft & Pagan Paths *Commerce, Trade, & Law in Contemporary Fantasy *Fantasy Races *Creatures of Myth & Legend *Dress & Costume *Arms, Armor, & Armies *Anatomy of a Castle Still, any writer worth his salt has to do far more research to make his world believable than what can be derived from this work. For that reason, what purpose does this book serve? None that I can see. Writers Digest books publishes dozens of helpful books. This is simply not one of them.

Great start for any fantasy writer:
This book is a wonderful reference for any fantasy writer who is writing in a mideavel-related era. As Terry Brooks himself states in the introduction, it helps you add realism to your novel, which the readers can then relate to (publishers are constantly looking for novels like these). Also, this book helps you be more descriptive when the main character or character comes face to face wih a mythical creature or even a castle. It meticulously describes the form of a castle, castle life, and how a fortress goes under siege. Also, it explains the different names and purposes of a large number of soldiers. It describes every part and function of a suit of armor, and also provides a visual. Wether you wish to use this book to help you understand real magic, castles, fantasy races such as elves, or anything else you can imagine, buy it - you won't be sorry. This reference is truly indespencable, and will help anyone writing either about fantasy or medieval and renaissance times.

A book that even JRR Tolkien would refer to...:
Once upon a time, I decided to try my hand at creative writing, and began a long search for books that would help me. I go to a local Border's bookstore and come across this book. After casually flipping through it, I figure that it'd be worth buying. As with just about every book I've purchased, I underestimated the power of this book. It's a valuable resource for fantasy writers as it gives information about magic and the various races and creatures of myth and fantasy. If you're into historical fiction (Especially concerning the Middle Ages), no problem. This book outlines the structure and daily life of a castle as well as help formulating your own armies and battles. Another valuable component is the presentation of a diverse range of cultures from around the world, allowing fantasy writers to get inspiration from places other than Europe (a traditional muse for the genre). Writers everywhere, I cannot stress enough how much this book should be a part of your reading materials.