A basic, accessible text to writing science fiction and fantasy. They aren't reinventing the wheel here, but they do a good job of balancing information with examples. Hell, they even bring in video game or TV show examples, which speaks to the cross-pollination going on right now.

This is one of those rare ARCs that I read and immediately preorder. The authors of this book have created a fun, readable guide that will help any genre writer improve their craft. Throughout the book are examples pulled from so many great stories that there is bound to be one you have read or watched, from Avatar: The Last Airbender to Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. You know I’m instantly going to love a book with a whole section about how great Zuko’s redemption arc is. to The only issue I had with the book was the chapter on diversity. They write that authors with privileged identities have a responsibility to write extremely diverse casts but also must avoid tokenism, then proceed to create a checklist of oppressed identities for authors to make sure they include characters with. I thought that the authors didn’t do a good enough job of describing how to avoid tokenism in writing when they seemingly participated in it themselves. I did appreciate the note at the end about how even if an author writes within their own experience, the book world can misinterpret it. I thought that was very honest and necessary to point out. Overall, I think that entire section could have just been a paragraph about the importance of research, avoiding cultural appropriation, and not needing to tell or publish every story idea you have. Other than that one section, I really loved how all of the advice was broken down into actionable steps with examples. As an SFF author without a science background, I really appreciated the guides to different scientific concepts as a jumping off point. Also, shoutout to the authors for using The Outside by Ada Hoffmann, one of my favorite underrated sci fi series as an example of how to handle actual science. I will be turning to this book often as I write my own stories and books and highly recommend it for any SFF writer.

This is one of the most useful books on writing that I've read in the last few years. It's filled with practical information on structuring your novel, creating diverse characters and world building. Each section is explained clearly and examples from popular fiction, films and TV are used to help. What I particularly like about this book is that it is specifically for writers of fantasy and science fiction. So it you're struggling with how to create a magic system or a map of your land this book will provide you with the tools and examples to aid you create your world and give life to your ideas. A really useful book for those who want to begin giving shape to the idea that they have.
Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book.

As someone who has attempted (and failed) the NaNoWriMo challenge, this book is super helpful. One thing I learned from NaNoWriMo was writing fantasy is extremely difficult, especially worldbuilding. This book uses popular pieces of fantasy and sci-fi media to explain the author's methods. I will definitely be referencing this book when I attempt NaNoWriMo again later this year.
(arc from Netgalley)

A smart and charming book that provides answers not only to the rudiments of plot construction, but also stuff that delves more into the sci-fi/fantasy tropes that make up the genre and form the backbone to new and interesting concepts.

An incredibly useful writing tool.

This book has been written in an easy-to-understand way and pulls examples from a variety of different sci-fi and fantasy media. It covers so many different things that it should be helpful to both newbie fantasy writers and more experienced alike.

I focused on the worldbuilding section because that's what I'm working on right now. There were so many different sections split into fairly short chapters but it's not a bad thing. The authors give you starting points and exercises that get your brain thinking but still encourage you to research.

A chapter I really liked was the one on riddles and prophecies. Are they a fantasy staple? Sure. Have I thought about using them? Yes. Have I? No. As is thought I'd be useless. Bit reading this chapter got the ideas flowing for something I can do in a roleplay.

This is definitely a book I recommend to all interested in writing sci-fi and fantasy. I can't wait to get a physical copy to paw through.

I think this book is something for very, very beginner writers who want to write but have no idea how to get started. It gives you a cookie-cutter outline (all the way down to what needs to be done by which percent of the novel) on how to write a book.

Everything I’d read in here, I’d already read or learned before. It didn’t introduce me to any new ideas or concepts. I think, for more advanced writers, it can even be detrimental in a way, because although the cookie-cutter-method works, sometimes the best, ground breaking books take on their own shape. BUT, if you don’t know where to begin or are intimidated by writing, this is a perfect way to start.

Thank you to Mythos and Ink for the ARC copy!
This is a really good, short but fairly comprehensive guide to writing sci-fi and fantasy novels/short stories. I really liked the section on world-building. It definitely falls on the more basic end of work of this type, both in its brevity and contents, but that's probably what makes it a good beginners guide. I've done a lot of reading on this topic and I still found parts of it really helpful, especially structuring (which I struggle with the most) and world-building. It's well-organised and very concise. I also liked the section on the link between science fiction and anthropology and exploring cultural bias.

Overall this book has some similarities to other novels of the same nature, however there are some really useful nuggets in this one. Obviously for Sci Fi, but I particularly enjoyed the chapter on world building.

Interesting story. Seemed kinda basic but still engaging. I would recommend to someone who is just starting

A short, basic writer’s helper for sci-fi/fantasy stories. It was well organized and concise advice on how to 1) Build a Novel Skeleton, 2) Hook your Readers, 3) Create good Characters and 4) Build a complex World. Most of this is probably available in pretty much every writers’ self-help books, but there is not a lot of wasted verbiage here and that is a definite plus. Add to this several reviews on how well known stories illustrated the discussed concepts and you have a solid book.

I was given this free advance review copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#MakingMythsandMagic #NetGalley.

A super handy, all-in-one guide to writing fantasy/sci-fi fiction! I really appreciate the numerous (great) examples that are included in this book and its inclusion of external resources for further reading/discovery. Now I'm begging for its release date to drop so I can actually have my own copy to bookmark, annotate and highlight the hell out of!

Thanks to Netgalley and Mythos & Ink for providing me with the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent craft book for the SFF crowd. A recommended purchase for public nonfiction collections. HS crossover appeal for schools with strong creative writing programs.

I enjoyed this book. Although I do not write science fiction or fantasy, I am a fan of the genre and I was very happy to see a genre-specific book on writing. The value of the book for me is that it has given me a new appreciation for all the great books I’ve read. I enjoyed the occasional humor in the book. I also liked the examples given, especially those from Discworld. I really only disagreed with one thing in the book, the use of eye dialect. Otherwise this is a very good book and I recommend it not only for people who want to write the genre, but also for people who read the genre. Thank you to Netgalley and Mythos & Ink for the advance reader copy.

Such a good book! Loved the advice given! As a writer, I think reading books like these is what really helps build up my craft and make it much better than it already is.

An enjoyable and organized guide to one of my favorite genres — and an inspiring book to spark more writing.

My thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher Myths & Ink for an advanced copy of this writing reference book.

Many people have published books on writing and the writing life. Writing Zen, Writing your bones, writing to diet, writing what you know, what you don't know, and writing to make your life super great and full of wealth. Many have the best of intentions, but lack the practical matters of how to create a world for speculative fiction, maybe for fun, maybe for publishing. Making Myths and Magic :A Field Guide to Writing Sci-Fi and Fantasy Novels by Shelly Campbell and Allison Alexander is the exception, with practical world building strategies helpful hints, and real editing and publishing information that makes this a great reference book for writers of all types.

Immediately the book draws you in with helpful ideas on how to get those ideas that float in your brain down on paper or screen. In addition there are helpful ideas on how to build and develop a world your adventure might take place in. If starting small scares you, go big, get an idea of what the universe for your characters might be like. Starting big might be overkill to some, but the more comfort you have in your scenario, the more comfort you will have in sharing your characters with the real world. Again there are many exercises, fully explained and well worth trying.

Another chapter I found interesting was on dialogue and making your characters seem real. Again, the ideas are common sense, but everything is explained so well, and with plenty of examples, and real world publishing stories, that the reader finds their confidence build the more they read.

A wonderful book for writers, game designers, even for people who need stories for insomniac children who don't want the same old stories. Good practical ideas, to make those brainstorms that fill the mind real, and maybe give the impetus to share with others. A great gift for aspiring writers, however even if the reader never writes their own book, this is still a wonderful gift to inspire the creative imagination.

"If you have a damsel in distress, she should still be a three-dimensional character who is not just there to be saved. A good way to test this? If she can be replaced with an antimate object, the character needs more development."

3.5 stars

Uh, yes I would say so. This is a good basic short book about writing fantasy and sci-fi that has examples from literature, Tv, and movies as the main focus to explore key ideas. I did appreciate the large diversity of things they quoted from, there is certainly no lack of fantasy and sci-fi knowledge here, I felt big parts of the books where sort of wasted. Like pointing out pretty basic world building things, or when they listed and explained 40 fantasy and sci-fi tropes. I found the role of mythology and questions about creatures the most interesting.

Thank you the the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

It was great to get a guide from someone in the publishing industry, it deals with things I have not thought of, such as technology, art and weapons as well as magic, which I had thought of. The book makes a lot of good points and I already find it an invaluable guide to writing. So I am using it as a reference book and I enjoyed reading it. Highly recommended. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.