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Wonderbook (Revised and Expanded): The Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction by Jeff VanderMeer
samrushingbooks's review against another edition
4.0
4.5
Great book filled with advice laid out in an interesting and thought-provoking way, and so very many writing exercises. I'm so glad I picked this book up.
Great book filled with advice laid out in an interesting and thought-provoking way, and so very many writing exercises. I'm so glad I picked this book up.
wicked_turtle's review against another edition
4.0
Jeff VanderMeer does a stellar job in going over the fundamentals for writing good stories. There are plenty of examples, and I enjoyed the guest essays that provided more insight (except "The Zero's Relapse" by Michael Cisco -- read it twice and still have no idea what the hell he's talking about). I also like how Wonderbook focuses on genre fiction -- there aren't many craft books that do so -- but the advice is applicable to any style of fiction.
More advanced writers may find some of the material elementary, but I thought it was a great refresher course. The worldbuilding chapter was especially useful. Wonderbook is a resource I'll probably refer to again and again in the future.
The appendix had additional essays showing how larping and gaming can be used as writing tools. They didn't really catch my interest. The interview with George R.R. Martin about craft was great, and the additional writing exercises looked like fun.
The artwork and illustrated exercises/guides are stunning. Kudos to Jeremy Zerfoss and the other contributing artists.
More advanced writers may find some of the material elementary, but I thought it was a great refresher course. The worldbuilding chapter was especially useful. Wonderbook is a resource I'll probably refer to again and again in the future.
The appendix had additional essays showing how larping and gaming can be used as writing tools. They didn't really catch my interest. The interview with George R.R. Martin about craft was great, and the additional writing exercises looked like fun.
The artwork and illustrated exercises/guides are stunning. Kudos to Jeremy Zerfoss and the other contributing artists.
zeke67's review against another edition
4.0
A great resource to add to your writing studies. Use it to help expand your imagination if you're writing speculative fiction and you happen to get stuck. Perfect for when the time comes to revise that manuscript and punch it up.
yerin's review against another edition
3.0
Generally, I am not a fan of non-fiction, but I read this for the Reddit r/fantasy 2017 Bingo and I wasn't disappointed. I assumed I would struggle getting through this book, as I usually do with non-fiction, but I actually found this interesting and fun to read at times. I'll admit, the lovely ilustrations helped a lot. So did all the in-between essays and interviews of authors we all know and love such as George RR Martin, Ursula K Le Guin and Neil Gaiman.
hellsfire's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not one to read how-to generic writing books anymore. While their advice is sound, it does get repetitive and boring after awhile. I think the best advice is to read in that genre and of course, write.
That said, Wonderbook did look interesting when I first heard about it. Visually, it's stunning as it's not just boring black and white text with a few images. There's all sorts of drawings in it from monsters to penguins and whales. The charts are even alive and have movement all their own. I've never seen such a book laid out in such a creative way and I give whoever was responsible for it, kudos!
Even though the pretty pictures weren't all window dressing and did have a point to them, the book wasn't about all that. It was about creating fiction. I think it did a very good job in succeeding in that. It even spruced up that by constantly mentioning a penguin.
However, what took me awhile to read it was the fact that the beginning part is for well, beginner writers. While I'll always believe I can learn more, that first part of the book was a bit of a chore.
As wonderful as Wonderbook was, there is a downside to all the inventive outlying of words and images. I still hated it when sentences got chopped up and on the next page or couple of pages, were interviews, stories, snippets, etc. of something else, and I completely forgot what I was reading. And most importantly, Wonderbook probably isn't a book you'll go back to.
In most non-fiction books, as boring as they are, you can easily find the chapters and sections you need. With this wacky layout, it's going to make doing that a little harder.
That said, I think if you're a beginning writer this is a must-buy. Even if you're not a beginner, I would say get this. There may be one or two things you never thought of before and the interviews themselves are pretty fascinating.
That said, Wonderbook did look interesting when I first heard about it. Visually, it's stunning as it's not just boring black and white text with a few images. There's all sorts of drawings in it from monsters to penguins and whales. The charts are even alive and have movement all their own. I've never seen such a book laid out in such a creative way and I give whoever was responsible for it, kudos!
Even though the pretty pictures weren't all window dressing and did have a point to them, the book wasn't about all that. It was about creating fiction. I think it did a very good job in succeeding in that. It even spruced up that by constantly mentioning a penguin.
However, what took me awhile to read it was the fact that the beginning part is for well, beginner writers. While I'll always believe I can learn more, that first part of the book was a bit of a chore.
As wonderful as Wonderbook was, there is a downside to all the inventive outlying of words and images. I still hated it when sentences got chopped up and on the next page or couple of pages, were interviews, stories, snippets, etc. of something else, and I completely forgot what I was reading. And most importantly, Wonderbook probably isn't a book you'll go back to.
In most non-fiction books, as boring as they are, you can easily find the chapters and sections you need. With this wacky layout, it's going to make doing that a little harder.
That said, I think if you're a beginning writer this is a must-buy. Even if you're not a beginner, I would say get this. There may be one or two things you never thought of before and the interviews themselves are pretty fascinating.
donasbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Instagram Review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CByicXSglht/
I enjoy reading books on writing and language almost as much as I enjoy reading fiction itself, and Jeff Vandermeer's Wonderbook shows why I don't even need to argue for why they can be equally enjoyable. This volume is filled with lessons taught by illustrated creature and concepts that come to life through movement achieved with the reader's eye, as it follows the idea around and around and through shapes that might have been impossible to describe with mere words.
Wonderbook is, in fact, the world in which I first began to understand the potential of a story's shape. And would I have learned that incredibly valuable lesson if Vandermeer and the artists he worked with did not show them to my eye and instead speak them to my eye, as has always been the tradition?
I am grateful to Vandermeer for this book and have gone on to read many of his books from here, fiction, anthologies, and nonfiction. He is a very gifted writer, educator, and anthologist, and he understands much about stories. He understands so much about form, you could call him a master of it. You will learn about story form if you read this book, and it is such a fun book to read. And the artwork is beautiful!
Everyone stay resilient, we'll get out of the house soon!
I enjoy reading books on writing and language almost as much as I enjoy reading fiction itself, and Jeff Vandermeer's Wonderbook shows why I don't even need to argue for why they can be equally enjoyable. This volume is filled with lessons taught by illustrated creature and concepts that come to life through movement achieved with the reader's eye, as it follows the idea around and around and through shapes that might have been impossible to describe with mere words.
Wonderbook is, in fact, the world in which I first began to understand the potential of a story's shape. And would I have learned that incredibly valuable lesson if Vandermeer and the artists he worked with did not show them to my eye and instead speak them to my eye, as has always been the tradition?
I am grateful to Vandermeer for this book and have gone on to read many of his books from here, fiction, anthologies, and nonfiction. He is a very gifted writer, educator, and anthologist, and he understands much about stories. He understands so much about form, you could call him a master of it. You will learn about story form if you read this book, and it is such a fun book to read. And the artwork is beautiful!
Everyone stay resilient, we'll get out of the house soon!
zebac's review against another edition
5.0
Although the book covers areas previously covered in other creative writing guides and books, this is the one I'd recommend to any and all writers, experienced or beginner, because the book is in itself, a lovely object, a full-colour publication on good quality paper with weird and wonderful illustrations and many interwoven ideas from established authors.
This is a repository of ideas and techniques, but it is in no way prescriptive or didactic. It wants to help us all unlock our ability to be the best writers we can be. Generous, inspiring and full of writers to follow up and explore. Highly recommended.
This is a repository of ideas and techniques, but it is in no way prescriptive or didactic. It wants to help us all unlock our ability to be the best writers we can be. Generous, inspiring and full of writers to follow up and explore. Highly recommended.