Scan barcode
A review by wordsofapaige
Notes From Small Planets: Your Pocket Travel Guide to the Worlds of Science Fiction and Fantasy by Nate Crowley
5.0
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It took my approximately 23 pages before I started recommending this book to people, and I'm pleased to say that by the end of the book I stand by my stance of 'recommend this to everyone with a passing interest in sc-fi/fantasy'.
If I can't travel this year, why not travel through this travel guide? Crowley has crafted 9 worlds that are simultaneously unique and also rooted in the foundations of the areas that they cover - for example wasteland or SPACE. You'll find yourself fascinated with these places while also chuckling away to the Easter Eggs hidden within, and the cliches you never quite realised are there. Crowley has taken apart each of these settings and laid before you the workings of them, and the sheer ludicrousness of the conventions of them. Things you would never consider laid bare and you find yourself going 'oh yeah, that is pretty daft' or 'wait Orcs are ALWAYS the bad guys'.
I'm sad we'll never get to see each of these worlds in their own novels. Because I'm fairly sure that whatever books were set in them would be a wild ride filled with things we know, while pointing out how most of the books set in these types of worlds do share these similarities and ideas. They're super rich worlds and ideas that I just wish we could keep exploring.
There's a whole sub-plot going on between Eliza the editor and Floyd the writer. The footnotes contain a whole riot of story that will keep you laughing and add depth to these two characters who actually don't really appear in the travel guide itself. Eliza is clearly the long suffering editor who has to deal with the issues Floyd seems to constantly cause, and calls him out on a lot of problems. My particular favourite being that of the Goblins/Orc children. Plus theres a whole plot around antlered elves that I would like to very much explore more, thank you.
This book also looks amazing. It has all the trappings of a travel guide, and the addition of the maps really made it for me. I love a good map and seeing them come to life as a kind of 'stereotypical' map of that type of world was just fun. It just looks so great. Plus the cover is stunning!
This book should be pride of place on any Fantasy and Sci-Fi lovers shelves. Even the most casual of reader will find Easter Eggs and be left feeling smug that they got that reference. This book is a complete riot and I loved it. It's a must-read for all lovers of these genres!
It took my approximately 23 pages before I started recommending this book to people, and I'm pleased to say that by the end of the book I stand by my stance of 'recommend this to everyone with a passing interest in sc-fi/fantasy'.
If I can't travel this year, why not travel through this travel guide? Crowley has crafted 9 worlds that are simultaneously unique and also rooted in the foundations of the areas that they cover - for example wasteland or SPACE. You'll find yourself fascinated with these places while also chuckling away to the Easter Eggs hidden within, and the cliches you never quite realised are there. Crowley has taken apart each of these settings and laid before you the workings of them, and the sheer ludicrousness of the conventions of them. Things you would never consider laid bare and you find yourself going 'oh yeah, that is pretty daft' or 'wait Orcs are ALWAYS the bad guys'.
I'm sad we'll never get to see each of these worlds in their own novels. Because I'm fairly sure that whatever books were set in them would be a wild ride filled with things we know, while pointing out how most of the books set in these types of worlds do share these similarities and ideas. They're super rich worlds and ideas that I just wish we could keep exploring.
There's a whole sub-plot going on between Eliza the editor and Floyd the writer. The footnotes contain a whole riot of story that will keep you laughing and add depth to these two characters who actually don't really appear in the travel guide itself. Eliza is clearly the long suffering editor who has to deal with the issues Floyd seems to constantly cause, and calls him out on a lot of problems. My particular favourite being that of the Goblins/Orc children. Plus theres a whole plot around antlered elves that I would like to very much explore more, thank you.
This book also looks amazing. It has all the trappings of a travel guide, and the addition of the maps really made it for me. I love a good map and seeing them come to life as a kind of 'stereotypical' map of that type of world was just fun. It just looks so great. Plus the cover is stunning!
This book should be pride of place on any Fantasy and Sci-Fi lovers shelves. Even the most casual of reader will find Easter Eggs and be left feeling smug that they got that reference. This book is a complete riot and I loved it. It's a must-read for all lovers of these genres!