Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction

If you insist on having an “updated” version of Orson Scott Card's classic [b:How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy 11544539 How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy Orson Scott Card https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1307245914s/11544539.jpg 10966], then this is a fine book, but its value primarily depends on having that entire book as the first section. If this is the only copy you can get or you're interested in the perspectives of the co-authors, then again, this is an okay book. The added material does have a convenient glossary of arms and costume pieces, as well as other glossaries of medieval stuff. I hesitate to rate this book as high as the original because within that added material, there is little that you can't learn simply by getting invested in non-fiction about medieval living. There is plenty of research material out there, and learning about it holistically is way better than simply consulting a glossary. [b:Life in a Medieval City 100352 Life in a Medieval City Joseph Gies https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327349287s/100352.jpg 96760] is just one example of a book that will benefit any author writing in historical or pseudo-medieval settings. And of course, I have to ask, even though this book is a convenient reference: if all you're going to consult is a reference book like this, then do you really want to write about these settings? (I write fantasy because I've been a medieval history hobbyist for a long time, and I understand there are lots of motivations to write fantasy, but you can't hope to write something believable just by knowing the difference between a tunic and a doublet)There are, however, non-essential chapters that provide commentary and a little bit of history on witchcraft and magic, and I found these highly entertaining because once the principles are laid out and a few suggestions are made, writing about magic requires very little historical information. In other words, I don't care to dig deeper into the history of rosicrucianism or occultism; it's kind of interesting, but it's not that helpful when constructing a world or magic system to know the difference between Gardnerian Wicca and all the other neo-pagan sects. There was a some really interesting history about actual witchcraft and Satanism, but I don't particularly consider that relevant to my writing, so it was just fun.It's interesting to note that there is no cursory material about science in the added sections. Only stuff to do with medieval history and magic.I think this will make a good addition to any writer's library, but as I said above, it's mainly essential thanks to Card's original book making up half the pages. There is nothing particularly unique or essential about the supplemental material, and the essays on the “state of the field” were pretty useless to anybody who can go to a bookstore.Edit: by the way, there is nothing in this book about short stories or the current (in 2013) state of short stories. All of that is in the original book, and the new material appears to be completely novel-based (which I under$tand, that'$ where the buck$ are, but the title is a little misleading).